The causal effect of the great recession on childlessness of white American women

Published: 13 November 2015Many studies have documented a negative association between macroeconomic indicators and fertility in times of economic crisis. These studies are based on research designs that do not allow for excluding that the observed association is driven by confounders. The aim of the present paper is to estimate the causal effect of the Great Recession on cohorts’ childlessness in the United States. We apply a difference-in-difference approach to the probability of childlessness in two pseudo-cohorts of white women who entered the age of 34–36 years old being childless before the crisis, in 2004, and at the onset of the crisis, in 2007. Our identification strategy relies on the assumption that these two adjacent cohorts of women differ only because the latter cohort lived some critical years of reproductive life during the Great Recession period. We then study how many childless women aged 34–36 had a child when they were 37–39, between the years 2004 and 2007 for the control group and between the years 2007 and 2010 for the treatment group. We argue that an increase of childlessness at the age 37–39 is likely to lead to an increase in permanent childlessness, since major catch-up processes are unlikely after age 40. We replicate the analysis on two datasets: the American Community Survey and the Fertility Supplement of the Current Population Survey. Our findings suggest that the Great Recession has had a positive, though mild, effect on childlessness of white women at about the age of 40 in the US

Parental separation and children's educational attainment: heterogeneity and rare and common educational outcomes

While the association between parental separation and children’s lower educational achievements is a robust finding, the evidence regarding its heterogeneity across social groups is mixed. Some studies show that socioeconomically advantaged families manage to shelter their pupils from the consequences of parental break-up, while others find the opposite. We contribute to this debate and sketch a structural theory of the heterogeneity of the consequences associated to parental separation on children's educational outcomes. We argue that the separation penalty and its heterogeneity across social backgrounds differ depending on the selectivity of a given educational outcome. In particular, the smallest penalty will be observed for very rare and very common outcomes. The rarity of an educational outcome depends on pupils’ social background, which might produce the observed heterogeneity even if the separation penalty itself is equal across parental social background. We investigate the heterogeneity of the consequences of separation by parents’ education in Spain on two children’s outcomes. One outcome (enrolment in tertiary education) is rare for children in low educated families, while the other (retaking in primary and secondary education) is rare for children in highly educated families. The results show that the penalty associated to parental separation for retaking a year in primary and secondary education is larger for children of low educated mothers. No heterogeneity is found for enrolment in tertiary education.Während der Zusammenhang zwischen elterlicher Trennung und geringeren Bildungserfolgen der Kinder als belastbares Forschungsergebnis gilt, ist die Evidenz bezüglich ihrer Heterogenität über die sozialen Gruppen hinweg uneinheitlich. Einige Studien zeigen auf, dass sozioökonomisch bessergestellte Familien es schaffen, ihre Kinder im Schulalter vor den Folgen elterlicher Trennung abzuschirmen, während andere Studien dies verneinen. Wir tragen zu dieser Debatte bei, indem wir eine Strukturtheorie der Heterogenität der mit der der elterlichen Trennung assoziierten Konsequenzen für den Bildungsergebnisse der Kinder skizzieren. Wir argumentieren, dass die Bildungseinbußen aufgrund der Trennung und deren Heterogenität über die sozialen Hintergründe hinweg in Abhängigkeit von der Selektivität des jeweiligen Bildungsergebnisses unterscheiden. Insbesondere gilt, dass die geringsten Einbußen für sehr seltene und für sehr verbreitete Ergebnisse beobachtet werden. Die Seltenheit eines Bildungsergebnisses hängt vom sozialen Hintergrund der Schüler ab, der wiederum die beobachtete Heterogenität hervorbringen könnte; dies selbst dann, wenn die Einbußen aufgrund der Trennung über den sozialen Hintergrund der Eltern hinweg gleich sind. Wir untersuchen die Heterogenität der Trennungsfolgen anhand der elterlichen Bildung für zwei Ergebnisse für Kinder in Spanien: Eines dieser Ergebnisse - Besuch einer Einrichtung des tertiären Bildungssektors - tritt für Kinder in Familien mit niedriger Bildung selten auf, während das andere - Klassenwiederholung im Primär- und Sekundärschulsektor - für Kinder aus höher gebildeten Familien selten ist. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Bildungseinbußen, die mit der elterlichen Trennung in Verbindung gebracht werden - das Sitzenbleiben in der Elementar- und Sekundarschule - für die Kinder von Müttern mit niedriger Bildung größer sind. Für den Besuch des tertiären Bildungssektors wurde keine Heterogenität gefunden

