"9·11"后的纽约

我从未踏上过美利坚的土地,对那里充满好奇,但一想到三年前世贸中心双子楼轰然倒地的情景,心里不免惴惴不安.     

新自由主义、"华盛顿共识"与拉美国家的改革

从20世纪80年代后期开始,新自由主义理论在整个拉美地区迅速传播和扩散.尽管拉美国家的领导人从不公开赞同新自由主义理论,但80年代后期以来拉美国家实施的经济改革,却有明显的新自由主义烙印."华盛顿共识"的十个主张是新自由主义的具体的政策取向.新自由主义使拉美的经济改革取得了明显的成效,但也使拉美的改革产生了一系列严重的问题,导致了社会经济的不稳定,甚至政局的动荡.     

Disparities in Infant Mortality Rates Among Immigrant Caribbean Groups in New York City

SUMMARY

This study examined infant mortality rates (IMR) in New York City (NYC) to identify those groups reporting higher IMR concentrations in recent years and to determine what factors and explanations are associated with this new trend.

Analysis of data from NYC Department of Health (DOH) identified infant mortality patterns throughout the City by both maternal birthplace and NYC Health Districts. In addition, infant mortality rates for those NYC populations with the highest concentrations were compared to the most recently available IMR data from their countries of origin. Focus group sessions were conducted with women in the identified groups in New York City in an effort to obtain their perspectives on causality and other factors associated with the new trend.

Strong patterns emerged from this study pointing to a concentration of the City's highest IMR among groups from the circum-Caribbean region. Results of focus group sessions with women in the identified population groups yielded a list of specific barriers faced by this population in the utilization of perinatal care services. In addition, the study resulted in some clearly delineated program and policy approaches that can help to address the disparities in IMR.

Myriad causative factors contribute to the high rates of IMR among Caribbean immigrant groups. Expanding the availability of both successful program models and promising practices is critical to decreasing infant mortality in immigrant communities. Specific recommendations are for the development of a strategic set of interventions designed to eliminate this most serious challenge to the health of new immigrant groups in NYC.

Any references to comparisons between data from NYC and data from the countries of origin were merely to serve as a reference point as it is not often possible to determine the level of scientific rigor applied to the collection and analysis of data external to the United States (U.S.).

Implications for social work practice with immigrant populations include the need for delivery of culturally competent services in general and for cultural sensitivity to health beliefs surrounding maternal child health issues in particular.     

"A Speech That the Entire Ministry May Stand for," or: Why Diplomats Never Produce Anything New

Drawing on ethnographic material on speech writing in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I argue that this practice and others like it integrate the Ministry by setting up the work so that every subsection of the Ministry is allowed a say, and by short-circuiting outside attempts to access the practice for other purposes, such as tailormaking speeches to audience needs and expectations. Speeches are treated first and foremost as instantiations of the ministry. Inasmuch as a Ministry of Foreign Affairs consists of units that mediate relationships to widely different worlds, there is a pressing need for it sometimes to speak in one voice. Speech writing turns out to be such a practice, and the work of the ministry is set up in such a way that this is guaranteed to continue, barring outside intervention from politicians. This finding supports the hypotheses of Michael Herzfeld and Mary Douglas about the integration of organizations, while also demonstrating in detail how diplomatic working routines secure invariance by actively relegating innovative moves in order to repeat an already existing form. Change will therefore reach the interior of the organization from its margins, where the costs of non-adaptability is most keenly felt. Change in diplomacy may therefore be expected to be initiated by politicians, not by diplomats themselves.     

New Hispanic Migration and HIV Risk in New York

Abstract

This paper reports on research designed to assess access to care by Latino immigrant populations in the New York area. A qualitative approach and methods were employed, involving focus groups with PWAs and affected men and women from Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Central America to explore the perceptions, beliefs, experience and knowledge of HIV care issues and the issues affecting health-seeking behavior. Among the data collected to provide context, depth and detail to the issue of access and utilization of services, was the detailed information on migration and HIV risk reported here.

