For more details, please read the Leitner news at http://www.leitnercenter.org/news/99/

The Urban Institute provides high-quality research on economic and social policy, addressing topics such as education, employment, crime, and governance. This clutch of documents looks at the transformation of the Chicago Housing Authority and the provision of public housing in the city. The five briefs “describe key successes and challenges faced by CHA and its residents.” Titles address topics like “How Chicago’s Public Housing Transformation Can Inform Federal Policy?” and “Chronic Violence: Beyond the Developments.” Along with these insightful documents, you can also look over the Previous Briefs area. Here you will find “The Health Crisis for CHA Families,” “CHA After Wells-Where are the Residents Now?” and a dozen other briefs.

[Source: Scout Report, Volume 19, Number 17, April 26, 2013]

OECD Working Papers Series
The mantra of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is “Better Policies for Better Lives.” OECD’s work spans the world and features a team of economists, sociologists, and others working on problems as diverse as higher education, access to clean water, and energy policy. The OECD Working Papers Series spans 19 crucial areas, including agriculture, development, environment, finance, and health care. You should definitely check out the Tourism papers, as they include the compelling work “Green Innovation in Tourism Services.” The Local Economic and Employment (LEED) papers are quite good as well, covering timely topics like urban governance and regional policy decision making. You can sign up to receive updates about new papers as they are released to the site.

[Source: Scout Report, Volume 19, Number 18, May 3, 2013]

After months of negotiations, a bipartisan group of US senators informally called the “Gang of Eight” in mid-April introduced long-awaited legislation for sweeping reform of the US immigration system. This article provides a summary of the Senate bill’s provisions and outlines the main critiques and obstacles ahead, including a tight legislative calendar, a difficult political dynamic in the House of Representatives, and an early stumbling block precipitated by the Boston Marathon bombing.

[Source: Migration Information Source]

1. Persistent poverty and children’s development in the early years of childhood - Policy & Politics

HKUL users can continue to access Policy & Politics.

2. Evidence, policy and pragmatics: a case study on the development of a national research and data strategy on children’s lives and the role of knowledge exchange - Evidence & Policy

HKUL users can continue to access Evidence & Policy.

3. Poor and dissatisfied? Income poverty, poverty transitions and life satisfaction in Chile - Journal of Poverty & Social Justice

HKUL users can continue to access Journal of Poverty & Social Justice.

4. Building better neighbourhoods? Insights into the contributions of local faith-based organisations - Voluntary Sector Review
5. Still a woman’s job: the division of housework in couples living with dementia - Families, Relationships & Societies

[Source: The Policy Press]

[Source: Migration Information Source]

Released in March 2013, this report from the Brookings Institution’s African Growth Initiative provides compelling information on why the African continent should be a public policy priority for the United States. The report is divided into five short sections, including “China in Africa: Implications for U.S. Competition and Diplomacy,” “Transforming the U.S.-African Commercial Relationship,” and “Advancing Peace and Security in Africa.” It’s a timely work that sets out a cogent argument and will be of particular interest to public policy scholars, journalists, and others interested in global politics.

[Source: Scout Report, Volume 19, Number 15, April 12, 2013]

The effective visual representation of key demographic data through the use of dynamic maps is a powerful tool for policymakers, journalists, and others. The World Bank developed such a program in 2010 as part of the Mapping for Results website. So far, their team has analyzed over 2,500 World Bank-financed projects and geo-coded more than 30,000 locations spanning 144 countries. Visitors can look over the featured articles on the homepage to get a flavor of the projects here, which include stories like “Mapping for Results Goes Local” and “Mapping the Financial Sector in Africa.” Visitors can use the interactive map to view projects by country or indicator, which include population density, malnutrition, and infant mortality. Visitors can also learn about the Methodology deployed throughout the maps, which will be useful to those persons looking to understand the inner workings of this complex underta king. Visitors can sign up to receive updates about the site via Twitter or RSS feed.

Based at the Office for International Affairs at The Ohio State University, the Mershon Center for International Security Studies “fosters interdisciplinary faculty and student research on national security in a global context.” On the homepage, visitors can learn about their upcoming events, read their biennial report, and also check out their newsletter. In the Publications area, visitors can read thoughtful publications like “Terrorism Since 9/11: The American Cases,” back issues of the Center’s formal reports, and the “Mershon Memo.” The Areas of Expertise section includes information about their key areas of interest, which include the use of force and diplomacy and institutions that manage violent conflict. The site also includes the News area, which features updates about their research, media appearances, and forthcoming publications.

[Source: Scout Report, Volume 19, Number 14, April 5, 2013] ]]> http://obelix.lib.hku.hk/cdblog/?feed=rss2&p=14899 http://obelix.lib.hku.hk/cdblog/?p=14868 http://obelix.lib.hku.hk/cdblog/?p=14868#comments Fri, 05 Apr 2013 07:11:05 +0000 Social Sciences Faculty Librarian http://obelix.lib.hku.hk/cdblog/?p=14868 Feature
Health Outcomes of Mexican Immigrant Women in the United States
According to the National Population Council of Mexico, only 15 percent of Mexican immigrant women in the United States were enrolled in public health programs in 2012. Much of what is known about the Mexican immigrant population’s access to health care in the United States is based on combined data for both sexes. However, in terms of health, women have different experiences and needs, and it is therefore important to deepen knowledge of health determinants, access to and use of health services, and health status of this group in particular. This article provides a comparative analysis of health outcomes of Mexican immigrant women in the United States, assessing the results against what is known as the immigrant paradox — the idea that these women enjoy a better state of health overall than might be expected, given their socioeconomic status and very limited health insurance coverage.

Country Profile
Guatemalan Migration in Times of Civil War and Post-War Challenges
Since 1990, the number of Central American immigrants in the United States has nearly tripled. This immigrant population grew faster than any other region-of-origin population from Latin America between 2000 and 2010. This article focuses on a wide range of characteristics of Central American immigrants residing in the United States, including the population’s size, geographic distribution, admission categories, and demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.

Going to the Back of the Line: A Primer on Lines, Visa Categories, and Wait Times - By Claire Bergeron
Contrary to popular belief, there is not one “line” that leads to lawful permanent residence; current immigration law provides multiple paths to permanent residency. This brief, the first in a new series of issue briefs related to the ongoing comprehensive immigration reform debate, examines who is in the “line,” what are the various visa categories involved in family- and employment-based immigration, wait times, countries most affected by the backlogs, and more. The brief, and MPI’s extensive research and data offerings that are directly on point to the current debate, can be found at a new online resource.

[Source: Migration Information Source]