In the Netherlands, the generic work-first support seems unable to mitigate the scarring effects of prior unemployment on ethnic minorities’ careers. This study compares the impact of vulnerable ethnic minorities participating in an alternative employer-based employment programme with a control group entitled to work-first support on employment up to ten years later. We look at how both labour market interventions with different time horizon strategies may close the employment gap with the regular labour force. Results indicate that programme participants from (non-)western groups achieve higher levels of (competitive) employment than the control group, but the programme’s impact is negligible for the most established ethnic groups. The improved short-term wage match can partially explain the additional programme effect when considering the different time horizon strategies. Our results call for more employer-based programmes providing vulnerable ethnic minorities with the desired skills for better employment prospects, e.g. skill-shortage jobs.

We tested whether exposure to gun or knife violence over two decades is a cause of depression in young adulthood using data from a nationally representative sample in the United States. The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health is a sample of 20,745 adolescents, assessed in 1994–95 with follow-ups in 1995–1996 (n = 14,738), 2001–2002 (n = 15,197) and 2007–2008 (n = 15,701; 24 to 32 years old). At each wave, respondents reported exposure to gun or knife violence and symptoms of depression. Regression and sibling fixed effects analyses were conducted to test whether cumulative exposure to gun or knife violence was associated with depression. In fully adjusted models, greater cumulative exposure to gun or knife violence was associated with more symptoms of depression (b = 0.12, 95% C. I. = 0.05; 0.19, p < 0.01) and higher risk for clinically significant depression in young adulthood (OR = 1.07, 95% C. I. = 1.02; 1.13, p < 0.01). Results replicated in sibling fixed effects models (b = 0.21, 95% C. I. = 0.01; 0.42, p < 0.05). These quasi-experimental data suggest that exposure to gun or knife violence is a cause of depression in young adulthood.

Primary schools contribute to promoting healthy eating behaviour and preventing overweight and obesity by providing nutrition education. Research highlights the importance of improving teachers’ programme implementation to enhance intervention effectiveness. An integrative approach has been suggested to reduce time barriers that teachers currently experience in teaching nutrition. This scoping review explores use and effectiveness of integrative teaching in primary-school-based nutrition education programmes. Six databases were searched for primary-school-based interventions on nutrition education. Papers reporting on integration of nutrition topics within core curriculum were included. Abstracts and full texts of potentially relevant articles were screened to determine eligibility. Next, data were extracted and tabulated. Findings were collated and summarised to describe intervention characteristics, subject integration and effectiveness of the included programmes. Data describing integration of nutrition into the primary school curriculum were extracted from 39 eligible papers. Nutrition education programmes often involve lessons about food groups and are frequently embedded within the mathematics, science or literacy syllabus. Although articles report on the integration of nutrition, the use of this approach was not commonly described in detail. Only seven papers discussed student outcomes related to the integration of nutrition education within core subjects. The ability to draw strong conclusions about school-based nutrition intervention effectiveness is limited by the current lack of programme description and methodological issues. Hence, more research is warranted to inform evidence on effectiveness of integrative nutrition education for both teacher and student outcomes. Future studies that include greater detail regarding the integrative approach are needed.

Maize production is central to rural livelihoods in the hills of Nepal. Access to affordable improved maize seed has long been a barrier to productivity gains and livelihood improvement. This study evaluates the direct and indirect (spillover) impacts of a community-based seed production program in Nepal using a quasi-experimental method for selected outcome indicators. Our results show that community-based seed production provides a significant positive direct impact on maize income and female leadership opportunities. The impacts were particularly favorable for disadvantaged households (HHs) from lower castes and HHs that owned less land. There is also strong evidence of spillover impacts on improved seed adoption, yield, and household maize self-sufficiency. Community-based seed production thereby could help Nepal attain cereal self-sufficiency and nutritional security as envisioned in the national agricultural development strategy and seed vision.

Forest conservation incentives are a popular approach to combatting tropical deforestation. Here we consider a case where direct economic incentives for forest conservation were offered to newly titled smallholders in a buffer zone of a protected area in the northeastern Ecuadorian Amazon. We used quasi-experimental impact evaluation methods to estimate changes in forest cover for 63 smallholders enrolled in Ecuador's Socio Bosque program compared to similar households that did not enroll. Focus group interviews in 15 communities provided insight into why landowners enrolled in the program and how land use is changing. The conservation incentives program reduced average annual deforestation by 0.4–0.5% between 2011 and 2013 for those enrolled, representing as much as a 70% reduction in deforestation attributable to Socio Bosque. Focus group interviews suggested that some landowners chose to ‘invest’ in conservation because the agricultural capacity of their land was limited and economic incentives provided an alternative livelihood strategy. Interviews, however, indicated limits to increasing enrollment rates under current conditions, due to lack of trust and liquidity constraints. Overall, a hybrid public–private governance approach can lead to larger conservation outcomes than restrictions alone.

This study's focus is to evaluate a sexual coercion prevention program in adolescents. Using a beforeand- after design with both a treatment group (n = 93) and a control group (n = 76), an intervention of seven sessions was completed. Said sessions included such content as conceptualizing sexual freedom, sexual coercion and voluntary consent, analyzing different sexual coercion tactics and the contexts in which they occur, empathy toward the victim, and developing abilities to avoid risky situations. Other risk factors for coercive behavior and sexual victimization are explored as well, such as alcohol use, sexist attitudes and inadequate communication, among others. The intervention's results include a decrease in stereotypical beliefs about the opposite sex and increased empathy toward victims of sexual coercion. These changes were maintained with the passage of time. Also, in the treatment group, a more acute decline was observed in the proportion of young people engaging in sexually coercive behaviors. This article emphasizes the importance, necessity and efficacy of such interventions, and discusses and analyzes possible improvements to the program for its future implementation.