bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Create a new era of Islamic‐Western relations by supporting community development
Authors: Ben‐Meir Jason
Published: June 2007

The United States should take the lead in mobilizing the financial resources of the international community to support a new and radical approach to foreign aid for Islamic countries. This approach – a shift from large‐scale aid to the countries themselves or in the form of massive state‐controlled projects, both managed by central governments – to smaller, community‐directed initiatives across countries – can reap dramatic benefits. There is strong evidence to suggest that supporting communities in achieving their selfdescribed goals will help secure the economic future of Morocco and Jordan, which are entering into a free trade era with theWest, will help resolve the seemingly intractable Israeli‐Palestinian conflict, and significantly further the economic and political reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan. As the local development process unfolds, it would marginalize secular and religious extremists, thereby strengthening international security. And by providing through this form of aid a vehicle for successful public diplomacy, the United States would foster an environment where mutual understanding on broader geopolitical issues is attainable. If realized, these profound benefits will be achieved by local communities creating prosperity through a pluralist democratic process. The United States and other nations should make funding of community‐initiated development in Islamic nations the highest priority, which can pave the way towards a new era of Islamic‐Western relations.
The intellectual legacy of Laud Humphreys: his impact on research and thinking about men’s public sexual encounters
Authors: Tewksbury Richard
Published: June 2007

Highlights Laud Humphreys as one of those thinkers and researchers who, having spawned a succession of scholars, is seldom recognized for such. Posits that Humphreys has also indirectly contributed to social theory development. States that although various authors have tried to replicate Tearoom Trade while trying to modify data, all they have done is to validate Humphrey’s findings. Investigates the various contact areas for sexual acts, as discussed by various authors.
Commuting to homosexuality: Laud Humphreys’ unheralded theoretical contribution to the sociology of identity
Authors: Brekhus Wayne H.
Published: June 2007

Adumbrates that Laud Humphrey’s studies have shaped the debate on sociological methods, they have also distracted from emphasizing his potential contributions to sociological theory. Identifies four themes in Humphrey’s work, which are important to the sociological study of identity. Concludes that Humphreys demonstrates that sexual identity may not be as permanent and fixed as may first appear.
Confronting the liquor industry in Los Angeles
Authors: Park Kyeyoung
Published: June 2007

Investigates the anti‐liquor store campaign in Los Angeles, California, USA, against Korean immigrants led by African Americans and Latino Americans. Shows that inner city areas in Los Angeles are not as deeply segregated as portrayed. Demonstrates how a coalition of immigrants/minorities were able to disrupt and change the way the liquour industry had impacted on their communities.
Labor organizing beyond race and nation: the Los Angeles Hilton case
Authors: Park Edward J.W.
Published: June 2007

Shows how the US economy has witnessed both a massive influx of immigrant workers and a sharp decline in organized labour. Examines the struggles of Latino workers in Los Angeles, USA and shows just how immigrant workers and labour unions have a complicated relationship there. Explains how the problems were eventually eased.
Generic sources of disaster communities: a social network approach
Authors: Kirschenbaum Alan
Published: June 2007

This paper utilizes the generic source of “community” to define a disaster community emphasizing disaster areas’ perceived boundaries and the social networks that fall within these boundaries. Three such “disaster communities” are proposed based on family‐kin, micro‐neighborhood, and macro‐neighborhood social networks. Utilizing an Israel national representative sample of (814) urban households residing in 150 municipalities, a set of hypotheses were tested regarding the impact of disaster communities on individual disaster preparedness behaviors. In general, more socially robust communities brought about greater levels of individual preparedness but with significant exceptions by type of preparedness. In addition, the predictive ability of such disaster communities on each preparedness component varied. Ethnic and educational composition of the networks had a negligible impact on disaster preparedness behaviors. Overall, the use of social network based disaster communities provides a sound theoretical and empirical foundation to study disaster behaviors.
Introduction: kinship and family in international context
Authors: He Wan
Published: June 2007

Kinship and family have been an interest and focus of multidisciplinary research for decades. Sociologists, demographers, anthropologists, historians, and economists have defined and redefined family from many perspectives. There are many forms of family. The predominant family form in western society today is the nuclear family, comprised of a married couple and their children. Beyond the nuclear family, and more prevalent in many parts of the world, there are several forms of the extended family, including the stem family, consisting of one adult child with his spouse and his parents, the multigenerational family, where several generations of family members reside together; and the joint family, where married siblings co‐reside.
Household composition in post‐socialist Eastern Europe
Authors: Ahmed Patricia , Jean Emigh Rebecca
Published: June 2007

