Disadvantaged Minority Groups Research Articles

Mexican immigration, occupational clustering, and the local labor market adjustment of African-American workers

AbstractSince the 1970s, economic restructuring and shifts in industries have morphed the occupational path of workers, curbing socioeconomic mobility for many—wages of African-American workers which have trended upward in the 1960s and 1970s started stalling beginning in the 1980s. As Hispanic/Mexican immigrants were being absorbed in various industry sectors, researchers have questioned whether unfavorable trends in African-American wages and employment outcomes are tied to Mexican immigration. This paper examines the effect of Mexican immigrants on wages for African-Americans using various estimation methods and finds consistent negative estimates, pointing to an inverse relationship between Mexican immigrants and wages for African-Americans, which is consistent withcrowding outandsubstitution effects. However, in addition, analyses also show that a heavier source of depression of wages for African-Americans stems not just from immigration. In fact, in some ways, occupation clustering and specialization of Mexican immigrants mitigates impact of immigration on African-Americans on a whole range of low-skill occupations. But, all else equal, there appears rather to be a tendency for African-Americans to face an even greater “wage penalty” in more predominantly black occupations. The findings suggest that the interplay of immigration policy and workforce development policies and initiatives should be better understood as part of the conversation to redress factors preventing occupational and wage mobility of disadvantaged minority groups in the labor force.JEL Classification: J61, J62

Initial investigation into computer scoring of candidate essays for personnel selection.

[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 101(7) of Journal of Applied Psychology (see record 2016-32115-001). In the article the affiliations for Emily D. Campion and Matthew H. Reider were originally incorrect. All versions of this article have been corrected.] Emerging advancements including the exponentially growing availability of computer-collected data and increasingly sophisticated statistical software have led to a "Big Data Movement" wherein organizations have begun attempting to use large-scale data analysis to improve their effectiveness. Yet, little is known regarding how organizations can leverage these advancements to develop more effective personnel selection procedures, especially when the data are unstructured (text-based). Drawing on literature on natural language processing, we critically examine the possibility of leveraging advances in text mining and predictive modeling computer software programs as a surrogate for human raters in a selection context. We explain how to "train" a computer program to emulate a human rater when scoring accomplishment records. We then examine the reliability of the computer's scores, provide preliminary evidence of their construct validity, demonstrate that this practice does not produce scores that disadvantage minority groups, illustrate the positive financial impact of adopting this practice in an organization (N ∼ 46,000 candidates), and discuss implementation issues. Finally, we discuss the potential implications of using computer scoring to address the adverse impact-validity dilemma. We suggest that it may provide a cost-effective means of using predictors that have comparable validity but have previously been too expensive for large-scale screening. (PsycINFO Database Record

"Initial investigation into computer scoring of candidate essays for personnel selection": Correction to Campion et al. (2016).

Reports an error in "Initial Investigation Into Computer Scoring of Candidate Essays for Personnel Selection" by Michael C. Campion, Michael A. Campion, Emily D. Campion and Matthew H. Reider (Journal of Applied Psychology, Advanced Online Publication, Apr 14, 2016, np). In the article the affiliations for Emily D. Campion and Matthew H. Reider were originally incorrect. All versions of this article have been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2016-18130-001.) Emerging advancements including the exponentially growing availability of computer-collected data and increasingly sophisticated statistical software have led to a "Big Data Movement" wherein organizations have begun attempting to use large-scale data analysis to improve their effectiveness. Yet, little is known regarding how organizations can leverage these advancements to develop more effective personnel selection procedures, especially when the data are unstructured (text-based). Drawing on literature on natural language processing, we critically examine the possibility of leveraging advances in text mining and predictive modeling computer software programs as a surrogate for human raters in a selection context. We explain how to "train" a computer program to emulate a human rater when scoring accomplishment records. We then examine the reliability of the computer's scores, provide preliminary evidence of their construct validity, demonstrate that this practice does not produce scores that disadvantage minority groups, illustrate the positive financial impact of adopting this practice in an organization (N ∼ 46,000 candidates), and discuss implementation issues. Finally, we discuss the potential implications of using computer scoring to address the adverse impact-validity dilemma. We suggest that it may provide a cost-effective means of using predictors that have comparable validity but have previously been too expensive for large-scale screening. (PsycINFO Database Record

