Indicators Of Social Integration Research Articles

Realistic Reintegration After Imprisonment. A Sequence Analysis of the Labour Market Paths of Recently Incarcerated Individuals

Abstract Instead of focusing on the transition to work as an indicator of social integration after imprisonment, this study approaches reintegration as a process. The labour market paths of Dutch men were mapped using the number and type of transitions, their duration and order in the first four post-prison years. To identify seven clusters with diverse labour market paths, a distinction was made between various active labour market statuses (in school, employed) and passive labour market statuses (regular benefits, disability benefits, no formal income, detained). Characteristic of most clusters is that individuals experienced few transitions during the follow-up and spent little time in employment or in prison. These findings raise the question whether popular definitions of successful reintegration after imprisonment are realistic and point towards alternative definitions.

Webs of science: mentor networks influence women's integration into STEM fields

Mentorship can be part of the solution to developing a more diverse global scientific workforce, but robust longitudinal evidence is limited. Developmental mentor network theory can advance our understanding of the impact of a wide range of mentors across social contexts by distinguishing between the content of mentorship support (eg career support) and the structural characteristics of an individual's mentor network (eg density of connections among mentors). We tested the influence of mentor network characteristics on longitudinal social integration into the Earth and environmental sciences, as indicated by science identity development (a key indicator of social integration) and graduate‐school applications in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)‐related fields of study, based on a sample of 233 undergraduate women at nine universities in the US. Our findings indicated that belonging to close‐knit, larger, and skill‐focused mentorship networks creates a “sticky web” of social connections, providing information and resources that increase retention of college women in the Earth and environmental sciences.

Syrians of today, Germans of tomorrow: the effect of initial placement on the political interest of Syrian refugees in Germany

Syrian nationals are not only the largest refugee group in Germany but also the third largest group of foreigners living in Germany. The naturalization trend among this group has been very pronounced in the last two years and is expected to increase sharply in the coming years. However, little is known about their political interest in German politics.1 Given the importance of “political interest” as an indicator of social integration and future active citizenship, this paper examines the extent to which Syrian refugees are interested in German politics and how local conditions at the time of arrival influence refugees' interest in German politics. We focus on three dimensions of the neighborhood context theory (social networks, economic situation, and political environment) in combination with traditional political participation theory. The empirical strategy relies on the exogenous allocation of refugees across federal states, which can be used to identify the effect of local characteristics on refugees' political interest. We use in our analysis a nationally representative sample in Germany (IAB-BAMF-SOEP-Refugee-Sample). Our findings suggest that ethnic social networks play a significant role in boosting newly arrived refugees' interest in German politics. Moreover, a higher unemployment rate among the foreign population is associated with an increase in political interest among Syrian refugees. We also confirm that a high political interest among the native population in Germany leads to a higher political interest among Syrian refugees. These results show that more attention needs to be paid to the integration of Syrian refugees and underline the need to reassess the efficiency of the distribution policy for Syrian refugees.

Gender differences in social environmental changes associated with smoking: a cross-sectional study from Chinese internal migrants

ObjectivesTo identify clues for women’s tobacco control, this study analyses the gender differences in social environmental changes associated with smoking and the interaction between the environment and individuals’ social integration.Design,...

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ СОЦІАЛЬНОЇ ІНТЕГРАЦІЇ ДІТЕЙ МОЛОДШОГО ДОШКІЛЬНОГО ВІКУ ІЗ ЗАГАЛЬНИМ НЕДОРОЗВИТКОМ МОВЛЕННЯ

The development of Ukraine and its integration into the European space have a significant impact on the educational policy and practice of our state. This especially applies to ensuring the right of children with special educational needs to study. Therefore, one of the priority directions of the development of the national education system is the search for effective ways of including children with special educational needs in the educational environment, ensuring their socialization and social integration. Insufficient attention is paid to finding effective ways to include preschool children with special educational needs in an inclusive educational environment to ensure their socialization and social integration. Taking into account the fact that the preschool education institution is the first link of education in Ukraine, within which the socialization of the child is carried out, it is important to understand the peculiarities of the social integration of the preschooler in the general educational space and to apply scientifically based, effective and age-appropriate means of social integration to ensure it. The article analyzes general and special psychological and pedagogical literature on the concept of "social integration"; the essence of the process of social integration of children of younger preschool age with general underdevelopment of speech is determined. The criteria and indicators of social integration of children of younger preschool age are substantiated, the methodology of researching the level of social integration of children of the specified age group is described, the features of social integration of children of younger preschool age with general underdevelopment of speech are outlined on the basis of a qualitative analysis of the results of a diagnostic study regarding each of the competencies of children of younger preschool age, and also compared the level of social integration of children of younger preschool age with typical development with the level of social integration of children of younger preschool age with general underdevelopment of speech.

Conceptual contours of migration studies in and from Asia

Conceptual contours of migration studies in and from Asia

Social Integration of Second Generation Students in the Italian School System

Cultural divides and prejudice complicate the processes of integration and acculturation of migrant families living in a foreign country. Evaluating the impact of such phenomenon can be crucial for social stability and policy making. In this context, the education system has a leading role in fostering and attaining social integration, in particular when it comes to younger sections of the migrant population. In this work, we propose a method for the construction of a quantitative indicator capturing social integration of second generation students in the Italian school system according to areas defined by nationality of the students and administrative region in which they attend school. The indicator, based on survey data, is estimated by means of a 2-step methodology. In the first step, we choose an individual qualitative variable capturing social integration at the unit level, and we compute a first direct estimate of the indicator as the proportion of highly integrated students in each area. Such variable is isolated following alternatively a proxy variable approach or a latent variable model approach. In the second step, we make use of two alternative small area models to improve the estimates, dealing with missing values, low sample size and high variability in smaller domains. At the end, the 2-step methodology results in 4 alternative versions of a synthetic indicator of social integration, that can be used to rank nationalities and administrative regions.

The Immigrant‐Native Gap in Union Membership: A Question of Time, Sorting, or Culture?

AbstractTrade union membership is an indicator of social integration. In this paper, we study the gap in unionization rates between immigrants and natives using high‐quality population‐wide administrative data from Norway. We document that the average unionization rate among immigrants increases strongly with time since arrival, but it never catches up fully with that of natives. Variables describing labour market sorting explain well above half of the gap, mainly because immigrants tend to be employed in firms and industries with lower levels of unionization. There are significant differences in immigrants' unionization by their country of origin, but these differences are also largely accounted for by background characteristics and labour market sorting — and they do not extend to the second generation. We conclude that existing research, which has mainly relied on survey data, has understated the importance of labour market sorting for immigrants' low unionization rates.

Insufficient Advance Care Planning? Correlates of Planning Without Personal Conversations.

Advance care planning (ACP) typically comprises formal preparations (i.e., living will and/or durable power of attorney for health care) and informal discussions with family members and health care providers. However, some people complete formal documents without discussing them with others. If they become incapacitated, their appointed decision makers may lack guidance on how to interpret or enact their formal wishes. We document the prevalence and correlates of this partial approach to ACP. Using multinomial logistic regression models and data from a U.S. sample of 4,836 older adults in the 2018 wave of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), this brief report evaluated associations between social integration indicators and the odds of completing (a) both discussions and formal plans (two-pronged ACP), (b) discussions only, (c) no ACP, and (d) formal ACP only (reference category). We adjust for demographic and health characteristics established as correlates of ACP. A minority (15%) of NHATS participants reported formal plans without having discussed them. Indicators of social isolation (e.g., smaller social networks and fewer social activities) increased the odds of engaging in formal planning only compared to two-pronged ACP. Socioeconomic disadvantage and probable dementia reduced the odds of having end-of-life conversations, whether as one's only preparation or in tandem with formal preparations. Socially isolated persons are especially likely to do formal planning only, which is considered less effective than two-pronged ACP. Health care professionals should recognize that older adults with few kin may require additional support and guidance when doing ACP.

The Austrians\u2019 expectations for the future

Building on the knowledge that Europe is currently experiencing a high level of pessimism about the future, this article seeks to explain why Austrians view their own future as well as the country’s future with either pessimism or optimism. Both “futures” are often framed differently: A personal one that still seems to be under control and a societal one, which is perceived to be uncontrollable. Thus, social unease is higher than personal unease. Using structural equation modelling and data from the “Sozialer Survey Österreich”, indicators of social integration were found to be influential predictors. Results furthermore indicate an underlying explanation, tied to perceptions of societal malaise vs societal wellbeing, driving the opinions on the future in specific directions.

Parental Gratitude and Adolescent Anomie and Hope

The contribution of parental gratitude to the adolescent’s hope is plausible in light of social integration theory but empirically unverified. According to the theory, parental gratitude facilitates an integrative social environment for the adolescent to sustain hope. The theory also suggests that the adolescent’s anomie or normlessness, as a negative indicator of social integration, is a mediator of the contribution. To verify the contributions, the present study surveyed 310 pairs of Hong Kong Chinese adolescents and their parents. In each of the pairs, the adolescent reported his or her hope and anomie, whereas the parent reported his or her gratitude. Supporting the theory, results demonstrated the contribution of parental gratitude to adolescent hope through mediation by adolescent anomie. Specifically, parental gratitude showed a negative effect on adolescent hope, which in turn displayed a negative effect on adolescent hope. The results imply the value of promoting parental gratitude particularly and social integration generally for sustaining adolescent hope.

Social integration and mental health - a decomposition approach to mental health inequalities between the foreign-born and native-born in Sweden

BackgroundThe increasing mental health inequalities between native- and foreign-born persons in Sweden is an important public health issue. Improving social integration has been stressed as a key strategy to combat this development. While a vast amount of studies have confirmed the importance of social integration for good mental health, less is known about the role of different types of social integration, and how they relate to mental health inequalities. This study aimed to examine the extent to which indicators of social integration explained mental health inequalities between the native- and foreign-born.MethodsBased on the Health on Equal Terms survey from 2011/2015 in Västra Götaland, Sweden (n = 71,643), a non-linear Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition analysis was performed comparing native- and foreign-born individuals from Nordic-, European- and non-European countries. The General Health Questionnaire was used to assess psychological distress, while 11 items assessed employment conditions and economic disparities, social relations, and experiences of discrimination to measure different aspects of social integration.ResultsDifferences in social integration explained large proportions of observed mental health differences between the native- and foreign-born. Important indicators included low levels of social activity (20%), trust in others (17%) and social support (16%), but also labour market disadvantages, such as being outside the labour market (15%), unemployment (10%) and experiencing financial strain (16%). In analyses stratified by region of origin, low trust in others and discrimination contributed to the mental health gap between the native-born and European-born (17 and 9%, respectively), and the native-born and non-European-born (19 and 10%, respectively). Precarious labour market position was a particularly important factor in the mental health gap between the native-born and Nordic-origin (22%), and non-European origin (36%) populations.ConclusionSocial integration factors play a central role in explaining the mental health inequality between natives and migrants in Sweden. Our findings suggest that public health actions targeting mental health gaps could benefit from focusing on inequalities in social and economic recourses between natives and migrants in Sweden. Areas of priority include improving migrants’ financial strain, as well as increasing trust in others and social support and opportunities for civic engagement.

Mobilitás és társadalmi integráció

Tanulmányunkban a társadalmi mobilitás és a társadalmi integráció közti kapcsolatot vizsgáljuk. A társadalmi mobilitásra a legtöbb esetben pozitív jelenségként tekintenek, Sorokin klasszikus disszociatív tézise azonban a társadalmi mobilitásnak a társadalmi integrációra gyakorolt negatív hatásait feltételezi: a mobil egyéneknek sérülnek a társas kapcsolataik és a jóllétük. Munkánk fő kérdése, hogy vajon a társadalmi mobilitás inkább pozitív vagy negatív kapcsolatban van-e az egyének társadalomba való beilleszkedésével, integráltságával. Eredményeink nem támasztják alá Sorokin feltételezését. A társadalmi integráció több indikátora szerint (pl. társadalmi részvétel, szubjektív társadalmi fontosság, családi kapcsolatokkal való elégedettség) a felfelé mobilak, valamint a magas státuszban immobilak vannak a legkedvezőbb helyzetben, ami a társadalmi mobilitással szemben a társadalmi státusz szerepére utal. Más esetekben pedig a mobil csoportok mutatói azonosak vagy olykor még jobbak is voltak, mint az immobil csoportoké. Az eredményeink tehát nem utalnak arra, hogy a társadalmi mobilitás integrációs problémákat okozna Magyarországon. Sőt, inkább abba az irányba mutatnak, hogy a fölfelé irányuló foglalkozási mobilitás a legtöbb esetben kedvező módon függ össze mind a társas kapcsolatokkal, mind a társadalmi részvétellel, mind pedig az integráltság szubjektív érzésével.

Loneliness amongst older people in Europe: a comparative study of welfare regimes.

Previous research implies that the extent of welfare state regime provision plays an important indirect role in the prevalence of loneliness in later life. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the association between quality of living conditions and level of social integration indicators and the absence of loneliness in five different welfare regimes. By incorporating welfare state regimes as a proxy for societal-level features, we expanded the micro-level model of loneliness suggesting that besides individual characteristics, welfare state characteristics are also important protective factors against loneliness. The data source was from the European Social Survey round 7, 2014, from which we analysed 11,389 individuals aged 60 and over from 20 countries. The association between quality of living conditions, level of social integration variables and the absence of loneliness was analysed using multivariate logistic regression treating the welfare regime variable as a fixed effect. Our study revealed that the absence of loneliness was strongly associated with individual characteristics of older adults, including self-rated health, household size, feeling of safety, marital status, frequency of being social, as well as number of confidants. Further, the Nordic as well as Anglo-Saxon and Continental welfare regimes performed better than the Southern and Eastern regimes when it comes to the absence of loneliness. Our findings showed that different individual resources were connected to the absence of loneliness in the welfare regimes in different ways. We conclude that older people in the Nordic regime, characterised as a more socially enabling regime, are less dependent on individual resources for loneliness compared to regimes where loneliness is to a greater extent conditioned by family and other social ties.

The Size and Heterogeneity of Egocentric Networks and Social Integration in Hungary

In this study, we examine the relationship between objective and subjective dimensions of social integration and the size and heterogeneity of an egocentric network using nationally representative databases from Hungary. We measure social integration with the level of trust and the level of public participation (objective dimension) and with individuals’ self-evaluation of whether they are integrated (subjective dimension). Our results show that while the size and heterogeneity of the egocentric network are positively associated, the proportion of relatives among strong ties correlates negatively with objective indicators of social integration. The heterogeneity of weak ties is related positively to public participation. The correlation between the size and composition of egocentric networks and subjective integration is less clear: The proportion of relatives among strong ties seems to be unrelated to the external side of perceived social integration, while it is associated positively with the internal side of subjective integration. The number of strong ties seems to be positively correlated with both sides of subjective integration. These results suggest that higher levels of social integration cannot be achieved without concentrating on more than one of the network’s dimensions. They also underline the need to pay more attention to network characteristics and social support not only regarding perceived social integration but also regarding objective indicators of social integration.

Trends in ethnic inequality in the attainment of vocational degrees: a cohort study in Germany

The present article analyzes the development of the ethnic gap—with respect to the attainment of vocational degrees—over the immigration cohorts 1960–2001 by examining how social integration indicators and general secondary school education may help to explain the trend. It was found that the gap between natives and migrants increased. Above all, the large increase in the gap over cohorts between Germans and Turks is alarming. In contrast to that the gap and its increase between the group of immigrants from Central-/Eastern-/Southeastern European countries as well as from other former recruitment countries and German natives is comparably small and can to a large extent be explained by a growing gap regarding the level of general secondary education among the newer immigration cohorts and native Germans due to educational expansion and to a growing impact of the secondary school education for the achievement of vocational education. The effect of social integration plays a smaller role compared to general secondary school education and it even decreases over immigration cohorts.

Apprentice–trainer relationship and work group integration in the first months of an apprenticeship

Social integration is an important outcome of organizational socialization. It helps adolescents after transition to their first job to adapt rapidly to the new work and organizational situation. Positive social integration, especially a positive apprentice–trainer relationship and work group integration, helps the apprentices not only to overcome the uncertainties linked to this transition, but also to gain access to the resources needed for successful socialization and learning in the organization. The social integration develops within the first months in the new organization. First, we study how two indicators of social integration, namely the apprentice–trainer relationship and work group integration, develop over time. Second, we investigate how an individual’s reliability, the perceived person–occupation fit, and organizational resources predict the level and development of the social integration within the first months in the new job. The study is based on a longitudinal sample of 199 students in transition to work; that is, from compulsory school to apprenticeship at the upper secondary level. To estimate intra-individual development across time in the apprentice–trainer relationship and work group integration, latent growth curve analysis was used. Both indicators of social integration—the apprentice–trainer relationship and work group integration—decrease over time. Pre-entry factors (a person’s reliability and person–occupation fit) predicted the level of social integration but not the development. No effect of the apprentices’ person-occupation fit and reliability could be found for the apprentice–trainer relationship. A negative effect of the person–occupation fit on work group integration was found. Organizational resources only predicted the initial level of the apprentice–trainer relationship. An individual’s reliability and a strong person–occupation fit as before organizational entry help apprentices to become better socially integrated afterwards. These findings are discussed with reference to theoretical and practical implications.

Getting There? The Effects of Functional Factors, Time and Place on the Social Integration of Migrants

A survey of 1400 migrants, including many asylum seekers and refugees, living in deprived areas in Glasgow, UK is used to test hypotheses in the literature about the effects of functional factors (educational qualifications, ability to speak English, employment), time and place upon the social integration of migrants. Three aspects are considered: trust, reliance and safety; social relations; sense of community. Overall, social integration indicators were worse for migrants than for British citizens living in the same places. Functional factors were positively associated with different aspects of social integration: higher education with more neighbourly behaviours; employment with better social relations and belonging; and English language with greater reliance on others and available social support. Time was positively associated with most social integration indicators; time in the local area more so than time in the UK. Living in a regeneration area was negatively associated with many aspects of social integration. The findings raise questions about the doubly negative effects of the use of dispersal policy for asylum seekers to regeneration areas, necessitating secondary relocation of migrants through further, forced onward migration.

Az egyéni kapcsolathálók nagysága, heterogenitása és a társadalmi integráció Magyarországon

Abstract In this paper, our aim is to describe the relevant problems and literature of the relationship between size and heterogeneity of the ego network and social integration. Moreover, as the first step of a subsequent, more detailed research, we wish to give an illustrative analysis about this relationship, using nationally representative databases from Hungary. On the one hand, we define social integration as cooperative behaviour of individuals and as solidarity between them. On the other hand, social disintegration is characterized with low levels of generalized and institutional trust, lack of solidarity and lack of norm conformity. At the individual level, integration can be defined as subjective integration, whereas disintegration is perceived as social exclusion from society. Our results show that the size and heterogeneity of the egocentric network associated positively with external (objective) indicators of social integration (participation, trust), while the correlation between these variables and subjective integration is less clear and has an opposite direction or there is no correlation at all. These results confirm that our research questions deserve further, more detailed analysis. Keywords: egocentric network, social integration, trust, participation

Intermarriage and the economic success of immigrants

Marriages between immigrants and natives (intermarriages) are often associated with economic success and interpreted as an indicator of social integration. Intermarried immigrant men are on average better educated and work in better paid jobs than nonintermarried immigrant men. In this context, native spouses could deliver valuable insights into the host country and provide business contacts. However, intermarriage may not be the driving factor of economic success but instead be its byproduct, as better education and personal characteristics could be both economically beneficial and increase the likelihood of meeting natives. Intermarriage might also be more “suspense-packed” (positively and negatively) and can thus be associated with an increase in severe stress and a higher risk of divorce.