scholarly journals Navigating to the Top in an Egalitarian Welfare State: Institutional Opportunity Structures of Second-generation Social Mobility

2021 ◽  
pp. 019791832110148
Author(s):  
Arnfinn H. Midtbøen ◽  
Marjan Nadim
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Children Of Immigrants ◽  
Assimilation Theory ◽  
Opportunity Structures ◽  
Institutional Determinants

A large body of work has demonstrated the substantial intergenerational mobility experienced by children of immigrants, yet the institutional determinants of incorporation are poorly understood. Building on insights from neo-classical assimilation theory, this article analyzes in-depth interviews with 62 high-achieving children of labor immigrants from Pakistan, Turkey, India, and Morocco and investigates how they maneuvered through Norway’s educational system and reached their current positions as medical doctors, lawyers, and business professionals. We show that these children of immigrants from low-income households capitalized on a series of institutional opportunity structures provided by Norway’s egalitarian welfare state, such as a school system with high standardization and low stratification, free higher education, and a cultural and institutional context that supports women’s employment. In line with neo-classical assimilation theory, we argue that the specific institutional structures and cultural beliefs in the Norwegian context shape the strategies and forms of adaptation chosen by ethnic minority groups. However, our analyses suggest the need for careful consideration of how such strategies and adaptations vary across national contexts.

scholarly journals Lack of fit with the neighbourhood social environment as a risk factor for psychosis – a national cohort study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Peter Schofield ◽  
Jayati Das-Munshi ◽  
Roger T. Webb ◽  
Henriette Thisted Horsdal ◽  
Carsten B. Pedersen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Density Effect ◽  
Ethnic Minority Groups ◽  
Ethnic Density ◽  
Affective Psychosis ◽  
Lack Of Fit ◽  
National Cohort ◽  
Group Density ◽  
Manual Occupation

Abstract Background Many studies report an ethnic density effect whereby psychosis incidence among ethnic minority groups is higher in low co-ethnic density areas. It is unclear whether an equivalent density effect applies with other types of socioeconomic disadvantages. Methods We followed a population cohort of 2 million native Danes comprising all those born on 1st January 1965, or later, living in Denmark on their 15th birthday. Socioeconomic disadvantage, based on parents' circumstances at age 15 (low income, manual occupation, single parent and unemployed), was measured alongside neighbourhood prevalence of these indices. Results Each indicator was associated with a higher incidence of non-affective psychosis which remained the same, or was slightly reduced, if neighbourhood levels of disadvantage were lower. For example, for individuals from a low-income background there was no difference in incidence for those living in areas where a low-income was least common [incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.01; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.93–1.10 v. those in the quintile where a low income was most common. Typically, differences associated with area-level disadvantage were the same whether or not cohort members had a disadvantaged background; for instance, for those from a manual occupation background, incidence was lower in the quintile where this was least v. most common (IRR 0.83; 95% CI 0.71–0.97), as it was for those from a non-manual background (IRR 0.77; 95% CI 0.67–0.87). Conclusion We found little evidence for group density effects in contrast to previous ethnic density studies. Further research is needed with equivalent investigations in other countries to see if similar patterns are observed.

scholarly journals Ethno-linguistic Groups during an Economic Recession: Low-income Earners in the 1990s’ Finland

2014 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 87-103
Author(s):  
Camilla Härtull ◽  
Jan Saarela
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
Register Data ◽  
Educational Reforms ◽  
Constitutional Rights ◽  
Linguistic Group ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Economic Position ◽  
Linguistic Groups

Little is known about low-income earners in the Swedish-speaking community in Finland, and particularly how this ethno-linguistic group positioned itself as compared with the Finnish speakers during the severe economic recession in the 1990s. Relating to the ethno-linguistic English-speaking minority in Quebec, we set out to study whether also Swedish speakers experienced a worsening of their economic position. Using register data from 1987–1999, we find that they did not, but rather improved their relative situation as compared with the Finnish speakers, although they on average had a higher propensity for being low-income earners also after the recession. In contrast to the situation in Quebec, no unfavourable language acts or educational reforms were imposed on the Swedish speakers during the study period. We see the results as reflecting a well-functioning welfare state, in which language acts and constitutional rights have worked to protect both ethno-linguistic groups.

