Does housework matter anymore? The shifting impact of housework on economic inequality

In recent years, American women’s housework time has declined while American men’s housework time has risen. We examine how these changes have affected economic inequality in the United States. Using time-diary data from the Time Use in Economic and Social Accounts, 1975–1976 (N = 1,484) and the American Time Use Survey, 2003 (N = 5,534), we value adults’ housework using two alternative methodologies and assess its influence on households’ real access to goods and services in both years. Results suggest that housework reduces economic inequality in both years. But, between 1975–1976 and 2002–2003, overall economic inequality rose largely because of the growing wage inequality and also, in part, because of growth in housework inequality. Socio-demographic change partially inhibited the overall growth in economic inequality.

“98房改”的历史与社会影响：基于利益分化的视角

自1998年全面停止实物分房这一具有里程碑意义的改革开始,中国房地产业得到快速发展,城镇居民的住房条件得到了极大的改善,但住房利益分化也日益突出。“98房改”通过内部市场的方式在将计划经济时期由单位制所决定的住房利益差异固化,并一定程度上使之在住房改革过程中以及改革后的房地产市场中得以放大。尽管从市场角度理解住房利益差异是不可忽略的视角,但历史回溯表明,住房政策及其变动过程本身对利益分化的影响同样不可忽视,并且这种影响也会因为政策设置缺乏预见性而持续作用于改革之后的市场当中。     

An improved Bennett's inequality

This paper gives an improvement to Bennett's inequality for tail probability of sum of independent random variables, without imposing any additional condition. The improved version has a closed form expression. Using a refined arithmetic-geometric mean inequality, we further improve the obtained inequality. Numerical comparisons show that the proposed inequalities often improve the upper bound significantly in the far tail area, and these improvements get more prominent for larger sample size.     

基于半参数模型的Kuznets“倒U假说”再检验

为解决Kuznets＂倒U假说＂检验中参数模型设定误差问题,采用非参数方式考察经济增长对不平等的非线性影响,而控制变量采用了局部线性的设定方式,从而建立了一个可用于检验＂倒U假说＂的半参数模型。通过半参数模型,对中国城镇居民和农村居民经济增长与收入不平等之间的＂倒U假说＂进行了再检验,并将检验结果与参数模型进行对比。实证结果表明：城镇居民Gini系数与人均GDP的关系呈近似＂倒U型＂曲线且处于上升的趋势;农村居民Gini系数与人均GDP的关系呈现弱的＂U型＂关系,拒绝了＂倒U假说＂。     

一个半离散且正数齐次核逆向的Hilbert型不等式

应用权系数的方法及参量化思想,建立一个具有最佳常数因子的、半离散且正数齐次核逆向的Hil-bert型不等式,并考虑了它的引入多参数的等价式.     

城市医疗救助筹资与给付水平的地区不平等性

城市医疗救助试点自2005年初开始在全国范围内实施,其筹资与给付结构呈现很大的地区不平等性。第一,人均筹资水平的基尼系数高达0.881,处于极其不平等的状态,我国东部地区不平等程度最大;对于这一不平等,省际差异的贡献率为55.45%,省内各区县之间的差异贡献了38.35%。第二,人均给付水平总的基尼系数为0.652,也呈现极其不平等的状态,而东中西三大地区之间的差异对这一不平等状态的贡献较大。第三,对医疗救助人均筹资和人均给付水平的基尼系数的分解结果显示,省级和中央政府的转移支付没有产生拉平效应,未能对公共服务水平公平的实现发挥应有的作用。因此,健全医疗救助的公共财政体系是进一步努力的方向,其中最为关键的是实现转移支付的制度化。     

Immigration,internal migration and crime in South Africa: A multi‐level model analysis

A review of South African literature on crime confirms the lack of a study that considers the impact of migration on the crime rate in the country. The high levels of crime in South Africa aside, additional motivation behind the study has been the increasing rhetoric in media and by politicians insinuating the prominent role of foreign immigrants in the high crime levels of the country. While this is the first attempt to study this relationship in the South African context, it also stands apart from existing studies undertaken in the developed countries by accounting for both internal migrants as well as foreign immigrants. Further, the study claims the use of multi‐level regression estimations as an improvement from the existing studies on the issue by accounting for variance clustering across different spatial levels. In all the estimated models, internal migrant ratio came out as being positively and significantly related to crime rates across five different crime categories, with the sole exception of sexual crime rate. There was no evidence of foreign immigrant ratio impacting on crime rate in any of the crimes analysed except crime relating to property. Further, income inequality and sex ratio figure as determining factors across most types of crime in South Africa.     

The curious under‐representation of women impact case leaders: Can we disengender inequality regimes?

Universities are increasingly expected to demonstrate the wider societal impacts of academic research. Yet women management scholars were disproportionately under‐represented in leading impact cases in the UK's REF (Research Excellence Framework) 2014. An analysis of 395 REF impact cases for business and management studies with an identifiable lead author revealed that only 25 per cent were led by women, of which 54 per cent were sole authored. Based on 12 in‐depth interviews with women impact case writers, we use Acker's inequality regimes framework to understand invisible and socially constructed gendering of the UK's policy that is designed to evaluate research impact. In a knowledge‐intensive workplace dominated by men, the shape and degree of gendered bases of inequality, systemic practices, processes and controls result in sub‐optimal talent management and gendered knowledge. We call for university leaders to be proactive in addressing barriers that fail to support or recognize women's leadership of research impact.     

Subject to Evaluation: How Parents Assess and Mobilize Information from Social Networks in School Choice

A rich literature examines how information spreads through social networks to influence life opportunities. However, receiving information does not guarantee its use in decision making. This article analyzes information evaluation as a fundamental component of social network mobilization. The case of school choice, where the value of information may be more uncertain, brings this evaluative dimension to the forefront. Interviews with 55 parents in Boston show how parents selecting schools assess their social network ties as information sources, privileging information from those they perceive to have affinity and authority. These evaluative criteria map onto disparate networks to engender unequal mobilization of this information. The findings illuminate mechanisms sustaining inequality in social network mobilization and reorient scholars to consider processes underlying information use alongside information diffusion to attain a more complete understanding of how network resources are mobilized in action.     

Learning from the Religious Experiences of Bi+ Trans People

This article builds upon emerging studies of bi+ and trans populations to explore the importance of expanding studies of religion and nonreligion beyond an almost entirely cisgender and monosexual focus. Specifically, we utilize the largest qualitative sample of bi+ trans people (n = 249) in sociology to date to explore the ways people in both these populations experience religion. We find that while some bi+ trans people note exceptional positive experiences in religious contexts, they almost entirely experience religion as a source of damnation and trauma. Our analysis speaks to sociologies of (1) gender and (non)religion, (2) sexualities and (non)religion, and (3) (non)religious bi+ and/or trans experience. Our conclusion outlines implications for developing bi+ and trans inclusive studies of religion and nonreligion.