Service to servitude? The decline and demise of life-cycle service in England

Life-cycle service was an essential institution in early-modern England that slowly died during the transition from a pre-industrial to a fully industrial economy. A socially pervasive and culturally broad movement of young people from their parental homes to live and serve in the homes of others, life-cycle service was integral to the demographic, economic, and social framework of the era and could not survive when that framework changed. This article examines the institution of life-cycle service, some of the underlying demographic, economic, and social structure that supported it, the changes in that structure that led to its demise, and the ramifications for young people of that demise. Although inevitable, the loss of life-cycle service with its broad social base denigrated service as an institution and was not without other costs especially for young women.     

Crossing the boundary: Peasants,shepherds, and servants in a western Alpine community

In the historical and anthropological literature, western Alps servants were widely assumed to be few in number, and the importance of the institution of service therefore negligible. This study combines historical-demographic and ethnographic methods to investigate whether this was true of a community in the Italian western Alps with a mixed population of peasants and transhumant shepherds. Surprisingly, a valuable 1951 census reveals that seemingly small numbers hide what was actually a normal phase in the life course of peasant sons whom shepherds recruited to work as servants. Distinct patterns of life-cycle and lifetime service seem to have coexisted in the same community. The evidence also confirms that in southern Europe, as some recent studies have pointed out, the institution of service often was not just the circulation of young men and women between households but an asymmetrical exchange between different socioeconomic groups. Otherwise rigid social and cultural boundaries were thereby crossed.     

Crossing the boundary: Peasants, shepherds, and servants in a western Alpine community

In the historical and anthropological literature, western Alps servants were widely assumed to be few in number, and the importance of the institution of service therefore negligible. This study combines historical-demographic and ethnographic methods to investigate whether this was true of a community in the Italian western Alps with a mixed population of peasants and transhumant shepherds. Surprisingly, a valuable 1951 census reveals that seemingly small numbers hide what was actually a normal phase in the life course of peasant sons whom shepherds recruited to work as servants. Distinct patterns of life-cycle and lifetime service seem to have coexisted in the same community. The evidence also confirms that in southern Europe, as some recent studies have pointed out, the institution of service often was not just the circulation of young men and women between households but an asymmetrical exchange between different socioeconomic groups. Otherwise rigid social and cultural boundaries were thereby crossed.     

Paying for the Past: Redressing the Legacy of Land Dispossession in South Africa

The constitution of South Africa mandates equitable redress for individuals and communities evicted from their properties during colonialism and apartheid. The Commission on Restitution of Land Rights' institution‐wide assumption is that the financial awards given as equitable redress had no long‐term economic impact on recipients because the money is gone and they are still in poverty, whereas if people had received land, the economic impact would have been lasting. Consequently, in recent years, the commission has adopted a policy of using its soft power to force claimants to choose land restitution instead of financial awards. However, the interviews I conducted with financial award recipients show that in 30 percent of the cases, the award did produce a long‐term economic benefit because respondents invested in their homes. This empirical evidence suggests that the commission should rethink its recent shift in policy and not totally discount the potential of financial awards to produce a lasting economic benefit.     

Moral disengagement: relation to delinquency and independence from indices of social dysfunction

This article explores the relations of moral disengagement with several legal, institutional, and demographic characteristics of young offenders held in custody. The sample consisted of 152 randomly selected male young offenders from the largest young offenders' institution in Scotland. The age of the sample ranged from 16 to 21 (M = 18.9, SD =1.3). The respondents took part in a structured interview asking about several sociodemographic characteristics, and they completed the Moral Disengagement Scale. The sample in the study scored significantly higher on moral disengagement in comparison to a community sample. Higher moral disengagement was related to the offenders' families receiving help from a social worker; the expectation of an unstable living situation after custody; drug use before custody; and intention of drug use after custody. However, the lack of relation of moral disengagement to most of the social, family, school, employment, legal, and lifestyle characteristics of the sample suggests that moral disengagement is an independent variable exerting an influence on juvenile delinquent behavior over and above the social characteristics of juvenile delinquents.     

