100 key research questions for the post‐2015 development agenda

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) herald a new phase for international development. This article presents the results of a consultative exercise to collaboratively identify 100 research questions of critical importance for the post‐2015 international development agenda. The final shortlist is grouped into nine thematic areas and was selected by 21 representatives of international and non‐governmental organisations and consultancies, and 14 academics with diverse disciplinary expertise from an initial pool of 704 questions submitted by 110 organisations based in 34 countries. The shortlist includes questions addressing long‐standing problems, new challenges and broader issues related to development policies, practices and institutions. Collectively, these questions are relevant for future development‐related research priorities of governmental and non‐governmental organisations worldwide and could act as focal points for transdisciplinary research collaborations.     

Farmers' Contribution to Agricultural Social Capital: Evidence from Southern Spain

Social capital is the whole set of shared norms, values, attitudes, and beliefs that promote cooperation among individuals within the community and that has proved to be a key factor in explaining development processes. This article aims to provide an analytically reliable notion of social capital within the farming sector and a methodological tool for empirically measuring how social capital is accumulated at the farmer level. The theoretical framework proposed is based on the multidimensionality of the complex concept of social capital. Thus, to develop a comprehensive index for social capital, we identify three dimensions of the concept, structural, relational, and cognitive social capital, each one also comprising several subdimensions. This integrative approach permits creation of a composite indicator of the agricultural social capital accumulated at the farmer level, further identifying socioeconomic factors that influence its accumulation at that level. We empirically apply this methodological approach to farmers in Andalusia in southern Spain as a case study. This research provides an interesting starting point for informing policymakers about social capital and helping them implement the necessary programs to facilitate sustainable development in the agricultural sector.     

Housing interventions for homeless,pregnant/parenting women with addictions: a systematic review

Family homelessness is a growing problem in North America with most of these families headed by single women. Homeless women also experience high rates of pregnancy and addiction (drugs and alcohol). Housing interventions have been identified as key to addressing the complex needs of pregnant/early parenting, homeless women with addictions. The aim of this systematic review is to determine what housing models and programs for this population yield the best outcomes. We systematically searched 10 databases and retrieved eight articles describing four distinct studies that met the inclusion criteria for this review. Overall, improved outcomes were found for all intervention groups with the most recent and rigorous studies favoring models combining Housing First and case management. However, methodological limitations, study quality, and varied outcomes made comparison across studies difficult. Further research must be done in this area using standardized outcomes and rigorous designs to develop evidence-based best practice guidelines to address the unique needs of this population.     

“He invited me and didn't ask anything in return” Migration and Mobility as Vulnerabilities for Sexual Exploitation among Female Adolescents in Mexico

Although human trafficking is recognized as a major human rights violation, there is limited evidence regarding the vulnerabilities that contribute to female adolescents’ risk of being forced or coerced into the sex trade. Vulnerabilities such as gender‐based violence, economic and social inequalities have been shown to shape the risk of sexual exploitation among adolescents. In‐depth interviews (n=18) with current sex workers who reported being deceived or forced into the sex trade as adolescents (<17 years old) were analysed to explore their experiences of migration and mobility in Mexico. Driven by socio‐economic and vulnerabilities in home communities, adolescents often engaged in internal migration and mobility to other Mexican communities and states. Migration and mobility further predisposed them to social isolation, economic hardship and abuse, which were used as tools to trick them into the sex trade. Policies that support safer migration for adolescents in origin, transit, and destination communities are needed.     

'Because they have all the power and I have none': state restructuring of income and employment supports and disabled women's lives in Ontario, Canada

We examine the connections between neo-liberal forms of state restructuring and intervention in disabled people's lives, looking in particular at how these have affected disabled women's experiences of an income support program, the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), in Ontario, Canada. We first outline why and how state programs have been re-designed and implemented in increasingly harsh ways as a result of such neo-liberal forms of state restructuring. Even groups formerly considered among the 'deserving poor' have found their access to social assistance diminished. We then argue that this is an outcome of state programs, policies and practices which are re-asserting and more deeply entrenching 'ableness' as a necessary condition of citizenship, inclusion and access to justice. Finally, we illustrate how disabled women's lives and well-being have been altered as a result of changes in the provision of these forms of state assistance using in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with 10 women in Ontario.     

A Dynamic Model of Work Satisfaction: Qualitative Approaches

Traditional work satisfaction research iscriticized for its personalistic approach inconceptualization and measurement. Its results aredoubted because of the artificially high proportions ofsatisfied. In order to overcome some of theseshortcomings, the extended model of different forms ofwork satisfaction originally proposed by Bruggemann(1974) is validated. Six forms of work satisfaction(progressive, stabilized, resigned satisfaction;constructive, fixated, resigned dissatisfaction) arederived from the constellation of four constituentvariables: comparison of the actual work situation andpersonal aspirations, global satisfaction, changes inlevel of aspiration, controllability at work. Resultsfrom semistructured interviews, a free Q-sort, and aquestionnaire for differentiating forms of worksatisfaction for 46 nurses provide support for the model.Various methods proved useful in accessing particularaspects of the underlying cognitive and evaluativeprocesses in the formation of different forms of work satisfaction. Implications for personnelmanagement and studies in organizational behavior(performance, intervention strategies) arediscussed.     

社会工作质性评估研究的回顾(1990-2003)对中国社会工作的启示

在社会科学的历史中,定量和定性研究的争论持续了差不多半个世纪。随着研究者对实证主义的质疑,质性研究的数目逐渐增加。根据布瑞曼(Bryman,1988)的看法,质性研究有以下特点:(1)透过被访者的眼睛看世界;(2)描述日常生活情境的细节;(3)了解在不同社会范畴的背景中的行为及意义;(4)强调过程;(5)倾向采用文字及结构灵活的研究设计;(6)尽量避免在研究初期确立理论和观念。邓泽和林肯(Denzin & Lincoln,1998)也指出,质性研究有以下元素:(1)采用多元的研究手法;(2)涉及自然和诠译的角度;(3)在自然的情况下作出研究;(4)尝试理解和分析不同现象的…