This book features interviews with 19 scholars who do research with children in a variety of contexts. It examines how these key scholars address research 'after the child' by exploring the opportunities and challenges of drawing on posthumanist and materialist methodologies that unsettle humanist research practices. The book reflects on how posthumanist and materialist approaches have informed research in relation to de-centering the child, re-thinking methodological concepts of voice, agency, data, analysis and representation. It also explores what the future of research after the child might entail and offers suggestions to new and emerging scholars involved in research with children. Reviewing how posthumanist and materialist approaches have informed authors' thinking about children, research and knowledge production, the book will appeal to graduate students and emerging scholars in the field of childhood studies who wish to experiment with posthumanist methodologies and materialist approaches.

This title consists of 19 essays dealing with the medical knowledge and beliefs of cultures outside of the United States and Europe. In addition to articles surveying Islamic, Chinese, Native American, Aboriginal Australian, Indian, Egyptian, and Tibetan medicine, the book includes essays on comparing Chinese and western medicine and religion. The essays address the connections between medicine and culture and relate the medical practices to the cultures which produced them. Each essay is well illustrated and contains an extensive bibliography. Because the geographic range is global, the book should fill a gap in both the history of medicine and in cultural studies. It should find a place on the bookshelves of advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and scholars, as well as in libraries serving those groups.

In an age when continued financial and other support for teaching and research in sociology cannot be taken for granted, sociologists have been surprisingly slow to provide a clear statement of the achievements of sociology in the western world since 1950. What Has Sociology Achieved? does this by assembling twelve essays specially commissioned from distinguished authors, to which the editors add an introduction setting out the issues and a concluding chapter which draws together recurrent themes.

This book examines multilateral interventions in civil conflicts and the evolution of the role of such interventions in world politics. It focuses primarily on the Cold War and post-Cold War eras and the differences between them. It contests the notion that there is an emerging norm of humanitarian intervention in international politics, arguing that political interests remain essential to the practice of intervention.

This bibliography is a current source of information for researchers, practitioners, and planners interested in the older volunteer. The authors conducted an extensive search of material on the older volunteer, with emphasis on those works published between 1980 and 1991. After identifying approximately 700 sources, the authors selected nearly 400 for inclusion in this reference. The entries are grouped in seven topical chapters, and each entry includes a succinct annotation. Included are entries for books and articles on particular programs, characteristics of older volunteers, sources of statistical information, empirical research, and special population groups. Author and subject indexes conclude the work.

Gini's mean difference (GMD) was first introduced by Corrado Gini in 1912 as an alternative measure of variability. GMD and the parameters which are derived from it (such as the Gini coefficient or the concentration ratio) have been in use in the area of income distribution for almost a century. In practice, the use of GMD as a measure of variability is justified whenever the investigator is not ready to impose, without questioning, the convenient world of normality. This makes the GMD of critical importance in the complex research of statisticians, economists, econometricians, and policy makers. This book focuses on imitating analyses that are based on variance by replacing variance with the GMD and its variants. In this way, the text showcases how almost everything that can be done with the variance as a measure of variability, can be replicated by using Gini. Beyond this, there are marked benefits to utilizing Gini as opposed to other methods. One of the advantages of using Gini methodology is that it provides a unified system that enables the user to learn about various aspects of the underlying distribution. It also provides a systematic method and a unified terminology. Using Gini methodology can reduce the risk of imposing assumptions that are not supported by the data on the model. With these benefits in mind the text uses the covariance-based approach, though applications to other approaches are mentioned as well.

This volume, from the Policy Studies Organization, examines the role of presidential leadership in the development and implementation of civil rights policy in the United States. Covering a broad time period, the work takes a social scientific approach to the understanding of civil rights, utilizing both quantitative and archival research. The editors attempt to place and analyze civil rights in context--as a policy arena representative of broader presidential leadership concerns--and look at the development of civil rights policy since Brown v. Board of Education from the perspectives of (1) the public, (2) government institutions, and (3) particular policy arenas.

Do you ever feel at a loss on how to proceed with a particular set of data? Your Statistical Consultant can provide the answer. This comprehensive guide introduces, describes, and makes recommendations regarding difficult statistical problems and techniques. The authors discuss common problems by addressing frequently asked questions; provide a conceptual overview of topics and techniques; give accounts of such new-found topics as the debate over statistical significance, effect sizes and meta-analysis; and highlight and explain key terms and points.

