- Professor of Sociology
University of British Columbiaedit
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Approaches to state provision of childcare have typically focused on the relative weight of state or market provision. In this article we follow a new institutional approach to the relationship between states and markets to examine the au... more
Approaches to state provision of childcare have typically focused on the relative weight of state or market provision. In this article we follow a new institutional approach to the relationship between states and markets to examine the au pair industry, emphasising the role of states in the creation of markets for childcare. Research on the market provision of childcare has focused on the ambiguity in defining caring as work, which has led to the low value of care work. In this article we propose that those ambiguities also exist at the state level and impact the creation of the market for foreign childcare. Examining the development of au pair policies in the US, UK, and Australia, we find three strategies that involve defining au pairs not as employees, but rather as foreign visitors, exchange students, or family members. These strategies allow for by passing restrictions on immigration, increasing the supply of care providers, and circumventing compliance with labour regulations, thereby reducing the cost to families.
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How do newcomers make cross-ethnic connections and friendships? This article investigates the role of associations as a location for making cross-ethnic friendships. Cosmopolitan social infrastructure includes public spaces, commercial... more
How do newcomers make cross-ethnic connections and friendships? This article investigates the role of associations as a location for making cross-ethnic friendships. Cosmopolitan social infrastructure includes public spaces, commercial establishments, and community organizations that attract a diversity of people into interaction. I look specifically at the importance of participation in cosmopolitan associations for cross-ethnic friendship. I approach these questions with an analysis of a nationally representative sample of Canadians collected as part of the Ethnic Diversity Survey. I find that participation in cosmopolitan associations is associated with having cross-ethnic friendship groups. To address the robustness of these findings, I use techniques from both longitudinal and treatment effects analysis. The findings suggest that cosmopolitan social infrastructure contributes to participants’ having cross-ethnic friendship groups.
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:With changes in the source of origin of immigrants, a new cohort of new generation youth from visible minority immigrant families has begun to be established and become the key replacement of the aging Canadian labour force. Based on... more
:With changes in the source of origin of immigrants, a new cohort of new generation youth from visible minority immigrant families has begun to be established and become the key replacement of the aging Canadian labour force. Based on existing research, being young, being visible, and coming from an immigrant family are possible disadvantages in the labour market. Research on
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ABSTRACT Over half of all migrants to Canada are under 29 years of age and one quarter arrive as refugees. Studies on occupational achievements and labour market status have been largely ignored in favour of studies on adult migrants... more
ABSTRACT Over half of all migrants to Canada are under 29 years of age and one quarter arrive as refugees. Studies on occupational achievements and labour market status have been largely ignored in favour of studies on adult migrants rather than on youth. This paper uses data collected from two sources: a national study of newly-arrived newcomer youth living in Toronto, Hamilton, Winnipeg and Vancouver using qualitative interviews, and a quantitative analysis of the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC). The focus of this paper is to use these datasets to better understand the high school trajectory of recently arrived newcomer youth and compare their experiences. We are particularly interested in the influence of education attained in Canada compared to education attained outside of Canada and the differences, if any, in labour market outcomes. The findings reveal distinctly slower trajectories through high school among those arriving as refugees, those lacking English or French language instruction prior to arrival, and issues with grade placement. These are identified as significant barriers to entering post-secondary education and to subsequent labour market success. Résumé: Parmi les immigrants au Canada, plus de la moitié ont moins de 29 ans et un quart sont des réfugiés. Les études sur ce qu’ils ont réalisé sur le plan professionnel et sur leur statut dans le marché du travail ont été largement laissées pour compte en faveur de celles portant sur les émigrés adultes plutôt que sur les jeunes. Cet article s’appuie sur une collecte de données provenant de deux sources : une étude nationale sur les jeunes nouveaux arrivants qui vivent à Toronto, Hamilton, Winnipeg et Vancouver et reposant sur des entrevues qualitatives, et une analyse quantitative de l’Enquête longitudinale sur les immigrants au Canada (ELIC). Notre objectif est de se servir de ces données pour mieux comprendre la trajectoire scolaire au niveau secondaire de jeunes récemment arrivés et de comparer leurs expériences. Nous nous intéressons particulièrement à l’influence de l’éducation acquise au Canada par rapport à celle reçue à l’étranger et les différences, s’il y en a, pour les possibilités d’emploi. Ce qui se révèle nettement, c’est une scolarité secondaire à un rythme plus lent parmi les réfugiés et ceux qui n’ont pas eu d’enseignement en anglais ou en français avant de venir ici, et des problèmes de niveau scolaire. Ce sont là des obstacles significatifs pour le passage au niveau post-secondaire et pour des chances de succès sur le marché du travail.
