bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Christian Philosophy
Authors: Burton Simon J. G.
Published: April 2024

This chapter considers the leading Reformed philosopher Bartholomäus Keckermann, his complex relation to Ramism, and his development of an influential methodical Peripateticism and Ramist encyclopaedism. It begins by considering Keckermann’s education and his exposure to Zabarellan Aristotelianism and anti-Ramism at the University of Heidelberg. It also reveals the contours of his methodical Peripateticism and its relation to a Thomistic approach critical of both Ramism’s Realism and its watering down of Aristotelian, syllogistic logic. By contrast, it then shows how Keckermann’s later spearheading of further reform in his home city of Danzig led him to pioneer a new Ramist systematization of knowledge. It also shows his debt to a Franciscan Christian philosophy and understanding of the encyclopaedia as a means of restoring the image of God and returning to Eden. This issues in a Trinitarian and therapeutic theology, as well as a Neo-Platonic vision of the transformation of Church and society.
Philosophical Panacea
Authors: Burton Simon J. G.
Published: April 2024

This chapter considers the celebrated Reformed encyclopaedist Johann Heinrich Alsted; his attempts to harmonize Ramist, Lullist, and Aristotelian methods into a new harmonic philosophy; and his Trinitarian and mathematical reconfiguring of the horizons of knowledge. It begins by considering Alsted’s intellectual formation between the Ramism of Herborn and the Lullism and hermeticism of the University of Marburg, evident especially in his early engagement with the works of Giordano Bruno. It then considers his Lullist quest for a universal key to all knowledge and his Cusan and mathematical approach to the harmonization of all philosophies. It examines the roots of this in the Franciscan and Neo-Platonic traditions and traces the emergence of Alsted’s Triune universal method and biblical encyclopaedism. It also considers his relation to the Fabrist encyclopaedist Bernardo de Lavinheta and his Scotist-Lullist metaphysics. It concludes by showing how all these movements issued in a Trinitarian and apocalyptic encyclopaedism.
Universal Harmony
Authors: Burton Simon J. G.
Published: April 2024

This chapter considers Johann Heinrich Bisterfeld, his Trinitarian method of immeation, and his universal reform of Church and society. It begins by tracing Bisterfeld’s intellectual formation in Herborn, England, and the Netherlands and his extensive collaboration with Alsted in Transylvania in promoting a Trinitarian, encyclopaedic, and apocalyptic reform of the Principality. It then considers in-depth his use of Ramist and Lullist methods to develop a transcendental metaphysics and mathematized, combinatorial logic. At the heart of this was the Fabrist account of immeation encompassing the Trinitarian convertibility of mind, language, and reality. From here the chapter shows how Bisterfeld drew on Franciscan and Neo-Platonic paradigms to develop a mystical and encyclopaedic ascent to God, a new scriptural methodology, and a Ramistic logic of faith. It concludes by demonstrating Bisterfeld’s Trinitarian vision of the universal harmony of Church and society and its debt to Cusa and the Herborn Ramist Johannes Althusius.
Trauma Beyond Borders
Authors: Sandhya Shaifali
Published: April 2024

Chapter 2, “Trauma Beyond Borders: At Sea in the World,” locates the nature of trauma both in refugees’ premigratory lives and in their dangerous journeys out of conflict zones, and examines the importance of a society’s resettlement climate for how refugees acquire negative social representation and its consequences. On the one hand are irregular journeys for asylum-seekers, especially women and children, which can mean being forced into commercial sexual exploitation, indentured labor, child marriages, sexual enslavement, being trafficked for their organs, and slavery-like practices. On the other hand, host nations impose an identity (i.e., pariah, patient, victim, and supplicant) on the refugee as the Other. A nation’s response to refugee trauma and a resettlement framework can be shaped by facets such as its own historical trauma. Using Germany as a case study, the chapter draws our attention to the role of its turbulent history with Judeocide and sexual violence during World War II in shaping its modern identity and the consequent generational conflicts of young Germans in shaping its response to the trauma of its modern refugees. Through interviews with its state officials, members of relief organizations, and mental health professionals, the chapter discusses some emerging issues and challenges with newly arrived asylum-seekers, and key integration themes within the German national asylum frameworks that may serve as barriers in addressing refugees’ complex trauma.
What’s the Trouble with Mrs. Khaled?
Authors: Sandhya Shaifali
Published: April 2024

