Are all immigrants in the United States willing and able to integrate successfully within a liberal democratic polity? This research question guides the three papers included in the present dissertation. To explore this question I designed and implemented a multi-city survey in the United States (the American Cities Survey) which contains representative immigrant, black, white, Latino and Asian samples drawn independently for each locality. Based on the findings of the American Cities Survey, which include multiple attitudinal, cultural background and political behavior measures at the individual level, along with socioeconomic and demographic measures in six distinct local institutional environments, I argue that all voting eligible immigrants and immigrant communities-regardless of their native origin and their ancestral religious affiliation-- are willing and able to integrate politically so long as political institutions and contexts (especially local ones) provide them with the same exposure to the political system and institutions, and opportunities to participate in politics as the ones provided to all other citizens. I thereby challenge both the academic and popular perceptions that certain immigrant groups have anti-democratic and anti-liberal attitudes due to their shared cultural characteristics (i.e. religious affiliation or political socialization in a non-democratic polity) that persist even after migrating to a liberal democratic polity and are passed on to the second generation. I discover that the notion that Latinos vote less than similarly situated blacks and whites has persisted overtime for two reasons: first, simply because a greater proportion of Latinos have settled in localities where institutions tend to inhibit political competition and depress turnout, biasing representative national samples; second, because the smallest geographical unit one can study with existing survey and Census (CPS) data does not allow for exploration of political behavior at the individual level beyond the state. This is problematic for studying groups like Latinos, because 50 percent of their population is concentrated in three states and less than ten cities. I find that the results found at the national level are not replicable at the local level and Latino political participation varies by city. In localities where institutions provide incentives for political party competition the probability of a citizen of Latino origin voting is equal to that of blacks and whites of similar age, income and education. In other words, the evidence presented here suggests that the correlation found at the national level between Latino immigrant group membership and apolitical attitudes and behavior is of a contingent, perhaps even spurious nature, artifice of geographical concentration of members of this group in local institutional environments that depress political activity. The theoretical framework and findings of this dissertation reveal that immigrant political attitudes and behavior towards the host country's political system is shaped mostly by individual experiences with this system, and not by prior or inherited cultural or religious beliefs from their (or their ancestor's) country of origin.

This work is an attempt to outline prospects of theoretically and practically justified refugees' integration in its initial levels through orientation and education programmes using previous and present positive experience, but also taking into consideration the letter of International Law and Human Rights, moral and ethical perspective, so direct and prospective benefits for all the parties concerned, i.e. the EU, nation-states, communities, citizens, newcomers. The main focus is on multifaceted Orientation, Education, and Training Programmes (OETPs) that are presented as one of the most significant tools of social and structural integration into state's and public spheres. Presence of OETPs is being traced in theoretical framework, political discourse, and practical implementation of integration policies at different levels of the EU realm. There is a stress made on policy design, implementation, and evaluation provided by national governments and local authorities so role of civic sector, activities of UNHCR, and community level enterprises. .

O presente estudo insere-se no contexto das discussões acerca das transformações em curso no chamado capitalismo em rede e, para tanto, toma como objeto de análise as vivências de trabalho dos executivos do setor de Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TICs). A escolha destes profissionais baseia-se na compreensão de que eles encarnam de forma paradigmática o quadro normativo que vem sendo produzido e difundido na esfera do trabalho e que passa a caracterizar a atual fase de desenvolvimento do capitalismo. Assim, propomo-nos a refletir a respeito da possibilidade deste trabalho - fundado sobre o princípio normativo do individualismo, instrumentalizado sob a forma de realização si - manter-se como principal matriz de integração social nas sociedades contemporâneas. Questionamo-nos sobre como este trabalho pode representar, também, uma forma de contribuição social de natureza moral, em termos de produção e difusão de princípios, valores, normas e práticas que vinculem os indivíduos entre si e ao conjunto da sociedade. Para tanto, foram realizadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas com executivos do referido setor. Os achados obtidos apontam para a constituição de uma “nova” moral baseada nas noções de realização de si e de eficiência, cujas conseqüências em termos de integração social serão aqui problematizadas. / This work gets in the context of discussions about the transformations occurring in the so-called network capitalism and, therefore, takes as its analysis object the experiences of executives working in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The choice of these professionals is based on the understanding that they embody the paradigmatic form the framework that has been produced and circulated within the sphere of work and that came to characterize the current phase of capitalist development. Thus, we propose a reflection on the possibility of this work - based on the principle of normative individualism, manifested in the form of self realization in order – to maintain itself as the main matrix of social integration in contemporary societies. We question how this kind of labor may represent also a form of social contribution of a moral nature, in terms of production and dissemination of principles, values, norms and practices that bind together individuals and society as a whole. For this meaning, we conducted semi-structured interviews with executives of that sector. The findings obtained lead us the formation of a "new" moral based on notions of moral self-realization and efficiency, wich the consequences in terms of social integration will be problematized here.

