Dependence and precarity in the platform economy

Theory and Society - The rapid growth of Uber and analogous platform companies has led to considerable scholarly interest in the phenomenon of platform labor. Scholars have taken two main...     

GangstaLife: Fusing Urban Ethnography with Netnography in Gang Studies

Qualitative Sociology - Recent research on street-involved populations has documented their online presence and has highlighted the effects of their online presentations on their lives in the real...     

The religious and worldview dimension of intercultural education: the Council of Europe’s contribution

ABSTRACT

This article traces the Council of Europe’s work on teaching about religions and non-religious worldviews, regarded as an important contributor to intercultural education. It explains why studies of religions came late in the Council of Europe’s educational work and traces the development of a project which led to a Recommendation from its Committee of Ministers on teaching about religions and non-religious worldviews. It summarises follow-up work by the Council of Europe and the European Wergeland Centre, which led to the publication of Signposts. It outlines new research on themes identified in Signposts and discusses the relationship between intercultural education and studies of religions, in the context of the Council of Europe and responds to criticisms of its work. An account of the development of a new teacher training module, based on Signposts, is given. The module can be adapted for use in Council of Europe member states and in different settings, including university and school-based teacher training. An account is given of the work of the module’s writing group, its structure and chapters, the piloting undertaken and how it could develop. Finally, this article introduces the concept of ‘dialogical liberalism’, aiming to promote dialogue and discussion, rather than imposing equality.     

Causal Evidence for Exclusively Positive Parenting and for Timeout: Rejoinder to Holden,Grogan-Kaylor,Durrant, and Gershoff (2017)

Abstract

In our initial article we raised concerns about a paradigm we called “Exclusively Positive Parenting” (EPP). This paradigm opposes all negative disciplinary consequences, including timeout and privilege removal. We argued that the empirical support for EPP was insufficient. Researchers should not rely on insufficient causal evidence to replace well-established parenting perspectives that combine positive parenting with appropriate firm control. In reply, Holden et al. defended EPP. In this rejoinder to them we do two things. First, we use their citations to evaluate the limited causal evidence (four randomized studies) for what EPP supports. Second, we summarize the evidence for timeout, which EPP opposes. To do that, we offer the first known meta-analysis of the overall effectiveness of timeout, based on 24 studies with strong causal evidence for its effectiveness with young oppositional defiant children (6 randomized clinical studies; 18 small-N experimental designs). We call for parenting researchers to synthesize positive parenting techniques and disciplinary consequences based on adequate causal evidence.     

Cystatin C as a predictor of mortality in elderly patients with chronic kidney disease

Background: The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the elderly is high. Serum cystatin C is an accurate marker of kidney function and it also has prognostic utility in CKD patients. The aim of our study was to determine the prediction of serum cystatin C and other markers of kidney function on long-term survival in elderly CKD patients.

Methods: Fifty eight adult Caucasian patients, older than 65 years, without known malignancy, thyroid disease and/or not on steroid therapy were enrolled in the study. In each patient, ⁵¹CrEDTA clearance, serum creatinine, serum cystatin C, and estimated glomerular filtration rate using different equations were determined on the same day and patients were then followed for 11 years or until their death.

Results: The means are as follows: ⁵¹CrEDTA clearance 53.3?±?17.4?ml/min/1.73?m², serum creatinine 1.62?±?0.5?mg/dl, serum cystatin C 1.79?±?0.5?mg/l, Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) creatinine equation 40.1?±?14?ml/min/1.73?m², Berlin Initiative Study 2 (BIS2) equation 38.9?±?10.7?ml/min/1.73?m², full age spectrum (FAS) creatinine equation 43.8?±?13.8?ml/min/1.73?m², FAS cystatin C equation 40.1?±?11.7?ml/min/1.73?m². In the follow up period, 47 (81%) patients died. Cox regression analysis showed different hazard ratios (HRs) for death: for ⁵¹CrEDTA clearance HR 1.022 (95% CI 1.004–1.042; p?=?.015), serum creatinine HR 1.013 (95% CI 1.006–1.019; p?=?.001), serum cystatin C HR 2.028 (95% CI 1.267–3.241; p?=?.003), CKD-EPI creatinine equation HR 1.048 (95% CI 1.019–1.076; p?=?.001), BIS2 equation HR 1.055 (95% CI 1.021–1.088; p?=?.001), FAS creatinine equation HR 1.046 (95% CI 1.017–1.074; p?=?.001), FAS cystatin C equation HR 1.039 (95% CI 1.010–1.071; p?=?.009).

Conclusions: Our results showed the highest HR for serum cystatin C among kidney function markers for prediction of outcome in elderly CKD patients.     

Serious Leisure and Work

This article looks at the complex relationship between serious leisure and work, with an eye to examining its implications for social life and practice. First, the serious leisure perspective (a theoretic framework that synthesizes three main forms: serious, casual, and project-based leisure) is described. Then, occupational devotion is examined. It consists of a strong, positive attachment to a form of self-enhancing work, where the sense of achievement is high and the core activity (set of basic tasks) is endowed with such intense appeal that the line between this work and leisure is virtually erased. Devotee work roots most immediately in amateur, hobbyist, and volunteer pursuits. Next some of the ways that people bridge devotee work and their leisure are considered. Careers are then discussed. These careers originate in serious leisure and, for some people, extend into work. After considering some others ways of bridging devotee work and serious leisure, two main implications of the link between these two are taken up.     

Taste uncertainty and status quo effects in consumer choice

We use reference-dependent expected utility theory to develop a model of status quo effects in consumer choice. We hypothesise that, when making their decisions, individuals are uncertain about the utility that will be yielded by their consumption experiences in different ‘taste states’ of the world. If individuals have asymmetric attitudes to gains and losses of utility, the model entails acyclic reference-dependent preferences over consumption bundles. The model explains why status quo effects may vary substantially from one decision context to another and why some such effects may decay as individuals gain market experience.