Labor market experiences of low-income black women in middle-class suburbs: Evidence from a survey of gautreaux program participants

This article reports on a highly unusual experiment in racial and economic integration, the Gautreaux program. This program helps black families who are either current or former residents of public housing move into subsidized housing in Chicago and its suburbs. Surveying a random sample of 332 participants, we find that suburban movers are significantly more likely to have a job post-move than city movers, even among those who had never had a job before moving. Multivariate analysis shows that these differences are significant even after controlling for respondents' previous work history, human capital, and personal characteristics. These results suggest that low-income urban blacks experience significant gains in employment by moving to middle-class suburbs. Thus, housing assistance may be an effective alternative to traditional welfare-to-work programs.     

Distributive and Procedural Justice in Seven Nations

The paper examines the impact of distributive justice and procedural justice variables on judgments in seven countries (Bulgaria, France, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Spain, and the United States). Subjects were presented with each of two experimental vignettes: one in which the actor unsuccessfully appeals being fired from his job and one in which the actor unsuccessfully goes to an employment agency to seek a job; they were asked to rate the justness of the outcome and how fairly the actor had been treated. The vignettes manipulated deservingness and need of the actor (distributive justice factors) and impartiality and voice in the hearing (procedural justice factors). Four hypotheses were tested: first, a distributive justice hypothesis that deservingness would be more important than need in these settings; second, a procedural justice hypothesis that the importance of voice and impartiality vary depending on the nature of the encounter and the forum in which it is resolved; third, because of their recent socialist experience, Central and Eastern European respondents make greater use of need information and less use of deservingness information than Western respondents; and fourth, that distributive justice and procedural justice factors interact. The distributive justice hypothesis is supported in both vignettes. The procedural justice hypothesis receives some support. Impartiality is more important in the first vignette and voice is more important in the second vignette. The interaction hypothesis was not supported in the first vignette, but does receive some support in the second vignette. The cultural hypothesis is not supported in either vignette. The implications for distributive and procedural justice research are discussed.     

Judicial Federalilsm and Equality Guarantees in State Supreme Courts

The new judicial federalism emphasizes state court relianceon state constitutional grounds for the enhanced protectionof individual rights. Commentary in the legal literature givesthe impression of much state court activism in this area. However,a quantitative analysis of 2,286 equal protection cases decidedby state supreme courts between 1975 and 1984 shows much lowerlevels of the exclusive use of state constitutions. The dataalso reveal significant regional variations in the nature ofequal protection cases filed, the types of alleged discrimination,the use of independent and adequate state grounds, and the frequencyof judicial invalidation of state action. These variations areexplored in terms of political culture, the institutional featuresof the state judiciary, and the content of state bills of rights.     

The economic analysis of public law

Law and economics in the United States and Europe focuses on private law. With the exception of work on antitrust and corporate finance, public law has been largely ignored. Yet economics is central to the understanding of social problems, such as environmental protection and occupational health and safety. Lawyer-economists need to study the relationship between government structure and policy outcomes. Economists must consider goals, such as democratic accountability and participation, which do not fit an efficiency framework.Lawyers and public officials need to recognize the social benefits of efficiency. Such legal-economic analysis can reveal failures in the way public law accommodates the practical reality of today's pressing social problems. It can also suggest solutions. In particular, economics can help with the design of substantive policies and with the analysis of government structures and process.     

Racism and sexism at work

Both racism and sexism have had the effect of handicapping selected groups in terms of salary and access to jobs, promotions, and power. However, the categories of race and gender, and the experience of racism and sexism, differ in many ways. This article reviews the differences resulting from definitions of race and gender, as well as those differences stemming from historical, legal, and demographic factors. In particular, we focused on the interactive effects of racism and sexism in the experience of women of color. We examine the assumption that affirmative action operates equivalently for all racial and gender groups, and suggest some directions for further research.     

Evaluation of a Psychoeducational Program to Help Adolescents Cope

Over 20% of a sample of 706 young adolescents identified themselves as experiencing difficulties and being in need of specific help in coping. A psychoeducational Program Helping Adolescents Cope was offered to 112 of those. This was adapted, with permission, from the Coping with Stress Course, devised by Albano et al. (1997). Participants progress was monitored and evaluated using qualitative and quantitative measures. The psychoeducational Program was found to be significantly effective in reducing participants depression scores, in reducing their reliance on unproductive means of coping and overall in helping them cope. This article presents the methodology used, key results and discusses the implications of this work for professionals working with adolescents in the area of prevention and coping.Claire Hayes is a clinical and educational psychologist who has recently moved from her post of lecturer in the National University of Ireland Maynooth to develop the Break through Anxiety service as a private practitioner. She received her PhD in Education/Psychology from Dublin City University, Ireland. Her major research interests are in how psychological theories, such as cognitive behavioural theory, can be taught as a means of prevention and copingMark Morgan is Head of Education in St. Patricks College, Drumcondra, Dublin 9, which is part of Dublin City University. He received his PhD in social psychology from the London School of Economics. His research has mainly been in the area of literacy, educational disadvantage and substance use, particularly the evaluation of prevention programmes.