New Journal Articles on Refugee Issues (weekly)

• ScienceDirect.com – International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice – Victims justice preferences in a collectivist, informal setting: The case of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal

  “An abundance of research has emerged in the last 30 years focusing on justice preferences for victims of crime. In general, findings indicate that victims are interested in aspects of procedural justice, interactional justice, restorative justice, retributive justice and behavior control. Under certain conditions, however, these preferences may vary. One dimension that may lead to individuals diverging in their justice preferences is that of culture. The large majority of victimological research on victim legal preferences has been conducted in western jurisdictions. The current research adds to that body of knowledge by examining a different group: Bhutanese refugees residing in refugee camps in Nepal. This examination focuses on their collectivist status and how such cultural differences lead to different styles and characteristics of conflict resolution. It is hypothesized that victims in a collectivist society will primarily be interested in restoration, while voice to the decision maker, voice to the other party and retribution will not be important in predicting overall satisfaction. A multiple regression analysis confirms the hypotheses regarding voice toward the offender, restoration and retribution. Possible reasons for the remaining findings are discussed.”

  tags: newjournalarticles

• What determines the trust of immigrants in criminal justice institutions in Europe?

  “This study examines whether the confidence of immigrants in European countries in criminal justice institutions can be explained by two counteracting processes: expectations formed in the country of origin and discrimination experienced in the residence country. The study draws on the pooled waves of the European Social Survey (2002–8), comparing first- and second-generation immigrants from 66 countries of origin with natives in 21 residence countries. Multi-level regressions are employed to examine the relationship between confidence in institutions and proxy variables for the processes under study. The data strongly support the hypothesis that the high confidence of first-generation immigrants can be explained by frames of reference formed in the country of origin. Some, but limited, support is also found for the impact of discrimination. “

  tags: newjournalarticles

• Transactional associations between supportive family climate and young children’s heritage language proficiency in immigrant families

  “Heritage language (HL) proficiency confers developmental benefits; however, the onset of HL loss is observed among many young children from immigrant families. In this longitudinal study, transactional associations between children’s HL proficiency and supportive family climate were examined in Chinese immigrant families with pre-school-aged children. Parental warmth, cultural maintenance values, and use of HL support were investigated as aspects of family climate. Measures included observable parent–child interactions and performance-based language proficiency assessments. While parental cultural maintenance values appeared influential, parental behavioral support of HL showed more robust prospective associations with children’s HL development. Concurrently, children’s earlier HL proficiency predicted subsequent parental behavior; parents whose children had limited HL proficiency decreased their use of HL support 1 later. Implications of the findings are discussed for immigrant parents with young children. “

  tags: newjournalarticles

• Anti-Racism and Predominantly ‘White Areas’: Local and National Referents in the Search for Race Equality in Social Work Education

  “This article draws on research that investigated teaching and learning for anti-racist and cultural competency practice across social work programmes in Wales. It utilises the concept of ‘predominantly white areas’, defined as both a spatial category and as a mode of thinking to show how anti-racist teaching can be marginalised by misplaced assumptions associated with small minority presence. It draws on the relatively new theoretical trajectory of ‘whiteness’ studies to explore how particular constructions of the local/national context form a critical interplay with anti-racist teaching and learning, in this case ‘the Welsh context’. It argues that anti-racist teaching needs to be accommodative of an understanding of constructions of the local and the national within which the recognition of minorities and the teaching of anti-racism can be appropriately reclaimed. “

  tags: newjournalarticles

• Multiculturalism and Settlement: The Case of Dutch Postcolonial Migrant Organisations

  This article examines the effects of multiculturalism of the 1980s and 1990s on the organisational patterns of immigrant populations in the Netherlands. This is a controversial topic in this country since politics of multiculturalism have allegedly excessively sponsored migrant organisations causing their ‘fragmentation’ and having adverse consequences for these organisations’ role in the integration process. Based upon a systematic survey of the available data about postcolonial migrant organisations from 1945 to 2008, our conclusion is that the growth in postcolonial migrant organisations from the 1980s onwards has been impressive. For this specific category of immigrants, there is, however, little in the way of evidence that links this growth, or fragmentation of the landscape of migrant organisations for that matter, to Dutch multicultural minorities policies. Much of the growth should be related to the global phenomena of emerging identity discourses and increasing levels of identity politics. The policy implication is that, at least for the Netherlands, government policies creating favourable conditions for migrant organisations have been discarded without proper justification as counterproductive.

  tags: newjournalarticles

• English Language Learners’ Transitional Needs from High School to University: An Exploratory Study

