Social research and statistics Books

Book SynopsisSuitable for research students in education embarking upon their PhD, EdD or MPhil, this book encourages students to contextualise their understanding of quantitative and qualitative research methods by drawing links between the research question and its theoretical framework with the choice of the quantitative/qualitative methodology.Trade Review'Educational Research and Inquiry is an excellent resource that explains, challenges and exemplifies. A key feature is that it helpfully weaves together research methodological and substantive aspects so for example the challenges of researching children are discussed in the context of such questions as ‘what is a child'? Quantitative methods are given considerable coverage, yet newer areas like visual methodologies are helpfully addressed.'Kathy Hall, Professor of Education and Head of Department, University College Cork, Ireland'This book provides a comprehensive review of issues related to educational research and enquiry. It serves as a valuable guide for students and as a reference for more experienced researchers. Its wide coverage of methodologies and strategies give it a broad appeal and it deserves to become a standard text on educational research methodology.' Graeme Hutcheson, Lecturer in Quantitative Methods and Statistical Modelling, Manchester University, UKThis book is a helpful resource on how to start the 'journey of research' keeping in mind that it is for a broader, not specific purpose. The book is a useful tool for initial student researchers who have some background in social science investigation. -- Evaluation and ResearchTable of ContentsIntroduction; Part 1: Education Research and Inquiry Foundations; 1. Research in Education: Current issues and debates; 2. Educational Research and Inquiry; 3. Qualitative Research as a Method of Inquiry in Education; 4. Quantitative Research as a Method of Inquiry in Education; Part 2: Conceptualizing and Planning Research in Education; 5. Research Questions and Research Design; 6. Doing a Literature Review; 7. Ethical Considerations and Legal Issues in Educational Research; Part 3. Methodology and Research Designs in Education: Strategies of Inquiry; 8. Action Research; 9. Ethnographic Encounters with Children; 10. Children's and Young People's Participation within Educational and Civic Settings: A comparative case study; 11. Researching Classroom Interaction and Talk; 12. Documentary Research; 13. The Application of Visual Methodology in the Exploration of the Visual Culture of Schools; 14. Interviewing as Educational Research Methods; 15. Experimental and Quasi-experimental Designs in Educational Research; 16. Survey Research in Education; 17. Evaluation Research in Education; Part 4. Making Sense of Research in Education: Analyzing Data; 18. Qualitative Research Analysis in Education; 19. Key Concepts in Quantitative Research; Bibliography; Index.

Read more less

Book Synopsisto Logistic Regression.- Important Special Cases of the Logistic Model.- Computing the Odds Ratio in Logistic Regression.- Maximum Likelihood Techniques: An Overview.- Statistical Inferences Using Maximum Likelihood Techniques.- Modeling Strategy Guidelines.- Modeling Strategy for Assessing Interaction and Confounding.- Additional Modeling Strategy Issues.- Assessing Goodness of Fit for Logistic Regression.- Assessing Discriminatory Performance of a Binary Logistic Model: ROC Curves.- Analysis of Matched Data Using Logistic Regression.- Polytomous Logistic Regression.- Ordinal Logistic Regression.- Logistic Regression for Correlated Data: GEE.- GEE Examples.- Other Approaches for Analysis of Correlated Data.Trade ReviewFrom the reviews of the third edition:“The third edition of this book continues the tradition of the authors of a two-column book that really does act as a self-learning text. The left-hand column is like a collection of PowerPoint slides, including generic-style computer output and diagrams to visualize the relationship between concepts. Each chapter contains about 10 exercises, some routine calculation and some asking for explanation of particular points. Answers are provided immediately. … The reference list includes about 40 items and has been updated to include publications up to 2008.” (Alice Richardson, International Statistical Review, Vol. 79 (2), 2011)Table of Contentsto Logistic Regression.- Important Special Cases of the Logistic Model.- Computing the Odds Ratio in Logistic Regression.- Maximum Likelihood Techniques: An Overview.- Statistical Inferences Using Maximum Likelihood Techniques.- Modeling Strategy Guidelines.- Modeling Strategy for Assessing Interaction and Confounding.- Additional Modeling Strategy Issues.- Assessing Goodness of Fit for Logistic Regression.- Assessing Discriminatory Performance of a Binary Logistic Model: ROC Curves.- Analysis of Matched Data Using Logistic Regression.- Polytomous Logistic Regression.- Ordinal Logistic Regression.- Logistic Regression for Correlated Data: GEE.- GEE Examples.- Other Approaches for Analysis of Correlated Data.

Read more less

Book SynopsisGetting Started.- The Normal Curve and Outlier Detection.- Accuracy and Inference.- Hypothesis Testing and Small Sample Sizes.- The Bootstrap.- A Fundamental Problem.- Robust Measures of Location.- Inferences About Robust Measures of Location.- Measures Of Association.- Robust Regression.- Alternative Strategies and Software.Trade ReviewFrom the reviews of the second edition:“It is a well-written and neatly organized book that introduces modern robust statistical methods … . the book not only a handbook for applied researchers who need to conduct reasonable and interpretable data analysis, but also a good textbook for non-statistics students and statistics undergraduate students. This is the only book on the subject written for this audience to my knowledge. … It provides insights and more methodological options in statistical analysis for students and applied researchers.”­­­ (Tian Siva Tian, Psychometrika, Vol. 76 (1), January, 2011)Table of ContentsPart One: Genesis of a Science*Derivation Curve*What Am I Holding*Least Squares*Quantifying Accuracy*Solving Bernoulli's Problem*Promoting Normality*Part II Exploiting Normality*Dealing with Small Samples Sizes*Correlation*Part Three: Dealing with Nonnormality*Revolution with a Whimper*Robust Methods*Bootstrap *Conclusion

