Recent work suggests that part of the racial gap in wealth is explained by racial differences in network poverty. In this article, data from the 2007 Survey of Consumer Finances and the 2005 and 2007 Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) are used to demonstrate that middle- and upper-income blacks are more likely to provide informal financial…

Generalized trust varies across individuals and countries. Past studies on trust have demonstrated that voluntary association membership, inequality and ethnic homogeneity at country level are important. However, those studies examined either individual-level or country-level factors separately. In this paper, we conceptualized the emergence of…

Religious individuals commonly make sizable monetary sacrifices by contributing to their congregations. This social action resides in the overlap of religious and economic realms of behavior, creating a certain tension. Following a Weberian approach to social inquiry, I treat religious giving as social action whereby individuals direct their…

One of the defining characteristics of the late 20th and early 21st centuries is the increasing importance of international migration, an epoch Castles and Miller term the "age of migration." The precise size of the international migrant population is unknown. Much of this movement--such as unauthorized and other irregular flows--is not…

This paper presents a large-scale, comprehensive test of generalized trust across 31 nations. I pay particular attention to the theory and measurement of voluntary associations in promoting trust, hypothesizing that voluntary associations connected to other voluntary associations are more beneficial for the creation of generalized trust than…

Draws on survey data, interviews, and the literature to analyze features of Pacific Islander American multiethnic identity. This identity is situational; individuals commonly simplify their ethnicity in practical living; and multiethnic and single-ancestry persons are admitted to group membership on similar bases (ancestry, family, practice, and…

Survey of 2,362 members of the International Association of Women found that most members came from the traditional business-oriented upper middle class and politically moderate upper class. Members saw child welfare and health, education, substance abuse, adolescent issues, economic well-being, and environment as most important issues, but…

A survey of 1,050 individuals in 10 Nebraska towns explored the influence of transitions to marriage and parenthood on the joining and leaving rates of three types of voluntary associations: church-related groups, job-related organizations, and youth groups. The effects of life cycle transitions on joining and leaving rates differed by gender and…

This article addresses social movement framing, generally, and within contemporary animal rights movements specifically by conducting focus group analyses of a non-activist population. This contrasts with previous studies of recruitment that have examined the conversion process retroactively, culling data from those already involved in a cause. By…

The finding that mobility significantly affects expected completed family size among this sample of Mexican Americans provides evidence that membership in minority groups may be a factor mediating the relationship between mobility and fertility. (Author)

Chinese survey data indicates that Communist party membership in all post-1949 periods was predicted by measures of political screening and was positively associated with mobility into positions of political and managerial authority. Education predicted Communist party membership after 1978, suggesting that China has shifted to recruiting among…

This article further specifies the relationship between church-based resources, group identification and political activism among black Americans. Previous research indicates that political communication within churches and activism within the church serve to motivate political participation. Our research suggests that, net of relevant controls,…