Approaches to low-income groups' sexuality: a comparative study of women in three low-income contexts in Peru

"This work...examines the cultural dimension of sexuality and fertility of women from [low-income] sectors in Peru. It intends to explain the cultural processes that fall into the intermediate variables of fertility, such as marriage rate, contraception, breastfeeding and...abortion. These dimensions of sexual and reproductive life are analyzed according to two explanatory dimensions: generation and cultural context of socialization. The general hypothesis is that a cultural process of homogenization of the values and behaviors has been taking place over sexuality, in such a way that the younger generations will show similar standard behaviors and values no matter their context of socialization; in the meantime, in the older groups there will exist contextual differences in these dimensions." (SUMMARY IN ENG)     

Governmental financial resilience under austerity in Austria,England and Italy: How do local governments cope with financial shocks?

The recent economic and fiscal crisis provides an opportunity for learning lessons of general and practical relevance about how governments face shocks affecting their financial conditions. This article draws on the resilience concept to investigate the organizational capacities that are deployed and/or built by local governments (LGs) to respond to such shocks, looking at their combinations and interactions with environmental conditions. The article presents the results of a multiple‐case analysis of 12 European LGs across Austria, Italy and England. The analysis allows us to highlight and operationalize different patterns of financial resilience, that is, self‐regulation, constrained or reactive adaptation, contented or powerless fatalism, that are the result of the interaction and development over time of different internal and external dimensions.     

The Myth of Personal Security: Criminal Gangs, Dispute Resolution, and Identity in Rio de Janeiro's Favelas

This article examines the politics of how drug traffickers resolve disputes and maintain order in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Much popular discourse and some scholarly studies argue that drug traffickers play a major role in controlling crime and minimizing conflicts there. This article shows that traffickers enforce community norms under a variable political calculus in which well-connected and respected residents are less likely to be punished for rule violations than are individuals who are marginal to the life of the community. This allows many favela residents who conform to local norms to feel a degree of control over their own safety, a "myth of personal security" in otherwise violent neighborhoods.     

The role(s) of accounting and performance measurement systems in contemporary public administration

The spate of public sector reforms which have taken place in recent decades has triggered the development of a new body of research around public sector accounting and performance measurement both in public administration as well as in the (public sector) accounting literature. However, studies in accounting and public administration have at times ignored each other, proceeding in parallel. This symposium encourages the adoption of interdisciplinary perspectives in exploring the myriad roles played by accounting and performance measurement systems in contemporary public administration. Emphasizing that accounting and performance measurement systems are socially, politically, culturally constructed and, in turn, are implicated in the creation of organizations, society and political values, this symposium aims to extend the dialogue between accounting and public administration scholars in exploring how accounting, accountability and performance measurement considerations are connected to policy-making, public services and, more generally, the building and maintenance of modern states and democracies.     

Broadening the approach to youth violence prevention through public health

Violence is a critical cause of death and nonfatal injuries among youth, and even those who witness violence can suffer serious health and mental health consequences. This highlights the need for prevention programs and policies aimed at reducing risks, promoting prosocial behavior, strengthening families, and creating communities in which youth are safe from violence. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Injury Center is developing a National Public Health Strategy to Prevent Youth Violence. The strategy will establish a full application of the public health approach, ranging from research to practice. It also spotlights what is working, as a way to mobilize community leaders in supporting evidence-based initiatives. With the empirical guidance of articles such as those in this special issue, a shared strategy to prevent youth violence will help focus efforts and resources on solutions that show the most promise, and ensure that American communities undertake more comprehensive and coordinated prevention efforts to protect our nation's youth.     

Corporal Punishment and Kids: How Do Parent Support and Gender Influence Child Adjustment?

Previous research on corporal punishment has failed to consider the interaction of parent support and parent gender in predicting child outcomes. The current study examined whether parental support moderated the effects of corporal punishment on child outcomes (i.e., depression and aggression), and more specifically, whether the gender of the supportive parent moderated the effects of punishment from the opposite-sex parent. Results differed depending on the gender of the punishing and supportive parents, suggesting that parental support can be a protective factor in child outcomes but only under certain conditions. Mother support moderated the effects of father punishment on child depression but not child aggression. High corporal punishment by father was related to more child depression at both high and low levels of mother support. High levels of mother support only seemed important (i.e., children were less depressed) at low levels of father corporal punishment. In contrast, father support moderated the relationship between mother corporal punishment and child aggression but not depression. Children with high father support showed less aggression across all levels of mother corporal punishment. At low levels of father support, child aggression increased as mother corporal punishment increased. For depression, mother corporal punishment was positively related to child depression regardless of level of father support. These findings suggest differential effects for mother and father support and have implications for the treatment and prevention of negative outcomes in children who are physically punished by their parents.

The role of shame, anger, and affect regulation in men's perpetration of psychological abuse in dating relationships

This study determines the relationships between shame, anger, and men's perpetration of psychological abuse in dating relationships. The authors hypothesize the connection between shame proneness and men's use of psychological abuse with a dating partner, with anger's mediating in this relationship. In addition, the authors hypothesize that affect regulation would moderate the relationship between anger and men's use of psychological abuse. Results indicate that shame proneness and use of psychological abuse are significantly related and that anger mediates the relationship. However, affect regulation does not moderate the effects of anger on men's use of psychological abuse. These findings are consistent with theoretical conceptualizations of shame and have implications for intervention and treatment programs for perpetrators of psychological abuse in dating relationships.