Environmental Health

2019 ◽  
pp. 363-386
Author(s):  
Barry S. Levy
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Health ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Social Injustice ◽  
Marginalized Populations ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
The Impact

This chapter describes the adverse impact of social injustice on environmental health. Environmental pollution is a social injustice for all people, with a disproportionate impact on low- and middle-income countries and, within countries, low-income people, minority groups, and other marginalized populations. The chapter describes the evolution of the environmental justice movement and the studies that have demonstrated disproportionate exposures and the disproportionate occurrence of pollution-related diseases among low-income people, minority groups, and other marginalized populations. A separate section describes the environmental and health consequences of global climate change. Three text boxes focus on childhood lead poisoning, the impact of natural disasters on social justice, and on the new interdiscipilinary field of planetary health.

Race and Gender in Culturally Situated Design Tools

2011 ◽  
pp. 1054-1061
Author(s):  
Ron Eglash
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Minority Student ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
Design Tools ◽  
Race And Gender ◽  
Economic Class ◽  
And Gender

In theer study of equity issues in information technology (IT), researchers concerned with workforce diversity often utilize the metaphor of a “career pipeline.” In this metaphor a population full of gender and race diversity enters the pipeline in kindergarten, but its delivery at the pipeline outflow in the form of software engineers and other IT workers is disproportionately white and male. While we might question the metaphor—its lack of attention to economic class or social construction, its illusion of rigid boundaries, etc.—the phenomenon it describes is well established by a broad number of statistical measures. For example, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Population Surveys shows that between 1996 and 2002 the percentage of women in the overall IT workforce fell from 41% to 34.9%; during the same period the percentage of African Americans fell from 9.1% to 8.2%. Not only are women and certain minority groups under-represented, but the gap is in some cases getting worse. Returning to the pipeline, we might ask what barriers are encountered by women and minorities that act as impediments to this flow. Some of these barriers can be attributed to economic status; in particular the impact that poor educational resources have on low-income minority student academic success (Payne & Biddle, 1999). But other barriers appear to be more about cultural identity, including both race and gender identity. This essay describes Culturally Situated Design Tools (CSDTs), a suite of Web-based interactive applets that allow students and teachers to explore mathematics through the simulation of cultural artifacts, including Native American beadwork, African American cornrows, ancient Mayan temples, urban Graffiti, and Latin percussion rhythms (see http://www.rpi.edu/~eglash/csdt.html). Our preliminary evaluation indicates that some of the identity barriers preventing women and minorities from participating in IT careers can be mitigated by the use CSDTs in classroom and out of class learning environments.

Do institutions matter?

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-332
Author(s):  
Habiba Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Institutional Perspective ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Credit Line ◽  
Institutional Determinants ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Nationally Representative

Purpose Guided by the institutional theory of savings, the purpose of this study is to assess the institutional elements of rotating, savings and credit associations (ROSCAs) that enable participants to save. Design/methodology/approach The study used data from in-depth qualitative interviews (N = 10) conducted among the ROSCA group leaders from African immigrant communities in the USA. Findings The primary goal for joining the ROSCA group among participants is to achieve economic stability. The results of the study postulate that, through institutional mechanisms and social networks, ROSCAs create an environment for families to save and invest. The emphasis on the concept of “you cannot save alone” underscores the importance of supportive structures to enable low-income households to save. Although “alternative savings programs” such as ROSCAs are imagined as something that less well-to-do persons use, the findings from this study demonstrate that such strategies also appeal to some people with higher socioeconomic status. This appeal and utility speaks to the importance of ROSCAs as an institutional response, rather than just an informal arrangement among persons known to each other. Research limitations/implications It is prudent to bear in mind that the study sample is not nationally representative, and therefore, the results presented cannot be generalized to immigrants across the country. However, as one of the few ROSCA studies in the USA, the findings from this study make generous contributions to the immigrants’ savings and ROSCA practices literature. Practical implications ROSCAs could be used as a bridge to the formal financial institutions. Non-profit agencies working with these communities could work with these groups to report ROSCA payments to the major credit bureaus, to help them build a credit line in their new country. Originality/value Previous studies of ROSCAs have assessed ROSCAs as community support systems and social networks. The current study has analyzed ROSCAs from an institutional perspective by examining the institutional characteristics of ROSCAs comparable to the institutional determinants of savings that enable savings among the participants.