Polls are at their best as indicators of public opinion when they allow comparisons over extended periods of time. Yet all too often changes in question working and in questionnare content make over-time comparisons impossible. This work overcomes this difficulty by bringing together for the first time a compendium of results using identically worded questions on a wide range of social, political, and economic topics of importance to the American people. Chapter introductions summarize trends in the various areas surveyed and discuss problems of interpretation. The chapters on political behavior and attitudes present findings on party identification, political tolerance, voting, civil liberties, international affairs, and related issues. Chapters on work, the family, and sexuality cover such topics as job prestige and satisfaction, the role of women, divorce, family size, sex education, abortion, premarital and extramarital sex, homosexuality, and pornography. Other issues addressed include crime and violence, race, death and dying, life style, and general attitudes toward life. Trend analysis based on General Social Surveys conducted regularly by The National Opinion Research Center of the University of Chicago since 1972 is supplemented by data from 25 other sources extending as far back as the 1930s. The questions chosen are meaningful and standardized and have been asked in interviews over a significant period. Survey results are displayed in a highly readable format that facilitates comparisons over time. An appropriate choice for the library reference collection, this book is a valuable research tool and source for scholars in political science, psychology, and sociology, as well as journalists, policy makers, and other professionals concerned with public opinion.

The book is a collective investigation of the structuring of theses in education, the social sciences and other disciplines that commonly do not follow the standard procedures of the scientific method. To help research students design a structure for their own thesis and liberate their investigations from the constraints associated with the use of the conventional structure, it explains how the structures adopted were designed to suit the topic, methodology and paradigm. It also provides a wide range of examples to draw upon, which suit a broad spectrum of theory, methodological approaches, research methods and paradigms. Additionally, by analyzing the methodologies and paradigms, and reviewing the methodological and paradigmatic spectrum, it offers a significant contribution to the way research is conceptualized. The book addresses a number of key questions faced by students, supervisors and examiners: *Why do examiners often find it difficult to read work in non-scientific disciplines when theses are structured in accordance with the conventional scientific method? *Why do students in non-scientific disciplines struggle to write up the outcomes of their research in the conventional structure? *What alternative thesis structures can be devised to better suit the wide range of methods? *Which theories and paradigms are commonly followed in education and the social sciences and how do these perspectives influence the research process? *What methods, theories and paradigms are commonly adopted by education and social science students and what problems do these pose when students write their theses?

It is only just recently that people have the tools to judge how well they are doing when making decisions. These tools were conceptualized in the seventeenth century. Since then many people have worked to sharpen the concepts, and to explore how these can be applied further. The problems of decision-making and the theory developed correspondingly have drawn the interest of mathematicians, psychologists, statisticians, economists, philosophers, organizational experts, sociologists, not only for their general relevance, but also for a more intrinsic fascination. There are quite a few institutionalized activities to disseminate results and stimulate research in decision-making. For about a decade now a European organizational structure, centered mainly around the psy chological interest in decision-making. There have been conferences in Hamburg, Amsterdam, Uxbridge, Rome and Darmstadt. Conference papers have been partly published]. The organization has thus stabilized, and its re latively long history makes it interesting to see what kind of developments occurred, within the area of interest."

This book focuses on quantitative survey methodology, data collection and cleaning methods. Providing starting tools for using and analyzing a file once a survey has been conducted, it addresses fields as diverse as advanced weighting, editing, and imputation, which are not well-covered in corresponding survey books. Moreover, it presents numerous empirical examples from the author's extensive research experience, particularly real data sets from multinational surveys.

This book shows the impact of the current economic reform on the income development of peasant households in the People's Republic of China. The research was based on detailed information derived from book-keeping records of the sample households of a few selected regions in central China, the national statistical network, local statistics and chronicles. Moreover, the basic tools of economic analysis were applied to the main problems of Chinese rural economy: marketing and pricing of agricultural input and output goods; structural adjustment; labour productivity and outmigration; income distribution; farmer's decision on investment and consuption. This will lead to a better understanding about current development of China.

Research in Community and Mental Health

This book addresses and examines the impacts of applications and services for data management and analysis, such as infrastructure, platforms, software, and business processes, on both academia and industry. The chapters cover effective approaches in dealing with the inherent complexity and increasing demands of big data management from an applications perspective. Various case studies included have been reported by data analysis experts who work closely with their clients in such fields as education, banking, and telecommunications. Understanding how data management has been adapted to these applications will help students, instructors and professionals in the field. Application areas also include the fields of social network analysis, bioinformatics, and the oil and gas industries.

This book is based on the papers presented at a conference on "New Issues in Industrial Economics" held at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, June 8-10, 1987. The conference was organized by the Research Program in Industrial Economics (RPIE) in the Department of Economics at CWRU and was sponsored by The Cleveland Foundation, the Eaton Corporation, and The Standard Oil Company (later renamed BP America, Inc.). Their generous support is gratefully acknowledged. All of the papers have been revised, in several cases extensively, since their presentation at the conference. One of the primary reasons for organizing the conference was the concern that Industrial Economics has become too narrowly focused in most academic programs, largely being confined to Industrial Organization, i.e., issues of public policy towards enterprise with emphasis on antitrust and regulatory policy. This subject definition leaves out a number of interesting and important questions about how industries evolve over time, what the role of technological change (and organizational change) is in that process, and the associated structural changes within industries and firms. The object of this book is to derme these issues and suggest a framework within which they can be analyzed. I would like to thank all the conference participants for their contributions, particularly my colleagues at CWRU, Asim Erdilek and William S. Peirce, without whose encouragement and support the conference would not have taken place.