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn examining how our identity shapes the knowledge we produce, Mental health service users in research considers ways of 'doing research' which bring multiple understandings together effectively, and explains the sociological use of autobiography and its relevance.Trade Review"The most sparkling aspect of this edition assembled by Staddon is its turn away from psychiatry towards sociology." Disability & Society"A testament to how far the survivor movement has come in the long struggle to get the experiences of mental health services users taken seriously in the production of knowledge." Journal of Social Policy"A thought-provoking and insightful text." Social Research Association"A useful reference book for health care professionals in pre- and post-qualification training, and for all those interested in service user research." Dr Paul Godin"Draws on the experiences of key contributors to this area and provides a comprehensive and accessible discussion of the challenges and tensions within mental health research." Journal of Social PolicyTable of ContentsSociology and survivor research: an introduction ~ Angela Sweeney; Mental health service users’ experiences and epistemological fallacy ~ Hugh Middleton; Doing good carer-led research: reflecting on ‘Past Caring’ methodology ~ Wendy Rickard and Rachel Purtell; Theorising service user involvement from a researcher perspective ~ Katherine C. Pollard and David Evans; How does who we are shape the knowledge we produce? Doing collaborative research about personality disorders ~ Steve Gillard, Kati Turner and Marion Neffgen; Where do service users’ knowledges sit in relation to professional and academic understandings of knowledge? ~ Peter Beresford and Kathy Boxall; Recognition politics as a human rights perspective on service users’ experiences of involvement in mental health services ~ Lydia Lewis; Theorising a social model of ‘alcoholism’: service users who misbehave ~ Patsy Staddon; 'Hard to reach’? Racialised groups and mental health service user involvement ~ Jayasree Kalathil; Individual narratives and collective knowledge: capturing lesbian, gay and bisexual service user experiences ~ Sarah Carr; Alternative futures for service user involvement in research ~ Hugh McLaughlin; Brief reflections ~ Patsy Staddon.