Using internal incentive contracts to improve water utility performance: the case of Uganda's NWSC

Water Policy ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silver Mugisha ◽  
Sanford V. Berg ◽  
William T. Muhairwe
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Performance Monitoring ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Incentive Contracts ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Water Utility ◽  
Framework Design ◽  
Design Competition ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Internal Incentive

The achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 requires significant managerial innovation and creativity, especially in low-income countries where utility inefficiencies are still most prevalent. This paper describes approaches that have been used in Uganda's National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC). We outline the potential for internal incentive contracts in delivering efficiency gains under public–public water management settings. No simple recipe for promoting efficiency exists. However, this paper highlights useful ingredients, including proper contract framework design, competition for managerial responsibility, effective business planning, performance monitoring and the use of managerial incentives. We conclude that these factors require careful consideration during the planning and implementation of incentive contracts.

Growing up in Diverse Societies

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Cultural Distance ◽  
Children Of Immigrants ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Ethnic Minority Groups ◽  
Ethnic Segregation ◽  
Wide Range

Growing up in Diverse Societies provides a comprehensive analysis of the integration of the children of immigrants in England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden, based on the ‘Children of immigrants longitudinal survey in four European countries’ (CILS4EU), including harmonised interviews with almost 19,000 14- to 15-year-olds. The book studies the life situation, social relations, and attitudes of adolescents in different ethnic minority groups, and compares these systematically to majority youth in the four countries. The chapters cover a wide range of aspects of integration, all addressing comparisons between origin groups, generations, and destination countries, and elucidating processes accounting for differences. The results challenge much current thinking and simplified views on the state of integration. In some aspects, such as own economic means, delinquency, and mental health, children of immigrants are surprisingly similar to majority youth, while in other aspects there are large dissimilarities. There are also substantial differences between ethnic minority groups, with the economic and cultural distance of the origin regions to the destination country being a key factor. For some outcomes, such as language proficiency or host country identification, dissimilarities seem to narrow over generations, but this does not hold for other outcomes, such as religiosity and attitudes. Remaining differences partly depend on ethnic segregation, some on socioeconomic inequality, and others on parental influences. Most interestingly, the book finds that the four destination countries, though different in their immigration histories, policy approaches, and contextual conditions, are on the whole similar in the general patterns of integration and in the underlying processes.

A focus on culturally sensitive communication to transform institutional awareness of health care disparities.

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (30_suppl) ◽  
pp. 69-69
Author(s):  
William James Maples ◽  
Sandra L Argenio ◽  
Linda Scaz ◽  
Jennifer Krippner
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Healthcare Disparities ◽  
Health Care Disparities ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Culturally Sensitive ◽  
Unconscious Bias ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Culture Transformation

69 Background: Healthcare organizations can cultivate the strength of a diverse workforce in creating a culture of excellence. Enabling the team to understand how personal and cultural beliefs affect our decision making and how we interact with patients and colleagues is integral. Gaps in care exist in cancer diagnoses and treatment in many minority groups. A need for education in the nature of assumptions, unconscious biases, and awareness around the existence of healthcare disparities, was identified through culture transformation work within multiple healthcare institutions. Methods: An experiential course was designed for multi-disciplinary groups of providers. Designed to meet the evolving demographics in the country and help participants recognize how their own cultural beliefs and values affect their decision making. Topics include cultural awareness, assumptions and unconscious bias, effective use of interpreters, and skills to recognize when cultural differences may be playing a role and how to successfully navigate these situations. Raising awareness of healthcare disparities is highlighted, including disparities in cancer care diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for different ethnicities and socioeconomic groups. Examples include disparities in diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of lung cancer, colon cancer and breast cancer in minorities. Results: Participants engage in skills-based work. Participants develop a plan how they can take this information and education back to help create an awareness of disparities and skills to successfully navigate these situations. After this program, participants will be cognizant of the nature of assumptions and unconscious bias and understand the strength of diversity as an asset rather than a hindrance. Conclusions: Healthcare disparities can have a significant impact on patient experience, quality and outcomes. Specific inequities in cancer diagnosis and treatment in minorities is highlighted. Participants are provided with information and skills that can be introduced to their home institutions to have all caregivers recognize and successfully navigate culturally sensitive situations.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document