How have recent changes in U.S. family structure affected the cognitive, social, and emotional well-being of the nation's children? Paul Amato examines the effects of family formation on children and evaluates whether current marriage-promotion programs are likely to meet children's needs. Amato begins by investigating how children in households…

The social changes that have taken place in the past fifteen years have had a powerful effect on the life trajectories and social expectations of people in different age groups in Russia. For the most part there are two terms that are used to identify these groups: age cohort (or age group) and generation. But the use of these terms in…

The marginalization of the Romany community in Spain, as elsewhere in the world, has its roots in a centuries-old history of ethnic segregation. In response, the Romany community has come to feel intimidated and rejected. This has led to the establishment of communities on the outskirts of cities, generally with very poor living standards. In this…

This paper aims to contribute further research on the conceptualization of individual financial satisfaction as a particular domain of satisfaction with life as a whole. Based on the 2003 "Survey on Living Conditions and Poverty" for Andalucia (Spain) and using a self-reported measure of welfare, ordered probit models are used to analyze…

This issue addresses the problems of women in developing countries, and the role of the Peace Corps in developing programs which respond to the needs of women of the Third World. Articles are presented on: (1) the adverse impact of development on women; (2) appropriate technology for women of the developing countries; (3) the transfer of…

Measured levels of living among 157 elderly family households in a plantation community. Found the level of living to be determined more by the plantation production system and the elderly's past patterns of economic participation than by the size of the completed family. (Author/ABB)

An investigation of the living conditions of 38 patients (mean age=45 years) with Down's Syndrome in Aarhus County, Denmark, found 31 in institutions, five in private homes (parents/siblings), and two in sheltered residences. Eighty-two percent had some sort of daily occupation, and most participated in recreational activities. (Author/VW)

Economic level, home environment and culture are factors associated with economic discrepancies between disadvantaged and advantaged groups. Intervention, in the form of parent and infant training programs and compensatory education, can improve students' chances of academic success if it incorporates the components of early intervention and…

Explains that the lack of preparation of teachers for work in rural areas, the excessive workload, and the poor working and living conditions have greatly impeded efforts of the Soviet Union to recruit and retain quality teachers in rural areas. (HOD)

There is no unemployment in mainland China, where the government uses work to control the lives of one-fourth of the world's population. From his 1978 trip, the author describes impressions of Chinese life and work in a still underdeveloped and largely unindustrialized country. (MF)

Describes the One to One program, which mobilizes communities to support mentoring, pioneers new mentoring approaches, and leverages resources by taking a business approach; leveraging support from diverse sectors; creating a partnership of catalysts; capitalizing on diversity; helping communities think and achieve big; reaching hard-to-reach…

The shift to service occupations and technological changes contributed to a dramatic decrease in earnings of male high school graduates. Because family income is a strong predictor of educational attainment, educational reforms and policy initiatives for disadvantaged children are extremely important to improve their earnings prospects. (SK)

Survey data from the United States, Brazil, and Ghana revealed that, in all three, mothers' education had a greater effect on daughters' height, fathers' education on sons' height. There appear to be differences in the allocation of household resources, nutrition, and child rearing that are dependent on children's and parents' gender. (SK)

A consideration of the Arab world illustrates the fact that there can be riches and "growth" with slow or stagnating human development and with significant levels of poverty, and that growth might "perhaps" be an engine of human development if there is "good governance." Good governance refers to the existence of…

Objective: This study evaluates participant perception of neighborhood, economic, and housing well-being of residents 4 and 5 years after forced relocation from a public housing complex in Atlanta, Georgia. Method: The study used a mixed-method, posttest-only design with two data points. Focus groups with 93 participants combined qualitative,…