Read more less

Book SynopsisI. Theory.- 1 The Concept of Defense.- 2 The Concept of Defense Mechanism Development.- 3 Denial.- 4 Projection.- 5 Identification.- II. Research: A Review of the Literature.- 6 Approaches to Measuring Defenses: The Defense Mechanism Inventory.- 7 Other Approaches to Measuring Defenses: Derived Questionnaires, Self-Report Inventories, and Self-Other Ratings.- 8 Other Approaches to Measuring Defenses: Story Completion and Clinical Interviews.- 9 Other Approaches to Measuring Defenses: Projective Tests and Perceptual Defense Paradigms.- 10 Summary of Research: Defense Mechanisms and Their Relationship to Other Psychological Variables.- 11 Experimental Studies of Defense.- III. A New Approach to Measuring Defenses.- 12 The Defense Mechanism Manual.- 13 Psychometric Features.- 14 Research Findings.- References.- Notes.- Appendix: Manual for Scoring Defenses.- Author Index.Table of ContentsI. Theory.- 1 The Concept of Defense.- Defense mechanisms, defense behavior, and consciousness.- History of the concept of defense.- The motives for defense: Anxiety, guilt, and loss.- Controversial issues.- Defenses as part of normal development.- Successful versus unsuccessful defenses.- Concluding remarks.- 2 The Concept of Defense Mechanism Development.- The conception of defense mechanism development.- A developmental continuum of defenses.- The development of individual defenses.- Origins of defense mechanisms.- Precursors and prototypes.- Case study.- The developmental course of defense mechanisms.- Research findings: Developmental changes in defense use.- Defense mechanisms and age.- Defense mechanisms and ego development.- Defense mechanisms and cognitive development.- Defense mechanisms and psychosocial development.- Developmental changes in the understanding of defense mechanisms.- Summary of developmental research studies.- Concluding remarks.- 3 Denial.- Components of denial.- Denial as seen in folktales.- Perceptual denial.- The imposition of a personal fantasy.- Denial and pathology.- The development of two forms of denial.- Perceptual denial.- Denial through fantasy.- Another folktale.- Clinical examples.- The use of denial in projective stories.- Concluding remarks.- 4 Projection.- Components of projection.- Projection as seen in folktales.- The generalization of psychological attributes.- Attribution of responsibility.- Projection proper.- The development of projection.- Another folktale.- Clinical example.- The use of projection in projective stories.- Concluding remarks.- 5 Identification.- Components of identification.- Identification as seen in folktales.- The development of identification.- The development of primary identifications.- The development of secondary identifications.- Examples of identification in world literature.- Henry IV.- Don Quijote.- Clinical example.- The use of identification in projective stories.- Concluding remarks.- II. Research: A Review of the Literature.- 6 Approaches to Measuring Defenses: The Defense Mechanism Inventory.- Description of the DMI.- Reliability.- Validity.- Content validity.- Concurrent validity.- The relationship between DMI scales and cognitive measures.- Field dependence-independence.- Memory constriction.- The relationship between DMI scales and clinical measures.- Questionnaire pathology.- Clinically diagnosed pathology.- The relationship between DMI scales and subject variables.- Sex.- Sexual orientation.- Age, education, birth order, and ethnic group.- Reactions to experimental intervention.- Predicting the response to intervention.- Measuring intervention effectiveness.- Conclusion.- 7 Other Approaches to Measuring Defenses: Derived Questionnaires, Self-Report Inventories, and Self-Other Ratings.- Defense measures derived from existing personality inventories.- Byrne’s R-S scale.- Haan’s MMPI-based defense scales.- Joffee and Naditch’s CPI-based scales.- Other MMPI-based scales.- Self-report measures.- The Life-Style Index.- The Defense Style Questionnaire.- Self-report measures for children.- Other measures.- Comment.- Self-other ratings.- Heilbrun’s work.- Additional self-other studies.- Concluding remarks.- 8 Other Approaches to Measuring Defenses: Story Completion and Clinical Interviews.- Story completion measures of defense.- The Defense Preference Inquiry.- Other story completion measures.- Studies of defense understanding.- Measures of defense derived from clinical interviews.- Hackett and Cassem: Denial.- Further studies with clinical patients.- The Ego Profile Scale.- Haan’s studies.- Vaillant’s work.- The Defense Mechanism Rating Scales.- Concluding remarks.- 9 Other Approaches to Measuring Defenses: Projective Tests and Perceptual Defense Paradigms.- Measures of defense in projective tests.- The Children’s Apperception Test (CAT).- The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT).- The Rorschach.- Measures of defense in perceptual defense paradigms.- The Defense Mechanism Test.- The Meta-Contrast Technique.- Conclusion.- 10 Summary of Research: Defense Mechanisms and Their Relationship to Other Psychological Variables.- Defense mechanisms and personality characteristics.- Defense mechanisms and psychopathology.- Defense mechanisms and physical pathology.- Defense mechanisms and gender or gender orientation.- Defense mechanisms and family background.- Defense mechanisms and relationship with mother.- Defense mechanisms and relationship with father.- Defense mechanisms and cognitive functioning.- Defense mechanisms and occupations/nationality.- Conclusion.- 11 Experimental Studies of Defense.- Intervention to arouse a specific emotion.- Intervention to provide a threat to self-esteem.- Intervention to introduce an unpleasant physical stimulus.- Intervention to provide instructions or modeling.- Concluding remarks.- III. A New Approach to Measuring Defenses.- 12 The Defense Mechanism Manual.- Assessment of Denial with the DMM.- Scoring categories for Denial.- Using the scoring categories for Denial.- Assessment of Projection with the DMM.- Scoring categories for Projection.- Using the scoring categories for Projection.- Assessment of Identification with the DMM.- Scoring categories for Identification.- Using the scoring categories for Identification.- Concluding remarks.- 13 Psychometric Features.- Reliability.- Issues.- Reliability based on the subject’s responses.- Split-half method.- Reliability based on the consistency of observer’s ratings of subjects’ responses.- Validity.- Criterion-related validity.- Construct validity.- Summary.- 14 Research Findings.- DMM research studies with children and adolescents.- DMM studies with college students.- DMM studies with psychiatric patients.- Summary.- References.- Notes.- Appendix: Manual for Scoring Defenses.- Author Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisEpistemologies of Ignorance provide educators a distinct epistemological view on questions of marginalization, oppression, relations of power and dominance, difference, philosophy, and even death among our youth. The authors of this edited collection challenge the ambivalence - ignorance - found in the construction of curriculum, teaching practices, research guidelines, and policy mandates in our schools. Further, ignorance is also considered a necessary by-product of knowledge production. In this sense, the authors explore not only issues of complicity but also issues of oppression in spite of educators' liberatory intentions. While this is the first systematic effort to transfer epistemologies of ignorance to the educational scene, this movement has its roots in race, class, gender, and sexuality studies, particularly the work of Charles Mills, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Shannon Sullivan, and Nancy Tuana. It is our unequivocal belief that, while this is transformative and powerful scholarship, the study of ignorance remains understudied and under-theorized in education scholarship, from curriculum studies and cultural foundations to science education and educational psychology. This collection highlights without apology why this dangerous state of affairs cannot continue.

Read more less

Book SynopsisEmpiricism provides the backbone of knowledge creation within social science disciplines (e.g., psychology, sociology) and applied domains of study (e.g., education, administration) alike. Yet, relative to such domains of inquiry, comparatively little empirical research on evaluation has occurred, and the research knowledge base been infrequently synthesised and integrated to influence theory and practice. The proposed book aims to fill this void with regard to participatory evaluation, a set of collaborative approaches to evaluation that is receiving considerable attention of late, including a growing body of empirical studies. The authors begin in Part 1 with the delineation of a widely known and familiar conceptual framework for participatory evaluation. They then use the framework in Part 2 as a guide to conducting an extensive review of the extant empirical knowledge base in participatory evaluation, culminating in a thematic analysis of what we know about the approach. In Part 3 the authors focus on methodological considerations of doing research on participatory evaluation through a critique of existing studies and an explication of design choices drawn from their own research program. The book concludes in Part 4 with implications for moving the field forward in terms of important research questions, methodological direction and evaluation practice. This book will be of central interest to evaluation theorists and to those who choose to conduct research on evaluation; appeal will be conceptual and methodological. It will provide excellent supplementary reading for graduate students, many of whom seek to develop empirical studies on evaluation as part of their graduate programs. Rife with examples of participatory evaluation in practice, and practical implications, the book will also benefit evaluation practitioners with an interest in evaluation capacity building and participatory and collaborative approaches to practice.

