Playing hard(er) to get. The State, International Couples, and the Income Requirement

Abstract: In recent years, several member states of the European Union have tightened the criteria for the legal immigration of a partner from outside the European Union. In the Netherlands, the income requirement for „family formation‟ was raised in 2004 from 100% to 120% of the minimum wage, potentially excluding about thirty percent of the working population from eligibility. The outcomes of this measure for international couples and, on the aggregate level, for migration flows were examined on the basis of administrative trend data and fifty in-depth interviews among international couples. It is demonstrated that the potential power of governments to intervene in partner migration risks being at odds with strongly felt cultural values surrounding partner choice and family life. Partner immigration decreased substantially, especially among poorer groups (ethnic minorities, women, youngsters). At the same time, the measure put pressure on the well-being of a segment of the international couples. In 2010, the European Court of Justice ruled that the Dutch income requirement contradicts the EU directive on family reunification

De prijs van de liefde? Over de gevolgen van de verhoging van de inkomenseis bij ‘gezinsvormende’ partnermigratie naar Nederland

Samenvatting Diverse EU lidstaten, waaronder Nederland, hebben de afgelopen jaren maatregelen genomen om partnermigratie te beperken. In 2004 verhoogde Nederland de inkomenseis voor „gezinsvorming. van 100% naar 120% van het voltijds minimumloon. Dat normbedrag is hoger dan het inkomen van circa 30% van de werkende beroepsbevolking. Op basis van IND-gegevens, CBS-gegevens en vijftig diepte-interviews onder internationale stellen is gekeken naar (1) de uitkomsten van de hogere inkomenseis voor de aard en omvang van partnermigratie en (2) de persoonlijke gevolgen voor internationale stellen die (aanvankelijk) niet aan de inkomenseis voldeden. We laten zien dat de potentiële macht van de nationale overheid om partnermigratie te beperken op gespannen voet staat met de waarde van een private familiesfeer. De partnermigratie naar Nederland daalde substantieel, vooral onder groepen met een zwakkere economische positie (niet-westerse minderheden, vrouwen en jongeren). Tegelijkertijd kwam het welzijn onder internationale stellen onder druk te staan. In 2010 oordeelde het Europese Hof van Justitie dat de inkomenseis van 120% in strijd is met de Europese Richtlijn voor gezinshereniging

Een onzekere toekomst:Kwalitatief onderzoek naar de ervaringen van afgewezen (ex-)alleenstaande minderjarige vreemdelingen en opvangouders met toekomstgerichte begeleiding

In 2016 werd een nieuw opvangmodel voor alleenstaande minderjarige vreemdelingen (AMV’s) van kracht. Het model wordt gekenmerkt door kleinschaligheid en begeleiding naar toekomstperspectief: jongeren van wie de asielaanvraag is ingewilligd en jongeren van wie deze is afgewezen worden, anders dan de situatie onder het oude model, apart opgevangen. Het onderhavige onderzoek had als doel meer zicht te krijgen op hoe AMV’s wier asielverzoek is afgewezen de begeleiding onder het nieuwe opvangmodel ervaren en wat hun ideeën zijn over de toekomst. De onderzoeksvragen luidden: 1. Wat zijn de ervaringen van jongeren van wie de asielaanvraag is afgewezen met de opvang en de (toekomstgerichte) begeleiding? 2. Past de begeleiding die ze krijgen bij hun behoeften? 3. Wat zijn hun ideeën over de toekomst (o.a. m.b.t verblijf in Nederland of terugkeer naar het land van herkomst)? INHOUD: 1. Inleiding, 2. AMV's en ex-AMV's over KWV's, mentoren en voogden, 3. Begeleiding in opvanggezinnen, 4. ConclusiesIn 2016, the Netherlands introduced a new model for the reception of unaccom-panied minor asylum seekers (UMAs). Distinctive features of the model are the small-scale housing facilities and the emphasis on guidance of UMA’s depending on their future prospects. In contrast to the past situation, minors who have been granted an asylum permit are now housed separately from those whose asylum application has been rejected. The current study aimed to provide more insight into rejected UMAs’ expe-riences about the guidance they receive under the new reception model, and how they see their future. The research questions were: 1. What are the experiences of youngsters whose asylum application has been rejected with the housing facility and (future oriented) guidance? 2. Does the guidance meet their needs? 3. How do they see their future (for instance with regards to staying in the Netherlands or returning to the country of origin)