Two perspectives provide alternative insights into household composition in contemporary Eastern Europe. The first stresses that individuals have relatively fixed preferences about living arrangements and diverge from them only when they cannot attain their ideal. The second major approach, the adaptive strategies perspective, predicts that individuals have few preferences. Instead, they use household composition to cope with economic hardship, deploy labor, or care for children or the elderly. This article evaluates these approaches in five post‐socialist East‐European countries, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Russia, using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. The results suggest that household extension is common in these countries and provide the most evidence for the adaptive strategies perspective. In particular, the results show that variables operationalizing the adaptive strategies perspective, including measures of single motherhood, retirement status, agricultural cultivation, and poverty, increase the odds of household extension.
Co‐residency living arrangement as a factor to facilitate labor force participation of Japanese women: community level analyses of Japanese families
Authors: Kumagai Fumie
Published: June 2007

Significant regional variations by prefecture level exist for the family and the elderly in Japan. This suggests that the Japanese family, and aging society as well, must be studied carefully with close attention to the socio‐cultural characteristics specific to each region and community (Kumagai, 1997a, 1997b). Therefore, it is essential to move the unit of analysis down to the community level rather than the national or even prefecture (regional) level. Social practices and cultural characteristics specific to each region and community are difficult to measure and quantify. Upon careful examination of Japanese married women in the traditional extended family, the theoretical hypothesis was postulated: Whether in urban or rural regions, regardless of the place of residence, married women living with their mother‐in‐law are likely to seek work outside the home. A national random sample of 3,662 Japanese women was analyzed. In conducting Chi‐square significance tests, this hypothesis is proved to be valid. The most striking finding of this study is that working outside the home seems to be one of the effective alternatives adopted by married women in the traditional generational family household. When son’s wives are in the labor force, it is most likely to reduce intergenerational conflict, a negative aspect of co‐residence living arrangements. In other words, working outside the home helps to minimize intergenerational conflict with in‐laws ‐mothers‐in‐law, in particular). Thus, the qualitative analysis of the family can provide effective indicators for the in‐depth analysis of Japanese families. It is, therefore, necessary to propose welfare policies for the elderly in the same manner, rather than simply looking at national average statistics.
Patrilineal coresidence in urban China: a life course perspective
Authors: Efron Pimentel Ellen , Liu Jinyun
Published: June 2007

In this paper, we model histories of coresidence between two cohorts of urban Chinese couples, married during the Cultural Revolution and early market reform periods. Most research on coresidence pictures families cross‐sectionally, but nuclear households are a natural part of extended coresidence systems that prefer stem family arrangements. We study histories of coresidence to determine what predicts ever having coresided with the husband’s parents, comparing the predictive power of modernization theory to the impact of demographic change, the availability of household members, and the resources and needs of each generation. While married children’s needs for childcare do not propel them into coresidence, they strongly predict the likelihood of staying coresident.
Medical Savings and Medical Cost: Healthcare and Age in a Changing Singapore
Authors: Reisman D.A.
Published: June 2007

Singapore devotes less than 4% of its GDP to healthcare in part because its average citizen is young. As the country has become developed, the birth rate has fallen, life‐expectancy has lengthened and the cost of care has shown signs of escalation. This has occurred despite the extensive cost‐control measures built into the mandatory system of medical savings and the opt‐in supplement of medical insurance. The threat of care inflation is that much greater because of Singapore’s attempt to position itself as a regional treatment hub, because of rising incomes and expectations, and because of a shortage of doctors and nurses which is driving wages up. Old age is contributing to the problem but, the article shows, is not the only cause.
Effects of power, status and class on “who gets what” income
Authors: Zafirovski Milan
Published: June 2007

This article’s indented contribution is to provide novel theoretical insights and empirical observations on “who gets what” in the way of incomes, including wages. The article challenges the conventional wisdom about stratification, especially power and status, as an outcome or function of economic distribution. It posits that income distribution is conditional on pre‐existing social stratification expressed in antecedent differences in class, power, status and related factors.
Hate Crimes: A brief review
Authors: Ardley Jenny
Published: June 2007

This article aims to give a brief background and overview of the current discourse surrounding hate crime. The author discusses the difficulties of defining hate crime how agencies such as the police can deal with the issue. Different characteristics and motivations for the perpetrators of hate crime will be analysed. The victims of hate crime and members of their community can be deeply affected by their victimisation, these affects will be described and possible policy implications discussed.
Targowiska: Polish street markets today
Authors: Tiemann Thomas K.
Published: June 2007