Chapter 7, “What’s the Trouble with Mrs. Khaled? The Mental Health of Refugee Women and Their Communities,” investigates the role of gender in the development or maintenance of complex trauma among conflict-affected forcibly displaced women. Conflict can affect the nature, extent, and frequency of traumatic events female refugees endure and the psychological, medical, and social consequences of gender-based violence on refugee women’s experiences of suffering. The exploration of gender-specific experiences of war and knowledge of their unique social-environmental contexts—e.g., political affiliations, ethnicity, cultural roles, and patriarchal norms—underscoring women’s traumas can allow us an opportunity to investigate the nature of their persecutions, expressions of suffering, and paths to recovery. When wars break out, social power is redistributed, and women can be targeted within their communities and families for their transgressions, while tasked with being caregivers. Nonrecognition of gender-based experiences of trauma or its consequences can downplay understanding of female refugees’ persecution, impact the rejection of gender-related asylum claims, neglect gender-sensitive interpretations of the Convention in States’ law and policy instruments, and target them as illegal immigrants than those who deserve equitable international protection. To facilitate female asylum seekers’ integration, the chapter underscores an urgency to incorporate clinical interventions with strategic social initiatives during the various displacement phases to address female refugees’ trauma for their own and their community’s empowerment.
Mental Health and Integration
Authors: Sandhya Shaifali
Published: April 2024

Chapter 9, “Mental Health and Integration: Structuring Refuge for Resettled Refugees,” discusses the role of receiving nations in designing better opportunities for access across different domains of integration for their refugee communities. Refugees’ successful integration boosts their well-being and provides various benefits for their hosts; conversely, lack of integration of refugee communities can exert costs through unemployment, stalling in career progression, poor health including suicide, presence of cardiovascular diseases, and loneliness. This chapter proposes a comprehensive definition of integration, and it explores the role of some exigent factors such as refugee’s untreated mental illness, the history of settlement of the particular refugee group, host nations’ reactions to refugees, type of host country (transit or target), colonial pasts, political culture, humanitarian traditions relating to the treatment of refugees, and the political will of elites. Using different national resettlement frameworks, the chapter also explores how integration processes, or the economic, legal, social, cultural, educational, and political aspects of policies, affect refugees’ participation, self-sufficiency, and empowerment in host societies.
The importance of policy in the opioid crisis
Authors: Ukockis Gail
Published: April 2024

This introductory chapter delineates the reasons why social workers should study policy, especially regarding the opioid crisis. The impact of stigma is discussed in the “Let them die” section. A brief glimpse into the history of opioid addiction leads to a discussion of harm reduction. The structure of the book includes a chapter on the causes of the opioid crisis, the political context, a holistic view of poverty, the impact of the opioid crisis on the child welfare system, the impact on women, special populations such as persons of color, the criminal justice system, current challenges such as co-use of methamphetamines, and political advocacy.
The political context of the opioid crisis
Authors: Ukockis Gail
Published: April 2024

Chapter 3 describes the opioid crisis in the context of U.S. politics, including the recent developments of political violence. Readers will learn how the political spectrum (liberal, conservative, etc.) affects the decisions that will stimulate or stymie the efforts to fight the crisis. Liberals and other leftists are more likely to stress collective responsibility, including government interventions for opioid use disorder. Conservatives and other right-wing advocates are more likely to stress personal responsibility and less government intervention. The chapter ends with a discussion of thoughtful activism and whether being a “radical is such a bad thing” in the context of Saul Alinsky and Frederick Douglass.
The punishing effects of poverty
Authors: Ukockis Gail
Published: April 2024

Chapter 4 first presents a holistic view of poverty beyond the financial aspects, including time poverty. Besides the impact of stigma, this chapter focuses on the punishing effects of poverty and their relation to the opioid crisis. Appalachia had become one of the focal points of the opioid crisis as the region’s poverty intersected with drug use. The power of hierarchy (i.e., race-based classism) argument is discussed alongside the power of capitalism section, which stresses the “white trash” concept. A policy analysis of the Poverty Bill of Rights follows, then a section about Medicaid. Any kind of Medicaid coverage can be problematic because of the stigma of poverty.
Special populations
Authors: Ukockis Gail
Published: April 2024

Special populations are the focus in Chapter 7 because the opioid crisis affects them differently. Minority stress affects most of these groups as they cope with being marginalized instead of respected as equals. Although each of these populations have unique gifts, they also face unique problems such as racism, xenophobia, ageism, and transphobia. For them, the fight to avoid being erased by society is critical to their overcoming the opioid crisis. Despite the popular perception that mostly whites are using opioids, persons of color are also struggling with opioid use disorder, including Blacks/AA. A case study of Washington, DC, where most overdose victims are Black/AA, shows the dilemma faced by local officials. Hispanic/Latinx and Native Americans are also discussed, besides older adults, veterans, and active service members. Transgender/nonbinary persons are another special population.
The role of criminal justice in the opioid crisis
Authors: Ukockis Gail
Published: April 2024

