bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stock Return Seasonalities in Asia Pacific Markets*
Authors: Ho Yan‐Ki
Published: April 2007

This study documents the existence of strong day‐of‐the‐week effects for most of the Asia Pacific markets. There are also more day‐of‐the‐week variations in the non‐January months than in January and there is also a ‘Rogalski’ effect for returns on Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. Moreover, some turn‐of‐the‐lunar‐year effects are found for some markets. Unlike the industrialized markets, month‐of‐the‐year variations are not consistent with the tax‐loss selling hypothesis in most of the Asia Pacific markets. This study also finds it hard to reject the hypothesis that day‐of‐the‐week variations of Asia Pacific markets are similar to that of the U.S. market after adjustments for time zone differences, especially for smaller markets.
Financial Structure in Japanese and American Firms: An Indirect Test of Agency Relationships*
Authors: Dodd Mikel T. , Millar James A.
Published: April 2007

The organization of business around ‘industrial groups’ in Japan may result in relatively low stockholder/bondholder/manager conflicts. This study uses data from U.S. and Japanese firms to examine the effects of different agency environments on the determination of financial structure. Regression analysis of financial structure on proxys for agency‐debt and agency‐equity conflicts shows results consistent with extant agency theory concepts.
Performance of Value Line's Recommendations: The Canadian Case
Authors: Cheung C. Sherman
Published: April 2007

The present study examines the peformance of Canadian stocks surrounding changes in their Value Line timeliness rankings. These stocks offer a particularly interesting sample since most of the firms represented are in resource based industries. To the extent that commodity prices move randomly, predicting the future performance of resource companies is a challenging task. Moreover, differences in accounting rules, regulatory environments and so forth make the valuation of Canadian companies relatively difficult.
Accounting for Macroeconomic Influences on the Firm
Authors: Oxelheim Lars , Wihlborg Clas
Published: April 2007

Accounting based measures of exposure to macroeconomic shocks in exchange rates, interest rates and inflation do not capture the economic effects on the corporation of such shocks. We suggest measures that conceptually are coefficients in a multiple regression. The coefficients capture the sensitivity of a firm's real value or cash flows to unanticipated changes in each variable holding other variables constant. Information about such sensitivity coefficients would enable external stakeholders to distinguish between risk caused by firm‐specific factors on the one hand and macroeconomic factors on the other. Scenario analysis is discussed as an alternative method for evaluating sensitivity coefficients. Information requirements for scenario and regression analysis are compared. Sensitivity coefficients can be used to identify a firm's functional currency or currency basket in which cash flows are independent of exchange rate changes. An example built on an actual case in Appendix demonstrates how insights can be gained from estimates of the suggested exposure measures.
Environmental Factors Influencing Accounting Disclosure Requirements of Global Stock Exchanges
Authors: Adhikari Ajay , Tondkar Rasoul H.
Published: April 2007

The globalization of capital markets has resulted in a great deal of attention being focused on problems created by accounting diversity in different countries. A number of studies have documented variations in accounting disclosure and reporting practices and standards in different countries. Diverse environmental factors have been cited in the literature to explain differences in disclosure levels between countries. This paper examines the relationship between environmental factors and the accounting disclosure requirements of stock exchanges in different countries.

A cross‐national disclosure model is developed to investigate the relationship of selected environmental factors and stock exchange disclosure requirements of 35 stock exchanges in different countries. Five environmental factors are used to explain the variation observed in disclosure requirements of the different stock exchanges. The five factors examined are: degree of economic development, type of economy, size of the equity market, activity on the equity market, and dispersion of stock ownership in the equity market. The overall results obtained from the cross‐sectional regression indicate that the level of disclosure requirements of stock exchanges is related to the selected environmental factors in different countries. Of die five factors examined, however, only size of the equity market is found to be a significant explanatory variable.
Effects of Alternative Goodwill Treatments on Merger Premia: Further Empirical Evidence
Authors: Lee Changwoo , Choi Frederick D. S.
Published: April 2007

In this study, we extend our analysis of the effects of international accounting diversity on market behavior. Specifically we examine whether national differences in the treatment of purchased goodwill are associated with differences in premia offered by non‐U.S. acquirers other than the British when bidding for U.S. target companies. We find merger premia offered by foreign acquirors who enjoy advantageous accounting or tax treatments relative to U.S. acquirors to be higher, on average, than those offered by U.S. acquirors. Regression analyses show that goodwill accounting does explain merger premia. The higher coefficient on goodwill in German acquisitions, relative to Japanese acquisitions, indicates that merger premia are associated with accounting diversity among various countries in the sense that, while tax benefits are available in both Japan and Germany, more favorable accounting treatments are operative in the latter.
Predictability and Regional Integration of Pacific Basin Equity Markets
Authors: Chang Eric C. , Pinegar J. Michael , Ravichandran R.
Published: April 2007

