Minority Sector Research Articles

Drowning rates among children and adolescents (aged 7–17) in Israel during the years 2008–2018

ObjectiveDrowning is one of the leading causes of death among children and youth worldwide. This study aims to examine differences in the rates of drowning (fatal and non-fatal drowning) among children and youth in Israel stratified by age, sex, sector, place of drowning, and the drowning outcome. In addition, we compared the results of studies reported in other countries in specific age groups based on statistics of about 100,000 drowning cases.MethodA statistical analysis of 474 drownings between 2008 and 2018 was conducted. All cases refer to youngsters aged 7–17 in the State of Israel. Statistical analysis was performed on data obtained from the Beterem – Safe Kids Israel organization and from the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Disparities between groups within the examined population were analyzed based on gender, sector (Jewish versus non-Jewish), and drowning site.ResultsOf the 474 drownings that occurred during 2008–2018, 38.4% ended in death. 79% of the cases occurred in pools. The Arab minority sector (21.1% of the general population) accounted for 25.1% of all drownings, males accounted for 70.5% of the drowning cases, and the age group with the most drownings (48.5%) was that of 15–17 years. The Jewish population was involved in more than 75% of drownings in places designated for bathing and in more than 83% of all disaster scenarios, whereas the Arab minority was involved in more than 61% of drownings in places not designated for bathing.ConclusionsThe results are comparable to those of other studies worldwide. Boys drown twice as much as girls, mainly in the age group of 15–17. This may be explained by overconfidence in boys and a tendency to overestimate their actual swimming abilities. Most drownings occur in pools. Drowning among the Jewish population occurs mainly in designated bathing sites.Practical applicationsThe findings can and, in fact, must be used to inform and educate the younger generation as to the potential dangers involving bathing in designated bathing sites.

Energy rebound effect in China’s manufacturing sector: Fresh evidence from firm-level data

The rebound effect refers to the phenomenon that individuals tend to consume more energy in the face of energy efficiency improvement, which reduces the expected energy-saving effect. Previous empirical studies on the rebound effect of regions and sectors do not provide microscopic evidence. To fill this gap, we use China’s firm-level data to estimate the rebound effect in China’s manufacturing subsectors, providing a detailed picture of China’s rebound effect across different sectors and different regions in 2001–2008. Results show that a partial rebound effect robustly appears in all industries, and the disparity between sectors is quite broad, ranging from 43.2% to 96.8%. As for the dynamic rebound effect of subsectors, most subsectors present an upward trend, whereas few subsectors show a clear downward trend. As a whole, the declined trend of the rebound effect is driven by the descent of minority sectors with high energy consumption and high energy-saving potential. In addition, we find that the disparity of the rebound effect across sectors is more significant than that across regions.

Publishing, books and reading: Spaces of authorship, visibility, and socialisation

Over the course of history, the book and its environment have been in permanent transformation, undergoing changes that have affected its format, textual arrangement, form of reading, and production and distribution systems, as well as its social consideration as an instrument for the transmission of knowledge. One of the greatest changes has taken place in the 21st century with the emergence of digital formats throughout the publishing value chain. If in previous eras the transformations had affected one or other of the mentioned elements, the digital revolution has impacted on all of them simultaneously, as it has modified the ways in which works are created, produced, distributed, and consumed. Also, it has introduced for the first time an element of intermediation between the reader and reading: the device, which, in its different varieties, implies an element of additional complexity. At the present time, and after almost two decades, we can see the advances and setbacks that have occurred on this journey; the achievements and shortcomings from the publishing point of view, in which a strengthening of the big companies can be appreciated; and the emergence of a system of self-publishing that represents a rupture with traditional systems. From the point of view of authorship, the value of the brand, of charisma and prestige, has been emphasised, while a movement of creation is taking place on the fringes of the system that renounces posterity and recognition in favour of visibility. This approach to authorship is also subject to the influx and influence of social networks with their positive effects, in the form of projection, and negative ones, in the form of new ways of censure. Finally, in terms of reading, there is an ambivalent route that runs between the paths of a very strong tradition, linked to the printed book, and digital reading, established from the point of view of practices, but in its more conservative and imitative side with respect to analogue formats; in the digital sphere, new proposals and more innovative initiatives which are attracting the attention of growing but still minority sectors of society are emerging. The digital environment is progressing and consolidating, but it has not yet taken advantage of all the potential that technological advances could provide.