Read more less

Book SynopsisDystopia and Education: Insights Into Theory, Praxis and Policy in an age of Utopia Gone Wrong provides an as-of-yet unexplored critical perspective for examining contemporary educational theory, praxis, and policy with particular reference to the current state of dehumanising and often oppressive policy and practices that have come to demarcate the era of NCLB and RTT. The authors in this collection employ dystopian themes found in literature, film, visual art, and video games as the lens for that critical inquiry. As such Dystopia and Education: Insights Into Theory, Praxis and Policy is an essential contribution to the philosophical/critical tradition in educational scholarship. It is especially valuable because the inquiry undertaken is from a new perspective—one that will extend the critical tradition into a yet unexplored arena.Given the educational climate established by NCLB and RTT, this collection is especially important to the ongoing critical analysis of such policy mandates. There is also a significantly important timeliness to this book given NCLB’s utopian expectation of universal academic proficiency among American schoolchildren by the year 2014: as educators race to achieve such a noble yet naïve goal, this collection of essays examines the educational environment that has been enacted to achieve such ends, and describes our current state as a utopia-gone wrong.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAs academics in postcolonial Caribbean countries, we have been trained to believe that research should be objective: a measurable benefit to the public good and quantifiable in nature so as to generalize findings to develop knowledge societies for economic growth. What happens, however when the very word “research” connotes a derogatory term or semblance of distrust? Smith (1999) speaks towards the distrustful nature of the term as a legacy of European imperialism and colonialism. Against this backdrop, how do Caribbean researchers leverage recognized and valued (indigenous) methods of knowing and understanding for and by the Caribbean populace? How do we learn from indigenous research methods such as Kaupapa Maori (Smith, 1999) and develop an understanding of research that is emancipatory in nature? Decolonizing qualitative methods are rooted in critical theory and grounded in social justice, resistance, change and emancipatory research for and by the Other (Said, 1978). Rodney’s (1969) legacy of “groundings” provides a Caribbean oriented ethnographic approach to collecting data about people and culture. It is an anti-imperialist method of data collection focused on the socioeconomic and political environment within the (post) colonial context. Similar to Rodney, other critical Caribbean scholars have moved the research discourse to center on the notions of resistance, struggle (Chevannes, 1995; Feraria, 2009) and decolonoizing methodologies. This proposed edited volume will provide a collective body of scholarship for innovative uses of decolonizing qualitative research.In order to theorize and conduct decolonizing research, one can argue that the researcher as self and as the Other needs to be interrogated. Borrowing from an autoethnographic ontology, the researcher or investigator recognizes the self as the unit of measure, and there is a concerted effort to continuously see the self, seeing the self through and as the other (Alexander, 2005; Ellis, 2004). This level of interrogation may require frameworks such as Reasonable Humanism in which there is a clear understanding of the role of the researcher and researched from a physiological and psychosocial standpoint. Thereafter, the researcher is better prepared to enter into a discourse about decolonizing methodologies.The origins of qualitative inquiry in the Caribbean can be traced to political and economic discourses – Marxism, postcolonialism, neocolonialism, capitalism, liberalism, postmodernism- which have challenged ways of knowing and the construction of knowledge. Evans (2009) traced the origins of qualitative inquiry to slave narratives, proprietor’s journals, missionaries’ reports and travelogues. Common to the Caribbean is an understanding of how colonial legacies of research have ridiculed oral traditions, language, and ways of knowing, often rendering them valueless and inconsequential. This proposed edited volume acknowledges the significance of decolonizing approaches to qualitative research in the Caribbean and the wider Caribbean diaspora. It includes an audience of scholars, teacher/ researchers and students primarily in and across the humanities, social sciences and educational studies. This proposed volume would provide much needed knowledge and best practice strategies to the community of researchers engaged in decolonizing methodologies. Additionally, this volume will allow readers to think of new imaginings of research design that deconstruct power and privilege to benefit knowledge, communities and participants. It will spark key objectives, directions and frameworks for deeper discussions and interrogations of normative, westernized and hegemonic approaches to qualitative research. Lastly, the volume will welcome empirical studies of application of decolonizing methodologies and theoretical studies that frame critical discourse.

Read more less

Book SynopsisNumbers dominate global politics and, as a result, our everyday lives. Credit ratings steer financial markets and can make or break the future of entire nations. GDP drives our economies. Stock market indices flood our media and national debates. Statistical calculations define how we deal with climate change, poverty and sustainability. But what is behind these numbers? In How Numbers Rule the World, Lorenzo Fioramonti reveals the hidden agendas underpinning the use of statistics and those who control them. Most worryingly, he shows how numbers have been used as a means to reinforce the grip of markets on our social and political life, curtailing public participation and rational debate. An innovative and timely exposé of the politics, power and contestation of numbers.Trade ReviewLorenzo Fioramonti has written an urgent and highly accessible book, showing just how over-reliant our governance systems are on misleading numbers, which support market power and blur our understanding of the world. And it is also a better and more compelling read than exactly 95.4% of all other important books! * David Boyle, author of The Tyranny of Numbers *This book is a thoughtful political economic analysis of how our fates have come to be determined by a few numbers, and how these numbers have been shaped by a few people. If we want a vibrant and responsive politics, we’ll need to know where it has been enclosed by the world's powerful accountants. Fioramonti’s book provides an excellent map. * Raj Patel, author of The Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market Society and Redefine Democracy *Timely and original, scholarly without ostentation, often scathing, Lorenzo Fioramonti's field guide to the prejudices, assumptions, financial interests and ideology that lurk behind the most innocent-seeming numbers equips us to challenge their spurious authority. Faith in numbers has helped to wreck the financial system, masked fraud and criminal activity, allowed the world's richest people to meddle in the "development" of societies they know nothing about and could lead us to damage our earthly habitat beyond recall. If you want to learn what numbers reveal and conceal; what can and, above all, can't be measured, don't trust the "experts" - read How Numbers Rule the World and become an expert yourself. * Susan George, author of Whose Crisis, Whose Future? and President of the Board, Transnational Institute *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The politics of statistics 1. The power of numbers 2. New global rulers: the untameable power of credit rating 3. Fiddling while the planet burns: the marketization of climate change 4. Measuring the unmeasurable: the financialization of nature 5. Numbers for good? The quest for aid effectiveness and social impact Conclusion: Rethinking numbers, rethinking governance

