The association between financial strain and volatility in daily relationship uncertainty: A dyadic investigation

Prior research suggests that financial strain negatively impacts relational outcomes and that fluctuations (i.e., volatility) in daily reports of relationship aspects may be detrimental for relational outcomes. Daily relational uncertainty may also be associated with financial stressors; however, little is known about the association between financial strain and levels of daily relational uncertainty, as well as the volatility in day-to-day relational uncertainty. The current study includes both members of 100 adult different-sex couples (relationship length M = 7.0 years, SD = 7.1) who completed 14 days of daily diaries. We examined whether greater baseline financial strain is associated with higher levels of daily relational uncertainty and greater day-to-day volatility in relational uncertainty among actors and partners. Individuals who reported greater financial strain also reported higher overall levels of daily relationship uncertainty, as well as greater volatility in daily relationship uncertainty. The association between actor financial strain and volatility in daily relationship uncertainty was moderated by gender and marital status, such that financial strain was only associated with greater volatility in daily relationship uncertainty for men (but not for women) and for unmarried (but not married) individuals. Evidence for partner effects were also found, where partners’ higher levels of financial strain was associated with less volatility in actors’ daily relational uncertainty; however, this relationship was moderated by income, gender, and marital status. Individuals with lower income levels (versus high income levels) reported less volatility in their daily relationship uncertainty when their partners reported higher financial strain. Males rather than women reported lower volatility in daily relational uncertainty when their partners reported greater financial strain. In addition, unmarried rather than married individuals reported greater volatility in daily relationship uncertainty when their partners reported higher financial strain. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Post-great recession municipal budgeting and governance: A mixed methods analysis of budget stress and reform

The Great Recession hit several U.S. cities hard. Facing large revenue losses, these cities undertook dramatic spending cuts and utilized rarely used restructuring tools. This led some to speculate that these were exemplars of austerity urbanism. Subsequent work has contested this interpretation, arguing instead that cities have generally pursued pragmatic, not austere, reform. This paper seeks to move beyond this impasse, developing a mixed methods longitudinal analysis of quantitative and qualitative municipal budget data. Quantitative data is drawn from the U.S. Census of Local Government (2006–2016) and is used identify statistical relationships between budget health and budget composition in a nationwide sample ( n = 1,449) of municipalities. Then follows a qualitative analysis of budget narrative data from the six most fiscally distressed large and medium sized U.S. cities. The paper therefore identifies commonalities in post-Great Recession urban governance (i) in a large nationwide sample of cities and (ii) within a small group of extreme cases. The research found weak nationwide trends in budgetary change and divergent budget narratives in cases of severe municipal fiscal distress. We argue this means three things for understanding U.S. urban governance. First, the tracing of superficially similar “local” budget reforms to a single political economic descriptor is misplaced. Second, U.S. municipal budgetary reforms are relational, outcomes of both local and extra-local diagnosis, interpretation, and mediation. Third, and finally, decisions to introduce local austerity policies stem not just from “outside.” This paper therefore shows the potential intellectual returns of in-depth, case-study research on U.S. urban governance and finance.

Holy and Helping: The Role of Sanctification in the Communal Coping of Older African American Couples

Disproportionately affected by numerous relational stressors (e.g., financial strain, morbidity), older African American couples frequently find solace in religion and each other. Research notes that both married and cohabiting couples effectively respond to difficult situations by sharing the ownership of a stressor and organizing a collaborative, collective response. However, little is known about the influence of religion on shared coping experiences, particularly among older African American couples. This study examined dyadic data from the Strong African American Couples Project to capture the influence of relational sanctification on the communal coping practices of married and cohabiting older African American couples. The sample included 194 African American couples (146 married and 48 cohabiting) between the ages of 50 and 86 years. With the use of Actor Partner Independence Models, this study found that men’s sanctification predicted both their own communal coping and their partner’s communal coping. However, there were no significant effects when women’s sanctification was used as a predictor of communal coping among older African American couples. These findings are both important and novel, because these relationships had never before been examined within the United States, much less among older African American couples. Similar to existing research among majority White couples, this research finds that men’s religiosity may be a more influential predictor of relational outcomes than women’s religiosity. Such findings offer a valuable foundation for future studies seeking to consider how relational sanctification and communal coping may impact other outcomes associated with the romantic relationships of older African Americans.

Communication Interdependence and Cohabitation: The Role of Interpersonal Technologies in Satisfaction and Disillusionment among Couples in Transition

The transition to cohabitation is a major developmental milestone for romantic couples, yet it is linked to myriad negative outcomes. This study extends the communication interdependence perspective (CIP) to understand the role of technology use in relationship transitions (i.e., the transition to cohabitation). Couples (N = 258 individuals) completed an online survey before and after transitioning to cohabitation to test actor and partner effects of technology integration, segmentation, and difficulty transitioning on relationship satisfaction and ambivalence. Results showed that for actors, constructive integration had positive associations and destructive integration had negative associations with relational outcomes. Difficulty transitioning between channels of communication also had negative implications for relationships. Longitudinal results indicated that negative integration patterns could sometimes buffer against relationship disillusionment. Theoretical implications for the CIP and practical implications for couples are discussed.

Role of brand equity and competitive strategies in the relation between horizontal alliances and its benefits

Purpose Drawing on the resource-based view, this study aims to investigate the conditions under which small- and medium-sized retailers can improve competitive benefits through the lens of brand equity and strategies for competitive advantage in retail buying groups. Design/methodology/approach This study collected 241 samples from small- and medium-sized supermarket retailers who joined retail buying groups in Japan. Findings This study offers two key findings. First, the results indicate that a buying group’s brand equity partially mediates the relationship between member retailers’ strategic integration and their buying group benefits. Second, member retailers with a stronger differentiation orientation strengthen the positive impact of strategic integration on the buying group’s brand equity and buying group benefits. The moderating effects of low-cost orientation were not found to be significant. Practical implications To highlight the sustainable growth of small- and medium-sized retailers in retail buying groups, which are often ignored in the extant literature, this study offers practical guidance on the importance of a buying group’s brand equity. In addition, based on the findings, this paper postulates that member retailers pursuing differentiation orientation, rather than low-cost orientation, are more beneficial to retail buying groups in terms of relational outcomes and performance consequences. Originality/value By conceptualizing brand equity in retail buying groups, this study suggests a novel approach for retail management that investigates how a buying group’s brand equity is linked to strategic integration, strategies for competitive advantage and buying group benefits from the viewpoint of member retailers.

Romantic Partner Interference and Psychological Reactance in the Context of Caregiving for an Aging Family Member

Negotiating romantic relational dynamics is inherent to family caregiving situations, which continue to be on the rise in the United States. However, despite evidence that family caregiving duties are linked to a variety of negative relational outcomes, limited research examines communication processes that contribute to or alleviate the burden of caregiver duties on romantic relationships. Guided by psychological reactance theory (PRT), this study examined the link between romantic partner interference with family caregiving duties and the reactance process, as well as directness of communication about irritation as a type of freedom restoration behavior associated with reactance. Adults caring for aging family members recruited from MTurk ( N = 187) completed an online survey as part of a larger study of romantic partner communication surrounding family caregiving. Results using PROCESS serial mediation indicated that greater partner interference was related to heightened perceptions of freedom threat, which was positively associated with the experience of reactance, which in turn was associated with communication about irritation. However, the association between reactance and directness of communication about irritation was negative, the opposite direction of what was hypothesized. Implications for PRT and interventions with caregivers and their romantic partners are discussed.