Between 1986 and 1990, returns on equity indices in Pacific Basin markets can be partially predicted by a set of information variables whose time series coefficients reveal at most one latent variable in the four‐market system. A single‐factor model implies that the reward for bearing a unit of common covariance risk is the same across markets which, in turn, implies that the markets are integrated. Total sample evidence, however, is driven by price movements in the first two subperiods and is also sensitive to other seemingly trivial adjustments to forecasting specifications. Thus, the predictability of Pacific Basin equity returns is inconsistent. To the extent such inconsistencies suggest imperfect regional integration, the costs to non‐Asian firms of providing indirect diversification for their shareholders by investing in real assets in Pacific Rim countries will be high.
A Comparison of Relations Between Security Market Prices, Returns and Accounting Measures in Japan and the United States
Authors: Hall Charles , Hamao Yasushi , Harris Trevor S.
Published: April 2007

We examine associations between accounting measures of earnings and stock returns in Japan over varying window lengths and compare them to those for the United States. Our results are consistent with the view that Japanese investors utilize less accounting information in their pricing of equities than do their U.S. counterparts. This was particularly evident in the ‘boom’ period of the mid to late 1980s when the fundamental values conveyed by accounting measures appear to have been largely ignored. The association increases with the inclusion of 1991, suggesting a return to more emphasis on fundamentals with the recent decline in stock prices.
Further Evidence on the Impact of SFAS 52 on Analysts' Earnings Forecasts
Authors: Ayres Frances L. , Rodgers Jacci L.
Published: April 2007

This study examines the impact of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Number 52 (SFAS 52) on analysts' earnings forecasts. Value‐Line forecasts of multinational firms' earnings were examined for the years 1979‐1984. Forecast errors did not exhibit a significant linear trend. However, the results show a decline in signed forecast errors from the pre‐SFAS 52 to the post‐SFAS 52 period reflecting a change from an overstatement bias to relatively unbiased forecasts.

Overall, the results suggest that (1) overstatement errors were greater in the pre‐SFAS 52 period than in the post SFAS 52 period, and (2) overstatement errors in the year that SFAS 52 was adopted were greater than surrounding years. In addition, a strong negative relation was found between 1981 signed forecast errors and both revisions in forecasts and the income effect of the accounting change.
Managing Foreign Exchange Rate Economic Exposure
Authors: Moffett Michael H. , Karlsen Jan Karl
Published: April 2007

The foreign exchange (FX) economic exposure of the firm is now receiving the attention once showered on the other two traditional FX exposures, transaction and translation. This economic exposure, recently referred to as competitive or strategic, is now seen by many financial managers as the primary exposure. Our preliminary opinion is that what is commonly referred to as competitive exposure management is a simplified economic exposure which, although potentially useful, is generally not applicable to most multinational firms and their own economic exposure profiles.

At present we know little of the magnitude of active economic exposure management. Few firms are willing to either publicize or discuss their economic exposure or competitive exposure management programs, either because of their unwillingness to divulge information which they believe is inherently competitive, or to provide details of financial contracts and derivatives which could result in heavy criticism from investors or financial analysts.

The numbers of firms actively managing economic exposure is unknown, though it has been estimated in the United States at between 50 and 100, while 20 to 30 major European multinationals are thought to be active at a minimum. Whether this reflects differences in corporate governance, goals and methods of financial management, or even the incentives and performance evaluation methods of management and management's effectiveness, are questions for future research.19

This paper is a first attempt at systematizing the analysis of economic exposure management. We have attempted to clarify old and new terminology in order that the subject may be linked to the previous and contemporary literatures of international financial management in specific, and international business in general. Our suggested taxonomy of what we prefer to simply call economic exposure is helpful in understanding which firms may or may not find economic exposure management beyond diversification of production and financing (natural hedging) useful or practical. We have also provided some basic principles which firms must address if they are to truly consider the hedging of economic exposure, and be cognizant of contractual hedging's effectiveness. Although little data exists at present regarding the degree of current corporate activity in economic exposure management, it is believed that continued exchange rate volatility on world markets combined with increasing degrees of direct international activity by firms will only serve to increase the level of interest.
Volatility, Efficiency, and Trading: Further Evidence
Authors: Ko Kwangsoo , Lee Sangbin , Chung Jeeseok
Published: April 2007

