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Reacculturation: Individual, Intergroup, and Sociocultural Determinants of Re-Entry Stress
No full textOver the past decade, the number of international migrants has been steadily increasing, with many moving abroad temporarily and then returning to their country of origin. Although intercultural experiences offer significant benefits for both individuals and societies, returning to one’s home country is not always seamless. Previous research indicates that returnees often report heightened levels of stress due to difficulties with readapting back to their home cultural environment, which is known as re-entry stress or reverse culture shock. Re-entry stress is widely acknowledged as a potential threat to health and wellbeing, yet relatively little research has examined the specific factors that contribute to higher or lower levels of stress during this cultural transition. This research integrates acculturation theory (Searle & Ward, 1990; Ward et al., 2001; Ward & Kennedy, 1999), and the Stress and Coping framework (Lazarus, 1966; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984), with recent work on cultural values (Minkov, 2017; Pelham et al., 2022), and social determinants of health (Braveman & Gottlieb, 2014; World Health Organization, 2023), to explore various re-entry stress factors that stem from a) individual differences and b) the sociocultural context of the cross-cultural transition. This thesis comprises two studies: (1) a systematic literature review of reacculturation and (2) a cross-cultural, quantitative investigation of multiple factors influencing re-entry stress, which analyses secondary data from a longitudinal study.Study 1, the systematic literature review, was conducted to provide an extensive evaluation of existing empirical evidence about re-entry stress and adaptation. Specifically, it sought to describe the prevalence of re-entry stress, how stress levels change over time, and the factors associated with reacculturation. The review examined 55 studies with various research designs (e.g., qualitative, quantitative) and diverse groups of participants (e.g., international students, work-related migrants, missionaries). Findings showed a prevalence of re-entry stress between 40–92%, revealed inconsistencies in measurement which posed an issue when comparing the results, and pointed to a lack of longitudinal data for examining changes in stress levels over time. The analysis identified a variety of demographic, situational, intrapersonal, interpersonal/intergroup, and contextual factors related to re-entry stress and adaptation, offering in-depth insights into over 30 factors. Overall, this study provided a comprehensive overview of the available evidence on reacculturation and highlighted important gaps in the literature, such as overrepresentation of privileged groups of returnees from the Global North and an absence of studies that systematically examine sociocultural factors.Study 2 was designed to address several gaps identified in Study 1 by cross-culturally investigating previously neglected factors influencing re-entry stress. This study provided a quantitative examination of the influences of three coping styles (approach, acceptance, and avoidance) on re-entry stress at the individual level, and the influences of cultural values (collectivism and monumentalism), cultural homogeneity, and national wellbeing at the societal level. Additionally, it examined the interplay of these individual and societal-level factors by exploring how cultural characteristics moderated the relationship between coping styles and re-entry stress. Survey data from an 18-month-long longitudinal study with 1485 study-abroad high school students were analysed. Students came from 45 different home countries and studied abroad for 8-10 months in one of 51 host countries. The data were analysed through a series of multilevel models. When controlling for baseline levels of stress, the results showed that the acceptance coping style predicted lower re-entry stress while avoidance coping predicted greater re-entry stress. Furthermore, participants returning to countries with higher collectivism and cultural homogeneity reported greater re-entry stress. The relationship between approach coping and re-entry stress was moderated by collectivism, so that coping by not approaching the stressor was associated with greater stress among students from collectivist countries compared to individualist ones.In sum, this research programme provided valuable new information about re-entry stress that is of both scholarly and practical importance. It illuminated the multitude of potential risk factors and protective factors of re-entry stress, and it highlighted the importance of developing adaptive coping styles and the role of the sociocultural context in the reacculturation process. Beyond its empirical contributions, this thesis proposes a theoretical framework for studying the reacculturation process and discusses implications for returnees and their support networks in developing effective approaches for successful readaptation.</p
From Migration to Manaakitanga: Rethinking Multiculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand
No full textAotearoa New Zealand is an increasingly diverse country that relies on social cohesion between Indigenous, settler, and migrant groups. As a result, migrant groups have called for the adoption of multiculturalism by the government, but this concept has not been examined from Indigenous perspectives. This dissertation examines the perspectives of Māori, the Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa, on the ways they experience and understand multiculturalism in their day-to-day lives. This work sought to fill a gap in the wider literature by conducting three qualitative studies that examine the relationship between indigeneity and migration. In Study 1 I conducted exploratory research that examined what whānau Māori thought about multiculturalism. Through focus groups across Aotearoa, twenty-nine participants shared that they experience positive relationships with migrant groups and value diversity in their communities. However, they also highlighted a lack of capacity to manaaki migrants due to colonisation and the undermining of their right to self-determination. Study 2 investigated whether migration influenced the perspectives of Māori on multiculturalism by interviewing Māori migrants to Australia. Six participants felt significant shifts in expressing their Māoritanga as migrants, and they reported that the presence of multicultural policy was undermined by racism toward both migrants and Indigenous Australians. Study 3 aimed to examine the multicultural policy context in Aotearoa, finding that at present policy was not perceived as particularly effective by those across the migration sector. Case studies developed from interviews with iwi, NGO, and local government representatives highlighted a need for more involvement of Māori and increased co-governance when developing multicultural policy. Following this, a Critical Tiriti Analysis illustrated gaps between the existing policy and articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Together, these studies provide evidence that a conceptualisation of multiculturalism in Aotearoa must be reimagined. Importantly, this concept should reflect (and promote) a national identity that centres Māori as tangata whenua and makes clear the responsibilities settler and migrant groups have under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Considering the lack of policy that supports social cohesion, this research highlights the value of centring Indigenous perspectives and concepts such as manaakitanga in multicultural literature. Ultimately, only through decolonisation will multiculturalism be successful in Aotearoa New Zealand.</p
Debate: Social media in children and young people – time for a ban? From polarised debate to precautionary action – a population mental health perspective on social media and youth well-being
No full textAdolescents spend much of their daily lives online, with social media a central part of their digital environment. While findings are complex, evidence increasingly points to small but relatively consistent harms, particularly for those meeting criteria for problematic use. At the population level, these effects are concerning, given the extraordinary prevalence of exposure to social media, rising rates of problematic use and adolescents' vulnerability to mental ill-health. The complexity of determining causality should not delay action: from a public health perspective, precautionary measures are warranted. We argue for a comprehensive approach that includes effective age verification and age-appropriate protection, regulation of harmful design features for all ages and inclusion of young people's voices. Just as offline environments include regulation and guidance, digital environments must be shaped to support individual and community needs
Use of Grid-Forming Inverters to Support Nearby Grid-Following Inverter Stability on the New Zealand Power System
No full textNew Zealand is on the brink of a boom in solar generation, wind generation, and battery energy storage system deployment, which connect to the grid via inverter-based power electronic technology rather than traditional synchronous machines. A high penetration of inverter-based resources can present grid stability challenges which require adaptation from the traditional methods of maintaining stability on a synchronous generator dominated network. The particular focus of this research is to determine the applicability of using the emerging grid-forming inverter technology to support grid stability, alongside the more widely used grid-following inverter technology which has known stability limitations in weak grids. The research first assesses the performance of both grid-following and grid-forming inverters in isolated single machine infinite bus networks of varying short circuit ratio scenarios, the grid-forming inverter is shown to be more stable than the grid-following inverter. The single machine infinite bus case is then extended to include both the grid-forming inverter and the grid-following inverter, showing that a nearby grid-forming-inverter can improve the stability of a system with a grid-following inverter connected. The study is then extended to demonstrate the same finding on the New Zealand power system, connecting to low strength buses in the Bay of Plenty region. The results show the grid-forming inverters installed close to grid-following inverters can improve the stability of an existing grid-following inverter connection.</p
Essays on Corporate Climate Risk Disclosures
