The transition to marriage

Cohabitation has often been viewed as easing the transition to marriage. The question is therefore asked, what characterizes relationships in which couples live together for an extended period of time prior to marriage, then decide to marry, and within two to three years are divorced? Four groups were interviewed (cohabitated/married; cohabitated/married/divorced; dated/married; dated/married/divorced) with the hope of analyzing the differences or similarities in the marital transitions made by individuals within these groups. The total sample consisted of 40 respondents who were given an in-depth, face-to-face interview. It was found that the degree of congruence between dyad members regarding perceptions and expectations surrounding marriage and marital life was an important factor in the success with which couples were able to make the marital transition.     

Community Effects on Welfare Participation

This paper conceptualizes and estimates a model of welfare participation that tests for community effects. Theoretically, the model is consistent with Fischer's (1984) notion of urban life, and a welfare participation model developed by Rank and Hirschl (1993). The empirical analysis includes aggregate and multivariate tests, and an identification of these effects in terms of household knowledge and behavior. We find strong evidence that community structure influences the decision to get food stamps, and one notable difference with the Rank and Hirschl findings: community poverty level is a more powerful and global predictor of participation than is population density. The findings suggest emendations to Wilson's notion of the truly disadvantaged insofar as residence in high poverty areas afford opportunities for information exchange and the development of specialized networks.     

An Analysis of Leadership Within the Social Work Profession

This article presents the results of a study investigating how individuals currently in leadership positions within the Council on Social Work Education and the National Association of Social Workers perceive social work leadership. A random sample of 75 deans and directors and 75 executive directors and presidents were selected to participate in a telephone survey employing an eight-item, open-ended questionnaire. The findings define leadership within the social work profession and describe social work leadership as different from other professions. The participants identified essential skills for social work leaders and articulated a mission for social work leadership in the 21st century.     

Does Marriage Increase the Odds of Affluence? Exploring the Life Course Probabilities

This study estimates the life course incidence and age pattern of affluence among American couples in comparison to nonmarried, never married, and formerly married men and women. Life course probabilities are computed from a series of life tables built upon 25 years of data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (N= 8,510 25‐year‐olds; N= 3,481 45‐year‐olds). Results confirm the notion that marriage enhances the lifetime probability of affluence, and that this advantage varies sharply by gender and by race. The study suggests that the marital advantage for gaining affluence is textured by a financial landscape of gender and race inequality.     

The link between population density and welfare participation

This article explores a neglected topic in the social welfare, poverty, and demographic literatures—the link between population density and welfare participation in the United States. Longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics are used to meet two objectives: first, to test whether a relationship exists between population density and use of the food stamp program among eligible households; second, to explore the potential reasons for such a relationship. Our findings show that population density has a strong, positive impact on the likelihood of participating in the food stamp program. Low-income respondents in urban areas are significantly more likely to use food stamps in both an aggregate and a multivariate context. In analyzing the dynamic underlying such an effect, we find that those in urban areas are more likely to possess accurate eligibility information and to hold less adverse attitudes toward the use of welfare. These factors in turn increase the likelihood of food stamp participation.     

The increasing risk of poverty across the American life course

This article extends the emerging body of life course research on poverty by empirically identifying the incidence, chronicity, and age pattern of American poverty and how these dimensions have changed during the period 1968-2000. Using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we construct a series of life tables that estimate the risk of poverty for adults during their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s, and compare these estimates for Americans in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Our empirical results suggest that the risk of acute poverty increased substantially, particularly in the 1990s. This observed increase was especially pronounced for individuals in their 20s, 30s, and 40s; for all age groups with respect to extreme poverty; and for white males. On the other hand, the risk of chronic poverty declined during the 1990s (as measured by the percentage of the poor who experienced five or more years of poverty within a 10-year interval). The results in this article tell a very different story than the Census Bureau's yearly cross-sectional rates, which have shown little overall change in the U.S. poverty rate during this 30-year period. In contrast, a life course approach reveals a rising economic risk of acute poverty for individuals, one that is consistent with recent observations and research suggesting that a growing number of Americans will eventually find themselves in an economically precarious position.     

Measuring the Economic Racial Divide Across the Course of American Lives

This article examines the racial divide in America with respect to three key aspects of economic well-being across the life course: (1) the likelihood of attaining affluence and avoiding poverty; (2) the probability of owning a home and acquiring significant levels of financial equity; and (3) the likelihood of possessing enough assets to protect oneself through a spell of economic turmoil. The Panel Study of Income Dynamics data set is used to construct a series of life tables that provide adulthood estimates into the occurrence of these events. The results indicate that within each area, the economic racial divide across the American life course is immense. Blacks are many times more likely than whites to experience poverty while never achieving affluence, less likely to purchase a home at an early age and build up significant levels of home equity, and more likely to experience asset poverty across the stages of the life course. The concept of cumulative advantage/disadvantage is discussed as a way of understanding the widening effect of race upon the economic trajectories of whites and blacks across the American life course.     

Homeownership Across the American Life Course: Estimating the Racial Divide

Homeownership has historically been viewed as a fundamental piece of the American dream, with up to 67% of households owning their home as of 2010. Yet, it has also been demonstrated that nonwhites are less likely to own a home and that the value of their homes is much less than that for whites, even when social class is taken into account. This paper explores the overall life-course patterns of homeownership and the importance of racial differences in understanding those dynamics. Based upon a life table methodology, we examine the homeownership patterns for individuals between the ages of 25–55 using 36 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Our findings indicate that although the vast majority of nonwhites will eventually become homeowners, there is nevertheless a significant racial divide in the patterns of homeownership. Nonwhites are less likely than whites to become homeowners, are more likely to purchase their first home at a later age, are less likely to have acquired as much equity in their home, and are less likely to own their home outright. The implications of these findings are discussed within the overall context of racial stratification in America.     

回顾与展望:美国和平学的起源和发展

和平学是一个相对新兴和发展中的学科。从研究角度而言,和平学主要起源于欧洲国家,但大部分和平学课程却首先出现在美国。冷战后期,美国的和平学课程主要关注结构性、家庭和社会内部暴力问题。和平学的研究范围包括人际关系、组织关系和社会关系,超越了民族国家的界限,其价值基础和行动目的就是替代暴力。和平学的研究面临各种挑战,主要包括:关于和平的定义过分模糊;行政方面的支持不够;和平学还遭到政治偏见的批评。和平学有助于政治和经济政策的变化,为了促进这样的一个长时期的根本变化,需要营造一种和平的文化。