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A comparison of the strategies of northwest Atlantic sea urchin industry entrepreneurs who come from inshore fishing communities with the strategies of those from outside communities sheds light on the importance of community embeddedness... more
A comparison of the strategies of northwest Atlantic sea urchin industry entrepreneurs who come from inshore fishing communities with the strategies of those from outside communities sheds light on the importance of community embeddedness in entrepreneurial processes.First, a discussion of embeddedness and entrepreneurship is offered.Next, data collected during a 1996-1998 study are presented.The study incorporated existing quantitative data, archival research, direct fieldwork in communities along the coast of New England, and in-depth interviews with local industry participants. The purpose of the study was to examine the role of community embeddedness in the establishment of ties to the Japanese market, as well as the importance of community embeddedness in entrepreneurs’ attempts to recruit labor and to obtain a sea urchin supply large enough to meet customers' demands.Findings suggest that the community entrepreneurs approached new sea urchin market opportunities from their embedded position.They drew on social resources, the trust that comes with being a recognized member of the local community, and the conventions of doing business in the inshore fishing industries. Entrepreneurs from outside the local fishing communities, on the other hand, consistently negotiated with community as they attempted to overcome the locals' distrust and to secure a supply of sea urchins.Unable to draw upon existing business conventions in the inshore fisheries, they developed new strategies for organizing production and created organizational arrangements that now dominate the industry. (SAA)
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With ethno-culturally diverse immigrants arriving in constantly increasing numbers, connecting newcomers to residents in the local community is a growing challenge. Settlement houses have traditionally been the “machinery of connection”... more
With ethno-culturally diverse immigrants arriving in constantly increasing numbers, connecting newcomers to residents in the local community is a growing challenge. Settlement houses have traditionally been the “machinery of connection” that bridges such diverse groups. This article reports the results of a study on settlement houses in an urban center located in western Canada. The results show that by embracing
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... 10 MBC: Social Capital and Labour Market Processes capital links one social group to external assets and information through social ... These include jobs in fast food restaurants and retail sales as well as ... wages and stuff like... more
... 10 MBC: Social Capital and Labour Market Processes capital links one social group to external assets and information through social ... These include jobs in fast food restaurants and retail sales as well as ... wages and stuff like that so I don't like them introducing me to Chinese ...
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... Peer groups, particularly among young people, have a significant influence on educational and occupational attainment according to these and other researchers (see Ibarra 1995). Seeking Formal Help: Experience with Service Agencies ...
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Accessibility to public resources has been a major challenge to many service users. The fragmentation among different organizational stakeholders in social service generates a ‘wicked problem’ that...
Research Interests: Business and Social Work
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Caroline Mniszak, Carrie Yodanis, and Sean Lauer on a Korean coordinating trend and a cross-cultural desire to express interdependence
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In 1986 the northwest Atlantic sea urchin was little more than a nuisance to local fishermen. Six years later, sea urchins were the second most valuable fishery in Maine, next the lobsters. This paper examines the initiation and early... more
In 1986 the northwest Atlantic sea urchin was little more than a nuisance to local fishermen. Six years later, sea urchins were the second most valuable fishery in Maine, next the lobsters. This paper examines the initiation and early development of the northwest Atlantic sea urchin industry. The industry is unique because of its quick growth and its reliance on international markets. On the basis of ethnographic research, I examine the ability of firms already working in inshore fisheries to adapt to the introduction of international markets for a new product. Institutional arrangements of the working waterfront facilitate these adaptations through technological and social flexibility. In addition, flexible adaptation to the sea urchin market was not inhibited by existing formal or informal institutions. This analysis of the sea urchin industry and the working waterfront contributes to current discussions about small-firm networks and the economic sociology of industries.
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The impact of economic changes on communities is not a new subject for rural sociology. However, a growing literature examines the impact of communal relations on economic action and organization. This paper contributes to this literature... more
The impact of economic changes on communities is not a new subject for rural sociology. However, a growing literature examines the impact of communal relations on economic action and organization. This paper contributes to this literature with an examination of entrepreneur-ship in an emergent resource industry—the northwest Atlantic sea urchin industry. Based on fieldwork conducted from July 1996 to April 1998, the analysis finds two different types of entrepreneurs emerge: those embedded in local fishing communities and those from outside those communities. Although they share similar challenges, entrepreneurs' differing relationships with the local community lead to diverse strategies, which have important implications for the development of new industries.
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Research on the long-term, informal exchange strategies of harvesters and dealers working in inshore fisheries has been important to theory surrounding economic exchange. In transaction costs economics, this research provides evidence for... more
Research on the long-term, informal exchange strategies of harvesters and dealers working in inshore fisheries has been important to theory surrounding economic exchange. In transaction costs economics, this research provides evidence for economic exchange governed by trust, and in exchange theory, it provides evidence for the emergence of cooperation and trust. In this article I examine the emergence of economic exchange relationships in the new sea urchin fishery. The research is ethnographic in nature, utilizing a variety of data sources including participant observation, in-depth interviews, and existing quantitative data. I find that, just as experience or improved efficiency can have an impact on the emergence of trust between exchange partners, potential exchange partners can be deemed untrustworthy based on general characteristics unrelated to the particular individual. Once established, these assessments become part of the strategic context of exchange in the fishery.
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Approaches to state provision of childcare have typically focused on the relative weight of state or market provision. In this article we follow a new institutional approach to the relationship between states and markets to examine the au... more
Approaches to state provision of childcare have typically focused on the relative weight of state or market provision. In this article we follow a new institutional approach to the relationship between states and markets to examine the au pair industry, emphasising the role of states in the creation of markets for childcare. Research on the market provision of childcare has focused on the ambiguity in defining caring as work, which has led to the low value of care work. In this article we propose that those ambiguities also exist at the state level and impact the creation of the market for foreign childcare. Examining the development of au pair policies in the US, UK, and Australia, we find three strategies that involve defining au pairs not as employees, but rather as foreign visitors, exchange students, or family members. These strategies allow for by passing restrictions on immigration, increasing the supply of care providers, and circumventing compliance with labour regulations, thereby reducing the cost to families.
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... SEAN R. LAUER CARRIE L. YODANIS University of British Columbia University of British Columbia ... Editor's note: The reviewers were, in alphabetical order, Alisa Potter, Margaret San-difer, and Diane Wysocki. Teaching Sociology,... more
... SEAN R. LAUER CARRIE L. YODANIS University of British Columbia University of British Columbia ... Editor's note: The reviewers were, in alphabetical order, Alisa Potter, Margaret San-difer, and Diane Wysocki. Teaching Sociology, Vol. 32, 2004 (July:304-313) 304 Page 2. ...