Poles do much of their shopping outdoors. In any city with urban bus or tram service, and in many towns without, there are kiosks on important street corners that sell bus or tram tickets, magazines and newspapers, basic stationery items, cigarettes and candy, bottled water and soft drinks, and an amazing number of other small items. More important than the kiosks are the targowiska or “free and open markets” where Poles can buy clothing, stationery, food, small electronics, cosmetics, and a large variety of other goods. The targowiska are the descendents of the weekly market days that occurred in almost every Polish town and village up to World War II. These free and open markets appeared quickly with the liberalisation of the economy in the late 1980s, popping up at traditional market places and on other open spaces convenient for shoppers. While these markets appear to be unorganised and informal, in the past fifteen or twenty years their operations have become regulated and more formal. While these markets are less informal than they may first appear, they do still perform many of the functions of informal markets. These markets also have become an important source of revenue for local governments.
Where does all the money go? An investigation of donation filtration
Authors: Shaikh Saher , McLarney Carolan
Published: June 2007

There has been much social and legal debate over the definition of the word “charity.” For some it is a path way to heaven, for others, it plays a decisive role in anti‐trust cases. Charles Dickens wrote “Charity begins at home and justice begins next door.” Lord Macnaghten’s take on the Preamble to the Statute of Elizabeth (1601) 43 Eliz. 1, c.4 (UK), whilst considered to have its limitations, is widely regarded as a useful starting point for a legal definition of charity.
Civil society in Mexico: popular protest amid economic and political liberalization
Authors: Wada Takeshi
Published: June 2007

Civil society has emerged as a contested concept in development. Some observers claim that economic restructuring has eroded the political hegemony of authoritarian regimes and created a new space for autonomous associations. In Mexico, chronic economic crisis and economic adjustment policies generated widespread popular discontent in the 1980s. The authoritarian regime tried to channel popular dissatisfaction into the institutionalized political arena through a series of electoral reforms. Thus, economic liberalization in Mexico was paralleled by a slow and gradual process of liberalization of the Mexican political system. In the context of these economic and political changes, scholars have observed an awakened civil society in Mexico. They have chronicled the emergence of independent organizations of workers, peasants, and the urban poor. They have also documented new types of civic associations such as environmental groups, election‐watch groups, human rights organizations, debtors’ groups, and women’s movements. Numerous studies of social movements beginning in the 1980s appear to suggest the rise of civil society in the era of economic and political liberalization.
The uneven globalization of civil society organizations and the consequences for cross‐national disparities in human development
Authors: Roberts Wade T.
Published: June 2007

Many scholars and practitioners consider development to be as much an institutional and organizational phenomenon as it is an economic one. Among other elements, civil society is a key determinant of a country’s level of social capital. Important links appear to exist between a robust associational milieu and the effective operation of democracy. However, the role of civil society organizations in human development has only recently gained attention.
Paradigm weak and strong – Volume 2
Authors: Sun Li‐teh
Published: June 2007

Man has been seeking an ideal existence for a very long time. In this existence, justice, love, and peace are no longer words, but actual experiences. How ever, with the American preemptive invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq and the subsequent prisoner abuse, such an existence seems to be farther and farther away from reality. The purpose of this work is to stop this dangerous trend by promoting justice, love, and peace through a change of the paradigm that is inconsistent with justice, love, and peace. The strong paradigm that created the strong nation like the U.S. and the strong man like George W. Bush have been the culprit, rather than the contributor, of the above three universal ideals. Thus, rather than justice, love, and peace, the strong paradigm resulted in in justice, hatred, and violence. In order to remove these three and related evils, what the world needs in the beginning of the third millenium is the weak paradigm. Through the acceptance of the latter paradigm, the golden mean or middle paradigm can be formulated, which is a synergy of the weak and the strong paradigm. In order to understand properly the meaning of these paradigms, however, some digression appears necessary.
The Influence of demographic and socio‐economic factors upon using information technology among more, moderate, and less developed countries in the globe
Authors: Ragab El‐Ghannam Ashraf
Published: June 2007