Social rationalization of living and housework in Germany and the United States in the 1920s

Because the idea of economic rationalization found its strongest promoters in the US and Germany during the 1920s, it makes sense to compare the two countries and to ask how the idea of economic rationalization was transferred into other areas of society, such as the private sphere of families and their homes. The article draws comparisons in a number of different areas, such as housing policy, the education of taste, domestic cleanliness, and the structure of reformers' ideas. In both countries special associations and journals were founded to instruct housewives, and reformers idealized a “classic” family pattern that centered on individual households with gender division of labor but fewer children. The social rationalization of people's daily lives in both countries was not an easily accomplished process, nor was it carried out sucessfully in all the areas targeted by reformers.     

从“制度供给”理论看医疗纠纷人民调解机制

处于社会转型期的中国，各种社会矛盾凸显，而在医疗服务领域就体现在各种类型的医患纠纷。究其根本原因，不可避免地回归到制度的缺失。文章试图在政治学“制度供给”理论的视角下，分析医疗纠纷发生的根本原因，从而阐明医疗纠纷人民调节机制提出的必要性，以及现实意义。     

Caste Discrimination: A Twenty‐First Century Challenge for UK Discrimination Law?1

Discrimination based on caste affects at least 270 million people worldwide, mostly in South Asia. Caste as a system of social organisation has been exported from its regions of origin to diaspora communities such as the UK, yet despite the prohibition of caste‐based discrimination in international human rights law caste is not recognised as a ground of discrimination in English law. The overhaul of its equality framework and the proposed new single equality act present the UK with an opportunity to align national legislation with international law obligations. The Government's decision not to include protection against caste discrimination in the new legislation leaves race and religion as the only possible legal ‘homes’ for caste. This article considers the argument for legal recognition of caste discrimination in the UK, the capacity of race and religion to subsume caste as a ground of discrimination, and the role and limitations of law in addressing ‘new’ forms of discrimination such as casteism.     

A gloomy vista? ``Globalisation', juvenile crime and social order – An Australian perspective

This article seeks to examine the links that are often drawn between ``globalisation' and crime, particularly youth crime. Critical attention is focused on claims that rapid economic and social change leads inevitably and inexorably to higher levels of offending among the young. Such deterministic accounts may have the unintended consequence of contributing to the further problematisation of young people, leading in turn to calls for more control and surveillance of this ``problem population'. The article urges greater caution in the articulation of futuristic scenarios that link young people to an escalating ``crime problem'.     

Low self-control,gender, race,and offending in late life

Self-control theory has been one of the most scrutinized general frameworks of crime for over 20 years. A majority of evidence pertaining to the theory, however, is derived from samples of teenagers and young adults. Relatively little information exists regarding whether self-control explains offending among people in late adulthood. As such, the generality of the framework has yet to be fully examined. This study uses a representative sample of people aged 60 years and older from interviews conducted in Arizona and Florida. The current study tests two key propositions regarding the generality of the theory: (1) the extent to which self-control accounts for the relationship between demographic variables and criminal offending, and (2) the invariance thesis which stipulates that self-control will have a uniform effect on offending across social groups. The analyses reveal two findings regarding theoretical generality: (1) low self-control explains late-life criminal behavior but does not account for the relationship between offending and gender, and (2) low self-control has an invariant effect on offending across gender and race when measured behaviorally. Taken together, the analyses address important elements of the supposed generality of self-control theory and extend the framework's scope to the explanation of offending in late life.     

Iranian Islamic banking

Islamic finance is an old concept but a very young discipline in the academic sense. It lacks the required extent and level of theories and models needed for expansion and implementation of the framework provided by Islam. In these circumstances, unawareness and confusion exist as to the form of the Islamic financial system and instruments. The main difference between the present economic system and the Islamic economic system is that the later is based on keeping in view certain social objectives for the benefit of human beings and society. Islam, through its various principles, guides human life and ensures free enterprise and trade. That is the reason why the conventional banker does not have to be concerned with the moral implications of the business venture for which money is lent.     