Read more less

Book SynopsisGross domestic product is arguably the best-known statistic in the contemporary world, and certainly amongst the most powerful. It drives government policy and sets priorities in a variety of vital social fields - from schooling to healthcare. Yet for perhaps the first time since it was invented in the 1930s, this popular icon of economic growth has come to be regarded by a wide range of people as a 'problem'. After all, does our quality of life really improve when our economy grows 2 or 3 per cent? Can we continue to sacrifice the environment to safeguard a vision of the world based on the illusion of infinite economic growth? Lorenzo Fioramonti takes apart the 'content' of GDP - what it measures, what it doesn't and why - and reveals the powerful political interests that have allowed it to dominate today's economies. In doing so, he demonstrates just how little relevance GDP has to moral principles such as equity, social justice and redistribution, and shows that an alternative is possible, as evinced by the 'de-growth' movement and initiatives such as transition towns. A startling insight into the politics of a number that has come to dominate our everyday lives.Trade ReviewGDP numbers are quoted all the time, but the power of GDP relies on the fact that hardly anyone knows what it means. As Fioramonti shows in this indispensable guide, there are at least three things wrong with gross domestic product: it's gross, it's domestic and it's a product. That is, the GDP number takes no account of the depletion of capital goods or natural resources, treats income accruing to foreign investors as a measure of national success and focuses on the means of economic activity, production, rather than the ends. Gross Domestic Problem explains why GDP is both so useful and so misleading, and gives a readable history of this most powerful and mysterious of numbers. * John Quiggin, University of Queensland *Fioramonti shows convincingly that ever since its invention the measurement of GDP has rested on highly controversial ideological assumptions. GDP is thus an ideological weapon, not a neutral scientific measure. There is no hope of escaping the current crisis until we recognise the role that obssession with GDP has played in causing it. * Jonathan Aldred, Director of Studies in Economics, University of Cambridge *This book is long overdue. Finally, the political interests behind the GDP mantra have been unveiled, forcing us to rethink mainstream economic views and build a more just and sustainable world. It is indeed the most important struggle of our generation. * Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace International Executive Director *Gross Domestic Problem tells the amazing story of how GDP became the king of all measurements, against the warnings of its very architects. In brilliantly excavating the history of national income measurement, the Depression-era birth of GDP and its politicization in the Cold War, and the rich body of work behind today's global movement to transform national accounting systems, Fioramonti illuminates the politics of GDP like no one else has. This is a singular contribution on a vitally important subject. * Lew Daly, Senior Fellow, Demos (USA), author of Beyond GDP: New Measures for a New Economy *Going beyond the flaws of using gross domestic product which many have highlighted, this inspiring book by Fioramonti provides a much needed history of the development of GDP and an analysis of how it has been (mis)used to define progress. Further to pointing out the problem of how government policy priorities have been led astray, Fioramonti provides a thorough and up-to-date picture of the various initiatives that have emerged to demote the role of GDP. Not naive in its recognition of the challenges faced by this endeavour, Gross Domestic Problem is an excellent read for academics and activists alike. * Saamah Abdallah, New Economics Foundation *As the planet's ecosystems and local and national economies collapse, going beyond GDP has become a survival imperative. This is the challenge that Fioramonti has taken up in Gross Domestic Problem. Further to tracing the short history of GDP, its roots in mobilising for the war, its artificial construction of wealth erasing nature's contributions and the wealth created by women and all who work for sustenance, the author introduces us to new initiatives, like those of Bhutan, to measure real wealth as well being and happiness. * Vandana Shiva *Never before has one single measure shaped our world so profoundly. Incisively illuminating the politics behind its numbers, Fioramonti has reinforced the urgent need to reset our coded image of ourselves. * Dr Simon Zadek, award-winning author of The Civil Corporation *Since WWII, we've been willing to sell our grandchildren's tomorrow for a bump in GDP today. Fioramonti reveals the insanity that rules economic thinking by giving us a simple, clear account of "the world's most powerful number," while also surveying the superior alternatives. * Richard Heinberg, author of The End of Growth: Adapting to Our New Economic Reality *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The world's most powerful number 1. The history of GDP: from crisis to crisis 2. The Frankenstein syndrome 3. The global quest to dethrone GDP 4. Change from below Conclusion: Supremacy and resistance

