For the sake of the children? A longitudinal analysis of residential relocations and academic performance of Australian children

The family and residential environments are critical to children’s wellbeing and, hence, moving home can affect children’s developmental outcomes. In this research, we study the associations between residential relocations and academic performance in the Australian context using longitudinal data of a representative sample of 3,481 children born in the late 1990’s from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). We examine the impact of residential relocations from infancy to middle childhood and pay special attention to the distance, frequency and developmental age-stage of relocations on academic test scores from the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) of 3rd, 5th and 7th graders. We use hybrid models and random coefficients models. Our results confirm findings of modest associations from previous research in the US context. Frequent residential mobility relates to poor academic performance, but the association is largely due to family and home circumstances. After controlling for a number of predictors, we find that moderate levels of residential mobility, particularly relocations to a different local area, are associated with improvements in academic performance over time. Further, our multivariate results show a modest negative effect of relocations around the time of school entry (i.e. ages 4/5 to 6/7). We conclude that the associations between residential change and cognitive development are nuanced by the circumstances and contexts of childhood relocations

La relación entre afiliados a un sindicato. Un análisis de la participación

Usando datos de la encuesta de afiliación de Comisiones Obreras de Cataluña de 2003, el manuscrito ofrece evidencia empírica sobre diferentes tesis del activismo sindical de los afiliados. Los resultados de un análisis de regresión logística descartan razonamientos instrumentales para explicar el activismo y condicionan el efecto del compromiso de los afiliados a la presencia del sindicato en el entorno laboral. Además, un entorno sindicalizado resulta más determinante del activismo cuando se observan medidas de incentivo a la participación por parte de los representantes sindicales. Con estos resultados debatimos a la par con aquellas perspectivas institucionalistas que indican que sistemas de relaciones laborales inclusivos, como el español, desincentivan la afiliación y activismo de afiliados con motivaciones instrumentales. En su lugar, la participación debe ser explicada por motivaciones identitarias o de sociabilidad. (A

Union dissolution decisions and childbearing in subsequent unions: a study of Australian panel data

The extent to which childbearing occurs within marital unions has decreased dramatically over recent decades. While a wealth of studies examined recent patterns of childbearing out-ofwedlock and premarital childbearing, research has been less systematic on deciphering childbearing patterns after marital dissolution. Our study contributes to understanding of the latter by examining the associations between union dissolution decisions and post-marital firsttime parenthood and parity progressions. We argue that individuals initiate union dissolutions to leave union contexts that are not deemed appropriate for parenthood or for a rewarding family life. We test this using hazard regression models for first-to-fourth order conceptions leading to live births. The analyses are done in the context of multi-process modelling to address selectivity due to individual-specific unobserved factors that lead individuals to dissolve unions, re-partner, and build or grow their families. The sample is restricted to women aged 16 to 40, who were observed since their first marriage, from the panel study Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. Our results show that while union dissolution is associated with lower rates of first-time parenthood, rates of parity progression are similar across stable first marital and subsequent unions. Initiating the dissolution of the first marital union does not significantly reduce the time to first or higher-order conceptions. Since we find conception episodes and union dissolutions to be positively associated on individual-specific unobserved factors, we conclude that further research is needed linking the causes and context of union dissolution with post-marital fertility behavior

Heterogeneity in Family Life Course Patterns and Intra-Cohort Wealth Disparities in Late Working Age

Altres ajuts: Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course, Australian Research Council (AU); https://doi.org/10.13039/501100001659 (LE 3612/2-1 CE140100027) ; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft ; CERCA Programme/Generalitat de CatalunyaConsidering soaring wealth inequalities in older age, this research addresses the relationship between family life courses and widening wealth diferences between individuals as they age. We holistically examine how childbearing and marital histories are associated with personal wealth at ages 50-59 for Western Germans born between 1943 and 1967. We propose that deviations from culturally and institutionally-supported family patterns, or the stratifed access to them, associate with diferential wealth accumulation over time and can explain wealth inequalities at older ages. Using longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP, v34, waves 2002-2017), we frst identifed typical family trajectory patterns between ages 16 and 50 with multichannel sequence analysis and cluster analysis. We then modelled personal wealth ranks at ages 50-59 as a function of family patterns. Results showed that deviations from the standard family pattern (i.e. stable marriage with, on average, two children) were mostly associated with lower wealth ranks at older age, controlling for childhood characteristics that partly predict selection into family patterns and baseline wealth. We found higher wealth penalties for greater deviation and lower penalties for moderate deviation from the standard family pattern. Addressing entire family trajectories, our research extended and nuanced our knowledge of the role of earlier family behaviour for later economic wellbeing. By using personal-level rather than household-level wealth data, we were able to identify substantial gender diferences in the study associations. Our research also recognised the importance of combining marital and childbearing histories to assess wealth inequalities