Along the lines of Amihud and Mendelson (1987a, 1989,1991), this study investigates the unique trading mechanism of the Korea Stock Exchange (KSE) and its intraday behavior of stock price volatility. The evidence from this study indicates that the introduction of an additional clearing procedure at the afternoon closing makes price discovery process more efficient than before from the viewpoint of stock price volatility. Hence, such trading mechanisms can be applied to emerging stock markets as well as developed stock markets. In addition, based on intraday analysis, stock price volatilities appear to occur mainly during the trading period, not during the lunch break or overnight period. Consequently, the results confirm the previous studies that information arrival and trading activities are the main sources of volatility.
Global Accounting Harmonization from a German Perspective: Bridging the GAAP
Authors: Glaum Martin , Mandler Udo
Published: April 2007

This paper presents the results obtained from a survey of various aspects of international accounting harmonization in which we submitted questionnaires to senior managers of major German companies and university professors of accounting. Most corporate managers were at least sceptical with regard to US‐GAAP principles. The professors held divergent views, ranging from clear rejection to decided approval. Almost all participants agreed, albeit to different degrees, that German accounting rules reduce the demand for German shares abroad. With respect to the information value for investors in capital markets, the majority of managers had a positive opinion of German accounting. They further assumed that US accounting practice has a negative effect on capital market conditions in that it encourages short‐term thinking. The academics, in contrast, were more in favor of US accounting and more critical towards German accounting. In the light of these results it was surprising to find that German accounting experts, including the managers interviewed, were far from rejecting further harmonization. Only a quarter of the managers and less than 10 per cent of the professors were decidedly against any modification of current German accounting rules. However, the experts clearly wished to limit the harmonization of accounting to consolidated financial statements. The majority of managers were in favor of giving German corporations the option of preparing their consolidated financial statements in accordance with either the German Commercial Code (HGB), IAS or US‐GAAP. The academic experts, on the other hand, wished to see IAS as the authoritative basis for consolidated financial statements.
Gender Ideology in Historical Reconstruction: A Case Study from the 1930s
Authors: KESSLER‐HARRIS ALICE
Published: April 2007

You are probably aware of the fact that homes are being wrecked daily due to the fact that married women are permitted to work in factories and offices in this land of ours. You and we all know that the place for a wife and mother is at home, her palace. The excuse is often brought up that the husband cannot find employment. It is the writers’ belief that if the women were expelled from places of business,…these very men would find employment. These same womens’ husbands would naturally be paid a higher salary, inasmuch as male employees demand a higher salary than females.1
BOOK REVIEWS
Authors: VALENZE DEBORAH , VICINUS MARTHA , KARRAS RUTH MAZO , ROPER LYNDAL , ERICKSON AMY LOUISE , NOBLE YVONNE , GRIMSHAW PATRICIA , JENSEN JOAN M. , SUMMERS ANNE , HERMAN JUDITH LEWIS , JOHN ANGELA V. , ALVARADO CARLOS S.
Published: April 2007

Book Reviews in this Article:

Jim Obelkevich, Lyndal Roper, Raphael Samuel, eds, Disciplines of Faith: Studies in Religion, Politics and Patriarchy.

John D'Emilio and Estelle Freedman, Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America.

Susan Mosher Stuard, ed, Women in Medieval History and Historiography.

Bronislaw Geremek, The Margins of Society in Late Medieval Paris, transl. Jean Birrell.

Sara Mendelson, The Mental World of Stuart Women: Three Studies.

Alice Browne, The Eighteenth Century Feminist Mind.

Helen Callaway, Gender, Culture and Empire: European Women in Colonial Nigeria.

Claudia Knapman, White Women in Fiji 1835‐1930: The Ruin of Empire?….

Marilyn Lake, The Limits of Hope: Soldier Settlement in Victoria 1915‐38.

Susan M. Reverby, Ordered to Care: the Dilemma of American Nursing, 1850‐1945.

Linda Gordon, Heroes of Their Own Lives: The Politics and History of Family Violence.

Helena Whitbread, ed, I Know My Own Heart. The Diaries of Anne Lister 1791‐1840

Zuzanna Shonfield, The Precariously Privileged. A Professional Family in Victorian London.

Tierl Thompson, ed, Dear Girl. The Diaries and Letters of Two Working Women 1897‐1917.