Read more less

Book SynopsisSocio-legal researchers increasingly recognise the need to employ a wide variety of methods in studying law and legal phenomena, and the need to be informed by an understanding of debates about theory and method in mainstream social science. The papers in this volume illustrate how a range of topics, including EU law, ombudsmen, judges, lawyers, Shariah Councils and the quality assurance industry can be researched from a socio-legal perspective. The objective of the collection is to show how different methods can be used in researching law and legal phenomena, how methodological issues and debates in sociology are relevant to the study of law, and the importance of the debate between "structural" and "action" traditions in researching law. It also approaches the methodological problem of how sociology of law can address the content of legal practice from a variety of perspectives and discusses the relationship between pure and applied research. The editors provide a critical introduction to each of the six sections, and a general introduction on law, sociology and method. The collection will provide an invaluable resource for socio-legal researchers, law school researchers and postgraduates.Trade ReviewI found all 16 papers to be of high caliber, clearly written and organized, and this makes for engaging reading. Theory and Methods in Socio-Legal Research will doubtless prove fruitful for use in all courses in sociolegal studies, but particularly in those courses taught in British and American law schools that tend to ignore conceptual and methodological considerations. A. Javier Trevino Law & Society Review Volume 41, Number 2 (2007)Table of ContentsIntroduction Reza Banakar and Max Travers 1. Law, Sociology and Method Reza Banakar and Max Travers SECTION 1: METHOD VERSUS METHODOLOGY Introduction to Section One Reza Banakar and Max Travers 2. Ethnography and Socio-Legal Research John Flood 3. Systems Theory and Qualitative Socio-legal Research Klaus A Ziegert SECTION 2: ETHNOGRAPHY AND LAW Introduction to Section Two Reza Banakar and Max Travers 4. Courses of Mobilisation: Writing systematic micro-histories of legal discourse Thomas Scheffer 5. "Standpoint", "Difference" and Feminist Research Samia Banio 6. Researching Women's Legal Experiences in Botswana: An anthropological perspective Anne Griffiths SECTION 3: STUDYING LEGAL TEXTS Introduction to Section Three Reza Banakar and Max Travers 7. Studying Cases Empirically: A sociological method for studying discrimination cases in Sweden Reza Banakar 8. Researching Ombudsmen Mary Seneviratne 9. Discourse Analysis and the Implementation of a European Directive Bettina Lange SECTION 4: STRUCTURAL APPROACHES Introduction to Section Four Reza Banakar and Max Travers 10. How to Study the Social and Legal Position of Danish Judges Ole Hammerslev 11: Changing Maps: Empirical legal autopoesis John Paterson and Gunther Teubner SECTION 5: STUDYING LEGAL CULTURES Introduction to Section Five Reza Banakar and Max Travers 12. Doing Research into Comparative Criminal Justice David Nelken 13. Researching Legal Culture in Russia Marina Kurkchiyan SECTION 6: SOCIO-LEGAL RESEARCH IN THE UK Introduction to Section Six Reza Banakar and Max Travers 14. Constructing a Typology of Administrative Grievances Michael Adler 15. The Formalisation of Research Ethics Andrew Boon 16. Evaluation Research and Legal Services Max Travers

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. The massive expansion of the internet into every aspect of our lives creates a challenge for social researchers: can they simply transfer their traditional methods and techniques online or do they need to reinvent research methods for the new environment? As online research becomes increasingly prevalent it becomes more important for researchers to have an answer to these questions and an approach to conducting research online. This book is a straightforward, accessible introduction to social research online. It covers the key issues and concerns for social scientists: online surveys, focus groups, interviews, ethnographies and experiments, as well as discussing the implications of social media, and of online research ethics. It provides a detailed, up-to-date glossary and bibliography for those new to the area. Short, clear case studies throughout allow students to see examples of the research in practice. Wide-ranging and interdisciplinary, What is Online Research? shows social scientists of all levels - from undergraduates to established researchers - how to engage in the online environment in appropriate ways, and points the way forward for future research.Table of ContentsContents Acknowledgements List of tables (see below) NO List of figures Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. A brief history of online research methods Chapter 3. Dealing with ethical issues in online research Chapter 4. Online surveys chapter 5. Online interviews and focus groups Chapter 6. Online ethnographies Chapter 7. Online experiments Chapter 8. Where next for online methods? Glossary Bibliography Normal 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. This book invites readers to explore the nature of qualitative research, and to recognise the varied and conflicting forms it can take. It examines how these contrast with quantitative work, as well as how they differ from journalism and imaginative literature. The book describes various methodological philosophies that have shaped qualitative work, as well as different types of orientation to be found within it today. It offers clear definitions of key terms and concepts, and also a detailed exploration of recent disputes among qualitative researchers, with a view to showing how differences in practice relate to underlying commitments. This book will be a vital resource for both new and experienced researchers.Trade ReviewQualitative research has become a vast and complex approach to understanding social life, riddled with diversity and debate. Martyn Hammersley has, in this short text, managed to introduce all of this complexity and diversity without baffling the reader. It is an inspiring and exciting text, full of relevant examples illustrating the diversity of qualitative research today. Written by an undoubted authority in the field, this accessible book should whet the appetite of any would-be qualitative researcher. * Karen O'Reilly, Professor of Sociology, University of Loughborough *This is a well written, authoritative text on qualitative research, written by a leading scholar in the field. The style is accessible without being patronizing; it deals with both methodology and research practice; it provides helpful definitions and typologies; it gives a sense of both the distinctiveness and diversity of qualitative approaches to social research. I enjoyed reading it. I think it will have a broad appeal to those new to qualitative research, to students and to those working within the field. In that sense it manages to be both introductory and thought provoking. * Amanda Coffey, Cardiff University School of Social Sciences, UK *Table of ContentsContents Preface Chapter 1 Defining qualitative research Chapter 2 Methodological philosophies Chapter 3 Divergent analytic styles Chapter 4 Two methodological disputes Conclusion References