The Double Exclusion of Bedouin War Widows

We critically examine the officially declared policy vis-a-vis the actual fulfilment of minorities’ equal rights in Israel. According to the theory of democratic exclusion, minority groups are tacitly disadvantaged despite formal policies and laws aimed at ensuring equality. We showcase this phenomenon in a hitherto unstudied minority sector in Israel, namely Bedouin Israel Defence Forces (idf) war widows. Analysis of in-depth interviews has led us to expose a failure to take the unique religious and cultural imperatives and restrictions into consideration, as well as a paradox of Bedouin war widows’ entitlement to equal rights while reporting suffering discrimination, exclusion, and marginalisation. In the name of these silenced Israeli citizens we call this severe violation of civil rights to public awareness and propose some practical suggestions as to how to adjust the provision of treatment and support to their cultural features, in order to truly adhere to the democratic vision.

The Israeli Selective Myopia and the Missing Culturally Sensitive Support for Bedouin IDF War Widows

Israel is a democratic state that champions the aspiration for equality, justice, and acceptance of multiculturalism. We critically examine the officially declared policy vis-a-vis the actual fulfillment of minorities’ equal rights. In keeping with the rights-based approach to social work, minority groups are entitled to any rights granted to the dominant group in their countries, as they have equal rights to realize their humanity. The present research project showcases a severe violation of human rights in a hitherto unstudied minority sector in Israel, namely Bedouin Israeli Defense Forces war widows. These widows are positioned in an extremely paradoxical intersection as their fallen husband died during service in the Israeli Defense Forces, an army which is perceived by most Bedouins as the force which conquered and expropriated their land. Analysis of in-depth interviews with seven Bedouin war widows has led us to expose an abuse of their human rights, due to a failure to take into consideration their unique religious and cultural imperatives and restrictions. We explore their paradoxical lived experience of being formally entitled to equal human rights while reporting suffering discrimination, exclusion, and marginalization. In the name of these silenced Israeli citizens, we call for public awareness of this severe violation of human rights and propose some practical suggestions as to how to adapt the provision of social work support to the cultural features of these recipients, in order to truly adhere to the democratic vision.

Educación superior femenina y nuevas conformaciones identitarias: Juventud Universitaria Femenina (1919-1930)

Este artículo analiza la forma en la que a los pocos años de la incorporación de las mujeres a los estudios superiores en España, se constituyó, en 1920, la Juventud Universitaria Femenina (JUF), cuyos objetivos se centraron en construir y atribuir significados a la nueva identidad de las `universitarias´.En un contexto social en el que se abrían tímidas brechas en el modelo de feminidad doméstica, la JUF dio difusión a los discursos y actuaciones de estas mujeres profesionales preparadas intelectualmente que, a partir de 1928, acrecentaron su participación socio-política, demandando también derechos femeninos igualitarios.De esta manera, mediante estructuraciones lingüísticas y nuevas prácticas y experiencia de vida, la JUF preparó a un minoritario sector de universitarias para que se constituyeran en una élite rectora del proceso emancipador, que paulatinamente se dotó de autoridad en la vida pública. Igualmente, estableció alianza con otros grupos feministas y con grupos mixtos de estudiantes para difundir el modelo de identidad que se atribuían y para consensuar reivindicaciones respecto a una ciudadanía femenina más plena, ciudadanía que se consolidarían en parte durante la II República.

