Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Kenneth P. Jameson Title: A successful experience of immigrant integration: Evidence from Utah Abstract: Immigration and the role of immigrants in U.S. society continue to be contested, though the effects of the 2012 Presidential election may lessen the national polarization. The experience of Utah both illustrates the tension in immigrant integration and offers insights into a successful attempt to address the issues. The Utah stance toward migrants has been and continues to be “blurred.” Several policies are quite welcoming, and the principles in the Utah Compact have provided a basis for measured discussion and have stopped new anti- immigrant legislation from being passed. The end result has been a relatively successful integration process that has melded the native attitudes toward immigrants, with the immigrants’ capabilities and efforts to integrate. So in contrast with other states, such as Arizona or Alabama, the mutual benefits that immigration offers have been largely realized. Most importantly, the immigrants, both documented and undocumented, have actively pursued integration with Utah society on a whole series of dimensions, from obtaining driver privilege cards to participating in political activity. They may be transnational actors, but they clearly exhibit a commitment to their new physical location. As such they have been quite active participants in brokering the boundaries between them and the wider Utah society. This, along with the evolution of policy and attitudes in the state, has led to very positive results in terms of their social mobility and health outcomes, exactly as we would expect from the history of a nation of immigrants. Publication-Status: Published in "Journal of Community Positive Practices", 4 2012 File-URL: http://jppc.ro/index.php/jppc/article/download/147/127 File-Format: Application/pdf File-Function: First version, 2012 Keywords: immigration; integration; undocumented; brokered boundaries; demography Pages: 601-615 Issue: 4 Year: 2012 Number: 4121 Handle: RePEc:cta:jcppxx:4121 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Adrian Otovescu Title: Immigrants communities from Italian society Abstract: International migration is one of the characteristic phenomena of the contemporary world. Several countries in Western Europe, like Germany, France, England, Spain, Italy and others, were experienced in the last two decades, successive waves of immigrants, whom social and cultural integration difficulties raised many communities human adoption. For example, more than 7.5% of Italy's current population (60.6 million people) is represented by foreigners, who are concentrated in metropolitan areas in the North and Center of the country. This study, conducted from a sociological perspective gives us significant information on the characteristics of current Italian society, the distribution by region of the Italian population living in this country, the reasons for the presence of immigrants in Italy, the geographical area and country origin of the foreign citizens, their age group and sex, the dynamics of migration flows, etc. The largest foreign community in Italy is made up of Romanian, Albanian and Moroccan. The main objective pursued in our research was to see a picture of the immigrant population in Italy and to know its structure based on relevant indicators. The underlying assumption, from which we started, is that the process of immigration is, in social terms, one of the most important processes that define the Italian society at present, a society undergoing a difficult period, because of the consequences of financial crisis. Our conclusions are based on quantitative analysis of data collected by statistical method. Other interpretations are based on appeal to the historical method and the comparative method. Publication-Status: Published in "Journal of Community Positive Practices", 4 2012 File-URL: http://jppc.ro/index.php/jppc/article/download/149/129 File-Format: Application/pdf File-Function: First version, 2012 Keywords: Italian society; the structure of immigrants; immigrant population; immigration reasons; migration flows Pages: 616-641 Issue: 4 Year: 2012 Number: 4122 Handle: RePEc:cta:jcppxx:4122 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Andrea Wigfield Author-Name: Royce Turner Title: South Asian women and the labour market in the UK: Attitudes, barriers, solutions Abstract: This paper draws on research carried out in the UK which examined the views of South Asian women towards employment, looking in particular at why the participation rate of Bangladeshi and Pakistani women in the labour market is very low. The focus of the paper is on non-working women. The research was aimed at informing policy design, so that policies intended to assist certain groups of people enter, or get closer to entering, the labour market might be more effective. The research involved carrying interviews with 212 Bangladeshi and Pakistani women in West Yorkshire, a sub-region of the UK with a relatively high Asian population. 