PD-1 Co-inhibitory and OX40 Co-stimulatory Crosstalk Regulates Helper T Cell Differentiation and Anti-Plasmodium Humoral Immunity

SummaryThe differentiation and protective capacity of Plasmodium-specific T cells are regulated by both positive and negative signals during malaria, but the molecular and cellular details remain poorly defined. Here we show that malaria patients and Plasmodium-infected rodents exhibit atypical expression of the co-stimulatory receptor OX40 on CD4 T cells and that therapeutic enhancement of OX40 signaling enhances helper CD4 T cell activity, humoral immunity, and parasite clearance in rodents. However, these beneficial effects of OX40 signaling are abrogated following coordinate blockade of PD-1 co-inhibitory pathways, which are also upregulated during malaria and associated with elevated parasitemia. Co-administration of biologics blocking PD-1 and promoting OX40 signaling induces excessive interferon-gamma that directly limits helper T cell-mediated support of humoral immunity and decreases parasite control. Our results show that targeting OX40 can enhance Plasmodium control and that crosstalk between co-inhibitory and co-stimulatory pathways in pathogen-specific CD4 T cells can impact pathogen clearance

Social policies, separation, and second birth spacing in Western Europe

OBJECTIVEThis paper studies postseparation fertility behavior. The aim is to investigate whether, and if so how, separation affects second birth spacing in Western European countries.METHODSThis analysis makes use of rich survey data from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, as well as from Finnish register data. We thus cover the behavior of a large proportion of the population of Western Europe. We also use descriptive measures, such as Kaplan. Meier survival functions and cumulative incidence curves. In the multivariate analysis, we employ event history modeling to show how education relates to postseparation fertility behavior.RESULTSThere are large differences in postseparation fertility behavior across European countries. For Spain and Italy, we find that only a negligibly small proportion of the population have a second child after separating from the other parent of the firstborn child. The countries with the highest proportion of second children with a new partner are the United Kingdom, Germany, and Finland. In all countries, separation after first birth leads to a sharp increase in the birth interval between first and second births.CONTRIBUTIONOur study is a contribution to the demographic literature that aims at understanding birth spacing patterns in Western Europe. Furthermore, we draw attention to the role of postseparation policies in explaining country differences in fertility behavior in contemporary societies

The epidemiology of suicide and attempted suicide in Dutch general practice 1983–2003

BACKGROUND: Many patients attempting or committing suicide consult their general practitioner (GP) in the preceding period, indicating that GPs might play an important role in prevention. The aim of the present study was to analyse the epidemiology of suicidal behaviour in Dutch General Practice in order to find possible clues for prevention. METHOD: Description of trends in suicide and suicide attempts occurring from 1983–2003 in the Dutch General Practice Sentinel Network, representing 1% of the Dutch population. The data were analysed with regard to: 1) suicidal behaviour trends and their association with household situation; 2) presence of depression, treatment of depression and referral rate by GPs; 3) contact with GP before suicide or suicide attempt and discussion of suicidal ideation. RESULTS: Between 1983 and 2003 the annual number of suicide and suicide attempts decreased by 50%. Sixty percent of the patients who committed or attempted suicide were diagnosed as depressed, of whom 91% were treated by their GP with an antidepressant. Living alone was a risk factor for suicide (odds ratio 1.99; 95% CI 1.50 to 2.64), whereas living in a household of 3 or more persons was a relative risk for a suicide attempt (odds ratio 1.81; 95% CI 1.34 to 2.46). Referral to a psychiatrist or other mental health professionals occurred in 65% of the cases. GPs recalled having discussed suicidal ideation in only 7% of the cases, and in retrospect estimated that they had foreseen suicide or suicide attempts in 31% and 22% of the cases, respectively, if there had been contact in the preceding month. CONCLUSION: With regard to the prescription of antidepressants and referral of suicidal patients to a psychiatrist, Dutch GPs fulfil their role as gatekeeper satisfactorily. However, since few patients discuss their suicidal ideation with their GP, there is room for improvement. GPs should take the lead to make this subject debatable. It may improve early recognition of depressed patients at risk and accelerate their referral to mental health professionals