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. There has been an increasing interest in research ethics over the last decade given the increasing ethical regulation of social research. 'Ethical literacy' encourages researchers to understand and engage with the ethical issues that emerge in the process of research. This book provides a short, succinct and accessible overview of the field, highlighting the key issues and everyday ethical dilemmas that researchers are likely to face in different contexts. Covering a range of methods, the book provides clear guidance for researchers on how to identify an approach that fits with their moral and intellectual framework. It explores ethical issues relating to 'traditional' research methods as well as to new and emerging methods and approaches - particularly visual and online methods.Trade ReviewAn excellent text - clear, thoughtful and comprehensive. * Janet Boddy, Reader in Child, Youth and Family Studies, University of Sussex, UK *A well-written accessible introduction to the topic. -- Libby Bishop, Senior Officer Research Data Management, University of Essex, UKThis short book reflects years of experience with qualitative research and presents insights gained from research into ethical approaches. Wiles brings home the point that ethical review is not an exercise like jumping through hoops set out by regulations and once you’ve ticked all the right boxes for the committee you can forget about them and, this is the real benefit of the book, demonstrates how exciting and rewarding the engagement with research ethics is. Research ethic committees may wish to adopt this short book as welcome present to new members. -- Dr. Ulrike Hohmann, Plymouth University, UKA brilliant and insightful book that explores the ethical aspects of qualitative research. Has been recommended to my students for background reading in order to better understand the ethical concerns of qualitative research. -- Amer Khan Shehzad, University of Central Lancaster, UKThis is a useful introductory text for anyone who is new to qualitative research ethics. It is short, well-structured and clearly written ... I was pleased to see that the risk and safety chapter includes not only risks to participants but also risks to researchers, which often seem to be overlooked ... Overall, though, I think Wiles has done a good job of packing a huge subject into a small container. She recognises that readers are likely to need further information, and provides four pages of useful reading and resources. -- Helen Kara * Social Research Association Research Matters Magazine *Table of ContentsContents Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Thinking Ethically: Approaches To Research Ethics Chapter 3 Informed Consent Chapter 4 Anonymity and Confidentiality Chapter 5 Risk and Safety Chapter 6 Ethical Dilemmas Chapter 7 Where Next for Research Ethics? Further Reading and Resources References Normal 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on bloomsburycollections.com. What is Qualitative Interviewing? is an accessible and comprehensive ‘what is’ and ‘how to’ methods book. It is distinctive in emphasising the importance of good practice in understanding and undertaking qualitative interviews within the framework of a clear philosophical position. Rosalind Edwards and Janet Holland provide clear and succinct explanations of a range of philosophies and theories of how to know about the social world, and a thorough discussion of how to go about researching it using interviews. A series of short chapters explain and illustrate a range of interview types and practices. Drawing on their own and colleagues’ experiences Holland and Edwards provide real research examples as informative illustrations of qualitative interviewing in practice, and the use of a range of creative interview tools. They discuss the use of new technologies as well as tackling enduring issues around asking and listening and power dynamics in research. Written in a clear and accessible style the book concludes with a useful annotated bibliography of key texts and journals in the field. What is Qualitative Interviewing? provides a vital resource for both new and experienced social science researchers across a range of disciplines.Trade ReviewProfessors Rosalind Edwards and Janet Holland provide an easily digestible introductory text for newcomers to the qualitative aspects of social research. Research can be daunting for beginners who are keen to engage in the interview process as a key method. What is Qualitative Interviewing? will no doubt provide the confidence for students to consider best practice when interviewing their participants ... A most definite must read for those plunging into their very first qualitative interviews. -- Sadia Habib * The Sociological Imagination *We learn, with the utmost clarity and conciseness, a great deal about the key terms, the development of the method, forms of qualitative interviewing, research tools, practical aspects of conducting an interview ... and strengths, issues and the future of qualitative interviewing ... A really successful and readable book that will help you to understand and reflect upon qualitative interviewing. * Soziologische Revue (Bloomsbury translation) *Good, easy, accessible book for undergraduate teaching that fits with what I teach and signposts students well. Succinct, but not too basic either. Good introduction to qualitative interviewing. -- Kaye Richards, Liverpool John Moores University, UKTable of ContentsWhat do the Key Terms Used about Qualitative Interviews Mean? How Have Qualitative Interviews Developed? What Forms can Qualitative Interviews Take? Where can Qualitative Interviews Take Place? What Sort of Research Tools can be Used in Conducting Qualitative Interviews? What are the Practicalities Involved in Conducting Qualitative Interviews? What are the Strengths and Challenges in Using Qualitative Interviews? What Criticisms Have Been Made of Qualitative Interviews, and Where Next for Qualitative Interviewing?

