VOLUME 3 | ISSUE 2 | MAY 2012 ISSN 1757-9597 Longitudinal and Life Course Studies: International Journal Published by Society for Longitudinal and Life Course Studies Inside this issue G Special Section: transition to adulthood in the UK, the US and Finland G Father involvement, family poverty and adversity G Study profile: Panel Study of Income Dynamics G Social class returns to higher education debate Co-sponsors: Promoting Longitudinal and Life Course Studies EDITORIAL BOARD EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Executive Editor John Bynner, Institute of Education, UK Health Sciences Section Editor - Michael Wadsworth, MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing London, UK Associate Editors - David Blane, Imperial College Medical School, UK - Scott Montgomery, Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden Social and Economic Sciences Section Editor - Robert Erikson, University of Stockholm, Sweden Associate Editors - Paul Gregg, University of Bath, UK - John Hobcraft, University of York, UK - Jan Smit, VU Medical Centre, Netherlands Statistical Sciences and Methodology Section Editor - Harvey Goldstein, University of Bristol, UK Associate Editor - Bianca de Stavola, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK Development and Behavioural Sciences Section Editor - Barbara Maughan, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College, UK Associate Editors - Lars Bergman, University of Stockholm, Sweden - Amanda Sacker, University of Essex, UK BOARD MEMBERS Mel Bartley, University College London, UK; Nick Buck, University of Essex, UK; Richard Burkhauser, Cornell University, USA; Jane Costello, Duke University, USA; Tim Croudace, University of Cambridge, UK; George Davey-Smith, University of Bristol, UK; Lorraine Dearden, Institute for Fiscal Studies, UK; Ian Deary, University of Edinburgh, UK; Glen Elder, University of North Carolina, USA; Peter Elias, University of Warwick, UK; Leon Feinstein, Cabinet Office, UK; Antony Fielding, University of Birmingham, UK; Andy Furlong, University of Glasgow, UK; Frank Furstenberg, University of Pennsylvania, USA; John Gray, University of Cambridge, UK; Rebecca Hardy, University College London, UK; Walter Heinz, University of Bremen, Germany; Marjo-Ritta Jarvelin, Imperial College London, UK; Heather Joshi, Institute of Education, UK; Kathleen Kiernan, University of York, UK;; Harvey Krahn, University of Alberta; Di Kuh, University College London, UK; Carli Lessof, National Centre for Social Research, UK; Dean Lillard, Cornell University, USA; Jean Martin, University of Oxford, UK; Steve Machin, London School of Economics, UK; Robert Michael, University of Chicago, USA; Sir Michael Marmot, University College, London; Scott Montgomery, Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden; Jeylan Mortimer, University of Minnesota, USA; Brian Nolan, University College Dublin, Ireland; Lindsay Paterson, University of Edinburgh, UK; Ian Plewis, University of Manchester, UK; Chris Power, Institute of Child Health, UK; David Raffe, University of Edinburgh, UK; Steve Reder, University of Portland, USA; Marcus Richards, Medical Research Council, UK; Ingrid Schoon, Institute of Education, UK; John Schulenberg, University of Michigan, USA; Jackie Scott, University of Cambridge, UK; Rainer Silbereisen, University of Jena, Germany; Chris Skinner, London School of Economics, UK; Heike Solga, Social Science Research Centre, Germany; Håkan Stattin, Orebro University, Sweden; Fiona Steele, University of Bristol, UK; Alice Sullivan, Institute of Education, UK; Kathy Sylva, University of Oxford, UK; Gert Wagner, German Institute for Economic Research, Germany; Chris Whelan, Economic & Social Research Institute, Ireland; Richard Wiggins, Institute of Education, UK; Dieter Wolke, University of Warwick, UK Open Journal System The LLCS journal is produced using the Open Journal System, which is part of the Public Knowledge Project. OJS is open source software made freely available to journals worldwide, for the purpose of making open access publishing a viable option for more journals. Already, more than 8,000 journals around the world use this software. Copyright Notice Authors who publish with Longitudinal and Life Course Studies agree to the following terms: • Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal right of first publication with the work, simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. • Following first publication in this Journal, Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal, provided always that no charge is made for its use. • Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g. in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. i Longitudinal and Life Course Studies AUTHOR GUIDELINES SUMMARY Submission of Papers Keywords. These should be included just below the All papers, written in the English language, should author list (minimum 3 maximum 10). be submitted via the LLCS website as a Microsoft Abbreviations. Words to be abbreviated should be Word 2003 file, or in a compatible format. If there spelt out in full the first time they appear in the text is a good reason why this is not possible, authors with the abbreviations in brackets. Thereafter the are requested to contact the Journal Manager abbreviation should be used. before submitting the paper. All subsequent References. Please use the Harvard Style and refer processes involving the author are carried out to examples in the full Guidelines electronically via the website. Authors not complying with these reference guidelines will be asked to make all the necessary Preparation of Texts alterations themselves, if their paper is accepted for publication Length. The paper should normally be . Notes. As a general rule, supplementary notes approximately 5000 words, with longer papers also should be avoided, but if thought to be essential, accepted up to a maximum of 7000 words. This they should not appear on the page as ‘Footnotes', word count excludes tables, figures and but instead, be included as Endnotes. bibliography. Supplementary material. Supplementary material Font and Line Spacing. Please use Calibri (or similar may be uploaded with the submission, and if the sans serif) font, 12pt, with 1.5 line spacing in all paper is published, will be visible to the reader via a main text, single space in figure or table captions. link on the RHS of the screen. Page Layout. All text should be justified to the left Submissions containing graphs, tables, illustrations hand margin (all margins of at least 2.5cm) with no or mathematics. All graphs, tables and illustrations indents at the start of paragraphs and a line space should be embedded in the submitted text, and separating paragraphs. All headings and sub- have clear, self-explanatory titles and captions. headings used within the body of the paper should Mathematical expressions should be created in also be left justified. Please do NOT use automatic Word 2003 (or a compatible package) with equation text formatting. editor 3.0, unless the author has good reason to use Weblinks. To help our readers to look up cited other software, in which case please contact the references or other information available on the Journal Manager. All biological measures should be web, authors should ensure that all such references reported in SI units, as appropriate, followed, in the are activated. text, by traditional units in parentheses. Ensuring an Anonymous (Blind) Review. Please Author Citation. If the paper is accepted for submit papers with a full detailed title page. Once a publication, a version of the paper with all authors paper has been submitted to LLCS via the website, it cited in full on the title page will be used. Only will be 'anonymised' by the removal of all author individuals who have contributed substantially to name(s) and institution names on the title page, the production of the paper should be included. and any identifying electronic document properties Copy Editing. All accepted manuscripts are subject will also be removed. Authors do not need to to copy editing, with reference back to author with remove their name(s) from the main text or suggested edits and queries for response. Particular references but any reference to their work or care should be taken by the author to check themselves should be expressed in the third person. Abstract. The abstract (no subheads or paragraphs) references. Proofs. The corresponding author will be asked to should be no more than 250 words (not part of the view a layout proof of the article on the website main word count). and respond with final amendments within 3 days. (full Author Guidelines at: http://www.journal.longviewuk.com/index.php/llcs/about/submissions#authorGuidelines) ii Longitudinal and Life Course Studies 2012 Volume 3 Issue 2 ISSN 1757-9597 CONTENTS 162 - 163 EDITORIAL - John Bynner SPECIAL SECTION: the transition to adulthood in the UK, the US and Finland Guest Editors: John Schulenberg and Ingrid Schoon 164 - 172 The transition to adulthood across time and space: overview of Special Section John Schulenberg, Ingrid Schoon