Yamila Azize, La Mujer en la Lucha (The Woman in Struggle) (2nd revised ed.).
Let it Lie Upon the Table: The Status of Black Women's Biography in the UK
Authors: ALEXANDER ZIGGI
Published: April 2007

Whereas the Queen's majesty, tendering the good and welfare of her own natural subjects, greatly distressed in these hard times of dearth, is highly discontented to understand the great numbers of negars and Blackamoores which (as she is informed) are crept into this realm … who are fostered and relieved here to the great annoyance of her liege people that want the relief which those people consume, as also for that most of them are infidels, having no understanding of Christ or his Gospel: hath given special commandment that the said kind of people shall be with all speed avoided and discharged out of this Her Majesty's dominion.1
Hanging Up On Mum Or Questions Of Everyday Life In The Writing Of History
Authors: SWINDELLS JULIA
Published: April 2007

[C]an there be a study of the trivia with which the daily life of ordinary people is interwoven which will reveal its interconnections with the different forms of economic, political, and cultural power?1
Private Life Dramas? Sexuality, Regulation and Social Identities
Authors: D'CRUZE SHANI
Published: April 2007

Lawrence Stone, Broken Lives: Separation and Divorce in England, 1680–1857

A. James Hammerton, Cruelty and Companionship: Conflict in Nineteenth‐Century Married Life

Diana Jeater, Marriage, Perversion and Power: The Construction of Moral Discourse in Southern Rhodesia, 1894–1930

Karen Dubinsky, Improper Advances: Rape and Heterosexual Conflict in Ontario, 1880–1928
Validating Personnel Selection: A Process Model for Research and Practice
Authors: Hesketh Beryl , Robertson Ivan
Published: April 2007

This article highlights the need for a clearer conceptual appreciation of the relationships among and between predictors and criteria, and for a better understanding of measurement issues in selection. A process model of selection is outlined that includes recent research on the changing relationships of ability to performance at different stages of skill acquisition, the interaction between type of task and validity, the role of motivational constructs in the measurement and validation process, and the reciprocally interacting influences of work experience and individual characteristics. Comment is offered on issues such as general versus specific abilities, the ‘big five’in personality, aptitude by treatment or training interactions and maximal versus typical performance. Measurement issues are discussed throughout, but particularly in relation to the assessment process.
A Comparative Study of Integrity Tests: The Criterion‐Related Validity of Personality‐Based and Overt Measures of Integrity
Authors: Woolley Ross M. , Hakstian A. Ralph
Published: April 2007

In the field of personality assessment, one construct or set of constructs that is emerging as important for both publishers and users of psychological testing has been labelled variously as integrity, conscientiousness, reliability, delinquency, or responsibility. The associated organizational outcome has been broadly labelled counterproductivity. In the present study, four integrity scales, selected scales from mainstream personality inventories, derived molar integrity factors and optimal scale linear combinations were correlated with admissions of counterproductivity. It was found that (a) all four integrity scales were significantly correlated with the counterproductivity criterion, (b) individual personality scales from normal personality inventories, as well as unit‐weighted linear combinations of them, were approximately as highly correlated with counterproductivity as were the integrity tests, and (c) personality traits conceptually distinct from the domain of integrity were also related to counterproductivity.
Women in Management: Organizational Socialization and Assessment Practices that Prevent Career Advancement
Authors: Alimo‐Metcalfe Beverly
Published: April 2007

This paper reviews some of the literature on women in management in the UK, with particular emphasis on the biographical data collected in major studies. In view of the small proportions of women in senior management it seeks to identify the potential barriers that assessment procedures create for women wanting to progress to top positions. As organizations are encouraged to increase the‘fairness’and 'sophistication’of these procedures, they may in fact be reinforcing the very nature of the discriminations they are supposedly attempting to reduce. This paper outlines how this may be happening.
The Situational Specificity of Validities: Correcting for Statistical Artifacts Does Not Always Reduce the Trans‐Situational Variability of Correlation Coefficients
Authors: Murphy Kevin R.
Published: April 2007

Validity generalization research suggests that much of the variability in validity coefficients is due to statistical artifacts, such as sampling error. Correcting for these artifacts usually reduces the trans‐situational variability in validity coefficients, but the reverse can happen. Conditions under which corrections for statistical artifacts can increase the variability in validity coefficients are described, examples of meta‐analyses reporting larger corrected than observed variance in validity are cited, and implications for the situational specificity of validity coefficients are discussed. In general, the true variability in validity coefficients based on large samples is often larger than the observed variability in test validities.
Development of Standard Anchors for Scoring Generic Past‐Behaviour Questions in Structured Interviews
Authors: Green Paul C. , Alter Perry , Carr Adam F.
Published: April 2007

A structured interviewing system was developed which included an item bank of pre‐written past‐behaviour questions. Scoring anchors for each of 168 questions in the item bank were created from analysis of protocols from individual assessments. A concurrent validation study was conducted, focusing on the job of highway patrol sergeant. Job knowledge experts used a job analysis tool to select a subset of twelve questions from the item bank. Panel interviews were conducted with 32 highway patrol sergeants as subjects. Average inter‐rater reliability was 0.65 and interview validity was 0.42 for group consensus scores and 0.44 for panel average scores. Discussion focused on practical issues affecting the interviewing system.
Cognitive Ability Tests and the Situational Interview: A Test of Incremental Validity
Authors: Delery John E. , Wright Patrick M. , McArthur Kari , Anderson D. Christopher
Published: April 2007