There is now a grow ing cross‐national empirical literature on the information technology, but it is limited, and an im portant lacuna remains. Al though widely hailed as a new, powerful engine of global social and economic change, there has been very little sociological theorising and research on the globalisation of the information technology. This study deals with what happened in global and countries variations regarding the information technology. It investigates whether the level of human development and the presence of a sizeable growth of Internet hosts around the globe are related. The objective of this study is to identify and explore the relationships between the demographic, socio‐economic factors and using information technology among and within different levels of development in the globe. Data were collected from various sources. The sample involved 120 countries that have available data. These countries are divided by level of development as follow ing: 41, 47, and 32 countries as more, moderate, and less developed countries, respectively. The statistical methods include descriptive statistics and standardised regression coefficients. In more developed countries, the results suggest that GNP per capita, percent of unemployment, and percent of public expenditure on education were statistically significant upon using information technology. The results in moderate developed countries indicate that about 49% of the variance in using information technology are explained by total population, percent of rural population, age dependency ratio, and GNP per capita. Rural population, percent of educated youth, and percent of expenditure on tele communications were the best predictor variables of using information technology in less developed countries. Clearly, without government policies and strategies and national organisations’ efforts, the world countries will continue to divide into the information rich countries and the information poor countries.
Toward a general theory of social systems
Authors: Bridgeforth Brian W.
Published: June 2007

This article presents a General Theory of Social Systems. This general theory proposes a model and method for the design, behaviour, and development of social systems. The model advanced is an exposition of the universal composition of social systems in three‐dimensions. The accompanying prescribed method offers dissection and analysis of past, present, and planned systems from Micro to Meta scales in isolation and relation to external systems.
Neopatriarchy, Islam and female labour force participation: A reconsideration
Authors: Haghighat Elhum
Published: June 2007

This article reconsiders the cross‐national determinants of female labour force participation in Islamic settings. It explores a neopatriarchal perspective using in dicators of the role of the government and the political role of women. The study shows that government plays a significant role in determining female employment. Islamic ideology as a cultural variable also contributes significantly to the model. Thus, the results indicate that Islamic ideology per se is not the only factor determining female labour force participation; the political atmosphere and economic development also contribute. In main stream sociology, Muslim countries have usually been classified as outliers on gender relations and demographic factors. These countries generally have lower‐than‐average levels of female labour force participation (FLFP) and higher‐than‐average levels of fertility and mortality relative to non‐Muslim nations at the same level of economic development (Weeks, 1988). For example, in 1995, female employment in Islamic countries was 21.7% while other Muslim and non‐Muslim developing countries, it was 38.1% (World Bank World Tables, 1999). The popular press and much of the academic literature interpret Islam as the “secluder” and “excluder” of women which, in turn, inhibits women’s integration
into the formal labour force. What is missing from the analysis is the role of the state in those societies as the main employer and investor. In many Islamic societies, the patriarchal system has never been weakened but rather modernised into a system referred to in this study as the neopatriachal state (Moghadam, 1992; Sharabi, 1988). Neopatriarchy will be defined in this article as traditional patriarchy, especially embedded in religion, which gets appropriated by the state to reinforce its rule. In the following section the meaning of each of these factors and how they affect female
employment opportunities is explored.
Growing sustainable consumption communities
Authors: Seyfang Gill
Published: June 2007

Purpose

Sustainable consumption is increasingly on the policy menu, and local organic food has been widely advocated as a practical tool to make changes to conventional production and consumption systems. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of community‐based initiatives at achieving sustainable consumption objectives.

Design/methodology/approach

A new multi‐criteria evaluation tool is developed, from New Economics theory, to assess the effectiveness of initiatives at achieving sustainable consumption. The key indicators are: localisation, reducing ecological footprints, community building, collective action and creating new socio‐economic institutions. This evaluation framework is applied to an organic producer cooperative in Norfolk, UK, using a mixed‐method approach comprising site visits, semi‐structured interviews and a customer survey.

Findings

The initiative was effective at achieving sustainable consumption in each of the dimensions of the appraisal tool, but nevertheless faced a number of barriers to achieving its potential.

Research limitations/implications

Future research could examine the sustainability preferences of non‐consumers of local or organic food, to compare responses and assess the scope for scaling up initiatives like this.

Practical implications

Ways forward for community‐based sustainable consumption are discussed, together with policy recommendations. Community‐based initiatives such as the local organic food network examined here should be supported to offer a diversity of local action.

Originality/value

This paper presents the first empirical evaluation of a local organic food network as a tool for sustainable consumption. It makes a timely and original contribution on environmental governance and the role of new institutions which enable consumers to change their consumption patterns. It is of interest to academics, practitioners and policymakers concerned with sustainable development.
Autopoiesis and the home‐confined consumer
Authors: Downey Hilary
Published: June 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the consumption of a personal community and its role in the everyday life of the home‐confined consumer.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a Radical Constructivist approach, three cases of home confinement were explored in depth over a period of two years. Ongoing “conversations” captured the consumption experiences with personal communities.