我国农村科技服务体系建设探析

随着我国农业和农村经济的进一步发展,农民的科技意识日益增强,农民对科技服务的需求更加迫切,传统的农村科技服务体系已不适应新型农村经济发展的要求。因此,构建新型农村科技服务体系已成为目前我国经济社会发展的重要课题。本文分析了我国农村科技服务体系建设的发展现状,并就存在的主要问题提出了相关建议,以期推进我国农村科技服务体系建设的发展。     

Researching safety and cost-effectiveness in the life cycle of nanomedicine

Nanotechnology is rapidly emerging as a transformational influence on many industry sectors. This is particularly true of medicines and medical devices. This article argues that, as policy interest in devising an appropriate regulatory framework for nanotherapeutics escalates, it will be important for public health to ensure that a broad life-cycle approach to both safety and cost-effectiveness is adopted. It charts some of the most important issues likely to be faced and begins to map how they can best be addressed.     

Discovery of decomposed and mummified corpses in the domestic setting--a marker of social isolation?

Mass media reports attribute the occurrence of decomposed or mummified corpses in a domestic setting mainly to an increasing social isolation of elderly people. Not much is known about the demographic and medical conditions under which individuals are found months or even years after death in their homes. For this study, autopsy reports of individuals found dead and mummified or decomposed between 1993 and 1997 with those from 1963 to 1967 were retrospectively analyzed. Between 1993 and 1997, a total number of 320 individuals were found decomposed at home compared to 412 such cases between 1963 and 1967. The proportion of individuals older than 64 years was significantly higher during the 1990s study period. Furthermore, the proportion of deaths attributable to natural causes was significantly lower during the 1990s, whereas the rate of suicides was nearly three times higher.     

医-患双方关系与医-患-社保三方关系——由深圳市社保局“钓鱼执法”引发的思考

我国已进入了医-患-社保三方关系的社会本位时代,但人们的思维意识、行为习惯还依然停留在医-患双方关系的个人本位时代。近年来社保定点医疗机构多发不规范医疗行为,甚至与参保患者不谋而合联手“作局”侵害社保利益也屡见不鲜。定点医疗机构与参保患者趋利内核中蕴藏的是强烈的自私利己之人性欲望本能,他们无视了一点：不能只享受社保带来的巨大好处而拒绝维护社保利益。因此,深圳市社保局处理违规定点医疗机构不但完全于法有据而且合理正当甚至难能可贵。但仅此是远远不够的,我们需要更彻底的观念更新及更深刻的制度变革。     

Gender and Social Control in Early 20th-Century Pennsylvania: The Role of the State Industrial Home for Women at Muncy in Reforming Fallen Women

The State Industrial Home for Women at Muncy in Pennsylvania opened in 1920 just as the reformatory movement began to wane and quickly became the sole correctional institution for women in the state, besides county jails. Despite the broader population that Muncy housed, traditional reformatory ideals were still supported and enforced. Yet the practices and programming of the institution also exemplified the changing economic and social role of women in society. Using recently uncovered primary sources from the institution, this article places Muncy within the broader context of the reformatory movement and argues that its dual emphasis played a significant role in its respect and longevity as an institution.     

Widowhood options and strategies in preindustrial northern Europe

This article reassesses the variety of demographic, social, and economic forces that shaped the residence patterns of widowed and intergenerational relationships in northern Europe in the past. Factors considered include occupational status (landholders and landless), retirement contracts, system of poor relief, age at widowhood, and number of children surviving from previous marriages. Detailed findings are presented for two communities in southwestern Finland. Women in rural western Finland should not be viewed as helpless or dependent. Legally they might never have been the equals of men, but if their lives were affected by a number of restrictions so were those of men. Cooperation with kin and the creation of strategies for maintaining the family land were not unique to southwestern Finland. The stem family indeed had the capacity to act as an institution providing for the maintenance of the old and the young whenever it was supported by stable property. The possibility that this property might pass from the family to nonrelatives provided the motive for detailed retirement contracts. Such contracts did not signal intergenerational tension with the parental generation trying to protect its interests in the face of pressure from the children, as Gaunt [The property and kin relationships of retired farmers in northern and central Europe. In R. Wall (Ed.), Family forms in historic Europe (pp. 249–279). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press] has suggested. With the proletarianization of society in the 19th century, the proportion of poor widows increased. These paupers circulated among farms being taken care of for a specific time at each place. However, even in the late 19th century, landless widows usually did not reside alone.     