This study investigated the validity and incremental validity of a situational interview beyond that of a composite measure of cognitive ability. Forty‐seven factory service technicians underwent an interview and took four cognitive ability tests. Supervisors rated the performance of these subjects in a concurrent validation study. The interview was found to be a valid predictor of a supervisor rating of performance (r = 0.32, p < 0.05 uncorrected), however, was unable to show incremental validity over ability tests (Incremental R2= 0.05, n.s.). Limitations of the present study and directions for future research are discussed.
An Examination of the Psychometric Properties of Holland's (1985) Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI), Using a British Sample
Authors: Parker Colin , Kline Paul
Published: April 2007

This study examines the psychometric properties of Holland's Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI) using a diverse UK sample. Whilst an item analysis appears to be satisfactory, the factor analysis reveals seven, rather than the hypothesized six factors. A number of gender and cultural differences were found in the inventory; the bases for these are discussed and suggestions for improving the inventory items for a UK population are offered.
Taskomat: Evaluation of a Computerized Test Battery
Authors: Boer Louis C.
Published: April 2007

A case study on a computerized test battery is presented based on more than a decade of use in military and civil settings. The study sheds light on the general issues associated with computerized testing. The accent is on the contrast between computerized and traditional paper‐and‐pencil testing. The computerized battery, called Taskomat, is founded on concepts arising from human performance theory. The tests of the battery are described, as well as issues related to the hardware (cost of purchasing, hardware reliability and industrial styling). Criteria used to evaluate the content of the tests were: reliability, robustness of effects, uniqueness or newness of abilities relative to paper‐and‐pencil testing, and validity of these abilities for predicting occupational success. A conclusion is that a theoretical foundation helps to increase the likelihood of assessing new abilities.
Organizational Competencies: A Valid Approach for the Future?
Authors: Sparrow Paul
Published: April 2007

This paper attempts to integrate concepts of organizational competency across a number of levels of analysis. It provides grounded evidence on existing application and practice, and synthesizes research and development in the area of organizationally derived management competencies. Consideration is given to the underlying theoretical assumptions and definitional issues raised by existing practice. The paper highlights the range of human resource strategies or programmes used to integrate activity and implement strategic changes, and examines the shift in thinking about the importance and nature of management competency. Organization‐specific approaches are reviewed and the benefits analysed. A critical review of attempts at integration suggests that application of competency‐based approaches within organizations has fallen behind advances in strategic human resource management and that there is a need to shift application towards more future–oriented and strategic contexts. Weaknesses associated with existing approaches to management competency are analysed as is the issue of validity. Finally, the implications of considering competencies as an organizational level resource for human resource strategy are discussed.
The Role of Computer‐Based Test Interpretation (CBTI) in Occupational Assessment
Authors: Bartram Dave
Published: April 2007

The paper explores a range of issues relating to the design and use of computer‐based test interpretation (CBTI) systems. It describes a number of dimensions along which CBTI systems vary and considers both the positive and negative implications of these for test users, for their clients and for test candidates. A distinction is drawn between systems that generate finished reports and those that generate questions or guidance for the user. The question of how the validity of narrative reports can be assessed is considered. A study on the discriminative validity of reports generated by the PREVUE ICES CBTI system is reported which shows clear differences between judgements made about true and bogus reports. It is concluded that there are two main issues to consider when evaluating a CBTI system: first, the validity of the information generated by it and, second, the ways in which that information is likely to be used.
Using Personality Testing for Personnel Selection: Faking and Test‐Taking Inductions
Authors: Goffin Richard D. , Woods Debra M.
Published: April 2007

This research assessed whether warning subjects that faked responses could be detected would reduce the amount of faking that might occur when using a personality test for selection of police officers. Also, personality test subscales which best differentiated honest from dissimulated responses were determined. Subjects (N=120) were randomly assigned to a straight‐take (that is, respond honestly), fake good, or modified fake good group. Both fake good groups were instructed to respond to the test so as to appear favourably for the job; additionally, the modified fake good group was warned that faking could be detected and could reduce hiring chances. Multivariate analyses revealed significant differences on the Denial and Deviation subscales between the three conditions (p <0.01). The pattern of differences suggested that the threat of faking detection reduced faking. Potential application of these findings in personnel selection was discussed.
Perceived Fairness of Promotion Procedures: Identification of Justice Rules and Consequences for Job Attitudes
Authors: Reiley John
Published: April 2007

