Evidence Based Practice — Is it good for you?

This article is the first in a series which aim at ‘unpacking’ some of the concepts and controversies involved in ‘evidence based practice’ (EBP). It is critically important for clinicians to be able to understand EBP, because there is a growing likelihood that the politics of EBP will be used to construct the ways in which we are expected to provide services in our workplaces. Although EBP looks relatively benign, the whole area reveals some very disturbing aspects. I invite readers of the Journal to begin a dialogue with me and with each other about EBP and whether it is possible, or even desirable, to embrace this practice within a systemic framework.     

The Sickness of an Information Society

R. H. Tawney is frequently cited as one of the most distinguished social theorists of the twentieth century, and his position in the British school of ethical, democratic socialism is assured. This paper revisits that contribution for the so-called post- industrial age. It emphasizes Tawney's roots in philosophical idealism and Christian socialism, demonstrating how these systems underpinned his famous critiques of inequality and the acquisitive society. His deontological morality anticipates key ideas of John Rawls, leading similarly to a robust social egalitarianism. The moral basis of Tawney's left-liberal politics explains its durability and thus its relevance for the Great Information Society Debate. Tawney would have rejected many of the propositions associated with the information society thesis, including the allegedly axial role of information itself. While recognizing the importance of information and knowledge in democracy, he would not have supported transformationist rhetoric on behalf of an electronic information polity. Tawney's essentialist socialism may be vulnerable to some of the better documented post-industrial trends, notably the move from goods to services. However, his work supplies useful resources for critical perspectives on the technocratic social structure and on the exaggerated economic role of teleworkers, inter alia. As regards the last in Daniel Bell's triad of polity, social structure and culture, some might lament the anchorage of Tawney's progressive politics in a particularist metaphysics, specifically Christianity. Yet the return of religious modes seems now as certain as the rise of new modes of information and communication. The Christian socialist values that inspired Tawney's ideal of social democracy, especially an expansive vision of brotherhood or 'fellowship', could therefore be appropriated for a modern normative theory of the information society.     

Practice‐based Research Networks: Opportunities in Family Therapy?

I would like to continue the discussion of practice‐based research networks (PBRNs). I will provide more detail on what I mean by PBRNs and describe some of the features of existing networks. I will argue that research networks could be a valuable tool for family therapists. But, I also point out that the establishment of the mechanisms and culture necessary for PBRNs to function effectively takes considerable commitment from clinicians and their professional organisations. I will also remount my hobbyhorse and give a more specific account of my thoughts about the use of the internet to provide the necessary infrastructure for these networks.     

Weber and church governance: religious practice and economic activity

The debate about the relationship between religion and economic activity in the wake of Weber has been cast largely in terms of belief and values. This article suggests an alternative focus on practice. It argues that taken for granted practices of church governance formed to-hand resources for the organization of economic activity. The argument is developed through an examination of the historical development of church governance practices in the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, with particular emphasis on the way in which theological belief gave rise to practices of accountability and record keeping. In turn such practices contributed to a 'culture of organization' which had implications for economic activity. A focus on governance practices can help to illuminate enduring patterns of difference in the organization of economic activity.     

Changing Fatherhood: An Exploratory Qualitative Study with African and African Caribbean Men in England

This paper presents findings from a qualitative study undertaken with 46 African and African Caribbean men exploring their experiences of fatherhood. Data analysis was informed by Connell’s theoretical work on changing gender relations. Findings indicate that fathers’ lives were mediated by masculinities, racism, gender, migration and generational changes in parenting. Fathers advocated a style of parenting centred on good communication with children. The implications of findings for theory, future research and health and social care policy regarding both children’s well‐being and the inclusion of fathers by health and social care practitioners are discussed.     

‘Let's Live,and See’: Interview with Moshe Talmon

Moshe Talmon, author of Single Session Therapy and Single Session Solutions, spoke to Lil Cox, family therapist from Oakrise Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service at Launceston, when she caught up with him at the Inaugural Pan‐Pacific Family Therapy Conference in Melbourne, Australia in September 2001. He spoke about his early life, training, his research showing that clients can get what they need from one session, and his current approach to therapy. Finally, he gives his reasons for continuing to live and work in Israel.     

Research into Practice/Practice into Research; How a Practice‐based Research Network Might Work

Last issue, I wrote some more about Practice Based Research Networks as a model that could be followed for applied clinical research in family therapy settings. What I would like to do now is to choose an area of interest and show how it might be worked up into a PBRN. This is necessarily going to be a limited example because at this stage there is a ‘network’ of one — I am effectively talking to myself right at the moment — but it will still serve as a demonstration.     

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in a model of fertility choice

We examine the relationship between assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and the microeconomics of fertility choice. Along the way, we develop a model consistent with between-country differences in overall fertility and fertility timing. Our analysis of ART centers around the distinction between biomedical and behavioral effects. While improvements in ART have the biomedical effect of raising fertility, they may cause some women who would otherwise have tried to have children earlier on in life to postpone childbirth to later in life when the conception success probability is lower. This behavioral effect of postponement may reduce the fertility rate.