Chapter 8 exposes the problematic intersection of the criminal justice system with the opioid crisis, especially the impacts of mass incarceration. The War on Drugs, which prioritizes punishment over treatment, has had a decisive influence on the opioid crisis. Drug use and treatment in prisons/jails are also discussed, besides the social costs of mass incarceration. The impact of mass incarceration on justice-involved persons includes the barriers to successful re-entry into society. The section titled “Fixing a broken system” describes criminal justice reforms such as second look laws. Reform is not only possible but absolutely essential for a more just society.
Ongoing challenges
Authors: Ukockis Gail
Published: April 2024

COVID-19 is one of the ongoing challenges in Chapter 9, especially since social isolation and limited treatment access contributed to a shocking rise in overdose deaths. The disruption of most social service agencies was also a hardship for many clients during the pandemic The co-use of methamphetamine (meth) has emerged as another challenge. Speedballs and goofballs are two names for the co-use of opioids and meth when they are injected together. Also, fentanyl (synthetic heroin) is proving to be a deadly risk for all persons who use any street drugs because of widespread contamination of cocaine and other substances. A discussion about the stigma of SUD follows.
Introduction
Authors: Loew Peter Oliver
Published: April 2024

The introduction presents an initial picture of the city of Gdańsk, Poland, along with its unique history and identity. Gdańsk has been a repeated focal point of international tension: the Second World War began there, as did the fall of European communism. The city has spent much of its recorded history as a prize coveted by surrounding powers, and twice it suffered near total destruction. It has been Pomeranian, Teutonic, Polish, Prussian, twice a “Free City,” and part of two totalitarian regimes in the twentieth century. Entire eras of its history have been rewritten to fit conflicting ideological narratives, and yet the city has also developed an identity all its own, one that has emerged from each historical episode and still endures.
Wheat-Blond and Rye-Brown
Authors: Loew Peter Oliver
Published: April 2024

Chapter 4 covers the two centuries of Danzig’s golden age under the Polish crown. With the help of Poland, Danzig and the Prussian Confederation seceded from the Teutonic Order after winning the Thirteen Years’ War and became “Royal Prussia,” a group of German-speaking cities subject to Poland. Danzig’s new political status would lead to unheard-of opportunities for economic, artistic, and scientific development, even during the upheavals of the Protestant Reformation. Danzig carved out a unique position for itself among other Polish subjects and enjoyed unusual privilege and independence. Its wealth grew so greatly that it even successfully stood up to the king and defied his armies during a dispute. By 1650, Danzig had become the largest city between Amsterdam and Moscow.
Prussian Blue
Authors: Loew Peter Oliver
Published: April 2024

Chapter 6 follows the newly Prussian city of Danzig through turbulence and prosperity. Danzig had been part of Prussia for only fourteen years when Napoleon besieged and took the city in 1807. For seven difficult years, Danzig had become a “free city” overseen by a French governor and exploited for Napoleon’s profit. After the city returned to Prussia, it underwent a rapid economic recovery, as well as a less rapid modernization and industrialization. As modern nationalisms developed in nineteenth-century Europe, Danzig increasingly clung to its culturally and politically German identity, and local anti-Polonism increased. In the face of this, the small Polish population began to assert itself with Polish clubs, newspapers, and festivals. The chapter also discusses the lives of Kashubian and Jewish populations in Danzig. The First World War broke out in 1914 and planted the seeds of future developments that would thrust a uniquely critical role on Danzig in twentieth-century Europe.
Variations in White and Red
Authors: Loew Peter Oliver
Published: April 2024

Chapter 8 examines the newly Polish city of Gdańsk amid the immense social and political upheaval brought about by the end of the Second World War. Following the war’s end, hundreds of thousands of Danzig Germans were forced to leave their home and move west. In Gdańsk’s reconstruction over the city’s first few postwar decades as part of the Soviet Union, the Polish and local government resolved to erase, as far as possible, any traces of the city’s German past as they established a new municipal identity. German writer and Danzig native Günter Grass gained international fame with his novels that not only prominently featured his hometown but also rejected any oversimplified, nationalist categorizations of Gdańsk as a “German” or “Polish” city. Gdańsk developed much more industrially than it had as part of Prussia and Germany, and the city became renowned for its shipyards and ship construction. Thousands of workers would revolt in 1970, and the aftershocks would ultimately lead to the end of the USSR.
Kaleidoscope
Authors: Loew Peter Oliver
Published: April 2024

Chapter 9 recounts the developments in Gdańsk that would ultimately contribute to the fall of European communism and the city’s unique liberal identity in an increasingly nationalist Poland in the new millenium. The discontent of the early 1970s continued in the face of repression and led to renewed revolts in 1980, now led by the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union “Solidarity” (Solidarność) under its leader, Lech Wałęsa. Solidarity gained such momentum that its eventual success would help topple the Soviet Union. In recent decades, the people of Gdańsk have gained a greater interest in the city’s multifaceted past, and they now eagerly seek out Gdańsk’s histories as told by a variety of voices. The city continues to discover and define its unique identity, and despite the 2019 assassination of its longtime mayor Paweł Adamowicz, Gdańsk remains a liberal stronghold in a Poland once again facing the danger of political extremism.
Zwingli’s Covenantal Turn of 1525
Authors: Hildebrand Pierrick
Published: April 2024