Two studies were concerned with the perceived fairness of the promotion procedures adopted by a police organization. The first study used Leventhal's (1980) theory of procedural justice to analyse the reasons given by unsuccessful candidates for their appeals against the decision. A content analysis revealed that the rules of ‘consistency and accuracy’ accounted for 81.8% of all the reasons stated. The second study applied the social cognitive theory (Bandura 1989a; 1989b) to examining the effect of perceived procedural fairness on unsuccessful candidates' self‐efficacy and job attitudes related to police work. Results show that ‘procedural fairness’ was predictive of ‘self‐efficacy and procedural satisfaction’, both of which in turn predicted officers' organizational commitment and job satisfaction. Theoretical implications of the studies for procedural justice and social cognitive theory were discussed.
Support and relief: the Swedish contact person and contact family program
Authors: Andersson G.
Published: April 2007

The Social Services Act in Sweden allows people with children to be offered a contact person or a contact family to provide help and support in personal matters or in matters concerning the children. This legally regulated intervention is very much liked and the demand for it has increased year by year. Nothing in other countries quite corresponds to it. Virtually no research has been carried out on this, however, and systematic knowledge of how the intervention is used has been lacking. This article focuses on the application of the intervention to families with young children (0‐3 years old) and how social welfare inspectors and contact persons and contact families evaluate it.
Rights to special services for people with developmental disabilities in Sweden: The risks and benefits of a legislative approach
Authors: Hollander A.
Published: April 2007

Several major pieces of legislation in Sweden have been developed and enacted during the twentieth century to enable people with disabilities to live as normal a life as possible. The legal instrument is not supposed to depend on political economic trends. Important changes in the new Act on Special Services for Developmentally Disabled Persons from 1986 include qualitative demands and the right to self‐determination for these individuals. The special services covered by the law are called social rights. The implementation of these rights is under the jurisdiction of politically appointed councils in counties or municipalities. The decisions made by these authorities can be appealed in administrative courts. Judicial review is supposed to be an instrument for the protection of citizens from the authorities responsible for services. In theory, at least, when one disabled person wins a case in court, the precedent should trickle down to all individuals in similar predicaments. But this does not always occur. One problem is that the law has no sanctions to force local authorities to follow the precedents or to execute court decisions. This article focuses on the Act and on the interplay between court cases and precedents and the decisions made by local authorities.
Those who cannot have what they want must want what they can get: The experience with company‐based early retirement pension schemes in Norway
Authors: Halvorsen K.
Published: April 2007

Early retirement is a central bridge between permanent work and standard pension age. During 1988‐1989, 10% of all private Norwegian companies, employing about 20% of all employees, had made use of early retirement schemes, mainly as a means of reducing staff. A central question is whether early retirement creates welfare or reduces it for the early retirees. Case studies of 4 companies and panel studies of potential early retirees have been used to throw light on these questions: what are the experiences of those involved, and do they wish to leave work or is leave taken involuntary? Only 1 of 7 early retirees adapted poorly, mostly due to poor health, a strong work orientation combined with unfilled expectations for part‐time work and the feeling that they had no choice but to accept the offer. The majority seem to adjust fairly well to life as a pensioner, especially if they have some part‐time work. Besides high financial compensation, satisfaction with early retirement depends on whether the scheme is regarded as legitimate in the community and the individual considers the transition to be meaningful.
Discharge procedures for mentally ill people The perspectives of professionals and former psychiatric patients on their quality of life
Authors: Dufåker M.
Published: April 2007

This article draws on literature about the quality of life and social relations to integrate a number of key concepts. Fifty‐three former patients were interviewed to give their opinion on their quality of life. Almost as many professionals gave their opinion on the same issue. According to the former patients, the quality of life was influenced by duration of and stigma attached to mental illness, being without work, financial difficulties, inability to exert influence over their own situation and negative expectations of the future. Illness patterns seemed to be the all‐pervading issue concerning the professionals' views on the former patients' quality of life. A social psychological analysis of these disparate views made it clear that they bring about contrasting claims; the professionals demanded continuation of a patient role whereas the former patients mostly wanted to find some means of embarking on ordinary useful lives.
Assessing determinants of health in migrants: the case for ethnic monitoring
Authors: Karmi G.
Published: April 2007

Migrants in Great Britain have a different and unequal health experience to the rest of the population. Some of this is likely to be related to social and environmental factors, such as poverty and unemployment. But how far ethnicity by itself contributes to the final picture is not known. The main reason for this is the lack of routine ethnic monitoring in the health service. The ethnic monitoring methods and several pilot studies are briefly discussed. Parallel monitoring of ethnicity and socioeconomic status would probably be the only way to clarify the situation.
Poverty drug use in Hungary
Authors: Bácskai E. , Gerevich J.
Published: April 2007

