Conceptual and methodological issues in evaluating emergent programs

This paper identifies and discusses conceptual and methodological issues related to five attributes of emergent programs that frequently apply across the spectrum of human services: undefined client populations, inadequate causal evidence relating inputs to outcomes, shifting objectives, identification of criteria for standardizing treatments, and temporal constraints on program development. A case study of the American Red Cross nutrition program is used to illuminate the evaluation problems associated with these issues to mitigate them. Strategies found to be useful in the evaluation of emergent programs include the examination of the relationship among observed client characteristics and needs, external reviews of objectives, identification of client preconditions that support or inhibit performance, examination of normal treatment variation, and a multi-stage process.     

The status of women: Conceptual and methodological issues in demographic studies

This paper explores several conceptual problems in social demographic studies of the status of women, including failure to recognize the multidimensionality of women's status and its variation across social locations, the confounding of gender and class stratification systems, and the confounding of access to resources with their control. Also discussed are some generic problems in the measurement of female status, such as the sensitivity of particular indicators to social context, and the need to select consistent comparisons when judging the extent of gender inequality.     

An intersectional perspective on Muslim women's issues and experiences in employment

Drawing on a qualitative study of second‐generation Pakistani heritage Muslim women in employment in the UK, this article uses and develops an intersectional perspective to explain the interconnected and overlapping factors, such as gender, ethnicity and religion that affect these women at work. It also considers individual strategies and resources these women use to address any obstacles in the way of their employment and careers. The article uses the notions of inequality regimes and intersectionality to explain inequality in the workplace and the complex challenges facing Muslim female employees. The results show that these women continue to face a myriad of challenges in the UK workplace, and that a unilateral focus on gender does not sufficiently explain the work‐related experiences of second‐generation Muslim women in the UK. Therefore, it is important to take into account gender's intersection with ethnicity and religion.     

“9·11”后的美欧清真寺与穆斯林移民问题

在全球化过程中，尤其是“9·11”后，美欧穆斯林移民问题日渐凸现，既影响了美国的反恐战略和国土安全，也制约着欧盟一体化进程；美欧清真寺在穆斯林移民问题形成中扮演了不可或缺的角色，成为穆斯林移民宗教信仰与文化持守的精神家园，也成为这些社会边缘人摆脱物质生存挤压的缓冲地带，还成为美欧关于阿拉伯-伊斯兰国家战略决策的晴雨表，甚至成为全球化进程中异质文明间或对话或冲突的感应场；在全球治理的过程中，美欧清真寺为缓解西方与伊斯兰世界的紧张关系发挥了特殊作用。     

Religious Freedoms versus Gender Equality: Faith-Based Organizations, Muslim Minorities, and Islamic Headscarves in the New Europe

The intersections of gender and civil society in the formersocialist countries of Eastern Europe have been examined primarilythrough the lens of Western Aid to support feminist nongovernmentalorganizations (NGOs). What has received less scholarly attentionis the growing number of NGOs advocating for a return to moreconservative gender roles and more restricted public roles forwomen. Many of these organizations are so-called "faith-based"organizations (FBOs), and are bound to particular religiousdenominations. In this article, I will examine the presenceof Islamic FBOs in Bulgaria and how they mobilize a liberal"rights" discourse to justify practices that could be locallyinterpreted as being oppressive to women. Their insistence onguaranteeing women's "right to choose" certain religious practicesputs feminists and women's NGOs in an increasingly difficultposition.     

Gender-sensitive data: the state of the art in Europe*

Gender statistics play a crucial role in social research and in the creation of gender sensitive policies. Gender statistics document the situation of women and men around the world, making it easier to raise awareness about inequalities between them, to monitor gender equality and promote actionable change. There is thus a need to encourage awareness about gender statistics and their usefulness in gender mainstreaming. The paper has different aims: (1) to discuss the role of gender statistics and gender sensitive indicators; (2) to give an overview of the main gender sensitive European databases; (3) to present the European Commission Strategy on Gender Equality; (4) to display information collected by the European Institute for Gender Equality (Eige) database; (5) to promote proposal for increasing the gender sensitivity of social indicators.     

