Accounting for Exclusion: Giving a ‘Voice’ and producing a ‘subject’

SUMMARY: This article examines a series of accounts of exclusion given by pupils and a teacher in interviews and a group discussion. It is argued that it is important to hear pupils' experiences. However, it is recognised that it is never possible to access an experience directly, since the process of research alway shapes the way an account is constructed. This does not invalidate the research, since it is argued that the way pupils relate to the interviewer and the way they talk about their exclusion seemed indirectly to reflect important differences in the way exclusion is experienced. Specifically, two ways of managing exclusion were identified by pupils: some pupils protested about being excluded and welcomed the invitation to tell their story. Others distanced themselves from the event, by speaking of their exclusion in objective and concrete terms. These styles of accounting are compared to the way in which the head teacher discusses the topic of exclusion.     

Predicting hospital census using time series regression methods

We first describe the time series modeling problem in a general way. Then some specific assumptions and observations which are pertinent to the application of these models are made. We next propose a specific approach to the modeling problem, one which yields efficient, easily calculated estimators of all parameters (under the stated assumptions). Finally, the technique is applied to the problem of modeling the census of a particular hospital.     

The effect of recommended contributions in the voluntary provision of public goods

Recommended contributions are often observed in fundraising campaigns for charitable and other public goods. We present an experiment investigating the impact of recommended contributions in a voluntary threshold public goods process. We find that when valuations for the public good are heterogeneous, recommended contributions significantly increase the likelihood of efficient provision, although when valuations are homogeneous, the effect of recommendations is less compelling. This article represents a first step in understanding recommended contributions and other nonbinding, cheap-talk announcements in public goods provision and charitable contributions.     

Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test Statistic and Critical Values for the Erlang-3 and Erlang-4 Distributions

Following a procedure applied to the Erlang-2 distribution in a recent paper, an adjusted Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic and critical values are developed for the Erlang-3 and -4 cases using data from Monte Carlo simulations. The test statistic produced features of compactness and ease of implementation. It is quite accurate for sample sizes as low as ten.     

Investment in Innovation: An Historical Appraisal of the Fund for the Advancement of Education,Paul Woodring. Boston: Little,Brown and Company, 1970. 323 Pages, $7.50 Hardbound

Abstract

An exploratory study of the role of “faculty field liaison” was conducted, utilizing a national survey of 88 MSW degree-granting programs. Respondents were program directors of field practicums. Their perceptions were solicited regarding: (1) criteria for selection, (2) liaison expectations, (3) methods of evaluation, and (4) perceptions of the importance of liaison duties compared to other job responsibilities. Many more liaison responsibilities were identified than were heretofore reported in the literature or other documented research. The study confirmed that the role is more complex and diverse than anticipated. The need for some form of uniform understanding and training of liaisons seems evident.     

Estimation of Weibull parameters from common percentiles

Estimation of Weibull distribution shape and scale parameters is accomplished through use of symmetrically located percentiles from a sample. The process requires algebraic solution of two equations derived from the cumulative distribution function. Three alternatives examined are compared for precision and variability with maximum likelihood (MLE) and least squares (LS) estimators. The best percentile estimator (using the 10th and 90th) is inferior to MLE in variability and to one least squares estimator in accuracy and variability to a small degree. However, application of a correction factor related to sample size improves the percentile estimator substantially, making it more accurate than LS.     

An advertising effect model

A model of advertising effects has been developed based on a distinction between “persuasion” advertising and “trigger” advertising. The former is designed to induce prospective purchasers to try the product and to establish a “product image”. The latter is aimed at “triggering” a purchase on the part of an individual whose image of the product has already been formed. The distinction has major implications for the type and timing of advertising. The model can be applied to determining an optimum distribution of advertising effort in the introduction of a new product, and the optimum advertising media mix.     

Measuring Well-being Across Europe: Description of the ESS Well-being Module and Preliminary Findings

It has become customary to judge the success of a society through the use of objective indicators, predominantly economic and social ones. Yet in most developed nations, increases in income, education and health have arguably not produced comparable increases in happiness or life satisfaction. While much has been learned from the introduction of subjective measures of global happiness or life satisfaction into surveys, significant recent progress in the development of high-quality subjective measures of personal and social well-being has not been fully exploited. This article describes the development of a set of well-being indicators which were included in Round 3 of the European Social Survey. This Well-being Module seeks to evaluate the success of European countries in promoting the personal and social well-being of their citizens. In addition to providing a better understanding of domain-specific measures, such as those relating to family, work and income, the design of the Well-being Module recognises that advancement in the field requires us to look beyond measures which focus on how people feel (happiness, pleasure, satisfaction) to measures which are more concerned with how well they function. This also shifts the emphasis from relatively transient states of well-being to measures of more sustainable well-being. The ESS Well-being Module represents one of the first systematic attempts to create a set of policy-relevant national well-being accounts.

CONSTRUCTING A HEALTH AND SOCIAL INDICATOR FRAMEWORK FOR INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY HEALTH RESEARCH

Health and social indicators that capture the distinct historical, social, and cultural contexts of Indigenous communities can play an important role in informing the planning and delivery of community interventions. There is currently considerable interest in cataloguing and vetting meaningful community-level health and social indicators that could be applied to research and health promotion activities in Indigenous communities in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, inclusive of conventional indicators as well as measures developed specifically for use in or with Indigenous communities. To avoid haphazard selection of indicators, and to assure the comprehensiveness and relevance of any given set of indicators, a framework that can accommodate and conceptually classify indicators representing a full range of domains is required. We report here on the development of a conceptual framework, by which Indigenous community indicators, and more general community-level social indicators, can be sorted, catalogued, and systematically classified within four hierarchical levels. The indicator framework was developed across Canada, Australia and New Zealand in consultation with academic researchers and Indigenous community stakeholders, building from established health and social indicator systems. The Indigenous indicator framework permits Indigenous communities, public health researchers, and funding agencies to compare and select the most appropriate indicators for application in specific contexts from the multitude of existing indicators.