<p>Idrottsämnet som en möjlig väg till integration har under de senaste tre decennierna fått allt mer uppmärksamhet i forskarvärlden. Forskare har hävdat att integrering, både in i skolans och samhällets struktur, har stora möjligheter att ske genom användandet av idrott som ett internationellt och kulturöverskridande språk. Emellertid har dessa slutsatser till stor del dragits utan att fråga skolelever med en utomeuropeisk etnicitet om vad deras upplevelser kring skolidrotten som en integrationsarena är. Syftet med vår undersökning är att undersöka vilka upplevelser elever med utomeuropeisk etnicitet har av idrottsämnet som integrationsarena. Genom att ta reda på deras åsikter och upplevelser hoppas vi kunna få en bättre uppfattning om idrottsämnet har eller inte har en integrerande roll och i så fall på vilket sätt. Vi har gjort en kvalitativ undersökning med öppna riktade intervjuer. Respondenterna utgörs av sex elever med utomeuropeisk etnicitet, som alla går i gymnasieskolan. Samtliga elever har vistats i Sverige i högst sju år vilket gör att de kan antas genomgå en integrationsprocess. Undersökningen visar att elever upplever idrottsämnet som en möjlig integrationsarena, dock skiljer sig deras åsikter åt i många avseenden. De upplever i olika grad idrottsämnet som en plats där de kommer i kontakt med den svenska kulturen, där de får en större förståelse för olika platser i samhället samt där de har en möjlighet att skapa vänner som de umgås med i skolan och på fritiden. Undersökningen visar också att möjligheterna till integration påverkar elevernas förutsättningar för innanförskap. Bland annat dessa aspekter gör att idrottsämnet kan ses som en arena som skapar förutsättningar för integration in i den svenska skolan men även in i det svenska samhället.</p>

Little is known about the college adjustment of first-generation students, particularly those from various racial/ethnic groups. This study sought to describe the college adjustment of first-generation students from three different racial/ethnic backgrounds (White/non-Hispanic, Black and Hispanic) and to determine whether generational status and race/ethnicity jointly or separately affect college adjustment as measured by responses to the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ). A sample of 418 students (208 first-generation, 210 non-first-generation; 140 White, 138 Black, and 140 Hispanic) was drawn from a population of 4,718 degree-seeking, self-identified undergraduates at a research university in the Southeast. A 2 X 3 factorial ANOVA was used to assess the effects of generational status and race/ethnicity on college adjustment. There was no significant interaction between the independent variables on adjustment to college, nor were there significant main effects. Despite follow-up data collection efforts, a low response rate (34%) to the online administration of the instrument and consequent low number of respondents in each cell may have obscured existing differences. Other implications are discussed, including the question of SACQ sensitivity to racial/ethnic differences and difficulties of web-based survey administration in an institutional setting.

Gegenstand der Studie ist die Evaluation eines kommunalen Sportprojekts. Die Forschungsarbeit entstand aus der wachsenden Erkenntnis heraus, dass es nicht mehr nur um die Entwicklung und Durchführung kommunaler oder sozialer Projekte geht, sondern zunehmend darauf ankommt, die Projektarbeit zu evaluieren, um ihren Einfluss auf die kommunale, soziale und personale Entwicklung zu prüfen und in der Folge die Implementierung zu optimieren. Die unterschiedlichen Schritte in der Definition des theoretischen Rahmens, der Datenanalyse sowie der Erarbeitung der evaluativen Empfehlungen wurden unternommen mit dem Anspruch auf Modellcharakter, um für zukünftige Evaluationsvorhaben entsprechende Standards zu setzen. Die Grundidee des kommunalen Sportprojekts „Straßenfußball für Toleranz“ ist innovativ: Mädchen und Jungen erobern durch gemeinsames Fußballspielen den öffentlichen Raum. Sie spielen ohne Schiedsrichter und nach speziellen Regeln. Das Projekt richtet sich ausdrücklich an sozial benachteiligte Jugendliche und bezieht gleichermaßen Jungen wie Mädchen ein. / The objective of the study is the evaluation of a community sports project. The thesis originated from the growing perception that it is not only about initiating and implementing a communal or social project but that the focus is increasingly also on the evaluation of the project work in order to measure its impact on communal, social and personal development and to optimise the implementation as a consequence. The different steps in the definition of the theoretical framework, the data analysis as well as the formulation of the evaluative recommendations were conducted with the pretension to set standards for future evaluation projects. The basic concept of the community sports project “Street Football for Tolerance” is innovative: boys and girls jointly conquer public spaces by playing football. They play without a referee and according to special rules. The project explicitly reaches out to socially disadvantaged adolescents, with the aim that boys and girls are equally involved.