Does Preschool Boost the Development of Minority Children?: The Case of Roma Children

Summary Does universal preschool constitute an effective policy tool to promote the development and integration of children from minority groups? We address this question for the children of the Roma—the largest and most disadvantaged minority group in Europe. To tackle the issue of non-random selection into preschool, we exploit variation in the individual distance to the nearest preschool facility. Non-parametric instrumental variable estimations reveal significant short-term gains in terms of children's literacy. Preschool attendance also increases the prevalence of vaccinations but has no effect on other observed health outcomes. Overall, preschool also does not seem to enhance integration measured by children's language proficiency or social–emotional development, at least not in the short term.

A Structural Functionalist Second Look at SCA-5: Moving Forward with California Affirmative Action in a Racialized America

This paper re-examines California's Senate Constitutional Amendment 5, a failed proposal that sought to allow California public universities to once again use race as a factor in its admissions processes. In light of the pending University of Texas v. Fisher (Fisher II) case in the U.S. Supreme Court and other racialized movements headlining news and social media, racial politics seem to be coming to a head, making more critical the need for minority coalition. This paper adopts the structural functionalist theory of culture to examine the causes for failure of the last effort, which was caused largely in part by a minority of dissenting Asian Pacific Islanders. In this note, I suggest the API rise against racial preference stemmed from a feeling of ongoing relative disadvantage when entering the workforce. With this in mind, I suggest that a future proposal may find success by having a broader repeal of Proposition 209 and leveraging the private sector to be race-conscious through a tax incentive. Such a proposal takes into account the interests of not only Asian Pacific Islanders, but underrepresented and traditionally disadvantaged minority groups as well.

The nature of social dominance orientation: Theorizing and measuring preferences for intergroup inequality using the new SDO₇ scale.

A new conceptualization and measurement of social dominance orientation-individual differences in the preference for group based hierarchy and inequality-is introduced. In contrast to previous measures of social dominance orientation that were designed to be unidimensional, the new measure (SDO7) embeds theoretically grounded subdimensions of SDO-SDO-Dominance (SDO-D) and SDO-Egalitarianism (SDO-E). SDO-D constitutes a preference for systems of group-based dominance in which high status groups forcefully oppress lower status groups. SDO-E constitutes a preference for systems of group-based inequality that are maintained by an interrelated network of subtle hierarchy-enhancing ideologies and social policies. Confirmatory factor and criterion validity analyses confirmed that SDO-D and SDO-E are theoretically distinct and dissociate in terms of the intergroup outcomes they best predict. For the first time, distinct personality and individual difference bases of SDO-D and SDO-E are outlined. We clarify the construct validity of SDO by strictly assessing a preference for dominance hierarchies in general, removing a possible confound relating to support for hierarchy benefitting the ingroup. Consistent with this, results show that among members of a disadvantaged ethnic minority group (African Americans), endorsement of SDO7 is inversely related to ingroup identity. We further demonstrate these effects using nationally representative samples of U.S. Blacks and Whites, documenting the generalizability of these findings. Finally, we introduce and validate a brief 4-item measure of each dimension. This article importantly extends our theoretical understanding of one of the most generative constructs in social psychology, and introduces powerful new tools for its measurement.