Widowhood options and strategies in preindustrial northern Europe: Socioeconomic differences in household position of the widowed in 18th and 19th century Finland

This article reassesses the variety of demographic, social, and economic forces that shaped the residence patterns of widowed and intergenerational relationships in northern Europe in the past. Factors considered include occupational status (landholders and landless), retirement contracts, system of poor relief, age at widowhood, and number of children surviving from previous marriages. Detailed findings are presented for two communities in southwestern Finland. Women in rural western Finland should not be viewed as helpless or dependent. Legally they might never have been the equals of men, but if their lives were affected by a number of restrictions so were those of men. Cooperation with kin and the creation of strategies for maintaining the family land were not unique to southwestern Finland. The stem family indeed had the capacity to act as an institution providing for the maintenance of the old and the young whenever it was supported by stable property. The possibility that this property might pass from the family to nonrelatives provided the motive for detailed retirement contracts. Such contracts did not signal intergenerational tension with the parental generation trying to protect its interests in the face of pressure from the children, as Gaunt [The property and kin relationships of retired farmers in northern and central Europe. In R. Wall (Ed.), Family forms in historic Europe (pp. 249–279). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press] has suggested. With the proletarianization of society in the 19th century, the proportion of poor widows increased. These paupers circulated among farms being taken care of for a specific time at each place. However, even in the late 19th century, landless widows usually did not reside alone.     

Young People’s Views on Dating Violence Prevention in an Urban Turkish Context: Developing Effective Practices

Dating violence (DV) among young people is increasingly recognized as a significant problem and preventive efforts targeting adolescents and young adults are being mobilized to tackle it. However, an accumulating body of evidence shows that these efforts fail to adequately capture young people’s needs, particularly those from diverse cultures and contexts, and to incorporate their perspectives into practice. The present study aimed to address this gap by exploring young people’s views on how DV can be prevented and what they expect from prevention programs in an urban Turkish context, where DV remains an under-studied issue and preventive efforts are only slowly progressing. Toward this goal, a qualitative research design was employed. Thirty-nine college students, aged 18–25, were recruited through convenience sampling and individually interviewed in a semi-structured manner. The interviews were transcribed and thematically analyzed from a social constructionist perspective. The analysis revealed five main themes that indicated young people’s suggestions for and expectations from DV prevention: 1) setting new dating norms, 2) targeting socialization processes, 3) improving relational competence, 4) improving oneself, and 5) managing obstacles. The findings and practice implications are discussed within a contextual-ecological framework in the changing socio-cultural terrain of Turkey. The study highlights the fact that young people’s views can guide the development of effective, contextually relevant, empowering, and collaborative practices, and indicates the value of listening to young people’s voices in the field of DV prevention.

     

香港青年内地发展政策与大湾区“融合发展”--基于HKPSSD数据的实证研究

促进港澳青年"北上"内地发展,融入国家发展大局,最终实现"人心回归",是"粤港澳大湾区"政策体系中的重要内容和目标。回归以来,中央已累计推出100多项鼓励香港青年到内地发展的政策,其效果和机制亟需进行评估。论文基于香港社会动态追踪调查HKPSSD数据,以国家认同作为政策效标,评估现有内地发展政策对香港青年国家认同的效应,并从心理层面考察其作用机制。研究发现,频繁返回内地对青年国家认同确有提升作用,心理融合在此过程中起到完全中介作用。该机制在通过倾向值匹配进行稳健性检验后依然稳健,并且心理融合的中介效应量有所上升。研究表明,香港青年内地发展政策已取得了一定程度的积极效应,心理融合在机制中起到关键的效能转化作用。在粤港澳大湾区"融合发展"的战略目标和制度框架底下,做好心理融合工作,将是香港青年内地发展经历转化为国家归属感的重要抓手。