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. This book introduces the non-specialist reader to the principal ideas, nature and purpose of social network analysis. Social networks operate on many levels, from families up to the level of nations, and play a critical role in determining the way problems are solved, organizations are run, and the degree to which individuals achieve their goals. Social network theory maps these relationships between individual actors. Though relatively new on the scene it has become hugely influential across the social sciences. Assuming no prior knowledge of quantitative sociology, this book presents the key ideas in context through examples and illustrations. Using a structured approach to understanding work in this area, John Scott signposts further reading and online sources so readers can develop their knowledge and skills to become practitioners of this research method. A series of Frequently Asked Questions takes the reader through the main objections raised against social network analysis and answers the various queries that will come up once the reader has worked their way through the book.Trade ReviewA very good text tackling a complex issue, highly recommended. * Stuart Agnew, University Campus Suffolk, UK *Table of ContentsSeries Page Series Foreword List of Figures Introduction History of Social Network Analysis Key Concepts and Measures Applications of Network Analysis Criticisms and Frequently Asked Questions Software for Social Network Analysis References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe decennial Census is the US Government's largest statistical undertaking, and it costs billions of dollars in planning, execution, and analysis. From a statistical viewpoint, it is critical because it is the only database that maps every inhabitant into a geographic location. By constitutional mandate, census data are the basis for reapportioning the House of Representatives and the Electoral College. The states use census data to redistrict their state legislatures and often to redraw boundaries for local elections. Census data inform the distribution of over $1.5 trillion in federal funding during the decade. This book details the fundamentals and significance of the 2020 Census for the non-specialist reader. It covers why the Census is the only statistical activity required by the US Constitution, the challenges of working towards an accurate and complete count, and what political ramifications flow from this process. Concise, timely, and comprehensible, this book provides helpful real-life examples while also offering an overview of the entwined statistical and political issues that surround the Census. Table of Contents1. The Census: A Pillar of American Democracy and American Society.- 2. Who, What, When, Where of the Census.- 3. Who’s Missing: Undercounting and Underreporting.- 4. The Citizenship Issue and Gerrymandering.- 5. Privacy and Data Protection. 6. Are There Alternatives to the Census?.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book provides a general introduction to Sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) methods, also known as particle filters. These methods have become a staple for the sequential analysis of data in such diverse fields as signal processing, epidemiology, machine learning, population ecology, quantitative finance, and robotics.The coverage is comprehensive, ranging from the underlying theory to computational implementation, methodology, and diverse applications in various areas of science. This is achieved by describing SMC algorithms as particular cases of a general framework, which involves concepts such as Feynman-Kac distributions, and tools such as importance sampling and resampling. This general framework is used consistently throughout the book.Extensive coverage is provided on sequential learning (filtering, smoothing) of state-space (hidden Markov) models, as this remains an important application of SMC methods. More recent applications, such as parameter estimation of these models (through e.g. particle Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques) and the simulation of challenging probability distributions (in e.g. Bayesian inference or rare-event problems), are also discussed.The book may be used either as a graduate text on Sequential Monte Carlo methods and state-space modeling, or as a general reference work on the area. Each chapter includes a set of exercises for self-study, a comprehensive bibliography, and a “Python corner,” which discusses the practical implementation of the methods covered. In addition, the book comes with an open source Python library, which implements all the algorithms described in the book, and contains all the programs that were used to perform the numerical experiments.Trade Review“The authors have written a comprehensive broad-audience treatment of sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) methods, covering all its major and diverse applications. … The book is structured as an advanced Ph.D.-level textbook.” (Michael Ludkovski, Mathematical Reviews, May, 2022)Table of Contents1 Preface.- 2 Introduction to state-space models.- 3 Beyond state-space models.- 4 Introduction to Markov processes.- 5 Feynman-Kac models: definition, properties and recursions.- 6 Finite state-spaces and hidden Markov models.- 7 Linear-Gaussian state-space models.- 8 Importance sampling.- 9 Importance resampling.- 10 Particle filtering.- 11 Convergence and stability of particle filters.- 12 Particle smoothing.- 13 Sequential quasi-Monte Carlo.- 14 Maximum likelihood estimation of state-space models.- 15 Markov chain Monte Carlo.- 16 Bayesian estimation of state-space models and particle MCMC.- 17 SMC samplers.- 18 SMC2, sequential inference in state-space models.- 19 Advanced topics and open problems.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis advanced textbook explores small area estimation techniques, covers the underlying mathematical and statistical theory and offers hands-on support with their implementation. It presents the theory in a rigorous way and compares and contrasts various statistical methodologies, helping readers understand how to develop new methodologies for small area estimation. It also includes numerous sample applications of small area estimation techniques. The underlying R code is provided in the text and applied to four datasets that mimic data from labor markets and living conditions surveys, where the socioeconomic indicators include the small area estimation of total unemployment, unemployment rates, average annual household incomes and poverty indicators. Given its scope, the book will be useful for master and PhD students, and for official and other applied statisticians. Table of Contents1 Small Area Estimation.- 2 Design-based Direct Estimation.- 3 Design-based Indirect Estimation.- 4 Prediction Theory.- 5 Linear Models.- 6 Linear Mixed Models.- 7 Nested Error Regression Models.- 8 EBLUPs under Nested Error Regression Models.- 9 Mean Squared Error of EBLUPs.- 10 EBPs under Nested Error Regression Models.- 11 EBLUPs under Two-fold Nested Error Regression Models.- 12 EBPs under Two-fold Nested Error Regression Models.- 13 Random Regression Coefficient Models.- 14 EBPs under Unit-level Logit Mixed Models.- 15 EBPs under Unit-level Two-fold Logit Mixed Models.- 16 Fay-Herriot Models.- 17 Area-level Temporal Linear Mixed Models.- 18 Area-level Spatio-temporal Linear Mixed Models.- 19 Area-level Bivariate Linear Mixed Models.- 20 Area-level Poisson Mixed Models.- 21 Area-level Temporal Poisson Mixed Models.- A Some Useful Formulas.- Index.

Read more less