Symbolic Interactionism and Ethnomethodology

Symbolic interactionism and ethnomethodology, while apparently similar in topic and approach, are radically different sociological perspectives. Garfinkel's notion of a plenum is used to illustrate this difference with regard to their approaches to the concept of interaction. Ethnomethodology's rejection of the concepts of actor and context, and its different treatment of meaning, are contrasted with symbolic interactionism's terms of reference.     

Nonprofit management in Europe and Asia

The State and NGOs: Perspective from Asia, edited by Shinichi Shigetomi. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asia Studies, 2002. $28.50 cloth. The Emergence of Social Enterprise, edited by Carlo Borzaga and Jacques Defourny. New York: Routledge, 2001. $120.00 cloth.     

HIGH SCHOOLS AND CRIME: A REPLICATION

Using Cleveland data, we replicate Roncek and LoBosco's study of the effect of proximity to San Diego's high schools on crime in their surroundings. We also examine a major alternative hypothesis whether having other non-residential land uses in the schools' surroundings accounts for crime in these areas. Our findings closely parallel theirs. Proximity to public high schools only increases crime on city blocks which are immediately adjacent to the schools. Second, the size of a school's enrollment is not important for explaining crime in its surroundings. The analysis of non-residential effects supports Roncek and LoBosco's claim that crime effects are due solely to the presence of public high schools, although other land uses affect crime near private high schools. While there are differences in the exact magnitudes of the effects, the substance of their findings for San Diego generalizes well to a very different city. More generally, we argue that Wirth's early arguments about the effect of urbanism on impeding social control can be extended to the residential areas within the city.     

Supersaturated design including an orthogonal base

Recently, many supersaturated designs have been proposed. A supersaturated design is a fractional factorial design in which the number of factors is greater than the number of experimental runs. The main thrust of the previous studies has been to generate more columns while avoiding large values of squared inner products among all design columns. These designs would be appropriate if the probability for each factor being active is uniformly distributed. When factors can be partitioned into two groups, namely, with high and low probabilities of each factor being active, it is desirable to maintain orthogonality among columns to be assigned to the factors in the high-probability group. We discuss a supersaturated design including an orthogonal base which is suitable for this common situation. Mathematical results on the existence of the supersaturated designs are shown, and the construction of supersaturated designs is presented. We next discuss some properties of the proposed supersaturated designs based on the squared inner products.     

Structure and accountability a study of national nonprofit associations

In the 1990s, the integrity and performance of nonprofit organizations in the United States have come increasingly under attack, and there are new calls to hold nonprofit organizations more accountable for their behavior and performance. This article reports on a study of the organizational structures of national nonprofit associations and asks how these umbrella organizations can help to self-regulate the sector through appropriate checks and balances between the national organization and local affiliates. The authors identify a number of differences in how associations with alternative structures hold local affiliates and national organizations responsible for their performances, and they conclude that structure is an avenue of self-regulation for nonprofit organizations deserving further attention.     

Making Sense of New Orleans Flood Trauma Recovery: Ethics, Research Design, and Policy Considerations for Future Disasters

This article details the justification and plans of a research team for studying and helping evacuees of Hurricane Katrina from New Orleans to recover by encouraging experimental participants to disclose information about their related experiences in guided interview sessions. Team members' consideration and practice of ethical principles as researchers dealing with the potentially traumatized victims of a disaster are portrayed. Finally, related recommendations for researchers and policy makers are offered.     

Examining the Impact of Changes in Maternal Employment on High School Completion Among Low-Income Youth

The passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act and decisions about its re-authorization have resurrected interest in the impact of maternal employment on child outcomes in poor families. The emerging evidence suggests that employment stability among former welfare recipients is a key factor in making successful transitions from welfare to work. This investigation explores how changes in maternal employment in poor families relate to high school completion among at risk youths. Our findings show that a substantial number of mothers experience unstable employment patterns. This instability is positively correlated with dropout among adolescents. The paper concludes with policy implications for the next phase of welfare reform.