Strong and weak family ties revisited: reconsidering European family structures from a network perspective

Family systems appear to be an important factor framing people's individual behavior. Thus far, family systems have been primarily addressed on a macro regional level with indirect measures. Revisiting Reher (1998) and the family ties criterion, the main question of this paper is to examine to what extent we perceive family structures differently in Europe by taking direct measures of the structures of people's broader social networks into consideration. Based on the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we derived two indicators of family regimes based on individual-level data regarding the density of ego social networks: contact frequency and geographic proximity among network members. We aggregated these data and mapped them on the NUTS 2 level regions for various locations in Europe. The results of our analyses exhibit that, based on these two network indicators, significant differences in family structures between European regions exist. These results confirm the classification of strong family Southern and comparatively weaker family Northern European regions to a large extent, though substantial regional differences in and between countries are also revealed. Our findings demonstrate that the classification of European regions largely depends on which indicator of network density we consider. This is particularly obvious in the Eastern European regions where the classification markedly differs according to the type of network indicator. Intriguingly, social networks in Central European regions can be characterized as rather loose, often even looser than the ‘traditional’ weak ties in Scandinavia. Family regimes can, therefore, be regarded as a construct of multiple dimensions of which one dimension may be classified as weak while the other can be strong at the same time.     

Demographic and offence characteristics: a comparison of sex offenders convicted of possessing indecent images of children,committing contact sex offences or both offences

This paper reports the findings of a study evaluating demographic and offence characteristics of 230 offenders who had been convicted either of possessing indecent images (Internet offenders n?=?74) or committing actual direct abuse of children (contact offenders n?=?118) or committing both offences (Internet-contact offenders n?=?38). All data were collected in the Greater London Offender Management Service. The group of Internet-contact offenders exhibited more diverse characteristics than the Internet and contact sex offenders and they were more likely to have been accused of a prior contact offence without being charged. The majority of the Internet offenders were white male, younger than the contact child sex offenders, more likely to be single and to have never been married, were better educated and more likely to have stable employment. They were also less likely to have had previous convictions. Contact offenders were more likely to report childhood difficulties including sexual abuse; there were no group differences in mental health contact or history of substance abuse. Future research should take into account the heterogeneity of Internet sex offenders to enable the development and delivery of appropriate services for this group so that preventative and therapeutic approaches can be developed.     

Xenophobia across the class divide: South African attitudes towards foreigners 2003–2012

In May 2008 anti-immigrant riots in South Africa displaced more than a hundred thousand people. Despite the media attention that the riots attracted, there has been no study that presents trend data on anti-immigrant sentiment for the period after 2008. This paper uses data from the nine rounds of the South African Social Attitudes Survey over the period 2003–2012 to fill this gap and test the success of government commitments to reduce anti-immigrant prejudice. The results reveal that attempts to combat xenophobia have been ineffectual, with anti-immigrant sentiment prevalent and widespread in 2012. Afrophobia was observed, with a majority of citizens identifying foreign African nationals as the group they least wanted to come and live in South Africa. The government is advised to urgently address the alarming and widespread pervasiveness of anti-immigrant sentiment in South Africa.     

论合同自由原则与合同正义原则的统一性

自由、公平是保障交易活动正常进行不可缺少的要素。合同法作为规范市场经济活动的法则必 须将合同自由与合同正义有机地统一起来,才能维护正常的市场交易活动。合同自由原则是维 持自由竞争的基础,合同正义原则是自由竞争的必要限制,只有将当事人的合意与上升为法律的 国家意志有机统一,体现法律效力,才能践行真正的合同自由。中国对两个原则统一的全面认识 体现在新制定的合同法上:既集中体现了合同自由的精神实质,又始终贯穿了合同正义的要旨。 但还应及时修正个别条款中不能科学体现两个原则的不足,才能有效促进市场经济交易的正常 发展。     

从借词看侗、汉语言的相互影响——以锦屏语言接触为例

以锦屏侗语、汉语方言为例,说明在民族杂居地区语言接触会导致大量的借词产生。但是双方借词在意义范围、词类、数量、借入途径上都存在着不小的差异,从中体现出语言影响的一般规律:在两种语言的接触中,政治、经济、文化以及使用人口占优势的语言,具有较强的影响力。     

The approach in Scotland to child contact disputes involving allegations of domestic abuse

ABSTRACT

This article considers the approach taken in Scotland to the processing of child contact cases in which there are allegations of domestic abuse. Four key features of the processing of cases which may facilitate outcomes that prioritise safety are considered. These are: the availability of legal aid; the cautious process of successive child welfare hearings; the use of child welfare reports; and the taking of the child’s views. All these features occur within a policy context that recognises domestic abuse as gender-based violence and where courts have a statutory duty to protect a child from abuse. Drawing on the author’s court based analysis of papers from 208 child contact disputes and from interviews with sheriffs, this article discusses the strengths and limitations of all four process features in terms of protecting women and children, and the risks to these features posed by perpetually reducing government budgets.     

学校教育价值的失落与复归——师生关系的社会学解读

人与人之间的交往是当代社会学家剖析现代生活、反思人类在发展过程中的自我迷失、探询生活本真意义的一个重要视角。师生交往是教育实践范畴的重要内容之一，它既是学校教育价值的根本体现，也是实现这一价值的重要途径。对师生交往的历史与范式的不断探询，其意义不单单在于能够对教育发展的历史轨迹和不同时期的水平作出生动的揭示，还在于通过对真实、普遍的师生交往的审视和质疑，能够有效地折射出支撑这一关系的磐基，因此，它是评判教育发展与革新的重要指标。     

Forensic Analysis of a Contact Lens in a Murder Case

Contact lenses have had rare relevance in trials and/or investigations. After 5 years of burial, orbital remnants were retrieved from an exhumed body and subsequently identified as a key piece of material evidence in a murder trial. The exhumed case materials were evaluated under laboratory conditions and were determined to be contact lens remnants. Contact lens fracture and burial simulation studies were performed to provide additional corroboration of the physical findings of the exhumed contact lens remnants. This material evidence was instrumental in providing factual proof refuting the defendant's testimony in the murder trial. A brief history of contact lens composition and use is provided for understanding the methods and observational results. This forensic case study represents the first published documentation of a contact lens from an exhumed body being used in a murder investigation and establishes an operational procedure for future forensic contact lens examinations.     

马来西亚英语中的语言接触与语言借用现象

语言同人类社会一样在不断变化着,马来西亚人使用的英语在语言的发展过程中经历百年演变,自然而然地形成了当今马来西亚英语（Malaysian English）。马来西亚英语是英国英语和马来语、汉语、泰米尔语等语言接触的结果,马来西亚英语从词汇、语法成分、形态成分和音系成分等方面借用了马来语、汉语和泰米尔语等语言的成分,因而具有自己独特的风格。     

车辆接触相对运动关系的判断

作者结合实际研究了交通事故或涉车案件中,如何判断两车是否接触、接触时的相对运动关系等问题,总结了两种较有效的判断方法。