Linking internal and international migration over the life course: a sequence analysis of individual migration trajectories in Europe

Because internal and international migration are typically conceptualized and measured separately, empirical evidence on the links between these two forms of population movement remains partial. This paper takes a step towards integration by establishing how internal and international migration precede one another in various sequenced relationships from birth to age 50 in 20 European countries. We apply sequence and cluster analysis to full retrospective migration histories collected as part of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe in 2008-09 and 2017, for individuals born between 1950 and 1965. The results show that nearly all international migrants engage in internal mobility at some point in their lives. However, individual migration trajectories are delineated by the order of internal and international moves, the duration and timing of stays abroad, and the extent to which individuals engage in return international migration. Institutional and economic conditions shape the diversity of migration experiences

Parental separation and intergenerational support

Objective: We investigate support between parents and adult children across families exposed and not exposed to parental separation in Germany, by examining multiple types of support (i.e. emotional, material, and instrumental), both directions of provision (i.e. giving and receiving), and exchanges with mothers and fathers. Background: As parental separation may have implications for parent-child relationships and exchanges, with consequences for individuals' wellbeing, improving our understanding of the association between separation and support exchanges becomes paramount. Method: Using data from the German Family Panel (pairfam, 2009-2016, N=4,340 respondents and 13,481 observations), we estimate a range of support exchanges between parents and children simultaneously using generalized linear regression models with correlated random terms across equations. Additionally, we assess whether these associations vary by the timing at which parental separation occurred and social background. Results: Parental separation is negatively associated with support between parents and children, especially for fathers. However, no significant differences emerge between mothers who separated and mothers who did not in receiving material support from their children. The negative associations between parental separation and support between child and fathers are lower if parental separation occurs when the child is an adult. Further, when mothers are highly educated, separation has a less negative association with downward material support. Conclusion: Overall, lower intergenerational assistance among families experiencing separation suggests increasing disadvantage for those already disadvantaged

Childhood family structure and complexity in partnership life courses

This study investigated the associations between childhood living arrangements and complex adult partnership trajectories. The authors defined first union dissolution as the event initiating a complex partnership life course, and measured the level of complexity using a weighted cumulative index of subsequent partnership episodes. The analyses were based on a representative sample of the German population born in 1971-73 from the German Family Panel and used multivariate hurdle models to estimate the probability of experiencing the initiation of a complex partnership trajectory, as well as the level of complexity. Results showed that respondents who did not grow up with both biological parents (i.e. those who experienced an alternative family structure) had both a greater likelihood of experiencing the dissolution of their own first union, and followed more complex subsequent partnership trajectories. These associations varied across types of (alternative) family structures experienced during childhood and according to the level of parental partnership (in)stability. This study contributes to our understanding of contemporary partnership complexity and its precursors using a long term life course theoretical and methodological frame. We acknowledge that continuities and disruptions in the development of adult (complex) partnership trajectories can be linked to a growing diversity of family structure in childhood. Thereby, we expand knowledge on intergenerational interdependencies of family instability and complexity beyond the reproduction of the event of union dissolution

Panel Data in Research on Mobility and Migration: A Review of Recent Advances

Panel data has become the gold standard for causal assessments of complex human behaviour in quantitative social science. The objective of this review is to examine and discuss how panel data and related methods contribute to the identification of causal relationships in spatial mobility research. We illustrate this by providing a succinct overview of recent progress in spatial mobility research, drawing on panel data. The review outlines research from a number of scholarly disciplines that maps patterns, establishes determinants and assesses the impact of spatial mobility for a range of outcomes. Studies presented in this article are used to decipher complex interdependencies over the life course, scrutinise the selectivity of migrants, and shed light on the interplay between individual agency, social embeddedness and socio-structural contexts. The article concludes with a set of critical issues for future research. * This article belongs to a special issue on "Identification of causal mechanisms in demographic research: The contribution of panel data"