Findings

In relation to the home‐confined context, the ability to attain individuality, empowerment and creativity are all heightened as a result of personal community construction. An underlying concern for home‐confined consumers is their removal from independent living to institutionalized living, and, as a result the need to construct, manage and maintain a personal community is of major concern.

Research limitations/implications

Although the study addresses a home‐confined context, it is nevertheless reflective of concerns that are significant to all consumers, namely the attainment of individuality and independence irrespective of marginalization or not.

Practical implications

The importance of a personal community in terms of both self‐empowerment and self‐identity with respect to marginalized groups and vulnerable individuals should not be underestimated. The supporting role of a personal community provides, in times of uncertainty, a framework to maintain self‐identity and independence.

Originality/value

This paper provides a better understanding of the role of a personal community in the consumption experiences of those consumers marginalized and vulnerable as a consequence of context. Home‐confined consumers are “invisible” in the marketplace and the personal community is a means of redressing this imbalance by empowering such individuals.
We do not live to buy
Authors: de Burgh‐Woodman Hélène , Brace‐Govan Jan
Published: June 2007

Purpose

The purpose is to investigate the concepts of subculture, subculture of consumption and brand community with a view to better understanding these three groups and their distinct differences.

Design/methodology/approach

The method relies on a literature review and a case study of sporting subculture. Using commentary from the surfing community as an example of subcultural groups we see how they define themselves against consumption oriented groups.

Findings

Subcultures are completely different from brand communities (or subcultures of consumption) and while they can be said to share certain common traits the broad philosophical foci of these two groups are vastly incommensurate with one another.

Practical implications

Marketing discourse has perpetually conflated subculture with forms of consumption, i.e. brand communities, yet they are different. By acknowledging and interrogating the key differences marketers may better apprehend the needs, character and activities of subcultural participants and market more strategically.

Originality/value

By dissecting the differences between subculture, subculture of consumption and brand community, this paper offers a re‐conceptualisation of these terms in marketing discourse. In doing so, this paper seeks to dispel some fundamental misapprehensions in marketing and offer an entirely fresh perspective on the value and meaning of subculture.
Building social capital in non‐governmental organizations: buffalo banks and borewells
Authors: Riordan Cornelius , Sarkar Jaya
Published: June 2007

Describes Childreach – a US child‐focuses development organization which sponsors children and their families in developing countries – and a recent project in development education, “Buffalo banks and borewells: Childreach makes sense of development”, which involved creating and distributing educational newsletters on Third World and development issues. Lists the goals of the project and how they were addressed. Outlines what was gained from the exercise. Links this to the paradoxical situation in the USA whereby the public think money should go towards foreign aid but are reluctant to actually fork out any money themselves. Considers the role of trust and the concept of social capital, emphasizing that sponsors need to trust that their investment is making an important contribution to improving the life of the sponsored child and its family or community.
Useful sociology: can sociological knowledge be valuable in policy‐making?
Authors: Shahidullah Shahid M.
Published: June 2007

Delves into history to find out if sociological knowledge can be applied successfully to policy making. Explains that society is based on the use of multiple knowledge structures and belief systems. Cites examples of centres which were set up in the USA to improve understanding and knowledge in a specific area, which could then contribute towards policy making and, ultimately, improved practice. Discusses the application of knowledge at various points in history, indicating that ruling elites are not motivated by knowledge (intellect) but by sentiment, and that this is still the case today. Refers to various literary works on sociological practice. Advocates that modern social research should be driven by policy issues and that sociologists should seize the opportunity, presented by decentralization, to become policy makers in their own communities.
Policy paradigms and the dynamics of the welfare state: the Israeli welfare state and the Zionist colonial project
Authors: Rosenhek Zeev
Published: June 2007

Explains the development of Israel’s welfare state, concentrating on the labour exchange system and housing. Links the development of the Zionist welfare state to economic and political conditions, in particular state‐building and the management of the Palestinian community within the state. Refers to literature on policy paradigms. Notes the stable institutional infrastructures developed by the Jewish community in Palestine and the Zionist labour movement, which led to an embryonic welfare state. Recounts the development of the labour exchange process and the public housing policy, describing how the policies reinforced statehood – settling immigrants into areas where Jewish presence needed strengthening and, at first, largely excluding the Palestinian community from access to housing and the labour process. Points out that, over time, the exclusion of Palestinians became unrealistic. Concludes that Israel’s welfare state was determined by political conditions of developing statehood – most importantly the exodus of Palestinians and the influx of Jewish immigrants.
Biological categories and border controls: the revival of eugenics in anti‐immigration rhetoric
Authors: Nelkin Dorothy , Michaels Mark
Published: June 2007