The Handbook series provides a compendium of thorough and integrative literature reviews on a diverse array of topics of interest to the higher education scholarly and policy communities. Each chapter provides a comprehensive review of research findings on a selected topic, critiques the research literature in terms of its conceptual and methodological rigor, and sets forth an agenda for future research intended to advance knowledge on the chosen topic.

Written for social science students who will be working with or conducting research, Mathematics for Social Scientists offers a non-intimidating approach to learning or reviewing math skills essential in quantitative research methods. The text is designed to build students' confidence by presenting material in a conversational tone and using a wealth of clear and applied examples. Author Jonathan Kropko argues that mastering these concepts will break students' reliance on using basic models in statistical software, allowing them to engage with research data beyond simple software calculations.

This book discusses the personal and professional challenges of conducting fieldwork in the difficult, sometimes threatening contexts of the transforming societies of post-socialist Europe and China. Field research is a distinctly human effort and the social relationships between researchers, third parties and respondents directly affect the quality of research findings. With unusual frankness, the authors share their personal field experiences and discuss both the imaginative strategies they have devised to cope with problems and the methodological lessons they have learned.

'This 'must read' volume will challenge every researcher to re-examine their assumptions and approach to research with families. Munford and Sanders emphasise the positive contribution research can make through the development of an inclusive research process. Their model extends the principles of the action research method by emphasising the contribution of families at each stage of the research, and dissemination of results through an easily assessable 'range of research products'. The thought-provoking case studies articulate the strengths and realities of applying their model in a wide variety of settings in different countries.' - Angeline Barretta-Herman, Professor of Social Work, University of St Thomas'This book tackles the hard issues which are becoming of vital importance for all researchers. How our research can make a difference to research participants and our communities, and also satisfy the needs of other players, are some of the difficult questions this book addresses. The book's direct approach, and its inclusion of work from around the globe, make it widely applicable.' - Professor Jan Fook, La Trobe UniversityDoing research with families poses particular challenges in social work and welfare. The families are generally clients of social services, and can be in a vulnerable position. Also, it is important that family research contributes to improving practice in clinical and community work.Making a Difference in Families discusses key approaches to research with families, including action research, focus groups and participant observation. Contributors explore both qualitative and quantitative methods, and examine ways in which researchers can involve participants in the research process. Detailed case studies are provided of research in a variety of settings, and with different kinds of family situations.

Hierarchy is a form of organisation of complex systems that rely on or produce a strong differentiation in capacity (power and size) between the parts of the system. It is frequently observed within the natural living world as well as in social institutions. According to the authors, hierarchy results from random processes, follows an intentional design, or is the result of the organisation which ensures an optimal circulation of energy for information.

This book reviews ancient and modern representations and explanations of hierarchies, and compares their relevance in a variety of fields, such as language, societies, cities, and living species. It throws light on concepts and models such as scaling laws, fractals and self-organisation that are fundamental in the dynamics and morphology of complex systems.

At a time when networks are celebrated for their efficiency, flexibility and better social acceptance, much can be learned about the persistent universality and adaptability of hierarchies, and from the analogies and differences between biological and social organisation and processes. This book addresses a wide audience of biologists and social scientists, as well as managers and executives in a variety of institutions.

This book focuses on the meaning of statistical inference and estimation. Statistical inference is concerned with the problems of estimation of population parameters and testing hypotheses. Primarily aimed at undergraduate and postgraduate students of statistics, the book is also useful to professionals and researchers in statistical, medical, social and other disciplines. It discusses current methodological techniques used in statistics and related interdisciplinary areas. Every concept is supported with relevant research examples to help readers to find the most suitable application. Statistical tools have been presented by using real-life examples, removing the "fear factor" usually associated with this complex subject. The book will help readers to discover diverse perspectives of statistical theory followed by relevant worked-out examples. Keeping in mind the needs of readers, as well as constantly changing scenarios, the material is presented in an easy-to-understand form.

With cross-cultural perspectives from contributors in nine countries, this book showcases much-needed research on current issues around migration and social work in Europe. Focusing on the reception, experiences and integration of refugees and asylum seekers, the chapters also consider the impact of recent EU policies on borders and integration. With racism on the rise in some European societies, the book foregrounds international social work values as a common framework to face discriminatory practice at macro and micro levels. Featuring recommendations for inclusive practice that 'opens doors', this book features the voices of migrants and the practitioners aiding their inclusion in new societies.