Smart city's power system control

El proyecto Smart City’s Power System Control tiene cómo uno de los objetivos estudiar la viabilidad del autoconsumo de una urbanización, en Vilafranca del Penedés en concreto en el sector SUD-3. Este autoconsumo se llevo a cabo alimentado la urbanización con módulos de cogeneración y energía solar fotovoltaica. Para cumplir este objetivo se hizo un estudio energético de la potencia total demanda por todas las cargas de la urbanización. El resultado nos dio una potencia eléctrica demandada de 12 MW. A partir de este estudio se decidió utilizar treinta módulos CHP CE 400 NA y cuarenta y tres mil seis cientos noventa y dos paneles fotovoltaicos A-250p. El motivo por el cual se eligió estos módulos de cogeneración fue porque son los más económicos, el precio del combustible es más barato que la electricidad y emiten menos CO2. Estos módulos también se utilizaron para calentar el agua caliente sanitaria de los edificios, esto recibe el nombre de cogeneración. La estructura de la red eléctrica de distribución la realizamos en anillo para tener menos pérdidas y en caso de anomalía asegurar el suministro. Toda la estructura fue diseñada con el programa Power Wolrd, en el cual se puede apreciar toda la distribución en anillo y que sucedería en caso de fallo. La razón por la cual se opto por realizar una instalación de paneles fotovoltaicos es porque en la ubicación en la cual se encuentra, tenemos un gran nivel de radiación solar. Contamos con una gran superficie de tejado útil teniendo en cuenta el 65% de superficie que se puede utilizar según la normativa. Para realizar el estudio del número de paneles solares y su inclinación se utilizó el programa PVGIS. Como en todo proyecto se realizo un estudio de amortización de las instalaciones. Se comparó el precio del combustible si utilizáramos la red eléctrica o los módulos de cogeneración y el precio de instalar diez y siete transformadores o treinta módulos de cogeneración. Nuestro proyecto se podría llegar amortizar en poco más de tres años. Por otra parte toda esta energía demanda y generada se tiene que controlar de alguna manera. Este fue el motivo por el que decidimos hacer un estudio de los requisitos básicos de regulación de la generación de electricidad para poder gestionar la potencia que necesita la urbanización en cada momento dependiendo de la demanda. Este estudio se creó a partir del programa Matlab. Se puede observar a tiempo real la demanda de consumo que tiene nuestra urbanización y como lo gestiona para que sea alimentada. También se puede ver el número de generadores que se necesitan en cada momento para generar esta energía y la potencia generada por los paneles fotovoltaicos a tiempo real. En el estudio se estipulo la prioridad de utilizar la energía solar fotovoltaica. Antes de ponernos a programar el estudio se tuvo que analizar los consumos diarios de las cargas en la urbanización. Con este analisis se realizo el despacho económico para más tarde implementarlo en el estudio de regulación. Se tuvo que pensar en varias estrategias para controlar cuantos módulos de cogeneración se utilizarían en cada instante de tiempo. La estrategia que se siguió fue ir encendiendo respectivamente los módulos dependiendo de la demanda en cada momento y de esta manera te aseguras que funcionan a un 90% de su rendimiento ya que de esta forma funcionan en su punto óptimo de trabajo. Para ello se utilizo la curva de funcionamiento de los módulos

Sexuality and demographic change : documenting family formation trajectories and cohort change in the LGB population

Altres ajuts: Spanish Ministry of Education.Narratives of demographic shifts overlook how societal changes shape the family trajectories of sexual minorities. Using sequence analysis, we describe how partnering and parenthood evolve over the life course of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) women and men in the United Kingdom (N = 455) and how the types of these family trajectories changed across two birth cohorts (born before 1965 and in 1965-1979). We find five distinct trajectories between ages 18 and 40, wherein two thirds of the sample belonged to a family trajectory that did not involve living with children. Partnership-centered trajectories became more common across cohorts, and this increase came at the expense of trajectories characterized by singlehood among gay men and lesbian women. However, parenthood trajectories became less common among all LGB groups. Furthermore, family trajectories became more complex across cohorts, including more transitions, which coincides with trends in the general population. Yet we also find that family trajectories became less diverse among lesbian women and bisexual men, in contrast to the trend among gay men and the general population. The results demonstrate the dynamic, complex, and diverse nature of LGB individuals' family lives and why existing narratives of family-related demographic change should explicitly consider sexual minorities in demographic narratives