Is there an underclass in Britain?*

This paper sets out to define the underclass and then test the predictions of three competing theories in the underclass debate. Using the National Child Development Study for the analysis it is found that an 'underclass' suffering from a lack of qualifications, low cognitive ability and chronic joblessness exists. The validity of making a distinction between the working class and an 'underclass' has often been questioned both because of the dubious history of such a distinction and because it is not believed that such a distinction is empirically true. The results in this paper contradict this assertion by finding the underclass to be distinctive from the working class in terms of patterns of family formation, work commitment and political allegiance. The distinct attitudes of the underclass, when coupled with evidence of inter- and intra-generational stability of membership, provide early evidence that a new social class, the underclass, may now exist in Britain.     

46家国内企业使命陈述的实证分析

本文根据弗雷德·R·戴维提出的九要素标准对国内46家企业的使命陈述进行了实证分析和评价。结果发现:(1)国内企业在制定使命陈述的时候最关注的要素是产品和服务、观念,其次是市场、关心员工、技术和自我认知等要素,而最不关注的是对公众形象的关切要素和顾客要素。(2)根据九要素评价标准,国内企业在使命陈述制定水平上尚须提高。(3)高科技企业的使命陈述比传统型企业的要好,在具体评价指标上,高科技企业也要好于传统型企业。另外,服务型企业的使命陈述与生产制造型企业也有差异,部分要素的偏重有所不同。(4)国内企业的使命陈述比较重视创新精神,还有部分企业的使命陈述表现出较强的民族情感。     

Income effects of divorce in families with dependent children

The Norwegian post-divorce transfer scheme for families with children guarantees minimum maintenance payments from the non-custodial to the custodial parent. We studied the economic effects of divorce in such families. When the mother has custody, she falls behind before maintenance payments. After adding these, the outcomes at the median are very similar for both parents, contrasting studies from other countries, but the risk of a drop in equivalized income is large.     

Young Children's Problematic Sexual Behaviors,Unsubstantiated Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse,and Family Boundaries in Child Custody Disputes

ABSTRACT

Allegations of child sexual abuse are sometimes alleged based on a child's problematic sexual behaviors. When the allegations are unsubstantiated, child custody evaluators are asked to make recommendations regarding custody. Historically, it has been believed that if a child engages in problematic sexual behaviors it is strong evidence of child sexual abuse. Recent research finds that there are many reasons, other than overt sexual abuse, for children to engage in problematic sexual behaviors. This article outlines these reasons and provides a methodology for the evaluation of the boundaries in both parents' homes to assist in determining the possible etiology of the problematic sexual behaviors of the child. Suggestions are made regarding visitation and reunification if boundary concerns are found.     

An Examination of the Indian Child Welfare Act Section of State Title IV-B Child and Family Services Plans

The current study examined a nationwide sample of the ICWA section within state Title IV-B Child and Family Services Plans. Content analysis was performed to examine whether states were meeting ICWA mandates and federal requirements and interviews with regional/central Administration for Children and Families administrators and state officials were conducted. Major findings included ACF program instructions lacked detail and clarity as to what should be included, a majority of states reported consulting with tribes in the CFSP development, and over half of all state CFSPs did not reference any of the three specific measures outlined in ACF guidelines. Implications of findings are discussed and recommendations are offered to develop measurable outcomes to evaluate ICWA compliance and improve the federal monitoring processes.     

On the margin? Residential child care in Scotland and Finland

Situated on the margins of Europe, Scotland and Finland are small countries which share similar demographic and economic profiles. In many European countries, residential child care can also be considered to be ‘on the margin’ of child care provision; there is ambivalence about residential care and a view that it should be used as a last resort. This paper examines systems and practices of residential care in Scotland and Finland, locating these in the context of wider child welfare policy in both countries. The underpinning principles of child welfare provision in both countries are similar—based on children's rights and primarily family-focused. In both countries there are also similar concerns about the fragmentation of child care provision and the cost of residential services. However, there are also important differences relating to child welfare provision and the use of residential care. In Finland, overall numbers of children in residential care are much greater than in Scotland; the age profile of these children and young people is very different; and the two countries vary markedly in the use of secure accommodation and custody. This comparative analysis suggests new ways of understanding the similarities and difference in the use of residential care in the two countries. It highlights the continuing challenge to develop residential care as a positive and integral part of a continuum of care services.     

Child dialect acquisition: New perspectives on parent/peer influence1

Regardless of the variability and complexity in the linguistic environment around them, children begin constructing stable linguistic identities at a young age. Prior research has effectively modeled child dialect acquisition in terms of parent influence versus peer influence, and peer influence has often been shown to be the key determiner. The present study takes the next step by showing that the parent/peer group contrast in prior studies should be viewed as a special case of a more general pattern: children learn and construct dialect identity as a process of group distinction. Using data the author collected among exogamous Sui clans in rural southwest China, the present study shows how diverse cultures can lend new perspectives to the issue of parent/peer influence; Sui children's linguistic worlds are not divided along parent/peer lines but rather along clan lines, yet a similar process of group distinction occurs.     

The impact of minimum age and child access prevention laws on firearm-related youth suicides and unintentional deaths

The aim of the present study is to quantify the association between child access prevention (CAP) and minimum age laws and state-level youth firearm-related suicide and unintentional death rates. This paper differs from prior research in several ways. First, this is one of the few studies to focus exclusively on youth death rates. Second, this study looks at those laws with the most impact on youth suicides and unintentional deaths. Finally, this study uses one of the largest and most recent data sets of any study on this topic. In order to estimate the determinants of youth firearm deaths, a fixed effects regression model, controlling for both state-level and year-specific effects, is used. Results indicate that state-level minimum age laws have no significant effects on either youth suicides or unintentional deaths and that state-level CAP laws have no significant effects on unintentional deaths. States with CAP laws, however, have lower rates of youth suicide, and, after the enactment of the Federal minimum age requirement, both youth suicide and unintentional death rates fell. Given the mixed results regarding state-level juvenile firearm laws, national restrictions on juvenile handgun possession may be more effective in reducing both youth suicides and unintentional deaths than state-level regulations.     

宋初“九僧”诗人群体形成辨

王传龙《“九僧”生卒年限及群体形成考》一文以为,九僧群体形成于京师,形成于馆阁,《九僧诗》是类似《西昆酬唱集》一样的馆阁吟唱结晶,其清邃淡泊的诗风并非真实山林景色的映现。实际上,从《九僧诗》之结集与诗歌内容考辨可知,九僧诗人群体的形成于九僧四处云游期间,且其周围有一个庞大的诗人群体。九僧所结交之名卿也非达官显贵,而多为文士词臣,彼此是基于文学互动的交游。