Empirically probing the quantity–quality model

This paper etimates the causal effects of family size on girls’ education in Mexico, exploiting prenatal son preference as a source of random variation in the propensity to have more children within an instrumental variables framework. It finds no evidence of family size having an adverse effect on education. The paper then weakens the identification assumption and allows for the possibility that the instrument is invalid. It finds that the effects of family size on girls’ schooling remain extremely modest at most. Families that are relatively large compensate for reduced per-child resources by increasing maternal labour supply.     

Three dimensional stacking of containers

This paper reports the results of a simulation study into the stacking and handling of containers with the same dimensions. The measures of performance include volumetric utilisation, wasteful handling ratios, shortage ratio, and rejection ratio. The decision variables include the maximum dimensions of the store, stacking policies, and the different number of types of containers and their relative frequencies. The results indicate that the number of different types of containers has the largest impact on the measures of performance. The effects of the stacking policy and maximum store dimensions are also significant.     

Interpersonal violence against people with disabilities: understanding the problem from a rural context

Interpersonal violence against people with disabilities is a significant social problem. Little attention has focused on the rural context and the relevance for understanding violence. Given the dearth of literature exploring interpersonal violence, disability, and rurality, a review of rural-focused literature on domestic violence, sexual violence, and elder abuse was conducted to identify themes that could provide insight into this problem for people with disabilities. Themes include geographic isolation, traditional cultural values and norms, lack of anonymity, lack of resources, and poor response of systems. Implications for understanding interpersonal violence against rural people with disabilities and for social work practice are discussed.     

Can You See the Real Me? Activation and Expression of the "True Self" on the Internet

Those who feel better able to express their "true selves" in Internet rather than face-to-face interaction settings are more likely to form close relationships with people met on the Internet (McKenna, Green, & Gleason, this issue). Building on these correlational findings from survey data, we conducted three laboratory experiments to directly test the hypothesized causal role of differential self-expression in Internet relationship formation. Experiments 1 and 2, using a reaction time task, found that for university undergraduates, the true-self concept is more accessible in memory during Internet interactions, and the actual self more accessible during face-to-face interactions. Experiment 3 confirmed that people randomly assigned to interact over the Internet (vs. face to face) were better able to express their true-self qualities to their partners.     

A strategic model of communications demand

Strategic planning of telecommunications supply takes place in an increasingly turbulent environment due to factors such as the development of new and improved telecommunications services, the convergence of computing and telecommunications technologies and the emergence of the information society. This article is concerned with a model of future communications demand, developed under a research contract placed by British Telecom. The model describes dynamic trends in the supply and demand for communications products and services over a 30 year time horizon. Some key model features are outlined and an overview of the computer programme is given. The aim of the project was to provide decision-makers with a flexible, analytical tool for the exploration of policy issues and environmental impacts. The model should not be viewed as a forecasting tool but as an aid to structured thinking and the rapid assessment of alternative scenarios.     

Managing aging men in Asia: a strategic approach

We have established a comprehensive diagnostic paradigm for the management of aging men which seeks to evaluate the various determinants of the aging process in five major health areas: cardio-health, bone health, sex health, general health and endocrine state. This paradigm appears to be useful for the management of the problem of aging in our local population. It could be used for the management of individuals as well as for population research. When combined with the establishment of evidence-based management modalities, it will provide a useful tool for the holistic management of aging in Asia.     

Shhh … The Teacher Should Be Silent: Critical Review of Social Studies As New Literacies in a Global Society

The humanistic nature of social studies education ensures that its related curriculum exists in a consistently contested terrain among educators, governing bodies, and the community at large. As our ability to investigate and interact with societies widens in scope and complexity, so too does the curriculum debate. To add to the complexity, social studies classes must now navigate through an increasingly technological world where some origins of knowledge are becoming more and more accessible, while others are becoming more and more silenced. Mark Baildon and James S. Damico's recent book Social Studies As New Literacies in a Global Society (2011) discusses potential answers to the ongoing questions of how to teach social studies in a twenty-first-century classroom. Although the book identifies the need for students to question sources of knowledge and the construction of knowledge itself, it falls short in the actual naming and deconstructing of the hegemonic frameworks of power that are prevalent within the sources and curriculum approaches that the students come into contact with.