26 focus groups were also carried out. It is argued that there are three broad groups of South Asian women in relation to employment: women who are some distance from the labour market; women who wish to enter paid work; and women who do currently work but require support. There are different policy implications for each of these groups. The paper concludes that the barriers to labour market entry are deep-seated, complex, and rooted in cultural, familial, and societal norms. It provides a case study of an innovative programme which was piloted in a nearby sub-region of the UK, South Yorkshire, which was tailor-made to meet the specific needs of South Asian women and was very successful. The paper argues that this could provide a template for programmes in the future aimed at assisting groups facing challenges in relation to labour market entry, such as minority ethnic women. Publication-Status: Published in "Journal of Community Positive Practices", 4 2012 File-URL: http://jppc.ro/index.php/jppc/article/download/150/131 File-Format: Application/pdf File-Function: First version, 2012 Keywords: ethnicity; gender; work; aspirations; attitudes; employability policy Pages: 642-666 Issue: 4 Year: 2012 Number: 4123 Handle: RePEc:cta:jcppxx:4123 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Monica Marin Title: Defining and measuring public sector employment: Romania's case Abstract: This paper is about the number of public sector employees in Romania. Subsequent research questions relate to defining what is the public sector in Romania, what are the data sources on employment in public sector units, which is the quality of the data provided and what are the solutions for improvement of administrative records. The study is based on a desk-review of national and international studies on public sector employment and examination of different national data sources for statistics on public sector. The study provides recommendations for improving data accuracy, directed mainly to the Ministry of Public Finance. Publication-Status: Published in "Journal of Community Positive Practices", 4 2012 File-URL: http://jppc.ro/index.php/jppc/article/download/152/132 File-Format: Application/pdf File-Function: First version, 2012 Keywords: public sector employment; administrative data sources; government employees; public personnel Pages: 667-680 Issue: 4 Year: 2012 Number: 4124 Handle: RePEc:cta:jcppxx:4124 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Daniella Peled Author-Name: Shifra Sagy Author-Name: Orna Braun-lewensohn Title: Community perceptions as a coping resource among adolescents living under rockets fire: A salutogenic approach Abstract: The study examines community perceptions as coping resources among youth living in areas under rocket fire in the south of Israel. Community variables were examined as potential moderators and mediators of emotional reactions to stress. Data were gathered during 2007-2009 from 284 Israeli adolescents. State anger and sense of hope were measured as stress reactions. Adolescent community perceptions were investigated using a measure which integrated sense of community coherence and sense of community, and included four dimensions: influence, meaningfulness, comprehensibility and belonging to community life (IMCB). Type of community and community perceptions (IMCB) were found to be significant in explaining state anger and hope. In addition, interviews were conducted with 10 key persons working with youth in Sderot and in the kibbutzim, which enable a better understanding of the community profiles in which teenagers were living under the ongoing stress situation. Community perceptions as coping resources among youth are discussed against the backdrop of the salutogenic and ecological theoretical frameworks. Publication-Status: Published in "Journal of Community Positive Practices", 4 2012 File-URL: http://jppc.ro/index.php/jppc/article/download/154/133 File-Format: Application/pdf File-Function: First version, 2012 Keywords: Salutogenesis; coping resources; community perceptions; adolescents; stress Pages: 681-702 Issue: 4 Year: 2012 Number: 4125 Handle: RePEc:cta:jcppxx:4125 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: M. Rezaul Islam Author-Name: W. John Morgan Title: Agents of community empowerment? The possibilities and limitations of non-governmental organizations in Bangladesh Abstract: This article considers the role of non-government organizations (NGOs) in term of their capacity as agents of community empowerment in Bangladesh. The article investigates the application of community empowerment using the domains provided by Laverack (2006). The article is based on qualitative research focusing on two NGOs in Bangladesh: Proshika and Practical Action Bangladesh (PAB) and their work in two communities, one urban and the other rural. The data are obtained from two indigenous occupants: blacksmiths and goldsmiths. The article argues that NGOs in Bangladesh are potential agents of community empowerment, but there are obstacles which limit this. Publication-Status: Published in "Journal of Community Positive Practices", 4 2012 File-URL: http://jppc.ro/index.php/jppc/article/download/155/135 File-Format: Application/pdf File-Function: First version, 2012 Keywords: Non-government organizations (NGO); NGOs’ capacity; community empowerment; Bangladesh Pages: 703-725 Issue: 4 Year: 2012 Number: 4126 Handle: RePEc:cta:jcppxx:4126 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Victor Nicolaescu Author-Name: Daniela Nicolaescu Title: European perspectives on the social economy Abstract: In Europe, social economy consists of a lot of actors and it manages to produce social usefulness and to cover needs that the public sector or the business environment fail to meet. The organisational forms, the social objectives and the areas of activity of the social enterprises can vary from one country to another because they may be involved in activities helping local development or promoting the environmental activities; they may provide services, manage finances, or they may apply commercial rules in order to encourage the international development. This paper approaches the social economy at European level considering the typology of the welfare systems and the peculiarities of each individual state. The portability and transferability of this organisational form may become a hindrance when the attention focuses only on the formal aspect regarding the mechanical transfer of some