A total of 57 men and women participated, ranging in age from 19-61. Results included information on migration patterns, obstacles for Latino immigrants living in the U.S., social networks, community resources, knowledge of HIV/AIDS, risk behavior and access to information. Data support the conclusion that to be effective in reaching and providing services to these immigrant groups, it is crucial to understand the environment from which they come and the impact of immigration. Poverty; repressive governments; lack of education/literacy; ethnicity, class; color-based stigma; and cultural norms are crucial factors in determining their attitudes, motivations, decisions and behavior. The key elements for the provision of services to this population appear to be those which build on cultural norms and which network human and institutional resources.     

Types of coproduction and differential effects on organizational performance: Evidence from the New York City school system

A growing body of literature explores the process of coproduction by citizens and government employees in providing goods and services, yet research that attempts to link coproduction to organizational performance offers contradictory findings. It is possible that these conflicting results are a consequence of trying to compare distinct categories of coproduction. This study identifies types of coproduction, classified by which organizational tasks citizens can influence during stages of policy design and implementation, and tests whether these types have different effects on student proficiency in Mathematics and English Language Arts using data from New York City schools between 2007 and 2009. This study then tests the degree to which different types of coproduction moderate the negative effect of environmental turbulence on performance. Results confirm that types of coproduction have varying effects on organizational performance and can reduce, and even eliminate, the negative effect of a turbulent environment on student outcomes.     

Immigration and the Remaking of New York

Abstract

The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act abolished quotas that favored European immigrants, and for the first time placed all countries on an equal footing. The law resulted in increased overall immigration, and altered the sources of immigrants to the U.S. Since 1970, New York City has absorbed 2.6 million immigrants, primarily from non-European sources, who have dramatically altered the City's racial/Hispanic mix. Using immigration and birth records, as well as data from decennial censuses, this paper examines immigration to New York and assesses the demographic impact of these flows on the City's population.

Current immigrant flows have noticeably increased the ethnic diversity within the major race/Hispanic groups. This is largely due to increases in refugee flows, and to recent changes in immigration law that allow for “diversity” visas, which are aimed at countries that are under-represented in immigration flows to the U.S. Diversity immigration has provided New York with a continuing flow of new groups, most recently from Bangladesh, Mexico, Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal, who have established enclaves in many of the City's neighborhoods. The increasing diversity poses serious challenges for social service and health care professionals, who need to devise new strategies to deal with the disparate socioeconomic backgrounds, cultures, and belief systems of new ethnic groups. This is especially important given that New York's ethnic mix will continue to be churned, especially by way of diversity immigration and refugee flows from all parts of the globe.     

Paan and Gutka Use in the United States: A Pilot Study in Bangladeshi and Indian-Gujarati Immigrants in New York City

Smokeless tobacco and areca nut are popular with South Asians and South Asian immigrants, most commonly used as paan and gutka. Their regular use leads to oral cancer. The South Asian community in the U.S. is rapidly growing, where paan and gutka are readily available. The study was the first exploration of the migration of the paan and gutka habits, and their use in the U.S.A 108-item questionnaire on paan and gutka usage and beliefs was administered to 138 first-generation Bangladeshi and Indian-Gujarati immigrant adults at community sites in the New York metropolitan area. Forty-five percent Indian-Gujaratis reported ever-regular paan use; of which 5% are current users. Thirty-one percent reported ever-regular gutka use; of which 77% are current users. Thirty-five percent Bangladeshis reported ever-regular paan use; of which 70% arc current users. Nine percent reported ever-regular gutka use; of which 67% are current users. Bangladeshis are more likely to identify paan as causing oral cancer. Indian-Gujaratis are more likely to identify gutka as causing oral cancer.Between the two communities, there were significant differences in paan and gutfca usage, migration effects, and oral career risk perception. There is a need for comprehensive migration studies on the determinants of usage, and for community-specific interventions for these carcinogenic products.     