Fostering employability among youth at-risk in a multi-cultural context: Insights from a pilot intervention program

Recent studies indicate that the transition from school to work is a critical juncture in shaping the professional future of youth at risk. This period may thus serve as a window of opportunities for fostering employability among these youths and, thereby, for promoting their social mobility. However, systematic evaluations of intervention programs aimed at fostering employability among at-risk adolescents—and especially in a multi-cultural context—are relatively few. The current study describes the strengths and weaknesses of a pilot, nation-wide, multi-cultural, holistic intervention program, aimed at fostering employability among at-risk adolescents before they actually enter the labor market. The program integrated efforts in three main domains: cultivating work-related skills, fostering personal and interpersonal skills, and providing a supportive personal and group climate. During the years 2011–2013, the program was operated in 40 localities in Israel and in three culturally different sectors: The Jewish-Israeli majority sector in the periphery, the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish minority sector, and the Israeli-Arab (Muslim) minority sector. The current study describes the results of an evaluation study that accompanied the implementation of the program in nine representative localities (117 adolescents, ages 14–19) during 2012.Overall, the functioning of the adolescents (as evaluated by the professional program instructors) improved in all examined work-related domains: personal-emotional functioning, work-related functioning, CV writing ability, and future education prospects. Regression analyses highlighted several factors as predictive of improvement in the different employability-related domains, most notably, having a working father, being active in group meetings, having no Internet connection at home, helping other participants in the program, and being involved in selecting the topics of a professional course. Importantly, this improvement was linked with the cultural affiliation of the participants, and participants from the different sectors indicated different factors as contributing to their advancement.The results of this evaluation study suggest that intervention programs for promoting employability among at-risk adolescents should integrate a holistic and flexible national model with adaptations by local steering committees, whose members are from the same cultural group as the participating adolescents. Such a strategy will enable each unique community to tailor the local operation of the program to the culturespecific needs of—and to maximally utilize the resources available for—the different sectors in a multi-cultural society, while establishing a dialogue and reciprocal learning in national forums. A dilemma has been identified, however, with respect to increasing the local involvement of the national committee to provide the local committees with different viewpoints.

The Invisible Employee: University Housekeeping Employees’ Perceptions of Physical Activity

A significant literature links race and socioeconomic status with physical inactivity and negative health outcomes. The aim of this study was to explore physical activity (PA) perceptions of an underserved, lower socioeconomic minority sector of the workforce. Two focus groups were conducted to examine university housekeepers' perceptions of physical activity. Demographic and anthropometric data were also obtained. Participants (N = 12; 100% female, 100% African-American) overwhelmingly associated PA with traditional exercise (eg, going to a gym). The most important barrier to PA was the perception of being active on the job, thus not needing to do leisure time PA. The most important perceived benefit to PA was improvement of physical and mental health. Employees perceived that a university investment in employees' health might improve morale, especially within low-pay employee sectors where low levels of job satisfaction may be present. Although perceived benefits to PA in this population are consistent with other employee sectors, perceived barriers to PA may be unique to this sector of the workforce. PA promotion programs should focus on providing resources as well as guidelines that demonstrate the need for PA outside of the workplace setting. Such programs may improve employee health, morale, and productivity.

Gross polluters for food shopping travel: An activity-based typology

To address the failure of sustainable transport policies to bring about significant change, researchers have proposed to ‘tame the few’, targeting the minority sectors of the population responsible for a disproportionate amount of emissions. At the same time, activity- and practice-based approaches are increasingly proposed as the way forward for transport and energy research. In this article, we develop an approach inspired by both developments, by focusing on the car- and carbon-intensive food shopping practices of the 20% of households with the longest car travel distance as recorded in the National Travel Survey of Great Britain (NTS 2002-2010) for this activity. We present a four-cluster typology of gross polluters, highlighting the crucial role of frequency and the existence of a small but growing group of low-income, older households with ‘Shopping intensive’ travel patterns. These results suggest that, while the households with the worst climate impact have a distinct socio-demographic profile, broader sections of the population are recruited into gross polluting patterns of food shopping travel. Also, while built environment policies remain key, significantly reducing transport emissions in this area requires a broader approach, taking into account the relationships between food shopping and eating practices.

