Foster parenting: A developmental model

This paper proposes a developmental framework for foster parents and outlines four distinct growth stages. Such a framework can be of value to program administrators who are required to assess foster parent development during the crucial matching process. To draw a distinction between each developmental stage, specific instrumental tasks and indicators are outlined.     

Migration plans and hours of work in Malaysia

"This article describes characteristics of prospective migrants in the Malaysian Family Life Survey and investigates how planning to move affects hours of work. [The authors] use ideas about intertemporal substitution...to discuss the response to temporary and permanent wage expectations on the part of potential migrants. [An] econometric section presents reduced-form estimates for wage rates and planned migration equations and two-stage least squares estimates for hours of work. Men currently planning a move were found to work fewer hours. Those originally planning only a temporary stay at their current location work more hours."     

AN ALTERNATIVE TO MANAGED CARE: A "GUILD" MODEL FOR THE INDEPENDENT PRACTICE OF PSYCHOTHERAPY

As health care is reconfigured by HMOs and managed care organizations, family therapists often have to decide whether or not to cooperate with the new power structures and their ways of doing things. The chief concern of many therapists is the ehtical bind created when the managed care orgranization demands breaches of confidentiality or makes decisions about the course of treatment that may not, in the therapist's opinion, be in the best interest of the family. Associations of independent, nonmanaged care psychotherapists are springing up in response to these dilemmas. This paper describes the philosophical evolution and organizational development of one such association.     

The wealth of nations revisited: Income and quality of life

Does economic prosperity enhance the quality of human life? Across 101 nations, 32 indices were analyzed that reflect a representative sample of universal human values (e.g., happiness, social order, and social justice). Wealth correlated significantly with 26 of the 32 indices, indicating a higher QOL in wealthier nations. Only suicide and CO₂ emissions were worse in wealthier societies. Basic physical needs were met early in economic development, whereas advanced scientific work occurred only when basic physical needs were fulfilled for almost all people in the society. Limitations of the conclusions are discussed.     

Towards the prevention of abuse allegations in foster care: Exploring interpersonal dynamics

The purpose of this paper is to identify and examine interpersonal dynamics within the foster family-foster child system which are considered precursors to allegations of abuse against the foster family. Using key concepts from Family Systems Theory (Kerr & Bowen, 1988), the ulimate objective of this examination is to contribute to the ongoing effort to reduce the potential for allegations and placement deterioration.     

World City Networks and Global Commodity Chains: towards a world-systems' integration

There are two literatures that explicitly describe the spaces of flows that constitute contemporary globalization – World City Network analysis and Global Commodity Chain analysis. We explore the possibilities of their integration by returning to their common origins in world-systems analysis. Each model is described and critiqued and it is argued that each can be used to address some of the other's limitations. This is illustrated through world city process additions to understanding the coffee commodity chain and commodity chain additions to understanding Mexico City and Santiago's positioning in the World City Network. This complementarity is just a first step towards a more complete integration; the conclusion describes the next steps towards just such a research agenda.     

Question Threat and Response Bias

Perceived normative threat influences responses to questionsin surveys. Respondents who report that questions about an activitywould make most people very uneasy are less likely to reportever engaging in that activity than are persons who report lessuneasiness. If respondents do not admit to participating inan activity, perceived threat appears to have acted as a gatekeeperto prevent further questions. Since perceived threat is associatedwith underreporting, some simple adjustment methods may be usedto improve behavioral estimates.     

Political elites and regulatory bureaucrats: a case study concerning age discrimination

In 1988, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing on effectiveness of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) with regard to age discrimination cases. The Hearing reported that approximately 7,500 age-based claims had run the statute of limitations. The article analyzes the ideological context of regulation, first, by explaining the purpose, procedures, and effectiveness of the EEOC in enforcing the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Secondly, the article analyzes the 1988 Senate Hearing, including background issues and immediate outcomes. Thirdly, it discusses what has happened since 1988 from the perspectives of political elites, regulatory bureaucrats, and interest-group members.     

Age discrimination and early retirement policies: a comparison of labor market regulation in Canada and the United States

As public policy issues, mandatory retirement and age discrimination are approached differently in Canada and the United States. The legal frameworks, enforcement procedures, and judicial decisions are distinct in the two jurisdictions. The United States, unlike Canada, has specific legislation to protect the rights of older workers, and has a centralized enforcement system. The differences between the two countries are accounted for by the greater emphasis on individual rights in the United States and on communitarianism in Canada. The different policy choices of each society highlight the tensions inherent in North American labor markets. The United States seems to be in a better position to shift toward a labor-management policy which encourages older workers to remain in the workforce.     

The Bog‐like Ground on Which We Tread: Arbitrating Academic Freedom in Canada*

Le sens de la liberté universitaire est en partie construit socialement au moyen de l'arbitrage. Cet article examine ce processus dans un contexte légal plus large et analyse les cas d'arbitrage de liberté universitaire les plus pertinents au Canada. Il étudie ce que nous révèle la construction sociale des arbitres concernant la liberté universitaire et comment les conditions conceptuelles et structurales de l'arbitrage influent sur son sens. The meaning of academic freedom is, in part, socially constructed through arbitration. This article examines that process in the larger legal context and analyses the most relevant Canadian arbitrations of academic freedom. It examines what the social construction by arbitrators tells us about academic freedom and how the conceptual and structural conditions of arbitration affect its meaning.