patterns from the European level to the regional level. Publication-Status: Published in "Journal of Community Positive Practices", 4 2012 File-URL: http://jppc.ro/index.php/jppc/article/download/157/136 File-Format: Application/pdf File-Function: First version, 2012 Keywords: social economy; welfare; development; social enterprise; non-profit Pages: 726-743 Issue: 4 Year: 2012 Number: 4127 Handle: RePEc:cta:jcppxx:4127 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Helen Merrick Title: Challenging implicit gender bias in science: Positive representations of female scientists in fiction Abstract: Despite decades of research and affirmative action, women continue to be under-represented in the sciences. Cultural assumptions and stereotypes are a key factor impacting women’s entry into and retention in the sciences, indicating the need for improved role models for girls in science education. This paper reviews the critical research on Media representations of female scientists, and argues that more positive role models are found in fiction. This research examines the kind of cultural work such representations might perform, analysing a diverse sample of texts from 1905 to the present. These images of female scientists provide numerous examples of positive, non-traditional role models, examples of egalitarian scientific cultures, and critiques of contemporary science. Informed by this analysis, the article considers how these representations might be used to challenge stereotypical assumptions concerning women’s role in the sciences. Publication-Status: Published in "Journal of Community Positive Practices", 4 2012 File-URL: http://jppc.ro/index.php/jppc/article/download/158/137 File-Format: Application/pdf File-Function: First version, 2012 Keywords: Gender; science education; female scientists; representation; role models Pages: 744-768 Issue: 4 Year: 2012 Number: 4128 Handle: RePEc:cta:jcppxx:4128 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Juliet Joseph Title: Perspectives on gender inequality and the barrier of culture on education Abstract: Education plays an important role in gender equality. Two thirds of illiterate adults are women; this impacts on the lives of families and children because many mothers are the caretakers of the family. This societal challenge might also not be resolved as fast as expected and remains high on the global agenda. It is for this reason that the study will discuss how education can impact on bridging the gender gap. From a young age, many women are taught to be submissive, subordinate and obedient to their male counterparts; and they are less valued than men. This level of consciousness which reinforces cultural norms and expectations ensures the continuous cycle of male patriarchy. Cultural processes maintain gender differences which act as barriers preventing an increase in the education of girls and women and ultimately reducing the number of women in positions of power, thus leading to a small scale of gender equality in a male-dominated society. Children spend most of their lives in classrooms and the study presumes that education environments are also the incubation hubs where girls and women can be equally educated and eventually take on their rightful place in society. It has been demonstrated time and again that young girls remain excluded from society, alienated in some cultures because they are female or even unwanted, and can even be murdered because a woman is a liability to her father unlike a male. Education reinforces and conscientises both males and females on social justice, equality; fairness and respect. Publication-Status: Published in "Journal of Community Positive Practices", 4 2012 File-URL: http://jppc.ro/index.php/jppc/article/download/159/138 File-Format: Application/pdf File-Function: First version, 2012 Keywords: Gender inequality; culture; education; inequality; discrimination Pages: 769-789 Issue: 4 Year: 2012 Number: 4129 Handle: RePEc:cta:jcppxx:4129 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Stefan Vladutescu Title: Relationships and communication networks Abstract: The main feature of the present situation regarding communication is the impregnation of the social with technology. Computer-mediated communication systems has led to the crystallization of a strong specific interactions. This article describes how human relationships constitues the ontological pillar of society and social relations form the axis irradiance of sociology. Overall, as social agents in social space, people come in a variety of social relationships. Thus, a distinct note of the article refers to the rapid development of information technology over the past decade, which has enhanced electronic communication between people. Publication-Status: Published in "Journal of Community Positive Practices", 4 2012 File-URL: http://jppc.ro/index.php/jppc/article/download/160/139 File-Format: Application/pdf File-Function: First version, 2012 Keywords: communication; social agents; technology; network; virtual space Pages: 790-796 Issue: 4 Year: 2012 Number: 41210 Handle: RePEc:cta:jcppxx:41210 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Edgar Tello-leal Author-Name: Claudia M. Sosa-reyna Author-Name: Diego A. Tello-leal Title: The digital divide: Ict development indices in Mexico Abstract: The integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to the manufacturing sector enables to reduce production, management and marketing costs, allowing achieve higher levels of competitiveness. In the social area, ICTs are tools of inclusion improving the provision of education, health and government services, as well as expanding its coverage area of these services. To achieve these benefits it is required a proper incorporation and adaptation of ICTs in the social