Measuring disparities in access to water based on the normative content of the human right

Measuring access to water in the Sustainable Development Goals era involves taking into account the human rights framework. Therefore, its content should be considered to conceptualize the level of service through adequate indicators and to follow-up inequities reduction at global, national and local level. This research develops and tests a methodology to measure intra-community disparities based on human right to water normative criteria through a stratified sampling, splitting households served by community based organizations and those self-provided. This approach implies considering much reduced populations, thus special care needs to be taken with sample sizes and uncertainty of estimators. The proposed methodology is practical to locate and accurately characterize minority sectors within rural communities and allows moving beyond central-tendency estimators. It implies higher costs for field data collection than traditional approaches, but this can be assumed given the relevance of the approach from a human rights perspective, which calls for adequate tools for equity-oriented policy making at local level. The research point out how results might be used to shape decision-making processes.

Is It Easier for Minority Groups to Integrate in the Work Force when they are Self-Employed? A Case Study in the Israeli Labor Market

One of the main problems facing many countries today is the integration of minorities in the labor market. This problem applies in countries with a high immigrant intake and also in countries where the minorities are indigenous. Israel has a Jewish majority which manages the economy and an Arab minority which should be integrated in the labor market. One question that arises in this case study is whether the minority sector is better able to become integrated in the labor market as wage earners or as self-employed. The goal of this study is to examine this question in the context of the Israeli economy by comparing between the Arab sector and the Jewish sector. The first stage of the study compared the income of the self-employed compared to the income of wage-earners in each population group. The results at this stage showed that in the majority group, the income level of the wage-earners and the self-employed is almost the same, whereas in the minority group the income level of the self-employed is much higher than the wage-earners (a gap of 33% in favor of the self-employed). The second stage of the study examined the effect of the level of education on the decision to be self-employed in each of the population groups. To this end, we checked the self-employment rate for each level of education. The results showed that in the minority group (Arab sector) the level of education of the self-employed is higher than that of the wage-earners, whereas in the majority group (Jewish sector) the level of education of the self-employed is lower. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2015.v4n1s2p277

Las elecciones presidenciales durante la Constitución política de 1925

SUMMARY: 1) Applicable constitutional and legal norms. 2) Opportunities in which the presidential elections were held. 3) Candidates in the elections. 4)Referred applications and groups they counted on. 5) Minority sectors and candidates. 6) Electoral vices. 7) Influence of complementary parliamentary elections in some presidential elections. 8) Election results. 9) Proclamation or election by Congress. 10) The increase in the electoral population. 11) The determining circumstances, and the almost fortuitous ones, of the presidential elections. 12) Conclusions.

Why is There a Higher Rate of Self-Employed People in the Minority Sectors Than in the Majority Sector: Study Case in Israel 2011

One of the main problems facing governments today is the integration of the minority sectors into the national economy. This study examines this issue in the context of the Arab minority and the Jewish majority in Israel. An important aspect of this problem is the integration of Arabs into the Israeli workforce. The objective of this study is to investigate this problem by dividing the workforce into two sectors – wage-earning employees and the self-employed. The basis for the discussion is that an employee in the job market who, for different reasons, is unable to receive suitable remuneration that is on a par with his or her skill level will turn to the self-employed sector. Within this framework, I compared the way in which the workforce in each sector (Jewish and Arab) was divided between the self-employed sector and the wage-earning employee sector and from this distribution I sought to learn about the integration of Arabs into the Israeli workforce. in 2011 the results of this study show that within the Arab population, the self-employed sector has a relative advantage because of the weakness of the wage-earning employee sector.

Write about what you know

While much media attention has focused on the care of older people in the NHS over recent months, the care of those with health needs in minority sectors such as prisons has received little attention. We need to spare some thought and compassion for older prisoners and their health needs: they have the same right to health care as the rest of the population.

