title: Tragedy and farce, attending 'violently' to the discipline of the conjuncture

authors: Smith, Thomas

subjects: Conjunctural Analysis

abstract: Beginning with justifying the focus on history as a core part of any analysis of society - this section details how the ‘science’ of social sciences should be viewed/constructed. Further, discussion will shift toward a critique of the Althusserian view of Marx’s method and the notion of an ahistorical and non-ideological ‘true’ Marxist science. The key issue is that Althusser’s ahistorical Marxism fundamentally weakens the Marxist sciences ability to enact social change and develop a historically significant project. This in part is why the left (at least academically) is unable to develop a tangible counter-hegemonic project. Following this I acknowledge the importance of some of the core concepts developed by Althusser (the Problematic, overdetermination, contradiction etc.) Shifting from here into Hall’s analysis of the 1857 introduction to the Grundrisse, a view of Marx’s methodology which I feel is more in line with my intended project will be outlined. This is a historical reading of Marx and cements the importance of history as a tool to understand and analyse the mechanisms of society as it plays out within the long range unfolding of capitalism. Hall’s development from here of a detailed methodology for conjunctural analysis, alongside defining what is meant by conjuncture, introduces a topic important to the following chapters, Thatcherism and the birth of neoliberalism. Following Halls analysis, a reading of Marx’s Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte is discussed as an exemplar of a historical conjunctural analysis which can still offer key insights into the emerging conjunctural moments of the present, despite the temporal difference from the events of the text. Finally, the lessons of the Eighteenth Brumaire are applied to the present moment of conjunctural crisis in the rise of Trump and his specific brand of Bonapartism. The key comparisons and similarities are discussed with a view to using the example as a springboard for investigating the terrain so as to better understand what is required for a coherent counter-hegemonic movement on the Left.

text: Tragedy and farce, attending 'violently' to the discipline of the conjuncture Beginning with justifying the focus on history as a core part of any analysis of society - this section details how the ‘science’ of social sciences should be viewed/constructed. Further, discussion will shift toward a critique of the Althusserian view of Marx’s method and the notion of an ahistorical and non-ideological ‘true’ Marxist science. The key issue is that Althusser’s ahistorical Marxism fundamentally weakens the Marxist sciences ability to enact social change and develop a historically significant project. This in part is why the left (at least academically) is unable to develop a tangible counter-hegemonic project. Following this I acknowledge the importance of some of the core concepts developed by Althusser (the Problematic, overdetermination, contradiction etc.) Shifting from here into Hall’s analysis of the 1857 introduction to the Grundrisse, a view of Marx’s methodology which I feel is more in line with my intended project will be outlined. This is a historical reading of Marx and cements the importance of history as a tool to understand and analyse the mechanisms of society as it plays out within the long range unfolding of capitalism. Hall’s development from here of a detailed methodology for conjunctural analysis, alongside defining what is meant by conjuncture, introduces a topic important to the following chapters, Thatcherism and the birth of neoliberalism. Following Halls analysis, a reading of Marx’s Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte is discussed as an exemplar of a historical conjunctural analysis which can still offer key insights into the emerging conjunctural moments of the present, despite the temporal difference from the events of the text. Finally, the lessons of the Eighteenth Brumaire are applied to the present moment of conjunctural crisis in the rise of Trump and his specific brand of Bonapartism. The key comparisons and similarities are discussed with a view to using the example as a springboard for investigating the terrain so as to better understand what is required for a coherent counter-hegemonic movement on the Left.

year: 2019

title: Testing filter term performance in PsycINFO to identify evidence syntheses in crime reduction, using the relative recall method

authors: Tompson, Lisa

subjects: Social Sciences

abstract: Objectives
To test filter term performance against an original search strategy to identify evidence syntheses with a crime reduction outcome in the PsycINFO database, with a view to maximising efficiency and/or effectiveness in the search phase of a systematic review.

Methods
A search strategy was developed to identify evidence syntheses with crime reduction outcomes. A ‘quasi-gold standard’ set of 255 relevant studies that were indexed in the PsycINFO database was derived from this initial work and was used to test various filter terms available in the database using the relative recall method. Precision and sensitivity statistics were generated for each search strategy.

Results
Seven search strategies were tested using three clusters of index terms, on (1) method filter terms, (2) topic filter terms and (3) method and topic filter terms. These were applied as filters for the original search strategy and, to facilitate comparison, against all records in PsycINFO. The most sensitive filter scored 74.1%, the most precise scored 44.1% and the best compromise between sensitivity and precision scored 53.7% sensitivity and 16.3% precision.

Conclusions
Filter term performance in PsycINFO can be used to inform search strategies used within criminology and allied fields for systematic reviews. The variety of filter terms tested here, in the absence and presence of a keyword search, caters for researchers with different information requirements. Using an evidence-based approach to systematic searching can yield considerable resource savings in conducting a systematic review.

text: Testing filter term performance in PsycINFO to identify evidence syntheses in crime reduction, using the relative recall method Objectives
To test filter term performance against an original search strategy to identify evidence syntheses with a crime reduction outcome in the PsycINFO database, with a view to maximising efficiency and/or effectiveness in the search phase of a systematic review.

Methods
A search strategy was developed to identify evidence syntheses with crime reduction outcomes. A ‘quasi-gold standard’ set of 255 relevant studies that were indexed in the PsycINFO database was derived from this initial work and was used to test various filter terms available in the database using the relative recall method. Precision and sensitivity statistics were generated for each search strategy.

Results
Seven search strategies were tested using three clusters of index terms, on (1) method filter terms, (2) topic filter terms and (3) method and topic filter terms. These were applied as filters for the original search strategy and, to facilitate comparison, against all records in PsycINFO. The most sensitive filter scored 74.1%, the most precise scored 44.1% and the best compromise between sensitivity and precision scored 53.7% sensitivity and 16.3% precision.

Conclusions
Filter term performance in PsycINFO can be used to inform search strategies used within criminology and allied fields for systematic reviews. The variety of filter terms tested here, in the absence and presence of a keyword search, caters for researchers with different information requirements. Using an evidence-based approach to systematic searching can yield considerable resource savings in conducting a systematic review.

year: 2019

title: Claiming collective space: Kaupapa Maori in psychology

authors: Levy, Michelle Patricia

subjects: Maori

abstract: From its inception, the Psychology Department at the University of Waikato has had a focus on issues of culture, particularly those of relevance for Maori, with these early foundations laid by Emeritus Professor James Ritchie, who in 1965 took up the founding chair of the Department. These foundations have continued to be built on, utilising a variety of different strategies. Drawing on a research base which has emerged primarily from within the Maori and Psychology Research Unit at Waikato University, this paper explores strategies which have served to carve out and claim space for Maori, both within the department, and within the wider discipline of psychology.

text: Claiming collective space: Kaupapa Maori in psychology From its inception, the Psychology Department at the University of Waikato has had a focus on issues of culture, particularly those of relevance for Maori, with these early foundations laid by Emeritus Professor James Ritchie, who in 1965 took up the founding chair of the Department. These foundations have continued to be built on, utilising a variety of different strategies. Drawing on a research base which has emerged primarily from within the Maori and Psychology Research Unit at Waikato University, this paper explores strategies which have served to carve out and claim space for Maori, both within the department, and within the wider discipline of psychology.

year: 2008