Mid-1525 saw a paradigm shift in Zwingli’s theological thinking on the covenant. In a defense of his understanding of the Eucharist against the accusations of his Roman Catholic opponents in Zurich, Zwingli used for the first time an argument rooted in the fundamental continuity of the covenant. The pivotal bible text is God’s covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17, from which Zwingli looked back to the protoevangelion as the first mention of the covenant and forward to Christ as its fulfillment. The arc of the whole biblical narrative now proposed a single covenant (foedus) of grace. The notion of a prelapsarian covenant can be found in his later writings. Zwingli’s covenantal turn reflected his intensive exegesis of the Book of Genesis at the new Bible seminary in Zurich, while covenant theology coupled with the doctrine of election was of particular importance in the context of the Anabaptist controversy.
Calvin
Authors: Hildebrand Pierrick
Published: April 2024

Scholars have often given far greater weight to Calvin’s influence on the Reformed tradition than to Bullinger’s, but this chapter rebalances the scales in relation to their covenant theology. The comparative evaluation focuses on four aspects of great importance for the original development of Reformed covenant theology in Zurich: covenantal continuity; covenant and union with Christ; covenant and sacraments; prelapsarian covenant. The chapter demonstrates that Calvin neither departed from nor developed Bullinger’s insights, but instead integrated them into his theology. Differences in emphasis are apparent, but they are more quantitative than qualitative in nature. Thus, for example, Bullinger was more often explicit in his equation of the covenant with union with Christ; in terms of covenantal terminology, he drew on richer resources; and he generally used the covenant in a wider spectrum of genres and for different theological concerns.
Heidelberg
Authors: Hildebrand Pierrick
Published: April 2024

The Heidelberg theologians Zacharias Ursinus (1534–1583) and Caspar Olevian (1536–1587) integrated into their covenant theology aspects that had roots in Zurich, such as the covenantal view of the prelapsarian state of man and above all the organic-mystical aspect of the covenant. On a historical level, the nature of the relationship between Bullinger and the Heidelberg theologians makes it very likely that the former influenced the latter not simply in more general terms (i.e., the covenant idea) but also on these specific issues. While Melanchthon’s and Calvin’s contributions to these early orthodox confessional formulations are not to be dismissed, Bullinger must be recognized as having played a more prominent role in this new stage in Reformed covenant theology than was previously assumed.
Introduction
Authors: Cyr Jennifer , Goodman Sara Wallace
Published: April 2024

This is a book about doing good qualitative research. What does that mean? In this chapter, we provide an introduction to the volume. We begin by familiarizing the reader with extant publishing and research challenges, and we focus specifically on the disciplinary incentives that tend to promote the use of quantitative work. We then offer our own definition of good qualitative research. We suggest that it comprises five attributes: rigor, alignment, flexibility, ethics, and inclusion. Finally, we conclude by laying out the plan of the book. We provide suggestions on how a reader may wish to approach the multiple chapters that follow and include a series of potential uses for readers.
The Construction of Knowledge
Authors: Lee Jooyoun
Published: April 2024

This chapter seeks to challenge the conception of objectivity underlying the idea of scientific knowledge, which has been incorporated into the social sciences and is modeled on the scientific criteria embraced by the natural sciences. By addressing the ontological and epistemological critiques of objective knowledge and the ideas of an impartial, value-free stance of the knower/researcher, the chapter highlights the idea that knowledge is socially constructed by accentuating the role of humans, the social and historical context, the multiplicity of human experience, and relations of power. The state of practice of “doing” the construction of knowledge analyzes the role of representation and discourses by providing concrete examples of conducting research. The chapter concludes by discussing potential problems that researchers might confront and providing some tips to help them overcome those issues.
Case Study and Selection
Authors: Goodman Sara Wallace
Published: April 2024

This chapter presents and critically examines best practices for case study research and case selection. In reviewing prominent case study criteria that prioritize objective, analytical needs of research design (“appropriateness”), the chapter argues that overlooked considerations of feasibility (including positionality, resources, and skills) and interest play equally important roles when selecting and studying cases. The chapter concludes by arguing for an iterative process of research design, one that equally weighs pragmatic considerations and academic concerns of best fit. This strategy hopes to make qualitative research more accessible and transparent and to diversify the types of cases we study and questions we ask.
The Potential of Mixed Methods for Qualitative Research
Authors: Gerzso Thalia , Riedl Rachel Beatty
Published: April 2024