Looks at the contemporary debate on US immigration, focusing particularly on the increasing articulation of eugenics. Notes that, at times of economic and moral crisis, biological generalizations tend to resurface to provide support for the existing system of privilege and rights, and that the information superhighway provides the perfect vehicle for rapidly spreading beliefs and information. Addresses three specific issues – the genetically determined traits and behaviours of specific racial groups, culture as an expression of biological characteristics, and immigration destroying the racial purity of American society. Outlines briefly US history of immigration. Airs the current concerns on US immigration – pinpointing that concern lies not in immigration per se., which has declined in the last decade, but in the changing national origin of new immigrants, that is immigrants are now mainly Latin American or Asian, which is seen as a threat to Anglo‐Saxon hegemony. Refers to the work of the Pioneer Fund, exploring human variation through the racial basis of intelligence and propensity to violence and/or crime. Claims that scientific language has been adapted to reinforce worries about immigration reducing the supremacy of America’s culture.
Businesses, boundaries and belonging: toward an ethnography of flexible specialisation
Authors: Atkin Ian , Hassard John
Published: June 2007

Reviews literature on industrial choice, ethnography and flexible specialization. Investigates flexible specialization in more depth, claiming that before ethnographic description can be achieved, abstract simplifications and the choices facing businesses in the local community have to be overcome. Proposes two models for economic recovery – flexible specialization and multinational Keynesianism – and discusses the boundaries that both models impose. Explores the public sphere and enterprise culture, particularly in the UK. Warns of the dangers of ethnographic studies of communities, specifically the imposition of meaning onto communal exchanges. Talks also of social solidarity. Observes that the identification of a communal language and a common work culture is tricky but that ethnography has a role to play in establishing the meaning of flexible specialization in small business communities.
Researching a traditional territorial organisation: analogy, verstehen and the sociological imagination
Authors: Harris C.C. , Startup Richard
Published: June 2007

Reports on a study of the state of the (Anglican) Church in Wales, which investigated the Church in Wales as a sociological institution through attitudes held by the clergy and lay members of the Church. Asserts that churches are institutional associational groups with rational‐bureaucratic forms of administration, rather than organizations, but that it helps to conceptualize the church as if it were an organization. Outlines some of the problems the Church faces – maintaining a presence in sparsely populated areas, secularization, decreasing personnel, and conservatism. Discusses the Church’s theory of itself and explores the conceptual world of the laity with regard to the nature of the Church, its structure, and the relationship between the Church and the world. Concludes that social enquiry is all about listening.
Effect of age, gender and race on abortion attitude
Authors: Misra Ranjita
Published: June 2007

Explores attitudes towards abortion in the USA and whether or not they have changed during the period 1977‐1993 (based on data from the National Opinion Research Centre’s General Social Survey). Describes the research methodology used and how the data was analysed, testing for attitudinal change by age, gender and race, through a comparison of mean scale scores, longitudinal analysis, and multiple regression. Finds that younger people are more pro‐choice but that there has been an increase in pro‐life attitudes among women and pro‐choice among men. Indicates that racial differences on abortion are declining. Reveals that increased religiosity affects attitudes towards abortion, which may account for black women generally being more pro‐life. Notes, also, that respondents with higher levels of education were more pro‐choice. Refers to a particular legal decision on abortion, which, it was thought, had prompted a pro‐choice attitude, but finds that this is not actually the case.
We’re all wackos – a new model of health
Authors: Thornton Janet
Published: June 2007

Chucks out current notions on illness and health on the grounds that they are the result of a mechanistic view of reality. Points out the problems inherent in this approach – somebody somewhere has to define what is healthy and, therefore, also define the understanding of illness and what would be the appropriate treatment. Argues that an incredible amount of money is wasted trying to explain reality as we see it as something objective, whereas we should be concentrating on the fact that there is no such thing as reality which is separate from us. Points out that we need to question the framework within which the questions are asked. Explores the experience of being wrong and therefore ill. Recommends replacing notions of health and illness with a democratic process of development of awareness, which does not require arrogant experts or gurus, as it is clearly impossible to assume the knowledge of all answers and all possible awarenesses of reality.
Toward the well‐being of mankind: Rockefeller philanthropy and the problem of economic research
Authors: Hewa Soma
Published: June 2007

