Noah Lewin-Epstein

Validation of the 36-item short-form Health Survey (Hebrew version) in the adult population of Israel.

OBJECTIVES In the past few years, the SF-36 Health Survey has drawn considerable attention from researchers in non-English-speaking countries. This report contributes to the growing body of literature on this instrument by reporting the results of a national study conducted in Israel. The study examined the psychometric properties of the Hebrew translation based on a sample of the adult population of Israel and evaluated the results from a cross-national perspective. METHODS The sample included 2,030 adults drawn from the Jewish population, aged 45 to 75 years. The SF-36 Health Survey was administered in face-to-face interviews as part of a broader health study. RESULTS The pattern of correlations among items and the internal consistency scores pointed to high reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis using the Amos 3.61 program supported the hypothesized factorial structure. Specifically, the items clustered around eight health dimensions, as was found in studies in other societies. Clear and statistically significant differences in the SF-36 Health Survey scores were found among age groups and population groups distinguished by the degree of chronic health problems. CONCLUSIONS Results of the analysis indicate that the instrument provided an appropriate measure of general health status. The findings clearly indicate that the translation into the Hebrew language and the application of the instrument to a culturally heterogeneous population did not diminish the qualities of the instrument. They also point to certain items that might be modified to reduce problems of synonimity and embeddedness.

Sheltered Labor Markets, Public Sector Employment, and Socioeconomic Returns to Education of Arabs in Israel

This study expands the theoretical discussion of ethnic economies by focusing on public sector employment and the role the state plays in affecting the socioeconomic fortunes of ethnic minorities. The authors argue that under certain circumstances public sector employment helps ethnic minorities attain higher socioeconomic rewards. The findings of the study indicate that Arab employees in Israel receive higher returns to education in the ethnic labor market, compared with the dominant market, and in the public sector rather than the private sector. The latter result also holds true when Arab workers are compared to Jews, revealing the benefits derived from the sheltered labor market.

Determinants of regular source of health care in Black, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and non-Hispanic White populations.

Although access to health services has improved considerably in the past two decades, there is growing concern about the locus of health care for the poor and ethnic minorities. In urban areas, in particular, the use of hospital outpatient departments and emergency rooms by the indigent has been increasing. This article examines the determinants of regular source of care and illuminates the ethnicity-poverty-health care nexus. The data set analyzed includes blacks, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and non-Hispanic whites residing in poverty areas in Chicago, IL. Multinomial logit analysis is used to estimate the likelihood of having a particular kind of regular source of care. The findings demonstrated considerable ethnic group differences. In particular, blacks tend to utilize hospital facilities as a result of past constraints and their current dependence on public insurance programs. Mexicans are the least likely to have a regular source of care due to social and cultural barriers such as language, migration status, and low community participation. The implications of social isolation associated with poverty are also examined and discussed.

Women's Part-Time Employment and Gender Inequality in the Family

This article examines the effects of full- and part-time employment of women on various aspects of a households arrangements. It argues that only full-time employment represents a significant transformation in womens roles, thus providing the bargaining resources that allow them to affect the households arrangements. The authors see part-time involvement in market work as a way to maintain, rather than change, the traditional division of labor. Based on data collected in the fall of 1994 from a representative sample of the Israeli Jewish population, the authors find that although full-time employment contributes to gender equality within the household, part-time employment does not. Husbands of fully employed wives are more likely to participate in housework chores that are female-dominated, and full-time employed women are more likely than part-time employed or housewives to take part in the households financial and expenditure responsibilities. Part-time workers gain no advantage over housewives within their families.

Institutional Structure and Immigrant Integration: A Comparative Study of Immigrants' Labor Market Attainment in Canada and Israel

The present study focuses on the incorporation of immigrants from the former Soviet Union in two receiving societies, Israel and Canada, during the first half of the 1990s. Both countries conducted national censuses in 1995 (Israel) and 1996 (Canada), making it possible to identify a large enough sample of immigrants and provide information on their demographic characteristics and their labor market activity. While both Canada and Israel are immigrant societies, their institutional contexts of immigrant reception differ considerably. Israel maintains no economic selection of the Jewish immigrants and provides substantial support for newcomers, who are viewed as a returning Diaspora. Canada employs multiple criteria for selecting immigrants, and the immigrants’ social and economic incorporation is patterned primarily by market forces. The analysis first examines the characteristics of immigrants who arrived in the two countries and evaluates the extent of selectivity. Consistent with our hypotheses, Russian immigrants to Canada were more immediately suitable for the labor market, but experienced greater difficulty finding and maintaining employment. Nevertheless, immigrants to Canada attained higher-status occupations and higher earnings than their compatriots in Israel did, although the Israeli labor market was more likely to reward their investments in education.