  In this study, various measures of educational achievement of English language learners (ELLs) are compared to those of native English speakers (NS) who graduated high school in Calgary and were admitted into first year studies at the University of Calgary (U of C); and the literacy demands of university manifested in the readability levels of first year textbooks are analyzed. Findings suggest ELLs are academically competent, as reflected in the achievement outcomes of provincial high school diploma examinations in mathematics. The vast majority, however, are inadequately prepared for the literacy demands of university and are at immediate academic risk. Suggestions are made for policy, transitional programming, and the provision of services that may support academic achievement at university for this growing profile of learners on campus.

  tags: newjournalarticles

• “Looking for Work But Nothing Seems to Work”: The Job Search Strategies of Internationally Trained Engineers in Canada

  This exploratory mixed-method study focussed on the experiences of internationally trained engineers in looking for and finding suitable employment in Canada. An online survey was conducted with 309 internationally trained engineers. The internationally trained engineers used a range of job search strategies to look for suitable employment in the engineering field, often with little success. Those respondents who had secured jobs in the engineering profession were significantly more likely to have been referred by another employer (p = 0.05) and less likely to have placed or responded to an advertisement in the newspaper (p < 0.05) than those who did not hold jobs in the engineering profession. No significant differences were seen between these two groups regarding other job search strategies used. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 of the survey respondents, and this paper details the diverse strategies used by these participants to find suitable employment. The findings of the study emphasise the role of systemic-level barriers in the job search experience of internationally trained engineers.

  tags: newjournalarticles

• Fertility Behavior of Immigrants in Canada: Converging Trends

  Using data from the 2002 Ethnic Diversity Survey, this paper compares fertility behavior across three immigrant generations: foreign born, second generation, the population of third or more generations. Several important findings emerge from this study. First, consistent with previous studies, we have documented higher fertility for the foreign born and lowest for the second generation, but these differences are no longer statistically significant after controls for sociodemographic factors. The differentials by age, with higher fertility for those who arrived after age 15, also disappear after controls. These findings support the hypothesis that it is the sociodemographic characteristics of the immigrant generations that matter rather than the generational status itself. The controls did not eliminate the differentials by visible minority status, which show highest fertility in the Black population and lowest in the Chinese population. Consistent with the finding that lowest fertility occurs among persons who are least acculturated, we suggest that the relative opportunity structures of given minority groups may be part of the explanation.

  tags: newjournalarticles

• Interpersonal Violence and its Association with US Migration Desires and Plans among Youths in Guanajuato, Mexico

  This study examined interpersonal physical and sexual violence and its association with desires and plans to migrate to the USA among 500 alternative high school students, aged 14–17 years, from Guanajuato, Mexico. Two thirds of the youths had ever experienced interpersonal violence, the most common form being physical fights. More youths, and more boys relative to girls, reported wanting to migrate than planning to migrate. Although those who had experienced interpersonal violence were not more likely to want to migrate to the USA, their odds of planning to migrate were 44% greater. Gender did not moderate the effect of interpersonal violence.

  tags: newjournalarticles

• Managing Integration: German and British Policy Responses to the “Threat from Within” Post-2001

  The involvement of European Muslims in violent events since 2001 has confronted European states with their alleged failure to adequately integrate migrant and ethnic minority populations. More specifically, these events increased cultural and security concerns associated with growing diversity and created a climate in which the issues of breaking up parallel societies, and, more explicitly, integrating Muslim minority populations have become particularly pressing. As previous approaches aimed at incorporating migrants have been branded as a failure, many European governments have begun re-developing their policies on migrant incorporation, not least to mitigate the potential “threat” posed by a lack of integration. This article focuses on German and British policy developments in the area of integration post-2001 and compares how the two states have responded to the alleged “threat from within”.

  tags: newjournalarticles

• Circulating Capitals Between Poland and Scotland: a Transnational Perspective on European Labour Mobility

  The paper discusses the explanatory use of the concept of transnationalism in relation to contemporary patterns of intra-European mobility, drawing on evidence from two qualitative studies of new labour migration from Poland to Scotland. It suggests that the transnational way of life of migrants is leading to the creation of a European space conceived in terms of a new kind of socio-cultural configuration. The paper draws on the concept of capitals (economic, social and cultural) derived from the work of Pierre Bourdieu. In particular, it uses these concepts to reflect on the gains and losses in capital of Polish migrants in Scotland and in their home country. It questions the classical brain drain approach to labour migration by giving more nuance picture of the migrants’ lives characterised by circulation of capitals and simultaneous commitment to more than one country.