Symposium on Policing and Race

Public Administration ReviewVolume 75, Issue 6 p. 904-904 CALLS FOR PAPERSFree Access Symposium on Policing and Race First published: 27 October 2015 https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12485AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Guest Editors James D. Ward, Mississippi University for Women, United States Charles E. Menifield, University of Missouri, United States The subject of policing and race is a cornerstone of economic and social justice discussions regarding public policy and law enforcement behavior. When disparate treatment occurs based on race and ethnicity, claims to social equity may be diminished, along with perceived commitments to a just and fair society. We seek a broad range of manuscripts that explore in depth the attitudes, behaviors, contexts, and administrative practices associated with racial discrimination and institutional racism as well as manuscripts that identify how communities avoid disparate treatment. Racial discrimination is often associated with racial profiling and other deliberate practices. Institutional racism is a self-perpetuating process involving barriers and procedures that disadvantage ethnic and minority groups (Ward and Rivera 2014). Studies may approach the subject from various perspectives, including examinations of organizational culture, racial profiling, social justice, antiterrorism, immigration, critical race theory, and comparative human cognition, as well as studies within the framework of an international, comparative, or subnational context. Qualitative and quantitative studies providing insights from disciplines such as policy studies, law and legal studies, criminal justice, sociology, economics, political science, and psychology will be considered. Manuscripts are due no later than January 15, 2016, to the coordinating guest editor at jdward@muw.edu. After initial screening, authors of selected manuscripts will be invited to submit directly to Public Administration Review’s (PAR) Editorial Manager for double-blind review, with final decisions regarding publication being made by PAR’s editors. All authors should comply with PAR’s style guidelines. Reference Ward, James D., and Mario A. Rivera. 2014. Institutional Racism, Organizations and Public Policy. New York: Peter Lang Publishing. CrossrefGoogle Scholar Volume75, Issue6November/December 2015Pages 904-904 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Questioning the discriminatory accuracy of broad migrant categories in public health: self-rated health in Sweden.

Background: Differences between natives and migrants in average risk for poor self-rated health (SRH) are well documented, which has lent support to proposals for interventions targeting disadvantaged minority groups. However, such proposals are based on measures of association that neglect individual heterogeneity around group averages and thereby the discriminatory accuracy (DA) of the categories used (i.e. their ability to discriminate the individuals with poor and good SRH, respectively). Therefore, applying DA measures rather than only measures of association our study revisits the value of broad native and migrant categorizations for predicting SRH. Design, setting and participants: We analyzed 27 723 individuals aged 18–80 who responded to a 2008 Swedish public health survey. We performed logistic regressions to estimate odds ratios (ORs), predicted risks and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AU-ROC) as a measure of epidemiological DA. Results: Being born abroad was associated with higher odds of poor SRH (OR = 1.75), but the AU-ROC of this variable only added 0.02 units to the AU-ROC for age alone (from 0.53 to 0.55). The AU-ROC increased, but remained unsatisfactorily low (0.62), when available social and demographic variables were included. Conclusions: Our results question the use of broad native/migrant categorizations as instruments for forecasting individual SRH. Such simple categorizations have a very low DA and should be abandoned in public health practice. Measures of association and DA should be reported together whenever an intervention is being considered, especially in the area of ethnicity, migration and health.

Stigmatising the Poor without Negative Images: Images of Extreme Poverty and the Formation of Welfare Attitudes

In the past two decades, many studies have warned of the role the popular media might play in the stigmatisation of the poor. Media reports about poverty often include references to antisocial behaviour, which make the principle of deservingness particularly conspicuous and could also strengthen the effects of ethnic stereotypes. We argue, however, that it could be misleading to place all the blame for stigmatisation on direct references to ‘undeserving’ behaviour. Media images of extreme distress themselves could have a selective stigmatising effect. Thus, even benevolent portrayal of the poor could erode sympathy. This paper presents the results of a video-vignette experiment on a sample of Hungarian students. The subjects watched one of four versions of a video interview with a poor person (none of them contained any references to antisocial behaviour) and then expressed their attitudes towards welfare payments. We found that support for welfare was higher where a version highlighted signs of extreme distress. But this was only the case if there were no mention of ethnic minorities. If the video report emphasized that Roma (Gypsies), the largest disadvantaged minority group in Hungary, lived in the neighbourhood, signs of their extreme hardship lowered the support for welfare payments.