There is little substantive information on the present trends on drug use in the countries of central and eastern Europe, including Hungary. There has been a substantial change in recent years in the illegal and legal use of psychoactive substances: the western type of drug trade and drug use has begun, with the influx of the classical drugs (heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, LSD and hashish). In addition, a study based on data obtained from all district physicians shows that the rate of regular use of psychoactive substances is very high in the parts of Hungary with poor infrastructure. This “poverty” drug use, together with the poppy cult and the traditions of grape cultivation and wine drinking could be a serious obstacle to the wider spread of western type drug use in Hungary.
The hidden welfare state, tax expenditure and social policy A comparative overview
Authors: Greve B.
Published: April 2007

This article describes, discusses and presents information about tax expenditure and its relation to social policy. It stresses that the hidden welfare state strongly influences social policy and that only looking at the direct provision of welfare goods may be misleading when making comparisons between countries. The article presents new figures on tax expenditure in relation to social policy and does so in a comparative perspective. It is argued that tax expenditure seems to have an upside down effect, but further research is needed to substantiate this. It concludes that tax expenditure strongly influences the provision, financing and delivery of social policy, and tax expenditure therefore has to be more fully integrated into the analysis of the welfare state.
“Never right, never wrong”: child welfare and social work in England and Sweden
Authors: Weightman K. , Weightman A.
Published: April 2007

When are parents “unfit” to care for their own children? As in many other countries, social workers in England and Sweden have the unenviable task of forming such judgments. On behalf of society at large, social workers must balance the rights of parents to provide continuing care with the responsibilities of the state in ensuring adequate care of children. They are involved in professional judgments which are also inherently political. In both England and Sweden social workers are able to seek legal orders which, if granted, permit compulsory removal of children against the wishes of parents. In such cases social workers are centrally involved in processes which remove ordinary rights of citizenship from their fellow members of society. The rights of parents and children, together with the responsibilities of the state to each class of citizen, are clearly in focus: intervention in family life requires both grounds and legitimation. But what is the basis of intervention in the two societies? Social work practices in Sweden and England suggest very different answers to this question. In explaining these differences it is necessary to address much broader variations of social and political culture in the two societies. In so doing, variations in social work practice can be located in different cultural values and systems of legitimation. Instabilities and pathologies of professional practices can also be identified within both England and Sweden. These too are quite different in the two societies.
Unemployment in Poland ‐ causes and remedial measures
Authors: Sobis I.
Published: April 2007

This article describes unemployment and labor market policy in Poland after 1989. The analysis is based on official statistics, legislation and Polish social science literature. The unemployment situation in Poland is continually changing. Conclusions drawn by social scientists in 1991 and 1992 no longer give an adequate account of labor market trends in 1995. Steeply rising unemployment is the most traumatic upheaval in post‐Communist Polish society. At the end of 1989, the number of people looking for work in Poland was far less than the number of available jobs. But by the end of 1992 there were 62 job‐seekers for every job opening, dropping to 56 in September 1994. The social problems associated with unemployment vary from region to region. Women and young people predominate among the unemployed. The Polish government set up a Work Fund in January 1990 to alleviate unemployment. The Work Fund is the first real measure taken to assist the unemployed, but new legislation is needed if it is to become more effective.
Pension reform in Sweden
Authors: Ståhlberg A.‐C.
Published: April 2007

Pension reform has been placed on the political agenda in many countries. The Swedish parliament has decided to make significant changes in the pension system. This article presents the Swedish pension reform, which goes further than the changes in other European countries. According to the Swedish pension reform, there will be a guaranteed pension that redistributes life‐cycle incomes from rich to poor and an income‐related actuarial pension without any intra‐ and intergenerational redistributive effects (with a few exceptions). The idea is to have an actuarial contribution‐defined pension within a pay‐as‐you‐go system.
Ethnicity, migration and health: A population‐based study of 338 refugees from Latin America, 396 nonrefugee immigrants from Finland and 161 from southern Europe and 996 age‐, sex‐ and education‐matched controls from Sweden
Authors: Sundquist J.
Published: April 2007

This article shows the influence of being a refugee from Latin America or a nonrefugee immigrant from southern Europe or Finland on self‐reported illness, controlling for social factors and lifestyle. The study population consisted of 338 Latin American refugees, a random sample of 396 Finnish and 161 southern European immigrants and 996 age‐, sex‐ and education‐matched Swedish controls. The data were analysed unmatched with logistic regression (multivariate analysis) in main effect models. The strongest independent risk indicator for long‐term illness was being a Latin American refugee (estimated odds ratio (OR)=2.96, 95% confidence interval (CI)=2.19–3.82). There was a significant association between being a Latin American refugee and period prevalence, ill health and unsatisfied need for care. Being a southern European or Finnish immigrant was a risk indicator of ill health but was not associated with the other dependent factors. Not feeling secure in daily life was a strong risk indicator for long‐term illness and ill health (estimated OR=1.89, 95% CI=1.26–2.76 and OR=3.04, 95% CI= 1.97–4.48) respectively). Being a Latin American refugee was equal in importance to traditional risk factors such as overweight and not taking regular exercise for long‐term illness and ill health.
Are Scandinavians lazy or hard‐working?
Authors: Sipilä J.
Published: April 2007