With an expanding set of mixed-method research designs, the chapter discusses the benefits and limitations of common methodological tools used in political science scholarship and outlines the potential and pitfalls of each multimethod combination and sequence. For qualitative researchers, incorporating a mixed-method approach can significantly expand the generalizability of the study and/or enhance the precision of causal estimates, compare causes with counterfactual nonevents, flush out the theoretical logic and set of underlying assumptions, and/or identify causal processes at different levels of analysis. The richness of possibility presents opportunities for scholars to explore and even iterate their research designs as new observable implications of the argument become clear from the existing methodological approach, opening new horizons for political science and knowledge accumulation.
Preparing a Causal Research Design
Authors: LaPorte Jody
Published: April 2024

This chapter outlines the principles and practices of preparing a causal research design in qualitative research. It argues that a good causal research design is one that (1) poses a causal research question, (2) identifies what is at stake in answering this question, (3) describes the key concepts and variables, (4) offers a causal hypothesis, (5) accounts for competing explanations, (6) outlines plans for data collection and analysis, (7) plans for contingencies, and (8) discusses why the researcher is the right person to carry out this research. The chapter also considers potential challenges that researchers may encounter in designing and executing causal analyses, including the interrelated nature of the research design decisions and the need for subsequent revisions to the design in the field, and suggests practical steps that researchers can take to address these difficulties and succeed in their research.
Power Dynamics between Researcher and Subject
Authors: Ayrton Rachel
Published: April 2024

In qualitative research, the researcher and the relationships they develop with research subjects are an integral part of generating knowledge about the social world. These relationships are imbued with power, influencing the findings of research. This chapter presents a case for “power-conscious” research, which recognizes power as an inevitable facet of social relationships. This approach seeks to understand and observe the microdynamics of power in research relationships and to create reciprocal spaces where both researchers and research subjects can exercise power and negotiate the terms of their involvement. Understanding how power operates in the process of research contributes significantly to the knowledge generated and can work toward cultivation of more just power relations in wider society.
Considering Collaboration as Part of Your Research Design
Authors: Gellman Mneesha
Published: April 2024

Collaborative methodology is a mode of working with, rather than on, research stakeholders. This chapter discusses the strengths and challenges of a methodological framework that contributes to decolonizing the social sciences while increasing rigor and accuracy. Recognizing the extractive ways that information has been taken from historically and contemporarily marginalized communities by scholars across the academy, this chapter addresses ways that researchers can work with stakeholders to design mutually beneficial projects. It shares reflections on a multimethod, comparative work carried out with the Yurok Tribe of Northern California and addresses some of the risks and benefits of multisite collaborative methodological research.
Interviewing and Listening to Ordinary People
Authors: Cramer Katherine J
Published: April 2024

Humans are constantly in the process of perceiving and making sense of their world. Listening to the way they talk can reveal a great deal about identities and understandings, which are both essential ingredients of political behavior. This chapter describes how to use the listening methods of interviewing individuals or inviting yourself into the conversations of groups of people to conduct research on the political behavior of ordinary people. My advice is targeted toward researchers who want to study the understandings of ordinary people. I share what I know from my past work to provide practical advice on a wide range of considerations, from what sensibility to aim for in the field, to how to present your results.
Studying Indigenous Peoples’ Politics
Authors: Falleti Tulia G.
Published: April 2024

This chapter is written for the non-Indigenous and non-anthropologist student or social scientist who aims to study Indigenous peoples’ politics or other aspects of Indigenous cultures and nations. It reviews the main tasks and attitudes required of the non-Indigenous scholar before and during the research and dissemination of results, for their research to be, at least in part, interculturally sensitive. The chapter argues that respect, reciprocity, and a decolonizing ambition are three principles that should guide research. In highlighting the importance of studying Indigenous politics, the chapter also grapples with the question of whether non-Indigenous scholars should study Indigenous peoples’ politics and the extent to which their research is reliable. While the recommendations contained here should apply to non-Indigenous researchers who adopt any methodological approach, they will be particularly relevant to those conducting qualitative research and interacting with Indigenous peoples.
Navigating Ethical Issues and Choices in the Field
Authors: Duquette-Rury Lauren
Published: April 2024

Researchers working with human participants must adhere to the requirements of institutional review boards (IRB) and relevant committees to proceed with qualitative data collection. But following the guiding principles of procedural ethics does not preclude ethical tensions, contradictions, and conflicts from happening when doing research. This chapter examines how a relational ethic of care offers a home base for navigating ethical ambiguities that surface while doing qualitative research. Reflecting on ethical issues and choices in the field and describing those uncomfortable and sometimes inconvenient spaces with colleagues and students, the chapter unpacks key elements in an ethical practice working with study communities and organizational partners.
Reading Closely
Authors: Ellermann Antje
Published: April 2024

