Precarity and structural racism in Black youth encounters with police

Youth experience increased surveillance by and involuntary contact with police officers compared with other age groups. Studies that explore the experiences of youth during these encounters are scant and focus on youth with criminal histories. This research aims to explore the experiences of college-attending youth between 18 and 24 years old in two southern states. The study was designed and conducted according to the tenets of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Twelve Black youth were recruited and interviewed between April 2015 and April 2016. Three superordinate themes (and subthemes) were identified: (1) negative feelings towards the police; (2) precarity of police encounters (subthemes: police as a threat to welfare; it could be me; steps to follow during police encounters; behavior is irrelevant) and; (3) police response is part of structural racism (subthemes: racism is everywhere; media contributes to racism). The importance of these findings for social work practice and research will be discussed.     

Have the relative employment prospects for the low-skilled deteriorated after all?

Has the relative unemployment propensity for the low-skilled increased during the 1990s? We address this question empirically, based on two notions of low skills; i) low education, and ii) low ability, conditioned on education and work experience. Ability is identified by previous earnings. Evaluated by the education-based measure, we find that unemployment propensity has not developed unfavourably for the low-skilled. Evaluated by the ability-based measure, it has. We uncover a steady deterioration of employment prospects for persons with low ability relative to others with similar formal qualifications. The adverse employment effects of being low-skilled are stronger the higher is formal education.All correspondence to Knut Røed. The paper is part of the project Sorting, exposed groups and labour market programs financed by the Research Council of Norway. We wish to thank Rolf Aaberge, Paul Gertler, Harald Goldstein, Karl Ove Moene, Jon Strand, Steinar Strøm, Asbjrn Rødseth and an anonymous referee for helpful comments. Responsible editor: John F. Ermisch.     

On variable selection in generalized linear and related regression models

This paper is concerned with selection of explanatory variables in generalized linear models (GLM). The class of GLM's is quite large and contains e.g. the ordinary linear regression, the binary logistic regression, the probit model and Poisson regression with linear or log-linear parameter structure. We show that, through an approximation of the log likelihood and a certain data transformation, the variable selection problem in a GLM can be converted into variable selection in an ordinary (unweighted) linear regression model. As a consequence no specific computer software for variable selection in GLM's is needed. Instead, some suitable variable selection program for linear regression can be used. We also present a simulation study which shows that the log likelihood approximation is very good in many practical situations. Finally, we mention briefly possible extensions to regression models outside the class of GLM's.     

Fertility regulation technology: status and prospects

The current status of and prospects for contraceptive methods is reviewed. Regulations governing the development, safety, and effectiveness of contraceptive methods are discussed, as well as the nature of the female and male reproductive system. Methods reviewed include coitus interruptus, the condom, spermicidal contraceptive agents, postcoital douching, the vaginal diaphragm, male and female sterilization, the rhythm method, oral contraceptives, IUDs, induced abortion, progesterone-releasing IUDs, postcoital estrogens, abortifacient agents (prostaglandins), immunization against human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), pharmacologic suppression of the corpus luteum, long-acting injections of Depo-Provera, implantation of capsules containing norgestrel, the intravaginal ring, intracervical devices, release of contraceptive steroids through an arm bracelet, and male contraceptive agents. New areas of contraceptive research include influencing the release of luteininzing hormone-releasing hormone, 'turning-off' corpus luteum function in early pregnancy by competitors for HCG, affecting sperm or ovarian membranes to prevent fertilization, and interferring with sperm and egg development.     

A community of singers: employing exploratory cluster analysis to reveal profiles of psychosocial characteristics among members of a street choir for homeless and formerly homeless individuals

This exploratory study employed cluster analysis to identify profiles of resilience, social support, stress, and mental health among members of a homeless and formerly homeless street choir; we examined the association between choir attendance and cluster membership, and the interaction of cluster membership and race. Respondents (N?=?111, 66% African American, 84% homeless) had participated in the choir for an average of 12 months (SD?=?12.02). We stratified the analysis according to homelessness status. Among those housed, k-means cluster analysis revealed two profiles: (1) relatively resourced but lower resilience, and (2) high resilience. Three profiles emerged among the homeless: (1) psychologically vulnerable, high stress and mental health concerns; (2) relatively resourced, showing average levels of mental health concerns and social support, minimally elevated stress, and higher resilience; and (3) low resilience. Examining the interaction, non-African American, housed participants in the high resilience cluster reported the most frequent choir attendance (M?=?4.00, SD?=?0.00); among the homeless, non-African Americans in the psychologically vulnerable cluster reported the most frequent attendance (M?=?3.88, SD?=?1.25). Results support the need for programs that address higher order needs concurrently with housing; they also highlight the ongoing need to provide particular outreach to minority populations.     

Employment Behaviour of Marginal Workers: The Roles of Preferences and Opportunities

Abstract. We use structural estimation techniques to analyse labour supply effects of changes in economic incentives for individuals who have just finished vocational rehabilitation in Norway. The complicated and sometimes non‐convex budget sets for this group of marginal workers are accounted for. We also focus on the limitation in the choice sets this group faces. Parametric bootstrap and simulation techniques are applied to construct confidence intervals for the predicted impacts of changes in the economic environment. The results show that there is a small to moderate effect of changes in economic incentives on the chance of vocational rehabilitation bringing individuals back to employment. We also find that individual health status and local labour market conditions are the most important factors affecting the transition from rehabilitation to work.     

Exploring Minority Youths’ Police Encounters: A Qualitative Interpretive Meta-synthesis

Recent deaths by police of unarmed minority youth have raised important questions about the nature and outcomes of involuntary minority youth-police encounters. Youth are the most surveilled group of Americans and minority youth frequently live in neighborhoods disproportionately targeted for proactive policing (i.e., using broad police discretion to “target” those most likely to be engaged in criminal activity before criminal acts become apparent). Understanding the experiences of minority youth who encounter police officers is of critical concern for social workers in many practice and research areas. Social workers must examine how a minority person’s perceptions are formed through repeated, frequent, involuntary encounters with the police. The purpose of this qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis was to capture these experiences through the voices of minority youth in recounting their contacts with the police. Four themes were identified: dangerous, controlling, prejudiced, and ineffective. Further reduction of these themes resulted in an overarching theme that captures the essences of these youth’s experiences: dehumanization. These results enhance understanding of minority youth experience with police officers and, thus, inform social work advocacy efforts around this issue in both practice and research arenas.     

A framework of motivations for industry-big science collaboration: A case study

The epistemic (knowledge creation) benefits of big science centres are obvious to everyone. During an era of tight budgetary constraints, however, it is difficult to justify the existence of these centres on the basis of their epistemic contributions alone. Although it is recognized that the contributions are not limited to epistemic types only, the picture of other types of contribution (e.g., spin-off benefits) remains blurred. The present paper proposes a framework for depicting and discussing the various contributions of big science centres in a systematic manner.The main objective of the paper is to provide policy-makers, industrialists, and academics with a framework to justify, motivate and establish systematic technological interaction between big science centres and industry. The framework comprises six basic dimensions. These dimensions are viewed both from the industrial and from the scientific perspective, and partly from the public perspective. It is argued that direct and measurable incentives constitute only a fraction of the overall benefits stemming from the industrial-scientific collaboration. The paper concludes with a framework of motivations and actions to materialize them.