Impacts of child development accounts on parenting practices: evidence from a randomised statewide experiment

ABSTRACT

This study examines the impact of Child Development Accounts (CDAs) on parenting practices of mothers with young children in a statewide randomised experiment conducted in the United States. The experiment included 2704 primary caregivers of children born in Oklahoma during 2007: 1358 were randomly assigned to the treatment group and 1346 to the control group. Structural equation modelling suggests that the punitive-parenting score among treatment participants was .12 standard deviations smaller than that among control participants (p < . 05). Findings indicate that CDAs reduce punitive parenting, and may serve as an additional tool for positive parent–child interactions.     

Capacity Development re‐examined through the lens of Indonesia's learning experiences with international donors

Capacity Development (CD) is a long‐term endogenous process. Despite an abundant literature, CD and the length of time required for its realisation are still abstract in practice. The examination of the process of fostering CD contributes to understanding the time required and the role of external actors, such as international donors, in supporting CD. This article aims to reveal part of the process of fostering CD and the time required, and to consider the role of international donors. This qualitative study focuses on Wakatobi district in Southeast Sulawesi province, Indonesia. The data reveal how bottom‐up local development approaches have developed through national and external donor programmes and projects. This study confirms the long endogenous learning process that CD involves. The case of Wakatobi district shows the continual efforts to institutionalize and functionalize bottom‐up local development. The acquired knowledge and skills have gradually developed the core capacities of Wakatobi, with beneficial effects on other districts and society more broadly. The fostering of CD, which resists social transformation, will take longer than donors expect. Continual learning is key and constant for the growth of CD. Donors should consider the provision of training, which makes continual, endless learning possible.     

中国国家语言能力研究热点与启示——基于CiteSpace的可视化图谱分析

文章以“中国国家语言能力研究”中文期刊文献为研究对象，利用科学计量可视化软件CiteSpace对2008-2018年间中国国家语言能力研究的研究热点、关键话题和学科参与度进行分析。提取的5个关键话题包括国家话语、语言教育、语言规划、国家语言能力和语言能力。中国国家语言能力研究具有一定的跨学科属性，但学科参与度和影响力的均衡度不强，未来研究需要多学科共同参与，增强研究的广度、深度与持续性。      

A Factor Analysis Approach Toward Reconciling Community Vulnerability and Resilience Indices for Natural Hazards

The concepts of vulnerability and resilience help explain why natural hazards of similar type and magnitude can have disparate impacts on varying communities. Numerous frameworks have been developed to measure these concepts, but a clear and consistent method of comparing them is lacking. Here, we develop a data-driven approach for reconciling a popular class of frameworks known as vulnerability and resilience indices. In particular, we conduct an exploratory factor analysis on a comprehensive set of variables from established indices measuring community vulnerability and resilience at the U.S. county level. The resulting factor model suggests that 50 of the 130 analyzed variables effectively load onto five dimensions: wealth, poverty, agencies per capita, elderly populations, and non–English-speaking populations. Additionally, the factor structure establishes an objective and intuitive schema for relating the constituent elements of vulnerability and resilience indices, in turn affording researchers a flexible yet robust baseline for validating and expanding upon current approaches.     

Organizing community: Activist public relations as place-making

This conceptual essay develops a renewed concept of community in public relations scholarship and practice—one re-centering activism and physical place. To do so, it delves into the writing and advocacy of two trailblazing women who dedicated their lives and work to empowering and protecting their communities: Grace Lee Boggs and Jane Jacobs. By connecting their approaches with existing public relations scholarship around community, activism, and place, the authors present a set of place-making communicative approaches for community activist practice in addition to theoretical development around what Boggs (2000) refers to as “place-based civic activism” (p. 19)—the work of finding and harnessing a shared neighborhood identity to connect and empower local residents as citizens. Seeing community and activism through this lens points toward the complex, living, and evolving ecology of communities (Jacobs, 1961, 2000), and positions public relations and activist communication as crucial tools for place-making.     