No full textThis thesis explores voluntary climate risk disclosures and consists of five chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the thesis, Chapters 2 to 4 present three independent but related studies, and Chapter 5 provides a discussion.Chapter 1 introduces the thesis by highlighting the importance of corporate voluntary climate risk disclosures and outlining the three key research questions explored in the main chapters. It also provides brief overviews of the motivation, research setting, and main findings for each research topic.Chapter 2 examines how investors assess the credibility of voluntary climate disclosures. The empirical results show that investors understand the signal conveyed by green patents, which certify firms’ climate disclosure credibility. Exploiting the variation in the leniency of patent examiners’ grant decisions for identification, I show that firms with more green patents: (i) are more likely to issue voluntary climate disclosures, (ii) experience higher stock returns around these disclosures, and (iii) see a greater subsequent increase in institutional ownership, especially among climate-conscious investors. Additionally, (iv) the influence of green patents is less pronounced when climate disclosures are externally assured, report bad news, or when reporting firms possess high reputational capital.Chapter 3 investigates whether greenwashing activities generate a negative externality. To address this question, I focus on the impact of the 2015 Volkswagen emissions fraud on the voluntary climate disclosures of Volkswagen’s industry peers. Analyzing automakers across OECD countries, I find that these firms demonstrate diminished incentives to engage in voluntary disclosures following the fraud. This reduction in disclosure propensity is primarily attributed to a loss of disclosure credibility due to the negative spillover effects of Volkswagen’s deceptive behavior. Notably, the reduction is most pronounced among automakers without green patents, those in countries with low social capital, and climate disclosures without external ESG assurance. The adverse externality of greenwashing activities revealed in this study may provide a rationale for the regulatory mandate of climate disclosures.Chapter 4 explores how firms’ environmental performance influences their decisions to provide voluntary climate disclosures. Using verified carbon emissions reported under the UK mandatory emissions disclosure regulation, I find that firms with higher Scope 1 emissions or worse environmental performance are more likely to provide voluntary climate disclosures before the regulation. Consistent with the explanation that firms under-report emissions in voluntary climate disclosures, I find a significant increase in Scope 1 emissions in the first year of the disclosure regulation for firms that previously disclosed these emissions voluntarily. This increase in emissions is more pronounced among firms without external ESG assurance. Furthermore, I find less under-reporting for Scope 2 emissions, which rely on external data and are harder to manipulate.Finally, Chapter 5 summarizes the main findings of the three research topics and discusses their potential implications.</p
Popularity and Innovation in Maven Central
No full textMaven Central is a large popular repository of Java components that has evolved over the last 20 years. The distribution of dependencies indicates that the repository is dominated by a relatively small number of components other components depend on. The question is whether those elites are static, or change over time, and how this relates to innovation in the Maven ecosystem. We study those questions using several metrics. We find that elites are dynamic, and that the rate of innovation is slowing as the repository ages but remains healthy
Climate Change and the Phenology and Distribution of Native Orchids in Aotearoa New Zealand
No full textIn this thesis, phenological and distribution changes are investigated in 21 orchid species in Aotearoa New Zealand. This thesis was the first attempt to detect past phenological changes and to use Species Distribution Models (SDMs) to predict future changes of plants in Aotearoa New Zealand. In Chapter 2, herbarium specimens and photo observations from iNaturalist, the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network (NZPCN), and New Zealand Native Orchid Journal (NZNOJ) were used to create a dataset of records up to 104 years old for each species. Generalised Additive Models (GAMs) were used to test for the effect of year on flowering date, which would imply changing flowering times. Analyses showed that flowering times of 13 species (61.90% of the 21 study species) were occurring earlier in 2024 than in 1920 or the earliest year on record. In Chapter 3, the same dataset was combined with a mixed method of background and target-background pseudo-absence records, to construct SDM models to predict changes in 2081-2100, under four Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs). The suitable habitats of four species (19.05%) were predicted to increase, while the remainder were predicted to decrease: eight species (38.10%) of which were montane, alpine, or subantarctic species; three species (14.29%) were from humid environments; and five species (23.81%) had unexplained declines, possibly caused by modelling limitations. Both of these findings suggest that there has or will be an impact on orchid populations, which may risk their long-term persistence. A decline in distribution due to reduced habitat suitability will results in small and fragmented populations, with wider impacts on biodiversity. Concurrent distribution and phenological changes could result in mismatches between some orchid species and their pollinators, threatening reproductive success. Finally, a number of initiatives are suggested that could improve the resilience of populations to the impacts of climate change, including habitat modification and assisted migration. The results of this study have improved the understanding of climate change impacts on the flora of Aotearoa New Zealand, although further research is needed.</p
Unseen Victims: The Nazi Racial Hierarchy and the Murder of Psychiatric Patients in Nazi-Occupied Europe.