Radio recombination lines from obscured quasars with the SKA

We explore the possibility of detecting hydrogen radio recombination lines from 0 < z < 10 quasars. We compute the expected Hnalpha flux densities as a function of absolute magnitude and redshift by considering (i) the range of observed AGN spectral indices from UV to X-ray bands, (ii) secondary ionizations from X-ray photons, and (iii) stimulated emission due to nonthermal radiation. All these effects are important to determine the line fluxes. We find that the combination of slopes: alpha_X,hard = -1.11, alpha_X,soft = -0.7, alpha_EUV = -1.3, alpha_UV = -1.7, maximizes the expected flux, f_Hnalpha = 10 microJy for z = 7 quasars with M_AB = -27 in the n = 50 lines; allowed SED variations produce variations by a factor of 3 around this value. Secondaries boost the line intensity by a factor of 2 to 4, while stimulated emission in high-z quasars with M_AB = -26 provides an extra boost to RRL flux observed at nu = 1 GHz if recombinations arise in HII regions with T_e = 10^3-5 K, n_e = 10^3-5 cm^-3. We compute the sensitivity required for a 5sigma detection of Hnalpha lines using the SKA, finding that the SKA-MID could detect sources with M_AB < -27 (M_AB < -26) at z < 8 (z < 3) in less than 100 hrs of observing time. These observations could open new paths to searches for obscured SMBH progenitors, complementing X-ray, optical/IR and sub-mm surveys.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures; to be published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Main Journa

Teaching with emerging technologies in a STEM university math class.

The aim of the research presented in this work is to investigate how innovative teaching formats, based on student-centred activities, may help first year university students to deal with the difficulties in the transition from the mathematics they are used to in high school, to the one they meet at university, which requires a significant shift to conceptual understanding, especially in Calculus courses. As part of this overarching goal, this presentation investigates the case of Taylor series, a topic that is taught in all calculus courses at university. This work shows the efficacy of a blended learning approach, highlighting the main difficulties concerning the deep understanding of functions by students. We discuss possible limitations, and we provide suggestions for best practices in university math classes

Didattica basata sulla fluenza e abilità integranti: un'esperienza con adulti disabili

DIDATTICA BASATA SULLA FLUENZA E ABILITA' INTEGRANTI: UN'ESPERIENZA CON ADULTI DISABILI Educare all’autonomia rappresenta senza dubbio uno dei principali compiti della psicologia dell’educazione. La possibilità di insegnare agli adulti disabili è empiricamente dimostrata da molti autori (Baker, Brightman, Hinsshaw, 1980; Celi, 1993; Celi, Ianes, 1994). La ricerca rappresenta una prima applicazione di una didattica basata sulla fluenza nell’insegnamento di abilità integranti a soggetti adulti disabili. Il campione sperimentale è composto da 13 adulti disabili inseriti nelle Cooperative Sociali di Parma, che vengono supportate nella loro attività dal Consorzio di Solidarietà Sociale. Il disegno sperimentale è stato pianificato e condotto secondo un piano a soggetto singolo per ognuno dei soggetti coinvolti. I soggetti hanno appreso abilità quotidiane come leggere l’orologio e utilizzare il denaro. I risultati, descritti con analisi di tipo grafico e descrittivo, evidenziano l’applicabilità di tali metodologie nel contesto della disabilità adulta e il ruolo della fluenza nel mantenimento delle abilità apprese. Vengono discussi e approfonditi i limiti di un percorso sperimentale applicato nel contesto delle cooperative sociali. Discussioni generali riguardano la necessità di interventi scientificamente valicati e mirati all’acquisizione di nuove abilità nell’ambito della disabilità adulta. Parole chiave: fluency, independent living skills, adult with mental retardation

Why do Middle-Aged Adults Report Worse Mental Health and Wellbeing than Younger Adults? An Exploratory Network Analysis of the Swiss Household Panel Data

Despite the growing consensus that midlife appears to be a particularly vulnerable life phase for lower mental health and wellbeing, little is known about the potential reasons for this phenomenon or who the individuals at higher risk are. Our study used six waves (2013–2018) of the Swiss Household Panel (n = 5,315), to compare the distribution of mental health and wellbeing, as well as their key correlates, between midlife (40–55 years) and younger adults (25–39 years) in Switzerland. Moreover, using network analysis to investigate interrelationships across life domains, we describe the complex interrelations between multiple domain-specific correlates and indicators of both mental health and wellbeing across the two age groups. Middle-aged (age 40–55) individuals reported lower life satisfaction and joy, as well as higher anger, sadness, and worry than young adults (age 25–39), with the effect sizes reaching up to 0.20 Cohen’s d. They also reported lower social support, relationships satisfaction, health satisfaction, and higher job demands and job insecurity. Relationships satisfaction and social support were the most consistent correlates across all three indicators of wellbeing in both age groups. Health satisfaction was more strongly, and directly, interrelated with energy and optimism in midlife compared with young adulthood (0.21 vs 0.12, p = 0.007). Job demands were more strongly linked with anger and sadness in midlife. The network model helped us to identify correlates or their clusters with direct and strong links to mental health and wellbeing. We hypothesised that health satisfaction, relationships satisfaction, social support, and job demands may help to explain worse mental health and wellbeing in midlife