Reading closely is a skill essential for text-based data analysis, yet few social science textbooks provide researchers with guidance on how to read closely. Reading closely allows the reader to get intimately acquainted with a passage of text by reading it word-by-word or sentence-by-sentence. This chapter provides a roadmap for reading text closely by paying attention to the ways in which arguments are constructed and supported. It takes the reader through a step-by-step exercise of closely reading a government document, focused on context, positionality, frames, and alternatives. The chapter concludes with a discussion of cherry-picking as a common pitfall of reading closely.
The Role of Description
Authors: Avant Deborah
Published: April 2024

Description plays an indispensable role in social science narratives. Though often described as “merely” a tool for generating or testing causal claims, description is valuable on its own terms. Description “tells it how it is,” but “telling it” can also affect “how it is.” Thus, description is consequential not only for what it reveals but also for charting a narrative that finds logic in cacophony—that creates common sense. This chapter provides an overview of description and how it varies, and then introduces best practices through which researchers can generate understandings around issues, attentive to both their revelatory and creative possibilities. The chapter ends by considering dilemmas associated with description.
Qualitative Social Network Analysis
Authors: Spindel Jennifer
Published: April 2024

Qualitative social network analysis (QSNA) takes as its unit of analysis the relationships between actors. This relational approach sees agency as inherently linked to structure and provides scholars with a way to study social and political reality in dynamic, continual, and processual terms. As a methodological approach, QSNA can link micro and macro levels of analysis and is particularly good for studying change over time. The method is not without its difficulties, however. QSNA often struggles to move from description to explanation, and the requirements of data and evidence collection can be a barrier to its use. New developments in studying multiple, overlapping networks and clearer guidance on case selection can help scholars overcome these potential issues.
Process Tracing
Authors: Liu Amy H.
Published: April 2024

Despite the growing popularity of process tracing, one challenge to the method is the general absence of guidelines on how to do it. Barring some exceptions, the scholarship promotes its use in theory but provides little guidance in application. One reason for this shortcoming is the different ways researchers can use process tracing, for example, deductive versus inductive, theory-driven or case-driven. This chapter provides a step-by-step checklist specifically for developing a hypothesis-testing research design using process tracing. It illustrates the value-added of this checklist by applying it to a puzzling development in Thai party politics. Using process tracing in this manner makes it a valid and substantial tool for hypothesis testing. This practical guide should be of interest to scholars grappling with their own research designs as well as those with prior experience in case study methods.
Publishing Qualitative Research
Authors: Goodman Sara Wallace , Cyr Jennifer
Published: April 2024

How do you publish qualitative research in peer-reviewed journals? This chapter repositions the lens of analysis from the researcher to the editors and reviewers, that is, the individuals that handle researchers’ work and determine whether good qualitative work gets published or not. The chapter presents the results of a survey of editors from a variety of political science journals who were asked to share their perspectives on how reviewers handle qualitative submissions, to describe how their journals think about qualitative work in general, and to describe what good qualitative work looks like. Standards of good qualitative work generally converge across journal type. Specifically, reviewers identify qualitative work as “good” when it identifies a general problem, makes a clear theoretical contribution, provides an explicit research design with convincing case selection, and speaks to generality and implications of findings.
Introduction
Authors: Gilbert Neil , Chung Kyungbae
Published: April 2024

This book examines the evolution of Korean social welfare policy in the past two decades through the lens of the “social investment state,” a model that supports capitalism and views welfare programs as measures to boost productivity. The Korean welfare state developed later, but in a much shorter time, than most of the other welfare states in the member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Since the turn of the 21st century, the scope of social welfare coverage and the fiscal capacity to pay for these benefits advanced as the economy rapidly matured, with gross domestic product per capita more than doubling in two decades. At the same time, the Korean population has been rapidly aging due to a precipitous decline in the fertility rate and a steep rise in life expectancy, which is placing increasing demands on the welfare state.
The Inclusive Welfare State in Korea
Authors: Cho Heung-Seek
Published: April 2024

In early September 2018, the newly elected president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, presented his “big picture” of a social policy balanced with economic policy and declared the new government’s national model as being one of an innovative inclusive state (IIS). This chapter investigates the background of the emergence of the IIS and the interrelationships between concepts and terms such as income-driven growth, inclusive growth, innovation growth, and inclusive welfare. Finally, the chapter examines the challenges of the social welfare policy of the Moon Jae-in administration in the face of growing inequalities, a declining birth rate, and an aging population in Korea. The government should implement several specific policy measures as follows: (1) leading to the formation of policy discourse, (2) building a progressive tax policy and social safety net device for income—led growth, and encouraging innovation ability based on fair economy, (3) hastening the standard system for supporting dependents, (4) reducing the burden on household spending, (5) integrating the unification of unemployment and the current emergency welfare support system, (6) constructing a universal social service utilization system, and (7) expanding financial resources.
The Income Security Systems in Korea
Authors: Chung Kyungbae
Published: April 2024