Fiscal allotment policy vis à vis minorities

This paper examines government attitudes to minorities in multinational countries. The aim is to present a procedure that empirically measures government attitude to the minority sector of the population on matters relating to fiscal allotments. The paper applies the proposed procedure to the current situation in Israel, and examines whether the Israeli Government, which is dominated by the Jewish majority, adopts a policy of affirmative action to benefit the Arab minority. The study will examine this question within the parameters of local government. The general trend evident in the results of this study shows an increase in fiscal allotments transferred to Arab sector local authorities. Furthermore, results show that in the years 2006 and 2007 there was no significant difference between Arab and Jewish local authorities in the same socio-economic characteristics and the same peripheral level.

The Efficacy Of Remedial Education Program On Houstons At Rick Youth

There is universal agreement that a good education for all our citizens is the harbinger of future personal success, a high standard of living, and a flourishing economy and improved global competitiveness. Actions that contradict that postulate must therefore be challenged, exposed and corrected. Remedial academic programs have effectively supplemented our core educational systems and elevated many minority sectors of our nation to productive contributions. A realignment of priorities influenced by political interests and budget constraints is threatening the continuity of these programs despite significant returns on investment. This paper explores the demographics of Houston’s minority education, the effectiveness of remedial initiatives on at risk youth graduation outcomes and collaborative solutions to replicate and preserve the progress achieved.

Supermarkets vs. traditional retail stores: diagnosing the barriers to supermarkets’ market share growth in an ethnic minority community

We study the state of food retail system serving an ethnic minority community. This group, Israeli Arabs, enjoys a relatively high standard of living but continues to make many food purchases in a variety of small, specialized retail food formats. In contrast, the surrounding Jewish population is mostly shopping in supermarkets. Data from a survey of consumer shopping behavior across formats of different product lines are used to identify the barriers to the advancement of the supermarket format in this minority sector. Our study shows that socioeconomic factors, found in earlier supermarket diffusion studies to be the main barrier, have no impact in this case. We identify the tendency to purchase perishable food items in traditional outlets and the geographical diffusion barrier (distance of supermarket formats) to be the main limitation on supermarkets’ market share growth. Further, we find that both these factors are influenced by underlying cultural and ethnic factors characterizing the study population.

AL-QAEDA AND WESTERN ISLAM1

The terrorism of Al-Qaeda could gravely endanger social co-existence in western countries with large Islamic communities. Al-Qaeda uses the presence of Muslims in Europe and the United States in order to hide itself, recruit new members and obtain aid. Even though the majority of the Muslims who live in the West reject terrorism, there exists proof that Al-Qaeda has managed to locate itself in minority sectors of Europe and America. The social alarm could endanger the relationships between Muslims and non-Muslims that live in the same country. It is necessary to adopt preventive measures to lessen this risk.

Reading Instruction in the Elementary School: A Proposal for Reform

ity to read with comprehension, write and think systematically and logically, and to speak with clarity in a manner that is articulate, precise and reflective of an intelligent, well educated individual. This priority should be number one. [T. H. BELL, SECRETARY OF EDUCATION] A large proportion of students in the United States have difficulty learning to read in school. Although the majority of these poor readers are members of minority and working-class sectors of the population and therefore concentrated in urban schools, the problem occurs in both rural and more affluent suburban schools.