Group apology under unstable status relations: Perceptions of insincerity hinder reconciliation and forgiveness

This research examined the effects of structural conditions on perceptions of and responses to an apology offered by an advantaged majority group to a disadvantaged minority group. We used the dramatic regional changes of the Arab Spring to manipulate the instability of status relations between Israeli Arabs and Jews. In two studies, we found that under instability (vs. control), both Israeli Jews (advantaged group members; Study 1) and Israeli Arabs (disadvantaged group members; Study 2) perceived an apology offered to the Arab minority by the Israeli Prime Minister as insincere and manipulative (i.e., intended to serve the Jews rather than the Arabs). Perceived insincerity, in turn, led to reduced forgiveness and conciliatory tendencies among Israeli Arabs (Study 2). These findings shed light on how structural factors might render group apologies counterproductive in promoting positive intergroup relations. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Cancer Clinical Trials in Hawai‘i: Who’s Being Represented

Background: Representation of diverse ethnic/racial groups is critically important in the development of cancer prevention and treatment strategies. However, representation of diverse ethnic/racial groups has yet to be fully realized, especially among historically disadvantaged minority groups. Ethnic minority groups account for about 75% of Hawai‘i’s population; approximately 55% of the state’s population self-identify as Asian (with the most predominant ethnic/racial groups being Japanese, Filipino, Chinese, and Korean) and approximately 24% as Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. Such diversity provided researchers a unique opportunity to characterize the demographic profile of cancer prevention and treatment trials conducted in Hawai ‘i. Methods: In the current study, the gender and ethnic/racial distribution of four national cancer prevention trials and 178 treatment trials conducted in Hawai‘i from 1992 to 2004 were characterized. Results: Native Hawaiian men were significantly less likely to participate in both cancer prevention and treatment trials than Native Hawaiian women. In addition, Native Hawaiian men and women had the lowest proportion of participation in cancer clinical trials in comparison to White and Asian American men and women. Conclusions: Our findings identify gender and ethnic/racial differences in the participation of cancer clinical trial participants in the state of Hawai‘i. This serves as an important indicator for the need of future research to specifically investigate the relationship of culture and other factors on participation. Such research may inform promotional strategies that increase trial participation, with the hopeful prospect of decreasing cancer incidence and increasing quality of life for those diagnosed with cancer.

Participation in mental health care by ethnic minority users: case studies from the Netherlands and Brazil

This thesis examines participation in mental health care by users from socially disadvantaged ethnic minority groups in the Netherlands and in Brazil. Despite considerable evidence that minority users are under-represented in health participatory spaces in these and other countries around the world, there are few empirical studies on what works to promote minority user participation. This thesis aims to fill this gap by identifying minority users who are engaged in mental health participatory spaces and investigating why and how they get involved. It also aims to evaluate the benefits of participation for involved minority users and to examine the barriers which prevent users from reaching their full participatory potential. To achieve these goals, a qualitative research approach and a case study strategy of enquiry was adopted involving two exemplary situations: the case of Cape Verdean migrants’ participation in a community-based advocacy project focused on mental health promotion in Rotterdam; andthe case of minority Northeasterners’ participation in a community-based mental health care service in Rio de Janeiro. The results reveal that the involvement of Cape Verdean migrants and minority Northeasterners in mental health participatory initiatives is driven by a broad range of individual and collective motivations. Put together, these motivations indicate a strong desire by users to promote not just their own social inclusion but also the exercise of full citizenship by other members of their communities. Although users’ motivations play an important role in their decisions to get engaged, this thesis shows that they are not sufficient to guarantee the start and continuation of their participation. In addition to motivations, direct recruitment, capacity-building and empowering participatory spaces are all essential enablers of participation by user groups in a position of disadvantage. This thesis also shows that participation can generate a number of substantive benefits for minority users, including broader social networks, empowerment, an increased sense of citizenship, enhanced health literacy and improved access to mental health care. These benefits have a positive effect on each other and together they strengthen users’ willingness to stay engaged and their capacity to take participation a step forward (e.g. by getting involved in ‘health invited spaces’). These effects, however, are observed only among users who express collective motivations for participation. This thesis also identifies several barriers that hold back the full development of participation by minority users, including unawareness of opportunities for involvement in other participatory spaces, self-exclusion from invited mental health spaces due to fear of stigmatisation, and exclusionary dynamics within participatory initiatives that cause users to drop-out. These demand- and supply-side barriers limit the inclusiveness of health participatory spaces and diminish their potential for fostering the development of effective, comprehensive and diversity-sensitive health care policy and service delivery. The thesis concludes that socially disadvantaged minority users can be successfully engaged in mental health invited spaces, but promoting their involvement requires a proactive approach which recognises that marginalised groups need to build confidence, capacity and a sense of entitlement in order to exercise their citizenship and make use of opportunities for participation.

