Suchergebnisse

Abstract. The Land Value Tax, which proposes that governments raise their revenues largely from taxes on the annualized economic rent of land, has been projected into current debate by recent studies and by political debate in at least half a dozen Pennsylvania cities. An effort to measure its effects o n building construction and renovation was made by two Pennsylvania economists, E. f. Mathis and C. E. Zech. Under criticism, they granted that their conclusion that there was no evidence that urban development was stimulated was tentative and debatable. The effort was valuable in that it highlighted some of the pitfalls of this kind of research. In this area, researchers must try to avoid mis‐specification of variables, wrong choice of flow or stock data, employment of oversimplified economic hypotheses. Public decision makers should be informed about inappropriate model specification and structure, input data deficiencies, and inadequate econometric analysis for urban policy determination.

Abstract. A composite Quality of Life (QOL) indicator model of five major components—Social, Economic, Energy and Environmental, Health and Education, and National Vitality and Security—was developed. Based on cross‐national data of 1975, 32 developed countries and China (Taiwan) were ranked according to their component and overall QOL measures. The influence of income and other variables on QOL was analyzed; it was found that the income variable is not as significantly related to the composite QOL indexes as are other variables and China (Taiwan's) QOL rankings far exceed its per capita income ranking in the international comparison. The U.S. surpassed all the countries studied in providing its citizens with basic human needs and the highest material standard of living. The national vitality and security component indicated, however, that the U.S. may have lost, militarily and strategically, some of its influence and perceived power to the U.S.S.R.

Abstract. Although it is still impossible to place a dollar value on human lives and on the total health effeets of air pollution, the excessive mortality costs of two air pollutants–sulfur dioxide (SO2 and total suspended particulates (TSP)‐have been quantified for most of the 40 Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the United States. Based on 1970 data, total mortality damage for SO2 was estimated at $887 million and for TSP at $1.044 billion. The benefit from reducing these pollutants could exceed $1.328 billion annually, a figure useful in evaluating control costs.

Abstract. The basic objective of this paper is to develop a systematic model by which a series of social indicators can be constructed to reflect variations in the social quality of life (QOL) among the medium metropolitan areas. Statistical data which are logically representative of the indicators were collected for the 83 medium metropolitan areas with populations between 200,000 and 500,000 in 1970. More than 50 variables were evaluated under these critical social components: individual concerns, individual equality and community living conditions. The standardized "Z" score method was employed to compute, based on 1970 data, the index for each of the social QOL indicators. The 83 SMSAs were then rated by the indexes. These indexes will help decision makers to identify their regional weaknesses and strengths in comparison to others so that appropriate action can be taken toward the improvement of social QOL in those areas.

Abstract
The study measures the digital divide between digital/internet users and non-digital/internet users and the intersectional impact of multiple identities, i.e. gender, race and social status, on older adults in the UK. The analysis interviewed 9,246 adults aged fifty-five plus years in 2012 and 8,484 in 2014 in the English Longitudinal Study on Ageing. The digital health divide was evaluated both by CASP-19 (quality of life, QoL) and UCLA-Loneliness Scale with the intersectional effect of respondents' multiple identities and digital/internet use. The results suggested a reduction in the digital divide amongst elders in the UK. Generalised estimating equations found that, amongst regular internet users having good social status, white females attained good QoL and little loneliness (CASP-19: β = 2.921, p <0.001; Loneliness: β=–0.631, p <0.001); and white and BME (black and minority ethnic) males both scored low on the loneliness scale (white: β=–0.809, p < 0.001 BME: β= –0.549, p <0.05). BME females with poor social status despite regular internet use got lower QoL and greater loneliness scores (CASP-19: β=–3.107, p <0.05; Loneliness: β=0.935, p <0.001), showing inequalities in their health outcomes. The intersectional perspective of cumulative disadvantages can help social workers better understand how the multiplicative effect of multiple identities socially excludes the vulnerable adults. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Summary The study reviews the records of 671 social work students and graduates including the seven intakes from the first cohort in 2003/2004 to the intake in 2010/2011 to examine the interacting effect of learning difficulties, ethnicity and gender on the completion of social work training at a university in the South East of England. Findings Among the students, 79.9% of them were female, 50.1% were black, 27.9% white, 10.7% Asian and 11.3% other ethnicities. A majority of students did not report any disability. Among those who did ( n = 84), 52.3% ( n = 44) reported a learning difficulty. The percentage of students who have successfully completed the training is 76.4%, a completion rate that is comparable to the UK's national figure. Having controlled the confounding variables, hierarchical logistic regression identified the risk factor for dropout from undergraduate social work programme as black female students with learning difficulties (odds ratio = 0.100, 95% confidence interval = 0.012–0.862, p < 0.05). Findings suggested that students with multiplicity of identities, i.e. being black and female and with a learning difficulty, have a lower probability to complete the programme successfully. Applications Strategies for tackling the intersecting disadvantages of race, gender and disabilities in social work training should embrace three principles: providing continuous support, focusing on how the support is provided and addressing contextual and structural barriers.