The Direction of Violence Against Women Research and Evaluation

Although researchers have made numerous advances in the understanding of the nature, extent, and dynamics of violence against women (VAW), there is an ever-increasing need for data used in academic research and within policy decision-making to be collected via rigorous methodological designs to accurately measure the incidence and impact of VAW. What is now needed are research collaborations within an interdisciplinary research cluster that will expand understanding of the complex nature of VAW. The current article details an agenda or “call to action” to address deficiencies and advance VAW research, in addition to informing VAW intervention and prevention efforts.     

Copyright Givers and Takers: Mutuality,Altruism and Instrumentalism in Open Licensing

Over the past three decades, open licensing has evolved from hacker culture thought experiment to a transformative force in applied copyright across a range of industries. Yet very little empirical research exists to understand its disparate uses. This article examines social practices and attitudes about open licensing in order to examine the practical experience of creators and consumers who use this tool and in order to assess its value in moderating the negative consequences of extensive copyright. The discussion about the role of open licensing in creative industries and communities tends to be polarized into two vantage points. Either (1) it is a new, altruistic paradigm enabling creative communities to rework copyright to fit their vision for the cultural commons, or (2) it is a radical theft of creative labor, encouraged by Google and other digital industrial powerhouses, to cheat creators out of their share of profits. Both of these rhetorical vantage points presume a monolithic and largely either selfless or unaware base of creative laborers. We analyze data from a series of surveys across a range of creative fields and practices to show that creators employ open licensing for a variety of reasons, including instrumental purposes oriented toward skirting the many impediments created by institutions and law, rather than merely because they are unaware or selfless.     

Forensic psychiatric experiences,stigma, and self-concept: a mixed-methods study

This study used a mixed-methods approach to investigate stigma experiences and self-concepts of individuals with both mental illness and criminal histories. The full sample of participants completed self-report measures of self-concept related to mental illness, race, and criminal history, and a brief qualitative self-concept measure. A subsample of participants completed semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed for content domains. Analyses suggested that several aspects of self-concept related to responses on stigma measures. Participants who identified their own styles of acting, feeling, and thinking tended to exhibit less mental illness self-stigma. Qualitative interview findings suggested that the majority of participants described stigma experiences related to mental illness, race, and criminal history, and these stigmatized identities negatively influenced one another. Conclusions review how stigmatized identities can intersect in powerful ways for individuals with mental illness and histories of criminal offending, and discuss implications for future research and clinical practice.     

Buy Today,Pay Tomorrow: Formal Credit Supply and Domestic Electrical and Electronic Goods Consumption in São Paulo's Urban Periphery

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, expansion of the formal credit supply in Brazil has promoted the ‘financial inclusion’ of the low-income population, especially through instalment plans offered by large retail chains. This article aims to analyse the impacts of formal credit availability on the consumption of electrical and electronic goods by residents of Jardim Helena, a neighbourhood in São Paulo's periphery. Through the collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, this study reveals how the instalment plan can stimulate consumption among the low-income population, with a significant impact on household budgets, raising the risk of indebtedness.     

Vocational Rehabilitation Services and Labor Market Outcomes for Transition-Age Youth with Disabilities in Maine

Using administrative data from Maine to quantify the effect of vocational rehabilitation (VR) services on employment outcomes for transition-age youth with disabilities, we exploited the variation in VR counselors’ propensity to develop Individualized Plans for Employment (IPEs) for VR youth as an instrument for service receipt. We found that among the estimated 36 percent of VR clients on the margin of service receipt, having an IPE implemented increases quarterly employment rate by 15.4 percentage points and quarterly earnings by $1,442 (2018 dollars). We found heterogeneous program effects with individuals 18 or younger benefiting significantly more than those older than age 18 at the time of VR application. We estimate the annual real rate of return to be 10.2 percent for two years after VR case closure.