Recounts Rockefeller philanthropy and the role it has played in shaping the development of medicine in the USA and elsewhere. Questions why social scientific research was not included in Rockefeller philanthropy in its formative stages. Investigates the role one Frederick T. Gates played in Rockefeller philanthropy and, particularly, his opposition to the creation of an institute of economic research. Sketches a biography of Gates, covering his professional career and the development of the philosophical views he held. Explores his approach to wholesale giving and scientific philanthropy as he gained more and more influence over Rockefeller’s business interests. Mentions William Lyon Mackenzie King (who later became Prime Minister of Canada) and his role within the Rockefeller philanthropic set‐up – to investigate labour relations – as a key factor in later obtaining support from the Rockefeller Foundation for social scientific research.
Health behaviours in rural adolescents
Authors: Misra Ranjita , Aguillon Sandra
Published: June 2007

Considers the need for school aged children to develop their own health behaviours as often both parents have to work. Outlines the findings of a survey of 14 to 19 year olds in a small rural town in northeastern Missouri. Measures qualities such as self esteem and personal characteristics together with physical activity, health knowledge and diet, enabling the researchers to make observations regarding gender differences and influences on health behaviour. Suggests some implications for educators and parents.
Disability and women’s work experiences: an exploratory study
Authors: Burke Ronald J.
Published: June 2007

Presents the findings of a questionnaire sent to nine occupational groups where women predominate such as healthcare, teaching and childcare, together with other forms placed in day‐care and women’s centres in Ontario. Looks at disability, personal demographics, the work situation, workplace stress, physical demands, psychosomatic symptoms, job satisfaction, insecurity, harassment and family pressures. Discusses findings suggesting that disabled women tend to have more negative work experiences, possibly due to previous education problems, discrimination and the nature of roles offered which lead to lower income levels in lower status roles.
Embeddedness: socialising the “social” construction of ethnicity
Authors: Chung Ed , Fischer Eileen
Published: June 2007

Considers the pluralistic cultures which exist within a nation and outlines the history of previous research into this field. Introduces the concept of embeddedness which means that the society within which a person lives will influence their behaviour. Discusses intracultural differences and presents some research strategies for looking at the ethnic consumer.
US Neo‐conservatism: cohort and cross‐cultural perspective
Authors: Schneider Andreas
Published: June 2007

Demonstrates changes in conservatism in a cross‐cultural and over time perspective. Using a micro‐model, attempts to explain the interdependency of materialism, religion, authority and family in establishing convention. Presents the findings of a questionnaire of undergraduates in North Carolina looking at the identities that reflect the suggested changes. Combines the analysis of a time series established over 20 years in the US with a cross sectional analysis of Germany to test a model of conservatism.
Planning for the unknown: social policy‐making in Hong Kong 1990‐1997
Authors: Tang Kwong‐leung
Published: June 2007

Examines the extent to which social policy adopted by the colonial government in Hong Kong (prior to its hand‐over China in 1997) has set the agenda for the government of the newly formed Special Administrative Region (SAR). Chronicles the historical development of social policy in Hong Kong since the inception of the colonial government in 1842; identifies that, with the exception of a short‐lived period of expansionism (stimulated by social unrest in the mid‐1960’s) social welfare provision appears to have been low on the government’s agenda and incremental in nature ‐ the emphasis being on economic growth, rather than public spending on welfare programmes. Examines the strengths and weaknesses of this incremental approach; outlines the commitment of the SAR government to the market economy and its proposals for a modest increase in welfare provision, essentially building on the legacy left behind by the colonial government.
The violent character of sexual‐eroticism in cross‐cultural comparison
Authors: Schneider Andreas
Published: June 2007

Details a cross‐cultural study to expose the extent to which public concern regulates sexual‐eroticism and withdraws it from public attention; identifies a propensity towards the ideal of sexual constraint within US society, reflected by a high degree of regulation and criminalization of sexuality ‐ ranging from strict policies on sexual‐harassment to the restriction of explicit images, even for sex education purposes. Compares with the more liberal attitudes exhibited in Germany. Develops an empirical model to establish cultural differences in attitudes to sexual issues; confirms that Germans are less likely to stigmatize sexual eroticism than their American contemporaries. Concludes that Germans exhibit emotions that typify sexual emancipation, compared with the sexually constrained emotions of Americans; suggests a link between the repression of sexual emotions and violence in society.
New right, new Labour, new welfare?
Authors: Cigno Katy , Bradley Greta , Ellingham Tony
Published: June 2007