No full textThis thesis comparatively examines the persecution of neurodiverse people in Nazi-occupied Poland, the USSR, France and the Netherlands, focussing specifically on the methods of extermination to argue that an intersectional analysis is needed to understand the experience of this group of victims. This approach acknowledges the peculiarities of persecutions while resisting the way that historical research on the Holocaust often categorises victims into groups separate from one another. As research into the persecution of gay men has shown, too many victims had intersecting identities under Nazi persecution, occupying more than one category of persecuted people. For example, a person with disabilities could also be queer, communist, or a Jehovah’s Witness, and also occupy different places in the Nazi racist taxonomies. The intersecting identities of disabled victims, particularly racial identity, in many cases, determined how they were treated under Nazi occupation, and how they were murdered. The existing historical research on the murder of people with mental illness in psychiatric care during the Holocaust has primarily focussed on Nazi Germany. Few historians have compared the treatment of psychiatric patients across Nazi occupied Europe, and even fewer have sought to understand the treatment of psychiatric patients based on their intersecting identities, persecuted because of their illnesses and because of their place on the Nazi racial hierarchy. This thesis will address this research gap by answering the following question: a) How did Nazi racial ideology, specifically the Nazi racial hierarchy, influence the manner in which patients were treated and ultimately killed? This thesis argues that the treatment of psychiatric patients in the target countries was ultimately inseparable from the Nazi racial hierarchy. By grouping victims by the method of murder - mass-shooting, gas, starvation and neglect - distinct patterns emerge proving that race and location had a powerful impact on the treatment of psychiatric patients by the Nazi occupiers. By exploring the pre-existing attitudes toward the mentally ill, and the public and medical reception of the pseudo-scientific theory of eugenics, this thesis argues that the tragic fate of psychiatric patients in the target countries was only decided once under Nazi occupation.</p
It Takes a Kāinga
No full textEducation is the primary foundation for economically and socially marginalised children to lift themselves from adversity and realise their potential. However, learning environments in Aotearoa are not currently providing children with equal opportunity to succeed and are therefore contributing to the ongoing cycle of adversity. This research aims to highlight the potential for architectural design to make an impact on closing the equity gap in New Zealand’s education system through exploring the question: How could a place-based design framework contribute to creating more equitable learning environments for students in Aotearoa?The first step in the process is to understand what role architectural design currently plays in facilitating the structured inequity, in order to begin to deconstruct biases that operate through education as a result of colonisation. The key findings highlight the negative implications of globalisation and standardisation on indigenous culture and identity. Acting as a white wash replacing the stories told through localised community and whenua. This led me on a journey of research-through-design to explore the potential benefit of place-based educational design within a small community close to home. In which I endeavour to understand aspects of community, culture and environment to a depth that enables responsive and meaningful design. My goal is to help mend historic ties that have been broken through generations of koronitanga through the exploration of place-conscious architectural design and the impact it can make on students in Aotearoa today.</p
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