Theoretical Perspectives on School District Decentralization

Drawing largely on data from Los Angeles, but with reference to other cities where appropriate, this paper attempts to clarify the distinctive posit.i.ans taken by advocates of community control as opposed to proponents of administrative decentralization. While community control is ek;sentially a political demand, oriented toward citizens influencing actual policy making, most decentralization plans, though responding to demands in the political arena, are primarily organizational, facilitating local .participation in the ipPlepentation of policies already decided. Though different, both approaches represent attempts to deal with the relatively low levels of achievement and high dropout rates characterizing schools in minority areas. Whereas proposals for community control regard the poor outcoges of schooling as centering on the guestion pf staff accountability, an organizational system perspective suggests that school ineffectiveness results from local administrators lackipg both adequate resources and sufficient discretion in the use of such resources as are available. It is argued here that at issue are alternative definitions of the situation, one based on the theoretical perspectives of a political system model, the other on those of an organization as an open system, responsive to environmental constraints and contingencies. (Author/LIM) LISADEPARTMeNTOPHEALTH, SCOPE OF INTEREST NOTICE. EDUCATION S. wELFARE NATIONALINSTITUTEOFThe ERIC facility has assigned EDUCATION this 7. DOC ..;.' E ', 1 ,,,,:, BEE` ;E!',,C, to: CluCED EX,C:1_,, ,S PECE.ED Rc.,. 4 3 Ti 2 F...0% CP Okr.,,N.2,. T :0,4 0..CIN .7,rtrir.', i, P03,i Ts OF ,,E4'. 3,4 0.,N,ONS InouriuclgerneM,thisaocu(mM ,,E 0 DO NO1 NIICE5S,...,v aE PPE is also of intefest to the cilaringSEN., of. ,c,,,,,. NA r:oN.,.; ,r4S771-u7E. Or houses noted to the right. I ode.E: I.:u C_ , r ,Tr,PO ..: 1 , C/N :,' PIA 'CY ing should reflect their special points of vi ew: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON SCHOOL DISTRICT DECENTRALIZATION David O'Shea Department of Education University of California Los Angeles Paper for Symposium on School District Decentralization: Annual Meeting, AERA, Chicago, Illinois, April 15-19, 1974. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS COPY. RIGHTED MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY David O'Shea, UniveTsity of Calif., L. A. TO ERIC AND ONGANIZATIONS 3PERATING UNDER AGREEMENTS WITH THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION FURTHER REPRODUCTION OUTSIDE THE ERIC SYSTEM RE. 'CD OUIRES PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT OWNER .' NOT FOR REPRODUCTION OR QUOTATION WITHOUT PERMISSION OF AUTHOR Decentralization has been one of the major developments in urban education in the past decade.1 Appearance of this type of structural change is associated with the emergence, since 1966, of demands from minority sectors of the population for community control of the public schools. While community control is an essentially political demand, oriented toward citizens influencing actual policy-making, most decentralization plans, though responding to demands in the political arena, are primarily organizational, facilitating local participation in the implementation of policies already decided. Changing the organizational structure serves to preserve the existing political structure. Though different, the political and organizational approaches to school district reform both represent attempts to deal with the same problem; the relatively low levels of achievement and high dropout rates characterizing schools in minority areas. Proposals for community control, for example, derive logically from a political definition of the achievement problem which views the poor outcomes of schooling as centering the the question of staff accountability. However, an organizational system perspective leads to*an alternative, and somewhat incompatible, conclusion. This is that the ineffectiveness of many schools in low income minority communities results from local administrators lacking both adequate resources, and sufficient discretion in the use of such resources as are available. Consequently, administrative decentralization is seen as the solution; i.e., the passing out of increased authority to local principals, rather than to parents, for decisions concerning school program, personnel, and budget. Drawing largely upon data from Los Angeles, but with reference to other cities where appropriate, this paper attempts to clarify the distinctive positions taken by advocates of community control as opposed to proponents of administrative decentralization. It is argued here that at issue are alternative definitions of the situation, one based upon the theoretical perspectives of a political systems model, the other upon those of an organization as an open system, responsive to environmental constraints and contingencies. To date, of course, the organizational perspective remains dominant, with school systems decentralizing administration rather than policy-making. Whether or not policy-making becomes decentralized, as advocates of a political analysis of the educational problem suggest, depends largely on the ability of educational organizations to meet those academic needs which have generated community control demands in minority communities.