Making minorities history: population transfer in twentieth-century Europe

Leading Liberal Party politicians and some academic studies have suggested that the Liberal Party's stance on coloured immigration and race relations has been more principled than that of the other two major parties. However, close examination of the Liberals’ reactions to the issue of coloured immigration in the 1960s suggests that Liberal policy has not been very different from that of either the Labour or the Conservative Parties. All three parties moved to appease what appeared to be a hostile electorate.     

Company giving in Europe: What are the policy issues for the European Commission?

Over the past two years, a loosely-formed group known as the Company Giving in Europe Initiative has been examining the prospects for corporate social responsibility in the increasingly competitive marketplace of the European Community post 1992. As firms capitalise upon the EC's unerring commitment to remove the fiscal, technical and physical barriers to intra-Community trade, many observers are confident that progressive companies will extend their charitable giving programmes in order to mirror their commercial aspirations. A recent study commissioned by members of the Initiative argues that opportunities for increased corporate social responsibility are a consequence of changed political circumstances as much as of improved market conditions (Dabson, 1991). This paper explores this premise and argues that there are still certain changes of policy which the EC institutions could make to maximise the potential of corporate giving.     

Gender differences and equality issues in Europe: critical aspects of gender mainstreaming policies

Gender mainstreaming is the major global strategy for the promotion of gender equality. Clear intergovernmental mandates for gender mainstreaming have been developed for all the major areas of work of the United Nations and the European Commission, including disarmament, poverty reduction, macro-economics, health, education and trade. The evaluation of equal opportunities mainly focuses on qualification measures for unemployed women and improvements in childcare facilities, and on consideration of gender mainstreaming in other policy areas as well as macro-economic effects on employment and unemployment of women. It is evident that the promotion of qualification measures and childcare facilities increases the activity rate of women, although there remain doubts about the quality and sustainability of many measures and the impact on families. In particular this article focuses on the relation between gender mainstreaming and equality issues to examine whether and how the debate on the topic is a real way to improve equality without missing gender differences and women's rights.     

Migration and the population census in Asia and the Pacific: issues,questions and debate

Skeldon discusses the main issues to be resolved when designing questions and strategies to collect migration-related data. The strengths and weaknesses of the various approaches are assessed in the light of the data collected by countries in the Asia-Pacific region during the 1980 round of Censuses. Each country has its own particular needs and must devise its questions accordingly. However, there are a few general principles that are likely to improve the quality of the basic data collected. Some of these principles follow. 1) Detailed information on migration can only be collected through specialized surveys. The census data must be able to provide information on the basic spatial and temporal structures of migration and only upon these can detailed subsequent work proceed. 2) De facto enumeration will not only provide a better quality of information, but will also capture a higher proportion of total human mobility than de jure enumeration. A question of last previous residence and a finely coded duration of residence question are likely to generate the most useful migration data. For reasons of simplicity, continuity, and utility, the question on birthplace is a fundamental census question. 3) In order not to overload census questionnaires, additional information on migration is best collected either through specialized census sample modules or through separate sample surveys.     

Conceptual and methodologic issues in the evaluation of children's satisfaction with their mental health care

The assessment of client satisfaction has become an important aspect of evaluation research in the adult mental health field, but there has been relatively little extension of that approach to the child client population. This is due to the lack of adequate methodologies for assessing treatment satisfaction in children and to the overriding conceptual issues which make it difficult to develop such measures. Further information is needed to clarify developmental differences in the way both healthy as well as medically and psychiatrically ill children conceptualize illness and treatment. The authors suggest that specific methodologies for assessing child satisfaction with treatment can be systematically developed once a more explicit developmental framework has been delineated in the area of children's understanding of medical and psychiatric disorders and their treatments.     

Commodity chains,foreign investment and labour issues in Eastern Europe

In terms of ownership and operations, many companies in Eastern Europe have now been integrated into the world economy. In this article, informed in part by a critical engagement with the Global Commodity Chains (GCC) perspective, we explore the nature and significance of international linkages among firms in Eastern Europe. In particular, we argue that it has been the legacies of the state socialist past embedded in the inherited macro‐ and microeconomic structures, on the one hand, and the strategies of multinational firms on the other, rather than the international linkages in any simple sense, that have been the main influencing factors. While we do not deny the existence of inter‐firm relations similar to the ones described in the GCC literature, we point out that these relationships are much more complex than assumed in that approach and that this complexity is a product of the very different historical backgrounds and modes of incorporation into the world economy of the various Eastern European societies. Drawing on empirical evidence from Hungary and focusing specifically on employment and other labour issues, we argue that there are a variety of firm development paths in Eastern Europe and that these have differing implications for the integration of firms, regions and countries of Eastern Europe into the world economy.     