中华民族共同体意识与“五个认同”关系再探析

确认中华民族共同体意识的核心内容并对其展开理论阐释,是建立中华民族共同体意识理论体系的需要,也是用此学说指导实践的前提。中华民族共同体意识是马克思主义民族理论中国化的基础理论研究。从认同的基础概念、多维的共同实体和共同体的基本属性分析中华民族共同体意识核心内容形成的逻辑进路,提出铸牢中华民族共同体意识要关注主要矛盾,紧抓核心内容,立足于培育和提升"五个认同"的具体要义,落实于国家和政党的建设、制度健全、凝聚价值共识,以及民族平等团结共同繁荣等综合举措。     

The dual contingencies of ethnoraciality: Status-context disparities in health information sources among sexual minorities

Researchers often explore health (care) beliefs as a function of individual characteristics; yet, few consider the role of context in shaping both beliefs and the behaviors that are informed by them. As a sociopolitical construct, ethnoraciality provides a concerning source of bias in studies of health (care) beliefs because it inhabits both individual and contextual forms. This study examines whether the ethnoracial context of the residential area where sexual minorities live is associated with a particular health (care) belief – sources of trustworthy health information – and considers how ethnoracial group membership status differentiates these ecological associations drawing on mediation and moderation models. Using data from the 2010 Social Justice Sexuality Project, our analysis shows that sexual minorities who live with high concentrations of Latinos and Whites are less likely to rely exclusively on medical professionals for trustworthy health information than those who live with high concentrations of Blacks. Moreover, exclusive reliance on medical professionals for health information among Black and Latino sexual minorities is stronger in co-ethnic communities (predominately Black and Latino areas, respectively). The analysis also documents status and contextual differentials and status-context contingencies of reliance on the Internet, social networks, and multiple agents (“triangulation”) as sources of health information. Findings suggest that place-based co-ethnic networks may facilitate disease prevention among Black and Latino sexual minorities by improving the quality of their relationships with sick role gatekeepers and breaking down the silos of the medical complex. The study concludes by considering the value of a place-based approach to alleviating health disparities among sexual minorities vis-à-vis the health care system.     

Building assets from birth: Singapore’s policies

ABSTRACT

Singapore has created innovative, inclusive and comprehensive asset-building policies designed to promote social stability and development. Asset building from early childhood is an important part of this overall strategy. In 1993, Singapore’s government initiated a universal child asset-building policy, Edusave, which provides resources for improving educational outcomes. Since then, three additional asset-building policies for children have been implemented: the Baby Bonus and Child Development Accounts (CDAs), Post-Secondary Education Accounts (PSEAs) and Medisave, a health savings account. We discuss each of these asset-building accounts for children in Singapore. We point out distinctive features and assess key elements in overall policy design.     

区域海洋管理的能力建设及其效益分析

海洋经济发展所引发的海洋资源、环境和权益的冲突,亟待通过海洋综合管理来加以解决。区域海洋管理作为有效模式为海洋综合管理服务,而能力建设是其中的核心手段。区域海洋管理的能力建设体系主要包括:制度机制的建设、科学技术的支撑、人力资源的建设和公众参与机制等几个部分。将费用—效益分析的原理和方法引入区域海洋管理的能力建设体系中,可以建立其经济效益的评估框架和分析方法。     

Relationship between attendance at a parents anonymous adult program and children's behavior at the parents anonymous child care program

The purpose of this research was to determine the statistical relationship between the proportion of parent group meetings attended by parents who were involved in a Parents Anonymous Adult Program and the number of positive behavioral ratings received by children who attended the Parents Anonymous Child Care Program. The research hypothesis was that parents who attend a higher proportion of the parent group meetings are more likely to have children who receive positive behavioral ratings during the Child Care Program. A two-way analysis of covariance indicated the main effect of attendance was significant, p < .0009.