The popular image of work and working in Scandinavia is highly contradictory. One discourse stresses the strict work ethic of Scandinavian people and the participation of the whole population in wage labor. Another discourse says that welfare states have undermined the motivation of people in Scandinavian to work. This article explores the argumentation of both discourses and compares the industry of people in Finland, Norway and Sweden with the situation in other OECD countries. The picture that unfolds is contradictory: Scandinavia has a high labor market participation rate, but Norwegian people nonetheless work only comparatively few hours, Finnish people work long hours, while Swedish people fall somewhere in‐between. Overall, the people of Scandinavia are certainly not the most hard‐working in the world, but the amount of work does not seem to correlate directly with the national standard of living.
Preparing human service professionals for work in the fields of gender‐related violence: a study in Australia
Authors: Vinson T.
Published: April 2007

A recent Australian project surveyed the coverage of domestic and sexual violence in first degree courses in social work and welfare, psychology, nursing and medicine, and then, on the basis of the findings, designed a range of educational packages that meet curriculum deficiencies in ways consistent with the expressed preferences of the academics surveyed. The initial survey revealed that psychology schools generally had a good coverage of relevant psychological theories, but not so the relevant sociological perspectives, gender and power issues. Nursing schools gave only sparse coverage to gender‐related violence, with the greatest attention being paid to appropriate practical responses to disclosures of child sexual assault. The medical schools emphasized recognition of behavioral and physical indicators of violence and appropriate legal and medical procedures. Gender and power issues were neglected, a shortcoming less evident in the social work and welfare courses. The latter generally had a good coverage of relevant psychological and sociological perspectives, the recognition of domestic and sexual violence and appropriate practical responses to disclosure of its occurrence. The project has produced four educational packages covering domestic violence, child sexual assault and possible effects in adult life, adult sexual assault, and post‐traumatic stress disorder. The design and content of the packages are described in the article.
The future of social work education: beyond the state of the art
Authors: Dominelli L.
Published: April 2007

David Cox (1995) argues that social work educators need to engage with social issues if they are to move social work away from the doldrums in which it has become trapped. Although this is true, changes of a greater magnitude are required if social work practice is to remain relevant in the twenty‐first century. In a globalizing world, social work educators have to play a key role in internationalizing the social work curricula (academic and practicum) and socializing practitioners to embrace emancipatory approaches to social work if they are to counteract the brutalizing forces of industrialism and militarism. Engaging with social change to empower excluded groups requires social workers to work with “clients”, policy‐makers and international welfare organizations in ways that link the personal and structural dimensions of social life. In short, practitioners need to go beyond the state of the art if their interventions are to respond to the “person‐in‐their‐situation” in a modern context.
Youth unemployment and mental health – gender differences and economic stress
Authors: Hagquist C. , Starrin B.
Published: April 2007

This article accounts for a study among 81 unemployed people under 25 years of age and 143 youth trainees in a small municipality in central Sweden. The results show an explicit relationship between unemployment and mental ill health among young people. One unemployed man of four and every second unemployed woman feels that the mental well‐being grew worse when they became unemployed. The opposite is experienced by one male youth trainee of four and four female youth trainees of ten, who state that their mental well‐being improved when they got into a youth training program after having earlier been unemployed. The results also show that young people with poor finances on the whole have more mental troubles and anxiety about the future than young people with good finances have. The article discusses possible explanations for the patterns with respect to gender and the private financial situations that appear in the results.
Work, welfare and the attack on the welfare state: the mixing of politics and policy
Authors: Palley H. A. , Belcher J. R.
Published: April 2007

This article considers the current ideological and political attack against the floor of benefits for poor families in the United States. It examines a number of punitive approaches to the treatment of families on welfare that were developed in the United States in the late 1980s and the 1990s and contends that such policies will not effectively deter the dysfunctional behavior of some of the poor. Rather these policy developments reflect an attack on current national policies of developing an income maintenance floor that seeks to economically sustain poor families, albeit often inadequately. The article contends that current welfare proposals by conservatives and social liberals are not satisfactory for dealing with the problems of the welfare poor and offers suggestions for dealing with these deficits. It also notes that criticisms of welfare state protection for the poor raised in the United States are much more categorical than those raised in Sweden.