Concentration of Critical Events Over the Life Course and Life Satisfaction Later in Life

Critical events create turning points, disrupt individuals’ life courses, and affect wellbeing. Periods of life densely populated with critical events may translate into an acute resource drain, affecting long-term wellbeing more strongly than if the same events were sparsely distributed. We investigate how the co-occurrence of critical events and their concentration in time influence life satisfaction in later life. To do so, we construct a novel indicator, the Concentration Index, based not only on the number but also on the time lag between occurrences. Using retrospective information on critical events in family, work, health, and residential trajectories in Switzerland, we show that the higher the concentration in time of critical events is, the stronger their negative long-term relation to wellbeing, net of sociodemographic characteristics, the total number of events ever experienced, and the time since the last event. Furthermore, relevant gender and social origin differences emerged with a stronger negative association with wellbeing among men and respondents from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Our work clearly shows that simply counting the number of events gives only a partial and potentially inaccurate measure of the complexity of the life course and its relationship with quality of life. Not only how many events experienced matter but also the spacing between them

Micro-targeting and non-profit marketing: loss of serendipity or effective strategy?

This paper presents a novel understanding of programmatic advertising and micro targeting in the context of non-profit and voluntary sector marketing. It argues that while these types of automated tactics are met with resistance in current research, they can aid effective non-profit marketing strategy. The critiques moved to these tactics are twofold: programmatic advertising cause loss of organic discovery of information, or loss of serendipity; programmatic ads delivered to specific target audiences can be used to spread fake news and influence decision-making. The Cambridge Analytica scandal is perhaps the best example of how these tactics can be unethically employed to manipulate behaviour. The paper critically engages with these critiques and argues that, used effectively, programmatic advertising and micro-targeting can drive more effective results and advance non-profit and voluntary-sector marketing. Building upon human information behaviour the paper produces a model to unpack the logics behind these tactics and identify best practices to employ them for non-profit marketing. The model is tested through the distribution of a digital serious game and an evaluative questionnaire designed in collaboration with multiple small third sector stakeholders to raise awareness about economic abuse and inform about available support in Scotland. The results demonstrate that the model effectively reflects users’ behaviours when exposed to programmatically delivered messages. As such, the paper discusses that programmatic advertising and micro-targeting offer opportunities to the third sector, but a strong understanding of content and the algorithmic logics of programmatic distribution are needed to maximise marketing efforts. The paper wants to contribute new understandings of programmatic advertising and micro-targeting and enrich literature in the context of non-profit and institutional marketing

Digital media and women’s issues in Egypt and Saudi Arabia

This thesis investigates how digital media participate in and contribute to the emergence and discussion of women’s issues in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, in complex intersections of online and offline activity. Specific focus is placed on digital media’s intrinsic complexity and agency, and their interplay with socio-political, economic, legal, and cultural practices. I will specifically ask questions such as, how does an issue work through technological forms of development, and how is it techno-socio-political? How do digital media enrich, reshape, and co-constitute women’s issues in Egypt and Saudi Arabia? In answering these questions, I explore how certain women’s issues are formed, emerge, and become central in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. These explorations involve a reflection on the computational turn of current cultural and social practices2 and the significance of algorithms and software in the making of our socio-cultural realities. They also necessitate an understanding of the countries’ locales, accounts of women’s movements, struggles, and discourses that, inevitably, involve Islamic Tradition. Asking such questions also means exploring how online activities enrich current discourses of women and gender studies in a Middle Eastern context. The resulting work sits In between a number of disciplines and approaches and calls for a bespoke conceptual and methodological approach, built on a combination of methodologies, including close reading of history and literature on the topic, and qualitative and quantitative analysis of digital content through digital media tools. For this purpose I have employed software such as Gephi, Netvizz, and MOZ SERP. Moving beyond an understanding of media as a tool and construing them as constitutive parts of an entangled network made of heterogeneous actants, I introduce the concept of a multi-layered and networked map. This concept is a mode of investigation and a tool of analysis that seeks to understand and discuss the diverse and continuous transformations of certain women’s issues in these two countries as they emerge and evolve online. The visualisations of the quantitative part of my analysis are published on the website that I have created, available at http://www.oxycoms.com/clb. This thesis tries to find a location at the intersection of digital media, gender studies, and studies of the Middle East. At times, specific problematic aspects of each field are at odds with each other, and I attend to the ways in which they touch and contradict each other. Through the concept of the multi-layered and networked map I will trace and follow the intersection of theoretical thoughts, accounts of women’s activities and movements, online activities, and findings of the new methodologies and tools of online social networking analysis. I will discuss how they combine and coalesce, bringing to life what I address as technowomen. I hope to contribute to the current theoretical and methodological discussions in digital media, media, and cultural studies, to discussions in women and gender studies on the digitised reality of movements and activities