Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Large –scale labor migration in the past two decades in China has reshaped family structure of migrants, generating numerous stay children (i.e., children who are left behind) and migrant children. Stay children and some migrant children live in nontraditional households without parental immediate care and guidance in daily life and schooling. This would have implications for their education. Drawing on the 2000 Census data, this paper explores the patterns, characteristics and determinants of school enrollment of stay, migrant, and other children (whose parents do not migrate) ages 11-14 with a rural hukou (registration). Analytical results suggest that, first, stay children have a higher likelihood of school enrollment than migrant children and other children, but such effect varies by whom the children stay with: those staying with the mother have the best education opportunity. Second, migrant children have a lower chance of enrollment, particularly so for those who migrate alone or with parents. Such findings provide little support for the current public and academic opinions within China on the education wellbeing of stay children. Since education plays an important for individual socio-economic mobility in the Chinese society, the disadvantages faced by migrant children are likely to have detrimental and long-term consequences for them in particularly and for the society in general.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The best place to start to see the presence and significance of children in relation to the law of civil wrongs is with children’s stories – stories by children, for children, and about children. Such stories are not simply meant as introduction or illustration to legal scholarship. Instead, as sources of rules and myths, both the private law of civil wrongs and children’s literary lessons mesh storytelling with law creation. Both combine reality or lived experience with fiction and the pedagogical character of narrative. This provides a rich site for exploring assumptions that can obscure the complex reality of childhood, growing up and taking on responsibility. Thus, children’s stories are located as central to appreciating and assessing the impact of children on law and, conversely, the impact of law on children. The territory of law(s) related to children, and children related to law(s) is thus mapped.

From stories we can sketch elements of a substantive framework for the study of children and the law of civil wrongs. We can then articulate a methodology or approach that combines the format of “children’s law” with the characterization and categorization of “children in law”. The two prongs of the approach are meant to be inextricably integrated. Children’s literature reflects and shapes the development, experiences and reality of children. And the development, experiences and reality of private law can be fruitfully examined in context by paying careful attention to where the children might be.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Children of incarcerated parents are often discussed as if they and their parents are a homogenous group except for differences in parents' gender and where children are living while their parents are serving time. Moreover, differences in parents' overall criminal careers are seldom taken into account when talking about children of incarcerated parents. As a consequence, interventions are being developed that do not come into play until parents are at the "deep end" of the criminal justice system and which take a "one size fits all" approach to addressing children's needs. This presentation uses data from several large-scale studies of representative samples of youth to describe: (1) differences in the needs of various subgroups of children of incarcerated parents, and (2) how differences in parents' criminal careers are related to different service needs. Data will also be presented comparing children of probationers and children of incarcerated parents that show that children of probationers are as "at risk" as children of incarcerated parents. The implications for intervention development are discussed.

Publication Type: Symposium Paper
Abstract: Do adults realize the danger of asking misinformed children yes-no questions? Study 1 confirmed that the disclosures children made during free recall in an earlier suggestibility study were more accurate than disclosures following “yes” responses to yes-no questions, which in turn were more accurate than disclosures following “no” responses. In Studies 2 and 3, adults generally believed false reports representing the first two disclosure patterns, although watching expert testimony with a videotaped example of a false report reduced trust in prompted disclosures. Results document the need to inform decision makers about the circumstances associated with unreliable narratives following yes-no questions.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: If we want to understand how successful democratic citizenship evolves, it is essential to look at the beginning of political socialization. It is argued that value orientations play an important role in these early developments. Since it can be shown that even young children hold clearly structured value orientations but differ with regard to the achieved level of support for these orientations, the paper wants to examine the determinants on the level of value orientations concerning citizenship, support for rules and norms, and gender equality at two different time points. Family is considered an important factor for value socialization processes at a young age. Thus, (direct and indirect) family influences next to “classic” background and communication variables, are analyzed with regression models in this paper. Standard determinants like gender, socioeconomic status and nationality can account for some of the variation. It can also be shown that young children’s social integration within and without the immediate family circle favour support levels. Parental value orientations display significant effects as well, although it seems that paternal and maternal influences do not act in concert in this respect.