Social inequalities in health expectancy and the contribution of mortality and morbidity: the case of Irish Travellers

The health expectancy of Irish Travellers, a disadvantaged indigenous minority group in Ireland has not been previously estimated. This study aimed to examine health expectancy inequalities between Irish Travellers and the general population. We used Sullivan's life table method to construct healthy life expectancy (HLE) and disability-free life expectancy (DFLE). The All-Ireland Traveller Health Study provided Irish Traveller population's mortality and health data. Vital registration, census and comparable national survey health data were used for the general population. We calculated the absolute and relative life expectancy, HLE and DFLE gaps between Irish Travellers and the general population and decomposed the HLE and DFLE gaps into mortality and morbidity contributions. Irish Travellers had consistently lower HLE and DFLE than the general population. The health expectancy gap displayed notable age and gender variations and was wider than the life expectancy gap. Mortality contributed more than morbidity to the health expectancy gap in men but not in women. This study illustrated the true extent of health inequalities experienced by an indigenous minority in Europe, clarifying the importance of reducing the burden of non-fatal disabling conditions for addressing these inequalities. The health expectancy measure used has application for other similar indigenous minorities elsewhere.

Promoting post-16 participation of ethnic minority students from disadvantaged backgrounds: a systematic review of the most promising interventions

There is widespread international concern that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and some ethnic minorities are less likely to continue education or training after compulsory schooling, or are less likely to follow the highest-status and prestigious routes. Based on work done in the UK, this paper presents the results of a systematic review of evidence from 1996 to 2011. The review identified only 14 intervention studies with a robust evaluation, intended to encourage participation and retention in post-compulsory education for disadvantaged ethnic minority groups. Of these, the most promising approaches were the use of extrinsic motivation for behaviour and attendance (payment by results), and the close personal engagement of adult mentors. Both were tried in the USA, and so the paper concludes that they should be adapted for contexts elsewhere, including the UK, and tested carefully. Given limitations of funding for research, other approaches should not receive priority.

A Social Justice Perspective on Medicare Part D in an Age of Reform: Critical Implications of Trends in Health Care Policy and Advocacy

This article examines the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) in its current form and explains why a critical perspective is useful when analyzing the policy and reform efforts. Using this approach, we consider the development of the policy and describe ways that gender and racial differences may hinder equal access to medications for some of the most vulnerable older adults. This article explores the implications of gender and racial disparities under the MMA and ramifications of health care reform efforts that could potentially impede, rather than promote, a social justice agenda. Beyond the political advantage of the MMA's current structure, reconsideration should include the potentialfor disproportionate negative economic and health effects for women and people in historically disadvantaged minority groups.

A biobehavioral approach to understanding obesity and the development of obesogenic illnesses among Latino immigrants in the United States.

The prevalence of obesity and obesity-related illnesses is higher among Hispanics (Latinos) than other racial and ethnic groups, and rates increase exponentially with the number of years living in the United States. Mounting evidence suggests that the origins of many chronic illnesses among disadvantaged minority groups may lie with cumulative exposure to chronic psychological and physiological stressors through the biobehavioral process of allostatic load (AL). Among immigrant Latinos, acculturation stress may contribute to an increase in AL and thus may be an independent risk factor for the development of obesity and obesogenic illnesses. The purpose of this theoretical article is to present a proposed model of the effects of acculturation stress on AL and obesity among Latino immigrants. Such a model can be useful to guide intervention efforts to decrease obesity among immigrant Latinos by adding education, skill building, and social integration strategies to healthy eating and physical activity to reduce the deleterious impact of acculturation stress.

