While the literature has focused on the benefits granted by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals to undocumented youths in the USA, the purpose of this paper is to focus on the…
Abstract
Purpose
While the literature has focused on the benefits granted by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals to undocumented youths in the USA, the purpose of this paper is to focus on the challenges encountered during the application process.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on 60 semi-structured interviews with Latino undocumented youths living in the New York City and northern New Jersey metropolitan area.
Findings
The policy was intended to improve the inclusion of some undocumented youths in the USA by temporarily shielding them from deportation and providing them with a social security number. Analyses indicate great variation in youths’ experiences while applying for DACA, including program knowledge, financial impact, and application assistance – some of which was alleviated by respondents’ political engagement. This paper shows that participants suffered from anxiety due to the manner of implementation of the program.
Research limitations/implications
This research is based on the self-disclosure of participants as undocumented youths. Fieldwork also took place in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, which is traditionally considered as more “immigrant-friendly” context than other areas of the USA.
Originality/value
This paper provides much needed information on the ways in which undocumented youths navigate the federal immigration system and the anxiety associated with it. This paper demonstrates the possibility that a federal policy whose goal is inclusionary could be implemented at the local level in such a way as to promote anxiety and alienation. It also highlights the role of political engagement in shaping immigrant youth’s experiences in the USA.
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This paper aims to look at the choices made by academics in terms of publishing, with an emphasis on French scholars. As “publish or perish” has become the norm in many countries…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to look at the choices made by academics in terms of publishing, with an emphasis on French scholars. As “publish or perish” has become the norm in many countries, it is necessary to investigate the relationship between publishing and scholars' actual connection with the public, and how it relates to expectations of their influence on society at large.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper relies on a case study of French academics, whose job description has recently been redefined by new regulations. University professors, who used to answer to the title of “enseignant‐chercheur” or teacher‐researcher, are now labeled “chercheur produisant” or productive researcher, with a new emphasis on quantifiable and measurable work progress.
Findings
New evaluation systems, along with the internationalization of the academic market, are forcing scholars to make difficult language and audience choices, in spite of their dependence on the government. This can jeopardize the relationship between academics and the national public by increasing the distance between the two.
Originality/value
The paper sheds light on some of the difficulties for academics to maintain a strong connection with a general audience and to remain accountable to the public.
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Bernadette Ludwig and Holly Reed
– The purpose of this paper is to examine health issues among Liberian refugees living in Staten Island and access potential barriers to accessing healthcare.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine health issues among Liberian refugees living in Staten Island and access potential barriers to accessing healthcare.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative methods including interviews (n=68) with West African immigrants, predominantly Liberian refugees, and long-term ethnography were employed to elicit West Africans’ views on health, acculturation, and access to service providers. Framework analysis was employed to analyze the data thematically.
Findings
Chronic health diseases, depression, isolation, and inadequate access to healthcare were the main concerns of the population studied. The findings are in contrast to the public health experts’ concentration on infectious diseases.
Practical implications
The barriers to access proper healthcare have implications for healthcare providers and government institutions and information about these barriers can help them to refocus their health efforts to better address the needs of West African refugees.
Originality/value
Africans are among the newest immigrants in the USA and are considerably understudied compared to other groups such as Latin Americans and Asians. Additionally, there is an abundance research about refugees’ health status when they first arrive in the USA, but there is little data on their health after their resettlement.