Ethnic Group Mobility in the Israeli Labor Market

In the present study we address the issue of ethnic-group occupational mobility. Utilizing data on the Israeli labor force for the years 1969 and 1982 we examine changes in the occupational distribution of four distinct groups: Jews of European/American origin, Jews of AsianlAfrican origin, Israeli Arabs, and non-citizen Arabs from the West Bank and the Gaza District. Longlinear analysis is employed to distinguish between structural and compositional sources of group mobility. Our findings indicate that changes in the ethnicity-occupation relationship that took place over time were more strongly related to structural shifts than to compositional changes in the laborforce. Analysis at the occupational level revealed considerable variation in ethnic mobility within and outside of occupations. Specifically, superordinate groups benefitted more from the structural and compositional changes than did other groups. While occupational differentiation between Asian/African Jews and European/American Jews did not change, differentiation between Jews and Arabs increased. These findings are discussed in light of sociological theories of mobility and ethnic organization of the labor market.

The Impact of Parental Transfers on Living Standards of Married Children

The paper focuses on the effect of various forms of parental assistance (i.e.financial support to meet living expenses, purchase of housing, fundingeducation) on living standards (i.e., possession of material goods). Analysisof the data from the Israeli sample reveals a considerable variation amongfamilies with regard to parental support. The data demonstrate that supportis more prevalent among families of high socioeconomic origin (and ofsmaller size) than among families of low socioeconomic origin. Parentalsupport, in turn, significantly affects current standard of living (i.e.number of household goods in possession of the family). That is, familiesthat have benefited from extensive support are more likely to maintainhigher living standards net of social resources and labor market outcomes.The effect of support for education is mediated via labor market outcomes,whereas the impact of support toward purchase of home is direct and netof labor market rewards. The findings revealed by the analysis suggest,rather strongly, that parental transfers not only reproduce but mayactually increase economic inequality across generations. The meaning offindings are discussed in light of theories of social stratification andinequality.

Distributive Justice and Attitudes Toward the Welfare State 1

Current debates concerning the viability of the welfare state evoke the question of the social bases of support of the welfare state. Past research has documented fairly consistent relationships between sociodemographic characteristics and attitudes toward welfare policies. Yet, the nature of these relationships is not well understood. In the paper we argue that the level of support for the welfare state is largely determined by the principles of distributive justice espoused by individuals as well as their images of society. We develop a theoretical framework, which outlines the structural relationship between social attributes, principles of justice, perceived conflict, and support for the welfare state. Using data from a recent population survey on the legitimation of inequality, conducted in Israel in 1999 (N = 1057), we test a number of hypotheses. For the empirical analysis we use structural equation modeling with multiple indicators. Our findings reveal substantial support for policies aimed at reducing inequality. At the same time we find strong support for rewards according to merit and unequal earnings distribution. The impact of social attributes on attitudes toward the welfare state is partially mediated by the justice principles and images of society.

Wealth Inequality: Ethnic Disparities in Israeli Society

This reserach examines wealth distribution across ethnic groups in Israel and evaluates the role of labor market rewards and intergenerational transfers in producing ethnic disparities. Israel SHARE data from 2005-2006 are used in the analyses. The findings reveal considerable ethnic disparities in wealth. Wealth disparities are most pronounced when Israeli-born Jews are compared with Arabs and with immigrants from the Former Soviet Union. Further analysis suggests that wealth buildup in Israel is influenced by two major sources: income flows and inheritance. The differential impact of the two sources on wealth disparities can be best understood when considering the unique position of each ethnic group in Israeli society.

Where wealth matters more for health: The wealth–health gradient in 16 countries

Researchers have long demonstrated that persons of high economic status are likely to be healthier than persons of low socioeconomic standing. Cross-national studies have also demonstrated that health of the population tends to increase with countrys level of economic development and to decline with level of economic inequality. The present research utilizes data for 16 national samples (of populations fifty years of age and over) to examine whether the relationship between wealth and health at the individual-level is systematically associated with countrys level of economic development and countrys level of income inequality. The analysis reveals that in all countries rich persons tend to be healthier than poor persons. Furthermore, in all countries the positive association between wealth and health holds even after controlling for socio-demographic attributes and household income. Hierarchical regression analysis leads to two major conclusions: first, countrys economic resources increase average health of the population but do not weaken the tie between wealth and health; second, a more equal distribution of economic resources (greater egalitarianism) does not raise health levels of the population but weakens the tie between wealth and health. The latter findings can be mostly attributed to the uniqueness of the US case. The findings and their significance are discussed in light of previous research and theory.