The Evolution of Caring and Nonaggressive Persons and Societies

This article explores ways to shape individual personalities, societies, and the relations among them, with the ultimate aim of diminishing inter group hostility and war. The evolution described in the article requires committed individuals and groups to work for change. Certain human proclivities, such as us-them differentiation, the devaluation of outgroups, and stereotyping are sources of intergroup hostility. Socialization practices by parents and schools that promote positive connection to and caring about people are described, as well as ways to bring about their use. Parent training and family system diagnoses can impart awareness and skills and influence parental attitudes. On a societal level, institutions and culture can be shaped by creating systems of positive reciprocity among groups, by cross-cutting relations among members of different groups, and by other steps along the continuum of benevolence.     

Age at Immigration and Scholastic Achievement in School‐Age Children: Is There A Vulnerable Age?1

This study investigates the relationship between age at immigration and educational achievement at age 14 among all the students (about 45,000) who immigrated to Israel between 1952 and 1970. The relationship is examined for verbal and nonverbal components of an achievement test, in subpopulations defined by gender and ethnic background (Western‐versus Eastern‐born children). The findings indicate a monotonic decrease in achievement as a function of immigration age starting at the age of 7. This decrease is considerably stronger for the Verbal subtest than for the Mathematical subtest, particularly in the Western group. These results refute the vulnerable age hypothesis: They support the view that the foreign language acquisition factor plays a central role in the relationship between age of immigration and scholastic achievement, and are consistent with the expectation of a monotonic decline in achievement as age of immigration increases (and length of residence decreases). Hence, when immigration involves the need to learn a new language, the drop in school achievement is likely to be particularly marked in subject areas requiring higher levels of mastery of the language of instruction. Finally, the results suggest that age 7 may represent a critical age for the scholastic achievement of immigrant students.     

Coping with climatic shocks: local perspectives from Haiti’s rural mountain regions

Population and Environment - Haiti’s agrarian society is highly sensitive to changes in weather and climate conditions. Little is known about Haitian farmers’ perceptions of...     

Correction to: Coping with climatic shocks: local perspectives from Haiti’s rural mountain regions

Population and Environment - The article Coping with climatic shocks: local perspectives from Haiti’s rural mountain regions, written by Caroline Staub, Anne Gilot, Molene Pierre, Gerald...     

Simple Tests for Exogeneity of a Binary Explanatory Variable in Count Data Regression Models

This article investigates power and size of some tests for exogeneity of a binary explanatory variable in count models by conducting extensive Monte Carlo simulations. The tests under consideration are Hausman contrast tests as well as univariate Wald tests, including a new test of notably easy implementation. Performance of the tests is explored under misspecification of the underlying model and under different conditions regarding the instruments. The results indicate that often the tests that are simpler to estimate outperform tests that are more demanding. This is especially the case for the new test.     

Disability-policy models in European welfare regimes: comparing the distribution of social protection,labour-market integration and civil rights

This paper examines different models of disability policy in European welfare regimes on the basis of secondary data. OECD data measuring social protection and labour-market integration is complemented with an index which measures the outcomes of disability civil rights. Eurobarometer data is used to construct the index. The country modelling by cluster analysis indicates that an encompassing model of disability policy is mainly prevalent in Nordic countries. An activating and rehabilitating disability-policy model is predominant mainly in Central European countries, and there is evidence for a distinct Eastern European model characterized by relatively few guaranteed civil rights for disabled people. Furthermore, the Southern European model, which indicates a preference for social protection rather than activation and rehabilitation, includes countries which normally have diverse welfare traditions.