Korea introduced a series of social security programs proposed by the International Labor Organization (ILO) from the 1960s, but the need for institutional reform is emerging due to its severely low birth rate and aging population. The foundation of Korea’s income security system is the special occupational pension, which includes civil servants, soldiers, and private school teachers, and the national pension, which covers most citizens except for these special occupational pension. The national pension and basic pension form the core of Korea’s public pension system, and improvements in preparation for the aging population are being seriously discussed. Currently basic security is provided by the National Basic Livelihood Security Program. The livelihood security benefit, a core benefit of public assistance, is limited to persons meeting certain criteria, and the Korean Employment Insurance System is a compulsory social insurance system introduced in 1995. Work Injury Insurance (WII) was launched in 1964, and benefit levels of Korea’s WII are considered fairly good compared to other countries. Ten types of benefits, including the medical care benefit, are provided.
Inclusive Community Care Policies in Korea
Authors: Young-shin Jang
Published: April 2024

In early 2018, the Korean government announced its plan to introduce “community care” (community-based care service) in response to changes in the demographic and social structure of society. The government released in November 2018 a master plan to carry out pilot projects and expand key infrastructure between June 2019 and 2022 and lay the foundations for providing community care by 2025; it announced its intent to provide Universal Community Care from 2026, when Korea is expected to become a super-aged society. Under community care, the government provides institutional support for people to live in dignity and independence at home rather than in hospitals or residential care facilities. Community care must establish a connected, integrated, individual-centered system among service providers such as medical care, nursing care, welfare, and living care. Collaboration between many stakeholders in the health and welfare sectors is necessary to establish such care. As with the case of community care initiatives adopted by advanced industrial countries such as the UK and Japan, early establishment of the community-based care services system in Korea is expected to greatly contribute to building a sustainable society through efficient management of the social security budget as well as improving citizens’ quality of life by satisfying care needs.
Filial Piety
Authors: Sung Kyu Taik
Published: April 2024

Recently, nationwide efforts have been made under joint public and private auspices to preserve the traditional values associated with respect and care for elderly people in South Korea in the face of a rapidly aging population and changes in modern family structure. This chapter presents the results of an analysis of 961 stories about adult Koreans who exemplified filial piety, the dominant cultural value in East Asian nations. Corollaries of filial piety practiced were identified, such as types of care and services provided to elderly parents, motives for filial piety, kinds of emphases given in filial duties, and sacrifices endured for parents. The most outstanding dimensions underlying filial piety were respect, responsibility, family harmony, and sacrifice. The findings provide both conceptual and practical tools for understanding and practicing filial piety.
Confident Aging
Authors: Park Sang Chul
Published: April 2024

The unprecedented rapid increase of population aging has pressed communities worldwide to correct the image of seniors citizens. Reevaluating the dignity of seniors is an essential step for a successfully aging future society. Concepts of aging must be reassessed on the basis of findings from biological research in human aging that question the traditional strategy of “discard and replace” in the management of aging and instead introduces the principle of “confident aging,” a new version of human rights that embraces older people as vital resources, participating in and contributing to their families and communities. Given the complexity of the aging process and the influence of environment on health and disease, ongoing advances in science and technology will facilitate understanding of the aging phenomenon and ensure quality of life for seniors. The recent COVID-19 pandemic highlights the urgent need for all countries to invest in strong health systems and primary healthcare, particularly concerning the high mortality of seniors. The author recommends establishing a Post Pandemic Social Security Network (PP-SSN), a nongovernmental international organization, to promote social welfare and social justice worldwide and strengthen the human rights of older persons.
Sometimes a Little Pessimism Is Good for the Soul
Authors: Cooper-White Pamela
Published: April 2024

This chapter will present reflections on positive psychology from three interdisciplinary strands that have all had an influence on contemporary pastoral theology—with an interdisciplinary plea for holding onto complexity in the exploration of human flourishing. The first strand is critical theory, liberation theology, and a focus on social justice and the healing of oppression. The second is psychoanalytical theory, drawing on Freud’s essay “On Transience” and Melanie Klein’s theories on splitting, reparation, and gratitude. Third is a related appeal to the tragic dimension in postmodern theology, theodicy, and the problem of evil and to Ricoeur’s “second naiveté.” The chapter concludes with reflections on the realistic grounds for hope and a definition of human flourishing that is both contextual (transcending individualism) and paradoxical (transcending “mere” happiness).
Sanmati, the Art of “Generous Orientation”
Authors: Prasad Leela
Published: April 2024

