The impact of alcohol consumption on patterns of union formation in Russia 1998–2010: An assessment using longitudinal data

Using data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey, 1998–2010, we investigated the extent to which patterns of alcohol consumption in Russia are associated with the subsequent likelihood of entry into cohabitation and marriage. Using discrete-time event history analysis we estimated for 16–50 year olds the extent to which the probabilities of entry into the two types of union were affected by the amount of alcohol drunk and the pattern of drinking, adjusted to allow for social and demographic factors including income, employment, and health. The results show that individuals who did not drink alcohol were less likely to embark on either cohabitation or marriage, that frequent consumption of alcohol was associated with a greater chance of entering unmarried cohabitation than of entering into a marriage, and that heavy drinkers were less likely to convert their relationship from cohabitation to marriage

Does Money Buy Happiness in Unhappy Russia?

Surveys rank Russians among the unhappiest people in the world. Contrary to popular accounts of a uniquely melancholic national character, the subjective wellbeing of Russians depends heavily on both individual and collective economic wellbeing. Individual differences in living standards account for much of the variation in happiness levels among Russians in cross-sectional survey data. These effects are particularly sharp when we expand our measure of economic status beyond income to incorporate household wealth. Individual changes in wealth, however, cannot explain the recent, dramatic improvement in the distribution of happiness in Russia. Based on panel analysis of longitudinal survey data, this shift should be attributed to the collective experience of recovery from the shock of the 1998 ruble crisis, rather than to individual economic trajectories

Housing and integration of internally displaced persons: The case of Ukraine in 2018

Housing is a widely recognized yet understudied domain of integration of internally displaced persons (IDPs) into their new communities. This article examines the role of housing for integration of Ukrainian IDPs displaced by Russia-fueled political violence in Eastern Ukraine that started in 2014 or by Russia's annexation of Crimea that year. In Ukraine, housing holds particular significance for integration because homeownership is both widespread and a vital source of people's sense of wellbeing, security, and normalcy. Our evidence comes from an original 2018 survey of housing experiences of both IDPs and long-term residents in IDPs' new localities. The survey design enables us to assess housing integration relationally, by comparing gaps in housing status and subjective housing-related wellbeing between IDPs and locals. We find that for IDPs in protracted displacement, deprivation of culturally normative housing conditions, particularly homeownership, impeded both material and experiential housing integration. Disparities in housing status drive differences in subjective experience, ranging from satisfaction with one's housing to feeling at home in one's community. These results from our 2018 study may help anticipate challenges of the massive, nationwide displacement crisis precipitated by Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Whether Ukrainians resettle in new communities or return to their old ones, divisions between those who have homes to return to and those who do not are likely to be salient. Policies aimed at restoring housing resources, particularly pathways to homeownership, will be essential to rebuilding Ukraine. Copyright © 2023 Zavisca, Mitchneck and Gerber.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Housing Status in Post-Soviet Contexts: A Multi-dimensional Measurement Approach

This study draws on a novel survey in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine to develop a framework for conceptualizing and measuring housing status, a multi-dimensional construct reflecting positions in a housing stratification order. We employ structural equation modeling to confirm whether our measures reflect distinct dimensions of housing status. We validate our measurement approach by testing for distinct dimensional effects on subjective housing wellbeing. Our novel measures of housing tenure, quantity, quality, and wellbeing reflect post-Soviet intra-household differences in property rights; the cultural premium placed on having a room of one's own; constellations of amenities and comforts comprising quality; and the significance of a sense of autonomy for subjective housing wellbeing. Results demonstrate that the three dimensions of housing status-tenure, quality, and quantity-exert independent effects on subjective housing wellbeing, with consistent effects across the four study countries. Our systematic attention to measurement of housing status in post-Soviet conditions models an approach that scholars could adapt for other contexts, including but not limited to other post-communist societies.U.S. Department of Defense12 month embargo; published 10 October 2020This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Internal displacement and subjective well-being: the case of Ukraine

Although Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) outnumber refugees globally, few studies have examined their well-being and assimilation into the local population. Here we investigate Ukraine, which hosts the largest IDP population in Europe. In 2014, war erupted in eastern Ukraine, resulting in around 1.7 million people forced to resettle throughout Ukraine. Despite being ethnically and culturally similar to the local population, IDPs encountered severe economic, housing, and social challenges, as well as residual trauma from violence. In this study we examine the extent to which subjective well-being (SWB) of IDPs differs from locals who were not displaced. We explore whether the difference in subjective well-being between IDPs and locals is due to economic hardship, inadequate housing, and/or weak social support. Using a unique survey conducted in 2018 and OLS regression methods, we find a sizable gap in SWB between IDPs and locals. The gap shrinks after accounting for economic and housing status, and support from local networks. Measures of loss in housing and social networks additionally account for the gap. However, none of the factors we measure can account for the difference between locals and IDPs who reported only leaving due to violence, pointing to the enduring impact of trauma on SWB

Replication data for: BIC and Alternative Bayesian Information Criteria in the Selection of Structural Equation Models

Selecting between competing Structural Equation Models (SEMs) is a common problem. Often selection is based on the chi square test statistic or other fit indices. In other areas of statistical research Bayesian information criteria are commonly used, but they are less frequently used with SEMs compared to other fit indices. This article examines several new and old Information Criteria (IC) that approximate Bayes Factors. We compare these IC measures to common fit indices in a simulation that includes the true and false models. In moderate to large samples, the IC measures outperform the fit indices. In a second simulation we only consider the IC measures and do not include the true model. In moderate to large samples the IC measures favor approximate models that only differ from the true model by having extra parameters. Overall, SPBIC, a new IC measure, performs well relative to the other IC measures

Neolithic and earlier Bronze Age monuments of Cornwall Their context and interpretation

Available from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DXN060768 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo