In fragile families, fathers report doing more housework than mothers see them doing.
“He Said, She Said: Comparing Mother and Father Reports of Father Involvement”
Kelly Mikelson
The Journal of Marriage & Family, 70, p613-624
The internet is a powerful source of information—much of it in English. This explains the immigrant-native gap in internet use.
“Immigrants, English Ability and the Digital Divide”
Hiroshi Ono and Madeline Zavodny
Social Forces, 86(4), p1455-1476
Can corrruption actually make governments more efficient? It depends on the kind of corruption.
“The Integrity of Corrupt States: Graft as an Informal State Institution.”
Kenneth Darden
Politics and Society, 36(1): 35-59.
Is gambling addiction a social problem or a biological problem? Biological, if the gambling industry has their say.
“Capital ventures into biology: biosocial dynamics in the industry and science of gambling.”
Scott Vrecko
Economy and Society, 37(1): 50-67
Korean descendants of Japanese colonial subjects are still struggling to expand their rights in Japan, sixty years after the end of WWII and Japan’s empire. How has global pressure affected their success?
“Global Norms, Local Activism, and Social Movement Outcomes: Global Human Rights and Resident Koreans in Japan”
Kiyoteru Tsutsui
Social Problems, August 2008, p. 391-418
The Discoveries blog has been pretty quiet lately, but don’t worry: we’ve been rethinking how to make Discoveries work on the web & redesigning the blog to reflect this. The new Discoveries blog will be launching very soon and you can expect to see more discovered research posted more frequently!
Our Summer 2008 issue is out the door and should be in your hands soon. You can read the Summer 2008 Discoveries here!
(We’ve also made the Discoveries from our Winter 2008 issue and our Spring 2008 issue available as well.)
Article: “We Weren’t Like No Regular Dope Fiends”: Negotiating Hustler and Crackhead Identities. Social Problems, May 2008
Summary: What marks the difference between a “hustler,” the street-wise entrepreneur kings of the underworld, and the “crackhead,” the universally-reviled junkies blamed for an astonishing plethora of social ills? For those involved in the crack cocaine economy, it’s a question of central importance. To find out how these boundaries are created and maintained, Copes, Hochstetler, and Williams interviewed men convicted of violent street crimes to “explore how they distance themselves from those exhibiting distasteful symptoms of crack addiction.” They find that those attempting to be “hustlers” put great effort into constructing an identity that separates them in every way from the lesser crackheads. The findings contribute to an understanding of how offenders shape conceptions of themselves and others, as well as everyday street interactions.
Article: Discursive legacies: The U.S. peace movement and “support the troops.” Social Problems, May 2008
Summary: Supporting the troops has become ubiquitous. Gone are the contentious relations between Vietnam-era protesters and returning troops, as accusations of murder have given way to “support the troops, bring them home” bumper stickers. Coy, Woehrle, and Maney look at how peace movements have “developed an elaborated ‘discourse of betrayal’ by redefining what it means to support the troops.” By employing “proactive, anticipatory discourses,” the peace movement has attempted to side-step questions of patriotism by a redefinition of what it means to truly support the troops. The article demonstrates that movement discourses and rhetoric are simultaneously stable and flexible, and are highly influenced by contemporary politics and cultural constraints.
Article: DiMaggio, Paul and Bart Bonikowski. 2008 (April). “Make Money Surfing the Web? The Impact of Internet Use on the Earnings of U.S. Workers.” American Sociological Review 73: 227-250.
Summary: Web users earn more than those of nonusers, but it is not simply the high-tech skill or work productivity that makes it possible. Computer users have advantage when workers are connected to networks, the best earnings show among those online at work and at home, according to Paul DiMaggio and Bart Bonikowski (American Sociological Review, April 2008).
Between 2000 and 2001, U.S. workers using the Internet increased their earnings at a faster rate than those offline. The study analyzed the net use and wage effects of 9,446 American adult workers with the Current Population Survey, Bureau of Census. The earnings of web surfers grew more than those who don’t. Particularly intriguing is that those online “at work and home in both years” and “at work or home in 2000 but both locations in 2001” did even better than connected only at work.
DiMaggio and Bonikowski say some web skills and behaviors were rewarded in the labor market. Internet users may have benefited from their access to better job information or from signaling effects from using fashionable technology. Digital divide is not just an access gap. Apparently, the split creates income inequality and beyond doubt a lot more. -C.S.