  tags: newjournalarticles

• Journal of International Migration and Integration, Online First™ – SpringerLink

  This article is a plea, both moral and empirical, for open borders to be put on the agenda of mainstream academic theory. It begins by conceptualizing the liberalization of international labor markets as compensation for those who have not benefitted from the liberalization of capital and commodity markets. To demonstrate that the opportunity costs of maintaining closed borders are unacceptably high, it reports on economic studies suggesting huge gains from relaxing national border controls. The focus then turns to the historical record to argue against the realist notion that closed international borders are inevitable. Flaws are exposed in the logic underlying realist “infeasibility” arguments, as well as in much of the misinformation driving mass opinion against increased immigration into the USA. To explain how such myths are perpetuated by some prominent academic theorists, the focus turns to the “liberal paradox” reinforcing the moral perfectionism by which domestic inequality is condemned, but far greater international inequality is not. The conclusion, inspired by Julien Benda’s The Betrayal of the Intellectuals, is that this perfectionism can be avoided by emphasizing intellectual integrity and the courage to follow one’s ideas to their full logical consequences.

  tags: newjournalarticles

• Journal of International Migration and Integration, Online First™ – SpringerLink

  Previous studies among the four largest immigrant groups in the Netherlands suggest that higher-educated immigrants, who are more apt to integrate, actually experience more discrimination than lower-educated immigrants, which is referred to as the integration paradox. In this study, we first investigate whether this paradox also exists among smaller immigrant groups (i.e. Afghani, Iraqi, Irani, Somali, Polish and Chinese) in the Netherlands. Second, we aim to explain the educational effect on perceived personal discrimination. We derive hypotheses from a theory of exposure and a theory of rising expectations. Data are drawn from a large-scale survey (SING2009) and include close to 1,000 face-to-face interviews for each of the small ethnic minority groups. Our study supports the existence of an integration paradox for small immigrant groups in the Netherlands. Our results show that higher-educated immigrants perceive more personal discrimination, which can be attributed to their exposure to Dutch politics, their experience of relative deprivation regarding their work and education and their participation in associations.

  tags: newjournalarticles

• Journal of International Migration and Integration, Online First™ – SpringerLink

  Using the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants in Canada (LSIC), this study examines the role of social capital in the labour market integration of new immigrants in Canada, utilizing various measures of social capital and treating employment and occupational Socio-Economic Scale (SES) as the indicators of labour market integration. The findings show that visible minority immigrants have significantly lower levels of employment and SES compared to white immigrants. Furthermore, social capital contributes significantly to an increased likelihood of employment and also to higher SES positions. However, the effect of social capital varies by the types of social capital, ethno-racial origins, as well as forms of economic integration.

  tags: newjournalarticles

• Perceptions of the Impact of Refugees on Host Communities: The Case of Liberian Refugees in Ghana

  tags: newjournalarticles

• Conflict and Health | Abstract | Neonatal survival interventions in humanitarian emergencies: a survey of current practices and programs

  “Background

  Neonatal deaths account for over 40% of all deaths in children younger than five years of age and neonatal mortality rates are highest in areas affected by humanitarian emergencies. Of the ten countries with the highest neonatal mortality rates globally, six are currently or recently affected by a humanitarian emergency. Yet, little is known about newborn care in crisis settings. Understanding current policies and practices for the care of newborns used by humanitarian aid organizations will inform efforts to improve care in these challenging settings.
  Methods

  Between August 18 and September 25, 2009, 56 respondents that work in humanitarian emergencies completed a web-based survey either in English or French. A snow ball sampling technique was used to identify organizations that provide health services during humanitarian emergencies to gather information on current practices for maternal and newborn care in these settings. Information was collected about continuum-of-care services for maternal, newborn and child health, referral services, training and capacity development, health information systems, policies and guidelines, and organizational priorities. Data were entered into MS Excel and frequencies and percentages were calculated.
  Results

  The majority of responding organizations reported implementing components of neonatal and maternal health interventions. However, multiple barriers exist in providing comprehensive care, including: funding shortages (63.3%), gaps in training (51.0%) and staff shortages and turnover (44.9%).
  Conclusions

  Neonatal care is provided by most of the responding humanitarian organizations; however, the quality, breadth and consistency of this care are limited. “

  tags: newjournalarticles

• International Migration, Remittances and Subsistence Farming: Evidence from Nepal – Maharjan – 2012 – International Migration – Wiley Online Library

  “Although international migration is playing an increasingly important role in Nepal, at both the macro and household levels, and in particular for the poverty reduction of rural families, empirical work focusing on this phenomenon has been largely absent. With a special view on the rural poor, in this paper we investigate the impact of international labour migration on subsistence agricultural production in the Western Mid Hills of Nepal, based on a survey conducted among smallholders with migrating family members. The results demonstrate that international migration leads to negligence of cereals – paddy, wheat, maize and millet, in particular, being the major subsistence crops. While bearing a negative impact on family labour input, its impact on hired farm labour is positive. Yet it does not affect material inputs such as fertilizer, and although it helps to ease households’ liquidity and capital constraints, it does not contribute to moving subsistence farming towards more profitable commercial farming. Therefore, although migration reduces poverty in the short run and also allows for higher daily consumption, its negative impact on cereal production requires attention by policymakers.”

  tags: newjournalarticles

• Trends in International and Internal Teacher Mobility in Three Pacific Island Countries – Iredale – 2012 – International Migration – Wiley Online Library

  “High-skilled migration has increasingly been the subject of migration research over the past decade, but the focus has tended to be on health and IT professionals. In this paper, we address the mobility of schoolteachers in a region that has so far received little attention, the Pacific Islands. It is timely to examine trends in teacher mobility in the Pacific, given the shortages that are occurring elsewhere. In particular, the tailoring of immigration policies to attract highly skilled workers in areas of shortage could impact on the Pacific. The focus of the paper is on emigration and we argue that of three countries studied, only Fiji is negatively affected by teacher mobility. The Cook Islands and Vanuatu are currently experiencing low levels of international teacher emigration. Levels of internal mobility are also investigated in an attempt to see if remote areas and outer islands are experiencing teacher shortages. The preference for working near one’s land or on one’s home island is a strong drawcard in bringing people back home to teach. A problem arises, however, when not enough people are trained from a region/island and the incentives to encourage others to go and work there are less than effective.”

  tags: newjournalarticles

• Syrian Self-Initiated Expatriates: Emotional Connections from Abroad – Beitin – 2012 – International Migration – Wiley Online Library

  “The relationship of an expatriate to his or her country of origin is complicated by reasons for leaving, ease of acculturation into the new country, nostalgia, loneliness and the ability to remain connected to his or her country of origin while abroad. Research on expatriate experiences has been limited to certain countries of origin and host countries, as well as a narrow definition of the term “expatriate”. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences and relationships with host and home countries of Syrian self-initiated expatriates, an underrepresented group in the literature. Phenomenological interviews were conducted with 13 Syrian self-initiated expatriates during an expatriate conference in Damascus, Syria. The results showed that Syrian self-initiated expatriates have left Syria to advance their education and their careers. For many of the men interviewed, Syria’s mandate of military service was a factor in leaving. When in their host countries, they faced adjustment issues such as language barriers and difficulty remaining connected to Syria. Relationships with both countries were fluid and changing, based on factors such as adjustment and ease of communication. I make recommendations for improving travel, communication and cultural maintenance to support the connection between Syrian self-initiated expatriates and Syrian society.”

  tags: newjournalarticles

• Ammons Scientific – SOCIAL SUPPORT AND HAPPINESS IN IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN SPAIN

  “The association between perceived social support and happiness was investigated in women who are members of various associations in Malaga (Spain) that work with immigrant women. Based on the Social Convoy model, the association between sources of support, frequency of support, satisfaction with support, and happiness reported by women were examined. The main social support predictor of happiness was satisfaction with the support received. Thus, the best predictors of happiness were emotional support from the family and instrumental support from the indigenous population and associations. The best predictor of frequency of support was the frequency of informational support received from social services. These results may prove useful for developing lines of action or interventions centred on the social network and the functions that social support can fulfil among immigrant women.”

  tags: newjournalarticles

• ingentaconnect EU Asylum Law and Human Rights Protection: Revisiting the Princip…

  “The principal objective of the article is to examine the EU legal framework and international law parameters of legal harmonisation processes in a specific field of human rights protection: asylum legislation. In particular, it is to provide an in-depth analysis of the compatibility of EU asylum legislation with existing international norms in relation to the principle of Non-refoulement and the prohibition of torture and other forms of ill-treatment. It also aims at exploring the correspondence and controversies of relevant legal principles and norms under international law. Similarly, it attempts to provide an analysis of the incomplete and inefficient implementation of these international norms and principles by EU asylum law as well. “

  tags: newjournalarticles

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.