Empowerment or democratic divide? internet-based political participation of young immigrants and young natives in Germany

In this paper, young people's political participation on the Internet in Germany will be analyzed by statistical means and on the basis of survey data, comparing two groups: Germans (the majority group) and a minority group, consisting of young people from Turkey and various Arab countries, who share a religious affiliation. The young people from a Turkish or Arab background turned out to be particularly politically active online and offline, despite being rather socioeconomically disadvantaged. Statistical models presented in this paper show that this is probably related to their grievances caused by discrimination experiences because of their religion. Generally, the results suggest that disadvantaged minority groups may appropriate the Internet in order to raise their voice, although with some constraints.

High-Risk Sexual Behavior, HIV/STD Prevalence, and Risk Predictors in the Social Networks of Young Roma (Gypsy) Men in Bulgaria

Roma (Gypsies), the largest and most disadvantaged ethnic minority group in Europe, are believed to be vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. This study's aim was to examine HIV risk in 6 Roma male sociocentric networks (n = 405 men) in Bulgaria. Participants were interviewed concerning their risk practices and tested for HIV/STDs. High-risk sexual behaviors were common. Over 57% of men had multiple sexual partners in the past 3 months. Over one-third of men reported both male and female partners in the past year. Condom use was low. Greater levels of sexual risk were associated with lower intentions and self-efficacy for using condoms, drug use, having male partners, knowing HIV-positive persons, and having higher AIDS knowledge but no prior HIV testing. Two men had HIV infection, 3.7% gonorrhea, and 5.2% chlamydia. HIV prevention interventions directed toward high-risk social networks of Roma are needed before HIV infection becomes more widely established.

Factors Influencing Health Care Utilization in Older Hispanics with Diabetes along the Texas-Mexico Border

Little is known about predictors of health care utilization for older Hispanics with chronic conditions. This study aimed to determine: (1) the level of health care access for older Hispanics with type 2 diabetes living in a US-Mexico border area; and (2) personal and health correlates to health care utilization (ie, physician visits, eye care, emergency room [ER] use). This was a cross-sectional study based on a community assessment conducted at a clinic, senior centers, and colonias. Colonias are impoverished neighborhoods with substandard living conditions along the US-Mexico border. Hispanics living in colonias are one of the most disadvantaged minority groups in the United States. The study sample consisted of 249 Hispanics age 60 years and older who have type 2 diabetes. Descriptive analyses, multiple linear regression, and generalized linear models were conducted. Older age (P = 0.02) and affordability of physician fees (P = 0.02) were significant correlates to more frequent physician visits. Factors significantly associated with eye care were being insured (P = 0.001) and reporting high cholesterol (P = 0.005). ER use was significantly associated with younger age (60-64 years old; P = 0.03) and suffering from hypertension (P = 0.02). Those who received diabetes education (P = 0.04) were less likely to use the ER. Identifying patterns of health care utilization services in aging underserved minorities who are disproportionately affected by diabetes may lead to culturally appropriate preventive practices and timely access to health care. Adequate health care access can decrease or delay the onset of diabetes complications in older Hispanics with type 2 diabetes who live along the US-Mexico border.

Inclusive education for students with refugee experience: whole school reform in a South Australian primary school

In recent years, there has been an increase in students with refugee experience in the UK, the US, Europe and Australia. These students face many barriers to education, and appropriately educating this diverse student population presents many challenges to schools and education departments. We argue that a whole of school approach that includes school structures, culture and pedagogy is needed to provide equity for students with refugee experience. This approach to reform requires that the ‘structures and programs [that] are designed for a dominant group’ (DETE, South Australian Curriculum Standards and Accountability Framework, South Australia 2001), and which disadvantage minority groups, are challenged and changed. Implementing such change raises many practical difficulties, and there are few documented examples of good practice. This prompted the authors’ ethnographic study of a South Australian primary school, with a New Arrivals Program, which positions itself as taking a whole of school approach to educational reform for refugees. This paper reports on the structural changes the school has implemented in its class organisation, staff roles and curriculum. We consider the effects of government funding and neoliberal education policy on these reforms.