This chapter will explore the notion of sanmati, translated best from Sanskrit through a semantic range that includes “goodwill,” “wisdom,” “good sense,” and “reality-mindedness.” The chapter illustrates and analyzes the praxis of sanmati through two examples. The first example consists of an ethnographic interlude from Sringeri, in south India. In the episode described, the sudden appearance of a wild leopard in the town immediately following the construction of a sacred site triggered two different tellings and interpretations of divine signage, and, exemplifying sanmati, neither narrative vied for exclusionary truth. The second example is of a modern abstract painting by the well-known Indo-French artist S. H. Raza. Titled sanmati, it creatively interprets a line from a prayer song popularized by Gandhi and expresses the line through spiritual geometry. Through the use of the narratives and the painting, the chapter presents a theoretical framework for sanmati as the art of “generous orientation.”
From the Head to the Heart
Authors: Samuels Jeffrey
Published: April 2024

This chapter reflects on the teaching of Buddhism and other courses for two decades at Western Kentucky University, a regional university in the center of the Bible Belt. Most of the university’s students are Kentuckians who have grown up in an evangelical tradition. Rather than approaching the subject of Buddhism through the head, the pedagogy described in this chapter shifts to using the subject matter as a way not only to open students’ hearts but also to help them achieve higher levels of happiness and find greater meaning in their lives. This chapter also includes reflections on how some of the teaching techniques used in these classes intersect with other research on human well-being and flourishing—whereby Buddhism lends itself well to the topic of human flourishing—as well as on how the techniques and pedagogical approaches have been received by students.
Lab Courses for the Humanities
Authors: McDaniel Justin Thomas
Published: April 2024

This chapter explores the long tradition of Sanskrit intellectual culture to consider varied conceptions of what it means to be human and what is vital and precious in human life. It provides a description and analysis of two university courses, one titled Living Deliberately and the other titled Existential Despair. These courses were designed to help students learn about human flourishing through a blend of traditional and experimental methods. The chapter includes descriptions of the experimental pedagogical methods used. Positive student reactions to the courses are also included. Understood as part of the “eudaemonic turn,” the course can be seen as contributing to research in the fields of positive psychology, religious studies, and human flourishing.
Crusades and Kingship
Authors: Drummond Henry T.
Published: April 2024

Having established the Cantigas’ playful dynamic, this chapter turns to songs that use such devices to fulfil specific religious and ideological goals. Much of Alfonso X’s reign was devoted both to the subjugation of Muslims in Granada, and to controlling the Muslim inhabitants who lived within the Crown of Castile. The two songs discussed here embrace a crusading ideology, where Alfonso X emerges as an idealized Christian king. In CSM 345, the cantiga de miragre song structure helps promote the king as a competent warrior, skilled military strategist, and wily negotiator. Meanwhile, in CSM 348 both music and rhyme help reinforce anti-Muslim tropes that dignify the cult of Mary. It is through the serious play integral to the cantiga de miragre song form that these beliefs are internalized within their audiences, and further political dimensions—the condemnation of religious and political enemies—are implied.
Patriarchal Bargains and Nation-building in the Aftermath of Crisis
Authors: Tanyag Maria
Published: April 2024

Chapter 4 situates restrictions to bodily autonomy in relation to the ongoing project of nation-building in the context of multiple and overlapping crises. Women’s bodies biologically and symbolically reproduce the nation, and sexual and reproductive freedoms have always been at the heart of authoritative struggles over how society and the roles and relationships within it ought to be. Thus, both access to sexual and reproductive health care and women’s status in family laws are highly political. The politics of SRHR within a given country is revelatory of ossified outcomes of often-violent negotiations over national boundaries to identity and belonging. This chapter builds on the analysis of depletion of households and communities discussed in previous chapters to draw out their continuum with the accumulation and cascading effects of depletion at the national level.
Regeneration and the Politics of Flourishing
Authors: Tanyag Maria
Published: April 2024

Chapter 6 explores alternatives to the prevailing neoliberal logic of depletion by theorizing the concept of regeneration as a (re)imagination of a truly transformative post-crisis reconstruction made by possible by ensuring that the well-being of women and planet are at its core. The chapter makes a case for examining the linkages between sexual and reproductive freedoms and ecological security and the shared root causes that are driving the interconnected depletion of women’s bodies and the environment. It shows that regeneration as justice asks whose bodies are able to pursue what versions of the good life in the face of ecological crisis.
Fear as an Everyday Problem
Authors: Villarreal Ana
Published: April 2024

This chapter takes a novel approach to the study of fear as an everyday problem with broad consequences for inequality. It examines the “logistics of fear,” or the strategies people employ to bind fear on an everyday basis, through the story of a public schoolteacher who significantly reconfigured her life after surviving a shooting. It then introduces the “defended city” to highlight how fear can prompt the concentration of urban wealth and private use of public security. In Monterrey, Mexico, as a violent turf war erupted in the 2010s, the local business elite—one of the wealthiest in Latin America—called on each other to stay and defend the metropolis. Nonetheless, one municipality was secured with more resources than the rest. As the urban wealthy regrouped within the municipality of San Pedro, which became a defended city, they reconcentrated public and private resources, deepening inequalities outside and within.