Discusses attempts by the government’s political opposition (in the UK) to break the consensus on welfare and considers whether the recent change in political power has materially altered the direction of policy relating to care in the community and the role of social workers. Charts the development of the British welfare state from its conception in 1945 through to the present day, focussing on recent reforms in community care provisions and the role of social workers; details how the profession has been undermined by a series of events and profiles the former government’s response. Identifies that the welfare role of social workers has diminished, and been replaced with a social control function. Concludes that, despite the legacy inherited from the previous government, a shift in the political approach to social services and community care provision is discernible.
Being pro‐life is necessary to defend liberty
Authors: Paul Ron
Published: June 2007

States that to remain consistent, abortion can not be justified as all individuals have certain inalienable rights, including the right to life. Argues that abortion creates classes of people who have no rights and can therefore be killed. Compares this with property rights under which masters formerly possessed slaves and asks where these rights end.
Power and act: notes towards engaging in a discussion of one of the underlying questions in the abortion debate
Authors: Walker John
Published: June 2007

Compares the opposing schools of thought regarding prenatal personhood and how this state should be defined. Looks at definitions based on a person’s potential and a person’s actions and compares these arguments with lower animal species. Concludes that there is an unacceptable cost in both arguments.
Why parental obligation?
Authors: Walker John
Published: June 2007

Outlines two kind of rights, universal and specific, and the dependency of a child. Covers the responsibility not to harm and looks at choice for all parties involved in abortion. Concludes with outstanding questions to face including the question of power.
What do abortion choicers mean when they tell us: lets get the government out of our lives?
Authors: Gordon Doris
Published: June 2007

Questions whether the government can play a neutral role in the abortion debate and what this means practically. Suggests the argument is only used if it supports the view of the proponent and proffers the suggestion that the statement really means that the government is serving the wants of this person.
Trust, the voluntary sector and civil society
Authors: Fenton Natalie , Passey Andrew , Hems Les
Published: June 2007

Looks at the development of the voluntary sector into a semi‐professional area undertaking more work which was previously seen as the State’s responsibility. Considers the amount of trust invested in these charities and the damage that new fundraising techniques may inflict. Outlines the recent political influences on society and the individual together with the resulting attitudes to charity. Briefly outlines the local and global perspectives including mass media communication.
Perceptions of child care centre owners in Chicago: implications for public policy
Authors: Amin Mohamed A. , Conley Herbert A. , Yoo Boonghe
Published: June 2007

Considers the question of childcare availability in relation to demand. Presents the finding of a study into childcare in Chicago. Attempts to identify the future plans and perceptions of the childcare providers. Focuses particularly on potential business expansion and environmental barriers. Concludes that demand outstrips supply by more than three times but owners are not planning to expand and legislative requirements appear to be a high factor in this decision.
The decline of a liberal mainstream church: issues and problems for the church in Wales (UK)
Authors: Startup Richard , Harris Christopher C.
Published: June 2007

Outlines some of the main issues in declining membership facing the Anglican Church in Wales including doctrine, clergy, laity, evangelism and variety in worship. Considers the growth of charismatic churches and the success of those with stricter codes. Concludes that many look to the church for occasional offices such as birth, marriage and death but little else. Advocates an element of strictness in order that the individual can see a difference in belonging. Points to a growth in affluence bringing tolerance and respectability and a fall in the birth rate of potential adherents.
Gender inequality in employment status following family migration in GB and the US: the effect of relative occupational status
Authors: Boyle Paul , Cooke Tom , Halfacree Keith , Smith Darren
Published: June 2007

Presents the findings of a study of long distance migrations for employment opportunities in both the US and the UK. Compares the cross‐national differences between the two countries and tries to investigate the effects of the relative resources of the partner in their subsequent search for employment. Attempts to discover any gender differences based upon occupational status. Evaluates the similarity and differences between the countries.
Breaking the silence: the need to re‐articulate “class”
Authors: Bradley Harriet , Hebson Gail
Published: June 2007

Questions why the analysis of class is being overlooked in the sociological mainstream. Presents some symptoms of this development followed by an evaluation. Suggests some new directions for class research which could appeal to younger researchers. Advocates work in this area to bridge the lack of information now available.
Understanding social inequality
Authors: Blackburn Robert M.
Published: June 2007

Introduces the different types of inequality. Argues the distinction between inequality and differences. Asks if social inequality is important or a mistaken ideal? Briefly looks at the different forms inequality takes.
What is the effect technological change on earnings inequality?
Authors: Smith Michael R.
Published: June 2007

Focuses on the approach to interpreting earnings equality found in the writings of a variety of economists and in particular, technological change and its effects on the demand skill resulting in earning inequality. Argues that the evidence in favour of the technological effect is weak and presents some alternatives for further consideration.