I dagens samhälle finns det många ungdomar med utländsk bakgrund vilket leder till att utländska elever utgör en stor del av skolan, därav begreppet en mångkulturell skola. Detta ämne är aktuellt och för att kunna skapa oss en bild av hur elever och lärare känner för mångkulturell skola, samverkan och gemenskap. Detta arbete ger även en inblick på hur främlingsfientlighet tar sig uttryck i skolan. För att genomföra detta arbete har en kvalitativ metod använts i form av intervjuer. 10 elever och 4 lärare har intervjuats som underlag för resultatet. Dessa intervjuer hölls individuellt samt i grupp. Resultatet visar att lärare har en medvetenhet om vad det innebär att undervisa elever med utländsk bakgrund. Eleverna lyfter fram vikten av att lära sig svenska i skolan, och de lyfter även fram att det finns antaganden som grundar sig på att de är invandrare.

This study employs competitive dynamics theory, upper echelon perspective, power perspective, and strategic human resource management perspective to examine how executives matter with organizational outcomes. It argues that CEO dominance and executive human resource management system will affect top management team social integration, and the latter will promote aggressive competitive behavior. It also explores the performance implications of aggressive competitive behavior. Finally, it endeavors in opening the black box between executive human resource management system and firm performance. Anonymous questionnaires were distributed to firm executives, and the unit of analysis is firm level. Analyses with structural equation modeling confirmed most of our hypothesized relationships. CEO dominance is found to be negatively associated, but teamwork-oriented executive human resource management system is found to be positively related, with top management social integration. Top management team social integration will facilitate aggressive competitive behavior, and action speed matters with firm performance significantly. Finally, top management social integration and aggressive competitive behavior partially mediate the relationship of executive human resource management system and firm performance. Although strategic leadership research is prevalent, only few studies investigated the psychometric characteristics of top management team, even fewer paid attention to the impact of CEO power dominance on top management team¡¦s interaction. At the same time, strategic human resource management studies also put very few efforts on the topics of competitive behavior and top managers, although these issues should be critical sources of an organization¡¦s competitive advantage. This study is initiated to fill in these research gaps. Implications and limitations are discussed.

This thesis tries to display the practice of forced migration experienced in East and Southeast Anatolia after 1980s in Turkey and its consequences through the lived experiences of internally displaced women and children. In the first phase, the historical background of the practice of forced migration, which continues ever since the Ottoman period and the Republican period as well, has been analyzed within the framework of implementations and laws on settlement. In the second phase, in-depth interviews were made with internally displaced women and children living in Diyarbakir and Istanbul and embarking upon the lived experience of internally displaced women and children before, during and after the flight, the issue of social integration with the &lsquo / host&rsquo / population was analyzed comparatively. What was claimed with this comparative analysis was the fact that there would be a significant difference on experiencing the consequences of forced migration and social integration among the internally displaced women and youngsters living in Diyarbakir, which is a metropolis Kurdish citizens are intense, and those living in Istanbul, where Kurdish citizens are relatively low in numbers. Consequently, through the information gathered with this study, the extent that internally displaced persons are socially integrated with the &lsquo / host&rsquo / populations was depicted and that whether the spatial difference had a significant effect on the issue of social integration was analyzed.

Public opinion polls sometimes overestimate the majority and underestimate the minority, such as Taipei and Kaohsiung Mayoral Election of 2006. On one hand the study is based on spiral of silence theory to analyze the phenomenon, and on the other it tries to explore the other factors that may affect the voters¡¦ willingness to express opinion in Taipei and Kaohsiung city. According to findings, social integration effect isn¡¦t a main factor to affect people¡¦s willingness to express opinion in Taipei and Kaohsiung city. On the contrary, people¡¦s level of interpersonal communication, political efficacy and education in Taipei and interpersonal communication, political participation, political confidence and political efficacy in Kaohsiung city are important factors to increase people¡¦s willingness to express opinion. In addition, the study uses interactive variables to go a step further to explore social integration effect. The results show that the spiral of silence effect supports voters¡¦ behavior in Kaohsiung city, but doesn¡¦t in Taipei city.