area, as well as, the development of required ICT services, properly. In this work, we analyze the role of the digital divide in the information society, as ground for social exclusion in the use of ICT in Mexico. Afterwards, the behavior of the digital divide is analyzed, with its different dimensions through time, also describing the penetration and development levels of ICT. Moreover, the case of study of university students enrolled in Information Technology careers is discussed in order to determine the existence of a digital divide and its parameters. Finally, a diagnosis about the growth of the Internet and mobile telephony services in Mexico is carried out, considering the prevailing world economic situation. Publication-Status: Published in "Journal of Community Positive Practices", 4 2012 File-URL: http://jppc.ro/index.php/jppc/article/download/161/141 File-Format: Application/pdf File-Function: First version, 2012 Keywords: Digital Divide; ICT; Internet; Social Exclusion; Information Society Pages: 797-811 Issue: 4 Year: 2012 Number: 41211 Handle: RePEc:cta:jcppxx:41211 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Ionela Ionescu Title: Social policies of inclusion of the people with physical disabilities in Romania - social diagnosis Abstract: The paper aims to debate this particularly complex phenomenon, aims to be a social diagnosis of the social policies for the people with disabilities from Romania. After a brief review of the concepts and relevance of some sociological theories on the disability as social problems, of the special character of the needs of the people with disabilities, we make a social diagnosis of this problem. For a better understanding of the topic we will present the parts involved in this process, the factors contributing to the social reintegration of the people with disabilities, the principles governing the policies for the social reintegration of the people with disabilities, we will show the current statistics, the legal framework of this problem, the causes and effects of the exclusion of the people with disabilities and the dynamics and running strategies. For the truly disadvantaged people with disabilities, the measures of social protection seem to be insufficient. Publication-Status: Published in "Journal of Community Positive Practices", 4 2012 File-URL: http://jppc.ro/index.php/jppc/article/download/163/142 File-Format: Application/pdf File-Function: First version, 2012 Keywords: people with disabilities; handicap; social policies; social diagnosis; discrimination; social inclusion Pages: 812-837 Issue: 4 Year: 2012 Number: 41212 Handle: RePEc:cta:jcppxx:41212 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Maria Livia Stefanescu Author-Name: Stefan Stefanescu Title: Subjective evaluation of the health state in Romania during 2006-2010 years Abstract: In the present paper we intend to estimate the subjective health state suggested by the individuals of two national representative samples selected from the population of Romania. The sociological analysis used the information collected by Institute for Quality of Life Research (ICCV) in the years 2006 and 2010. More statistics were given about the diagnosis of the quality of life data bases D2006 and D2010. The sample population was divided into disjointed groups depending on the age of the individuals, the person gender or on the place of residence. We proposed two statistical models, one being based simultaneously on the indicators mean-variance and the other taking into consideration a stochastic order. We also revealed the risk categories from the both samples for which the health individual score could be improved. We mention here that in the years 2006-2010 we have not significant changes regarding internal structure of the proposed statistical health system E-V. A comparative dynamic study about the population health state in the years 2006 and 2010 was also performed. Publication-Status: Published in "Journal of Community Positive Practices", 4 2012 File-URL: http://jppc.ro/index.php/jppc/article/download/164/143 File-Format: Application/pdf File-Function: First version, 2012 Keywords: health; program; indicators risk categories; social policies Pages: 838-85`1 Issue: 4 Year: 2012 Number: 41213 Handle: RePEc:cta:jcppxx:41213 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Lucian Sfetcu Title: Book review - social economy. Comparative analysis in eight member states of the European union Abstract: Before going into the technical details of this book I would like to emphasize that the social economy, although a new concept, received a lot of attention in the recent years, mainly due to the efforts of the European Union to develop this sector. The European Social Fund boosted the development of the social economy in the member states through the Operational Program Human Resources Development, 2007-2013. The coordinators of this book have also displayed a constant interest for the social economy, as shown by the number of reference papers they have published (Cace S., Nicolaescu V., Scoican A., 2010; Cace S, Nicolaescu V., Anton A.N., Rotaru S., 2011; Negu A., Nicolaescu V. Preoteasa A.M., Cace C., 2011; Cace C., Cace S., Cojocaru S., Nicolaescu V. 2012; Nicolaescu V., Cace C, Hatzantonis D., 2012; Cace C., Nicolaescu V., Katsikaris L., Parcharidis I., 2012) Publication-Status: Published in "Journal of Community Positive Practices", 4 2012 File-URL: http://jppc.ro/index.php/jppc/article/download/165/144 File-Format: Application/pdf File-Function: First version, 2012 Keywords: Book Review; SOCIAL ECONOMY. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS IN EIGHT MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION Pages: 852-856 Issue: 4 Year: 2012 Number: 41214 Handle: RePEc:cta:jcppxx:41214