A social impact assessment of the nuclear fuel services facility at west valley,New York

This paper sets forth a research methodology to evaluate the social impact of projects on people. The data and measurement techniques are drawn from a preliminary social impact assessment of the Nuclear Fuel Services facility in West Valley, New York. In addition to collecting socio-economic and demographic information on the region, a survey of West Valley area residents was conducted. Respondents were questioned about their level of awareness of the issues surrounding the plant, their knowledge about the issue sphere, the nature and level of awareness of the issues surrounding the plant, their knowledge about the issue sphere, the nature and level of their concern regarding the facility, and proposed policies to deal with the plant. A major finding is that residents living in the region are apprehensive about the health dangers that can result from radioactive contamination of the environment, and favor removal of the plant and restoration of the area. How the results of our study were incorporated into the policy making process is discussed at the conclusion of the paper.     

"打两场战争"与"新帝国"之梦

据外电透露,布什总统近来身子骨已不如以 前,并且情绪起起落落。也真难为的了,要在这个纷乱的世界称霸,费心的事儿也太多。这不,新年刚一过,就又冒出一桩:朝鲜的核问题。在那边,调兵遣将,攻打伊拉克紧锣密鼓;在这厢,偏偏就在这紧要关头,朝鲜半岛风云变么了。朝鲜突然宣布有权拥有核武器,并退出《不扩散核武器条约》,半岛局势骤然紧张,立即吸引国际社会的极大关注。     

拉美新左翼与"华盛顿共识"

自20世纪末以来,拉美左翼政党和左翼运动的领导人先后通过大选走上执政道路,2005年12月18日,玻利维亚印第安族民众领袖、激进左派领导人、社会主义运动总统候选人埃沃·莫拉莱斯又以54%的绝对多数首轮胜出,成为该国200多年独立历史上首位印第安人总统.     

States of Exception on the Mexico–U.S. Border: Security, "Decisions," and Civilian Border Patrols

Civilian border patrol groups, like the much publicized Minutemen, who engage in the unofficial and unauthorized patrolling of U.S. borders, have proliferated in recent years. They have received an overwhelming amount of press, both national and international, but have garnered very little scholarly attention. In this article, I explore this phenomenon with an eye toward addressing conceptual and theoretical issues raised by the existence and practices of these groups. Specifically, how do we conceptualize civilian border patrol groups in terms of their relationship to statecraft, identity, and security? Do they have implications for the ways in which sovereignty and the political can be understood? I argue that while Carl Schmitt's theory of the political and the Copenhagen School's securitization theory are useful in attempting to understand and theorize the practices of these groups, the case ultimately points to the need for a reexamination of some of Schmitt's concepts including sovereignty and the political. Evidence from this case suggests that we should not limit our understanding of decisions that result in contemporary manifestations of exceptionalism to those controlled by the state or elites. Rather, decisions can arise in numerous locales and can be made by seemingly insignificant agents. This has implications for how we understand the practices that can lead to exceptionalism as well as how we understand sovereignty and the political.     

农村“留守儿童”之现状、走向与对策探讨--以湘北H村“留守儿童”群体为实证分析对象

对于农村“留守儿童”问题，我国学术界早于上个世纪90年代初期已开始关注并进行研究。研究的重点主要集中在农村“留守儿童”的道德品质问题、人身安全问题、监护人类型问题等方面，并由此提出解决农村“留守儿童”教育问题的对策与建议。但是，农村“留守儿童”的成因是复杂的，尤其是在城市化的大背景下，随着农业税的取消和国家力量在乡村秩序中的逐步退出，而新的《义务教育法》又存在某些缺陷，使得新时期“留守儿童”的走向更加难以把握。本文从社会主义新农村建设的角度，通过对湘北H村的人类学实证研究，对农村“留守儿童”之现状与走向进行考察，并提出了相关对策。     

和平与自主:德国追寻新时期的"德意志道路"

“德意志道路”是萦绕在德国人脑海中一个 执着追求的梦。在20世纪后半叶,这个梦一度被变幻莫测的冷战风云搅得扑朔迷离。直到上个世纪末两个德国实现统一,长期受到四大战胜国制约、饱受民族分裂痛苦的德国才从历史的羁绊中解脱出来,终于成了享有完全主权的国家,也终于名副其实地走上了“德意志道路”。 实际上,“德意志道路”既是一个发人深思的历史问题,也是一个敏感的现实问题。作为历史问题,任何人都不可能选择和回避;作为现实问题,又不可能