The search for 'the Decent Society' - a fit place in which to live - has informed policy at both governmental and international level. This book analyses its nature and devises a consistent way of measuring the concept world-wide on the basis of a coherent theory of agency within social structure. Influenced by classical sociology and by the economist Amartya Sen, the book posits that societies need to create (a) economic security, (b) social cohesion, (c) social inclusion, and (d) the conditions for empowerment. The model is interactive and recursive; each component provides the requirements for each of the others. This book outlines the sociopolitical framework underlying 'the Decent Society' and summarises a decade of research, some of which has had a formative impact on governments' policies. The first half contains studies of social quality based on surveys in the former Soviet Union and sub-Saharan Africa, while the second half describes the construction of a Decent Society Index for comparing very different countries across the world. This book and the index it develops will be of interest both to academics and researchers in sociology, politics, economics, psychology, social policy and development studies and to policy-makers in government, local government and the NGOs.

The search for 'the Decent Society' - a fit place in which to live - has informed policy at both governmental and international level. This book analyses its nature and devises a consistent way of measuring the concept world-wide on the basis of a coherent theory of agency within social structure. Influenced by classical sociology and by the economist Amartya Sen, the book posits that societies need to create (a) economic security, (b) social cohesion, (c) social inclusion, and (d) the conditions for empowerment. The model is interactive and recursive; each component provides the requirements for each of the others. This book outlines the sociopolitical framework underlying 'the Decent Society' and summarises a decade of research, some of which has had a formative impact on governments' policies. The first half contains studies of social quality based on surveys in the former Soviet Union and sub-Saharan Africa, while the second half describes the construction of a Decent Society Index for comparing very different countries across the world. This book and the index it develops will be of interest both to academics and researchers in sociology, politics, economics, psychology, social policy and development studies and to policy-makers in government, local government and the NGOs.

A substantially revised edition dealing with the appreciation, evaluation and conduct of social research. Aimed at nurses, social workers, community workers and others in the caring professions, this text focuses on research which evaluates and contributes to professional practice.;The authors have provided a number of short, practical exercises and examples are drawn mostly from projects carried out by one or two people rather than large research teams. The accessible style will make this an appropriate introductory text for those undertaking or studying research for the first time.

In simple and non-technical terms, the Second Edition of Data Collection and Analysis illustrates a wide range of techniques and approaches used in social research projects. Always accessible and engaging, this comprehensive text covers both quantitative and qualitative approaches to data collection and analysis in social research, considering both the structure and logic of research projects and the ethics and politics of research.

A wide range of examples illustrate the text and a set of exercises runs throughout the book to aid the reader in understanding and planning research projects.

Building on the strengths of the First Edition, this new and expanded version includes:

- The addition of chapter introductions, summaries and key terms to guide the reader through the text

- Three brand new chapters focusing on: research and information on the Net; discourse research; ethnographic and discursive qualitative analysis

- Up-to-date examples of research in action

- New material on questionnaire design, composite measurement and techniques of quantitative and qualitative interviewing

An invaluable guide for students from across the social sciences, this wide-ranging volume is also a key resource for practitioners in a variety of applied areas including nursing, social work, the criminal justice system, teaching and education.

This much-anticipated Second Edition presents an informative and accessible account of survey research. It guides the reader through the main theoretical and practical aspects of the subject and illustrates the application of survey methods through examples.

Thoroughly revised and updated, it presents:

- concise and analytic coverage of multivariate analysis techniques

- a brand new chapter giving theoretical and practical advice on the stages involved in constructing scales to measure attitude or personality

- an up-to-date account of using materials on the internet

- addition of concise introductions and summaries to all chapters

This book will prove to be equally useful for students conducting small research projects in the social sciences or related professional/applied areas, researchers planning systematic data collection for applied purposes and policy makers who want to understand and analyse the research with whose conclusions they are presented.

In simple and non-technical terms, the Second Edition of Data Collection and Analysis illustrates a wide range of techniques and approaches used in social research projects. Always accessible and engaging, this comprehensive text covers both quantitative and qualitative approaches to data collection and analysis in social research, considering both the structure and logic of research projects and the ethics and politics of research.

A wide range of examples illustrate the text and a set of exercises runs throughout the book to aid the reader in understanding and planning research projects.

Building on the strengths of the First Edition, this new and expanded version includes:

- The addition of chapter introductions, summaries and key terms to guide the reader through the text

- Three brand new chapters focusing on: research and information on the Net; discourse research; ethnographic and discursive qualitative analysis

- Up-to-date examples of research in action

- New material on questionnaire design, composite measurement and techniques of quantitative and qualitative interviewing

An invaluable guide for students from across the social sciences, this wide-ranging volume is also a key resource for practitioners in a variety of applied areas including nursing, social work, the criminal justice system, teaching and education.

`Could certainly be used as a stand-alone text. Aimed primarily at advanced undergraduates, it could also be read by others who may be prompted to identify yet further dimensions with which to map contemporary social psychology and define their position in relation to others' - The Psychologist This clearly structured textbook presents a broad overview of the key issues that underpin social psychology. These include: the nature of science and `psychology as science'; descriptive, emancipatory and critical theories; and the different ways in which social psychology is applied in the social and political world. Drawing upon a number of different perspectives, this volume will introduce students to the important debates around what constitutes valid argument and research in social psychology, its aims, scope and subject matter, and the degree to which social psychology can be said to be itself a social institution and a part of the network of social regulation and definition. Theory and Social Psychology is one of four books which form the core of The Open University's course Social Psychology: Personal Lives, Social Worlds.