Islam and Muslim Immigrants in Austria: Socio-Political Networks and Muslim Leadership of Turkish Immigrants

This essay outlines the unique historical and legal aspects of the institutionalization of Islam in Austria and its various organizations. Major attention, however, is given to the concept of socio-political networks in understanding the motives for, and processes of, self-organization of Turkish Muslim migrant communities. Finally, Turkish Muslim leadership (the imams), in Austria is discussed. Based on a pioneer study for Austria, the essay argues that in the context of migrant studies, the religious elites of Muslim immigrants have been largely neglected so far and, hence, deals with their function in the Muslim community and their situation in Austria.     

Islam and Muslim Immigrants in Austria: Socio-Political Networks and Muslim Leadership of Turkish Immigrants

This essay outlines the unique historical and legal aspects of the institutionalization of Islam in Austria and its various organizations. Major attention, however, is given to the concept of socio-political networks in understanding the motives for, and processes of, self-organization of Turkish Muslim migrant communities. Finally, Turkish Muslim leadership (the imams), in Austria is discussed. Based on a pioneer study for Austria, the essay argues that in the context of migrant studies, the religious elites of Muslim immigrants have been largely neglected so far and, hence, deals with their function in the Muslim community and their situation in Austria.     

Cultural Diversity and the Curriculum: the Muslim experience in Australia

This paper examines the extent to which the Australian education system has responded to the needs of the Muslim community in relation to curricula, staffing and organization. Australian government schools are usually described as “free, secular and compulsory” and serve the educational needs of a culturally and linguistically diverse population, but due to historical patterns of immigration, the values underpinning school curricula are Eurocentric and reflect the Judeo‐Christian tradition. For the Muslim community, seeking to have its history, culture, languages, values and beliefs reflected in curricula, staffing and school organization, this presents a considerable challenge and potentially a source of cultural conflict. Studies of Muslim children in Australia indicate that Muslim children may be educationally disadvantaged because poor English led to under‐achievement and because of cultural dissonance between parents and the school. The failure of the school to support or affirm Muslim values increases the Muslim community's sense of alienation from the mainstream education system. Australia has been quite innovative in its education policies and practices in relation to a culturally diverse population but this paper asks whether it has done enough to integrate the Muslim experience into government school curricula and to recognize Muslim needs in the selection of teachers and the organization of the school?     

The Canada-United States joint immigration study: issues in data comparability

The Canada-US immigration project is an attempt to assess carefully the flows, trends, and characteristics of immigrants between the 2 countries. The primary focus for data is the census information derived from the 1980 US and 1981 Canadian censuses. Some observations of the comparison follow. 1) US-born immigrants tend to migrate later. 2) Immigrants have an older age structure than the total population. 3) The sex ratio pattern is similar with older migrants having lower ratios. 4) Immigration of elderly/retired is not a common pattern. 5) Changes in regional destinations is a basic feature of immigration flows. The destination of US immigrants shifted over time from northern states to southern states. Destinations of Canadian immigrants shifted over time from Quebec and prairie provinces to Ontario and British Columbia. 6) A higher proportion of US immigrants ever married and were widowed; higher proportions of Canadian immigrants divorced, and lower proportions separated. These aspects reflect age structure. 7) US immigrants' fertility is similar to the US population in general; Canadian immigrants' fertility is similar to the Canadian population in general. 8) US immigrants born in Canada have a considerably higher attainment. 9) Males aged 16-64 among US immigrants born in Canada have a consistently higher labor force participation rate. 10) Professional specialty occupations increase in importance in the 1975-1980 period in both countries. 11) Incomes of recent immigrants who were full-time, year-round workers from Canada or the US were well above the incomes of the native populations of either country. Comparability had to be examined in light of the variations built into the 2 censuses. Some of these issues are: 1) differences in sampling and collection methods, 2) differences in under/over-enumeration, 3) misreporting of country of birth, 4) differences in questions used, 5) different editing and imputation procedures applied, 6) variations in residence rules, and 7) the exclusion or inclusion of certain groups in the national census counts.