The Abduction of Credibility: A Reply to John Paley

Correspondence to Liz Kelly, Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit, Ladbroke House, 62-66 Highbury Grove, London, N5 2AD Summary This response takes issue with John Paley's paper ‘SatanistAbuse and Alien Abduction’ (this issue) in a number ofareas: his definition of Satanic ritual abuse (SRA); the parallelshe draws between SRA and alien abduction; his assertions thatthere is no evidence of SRA and that accounts of SRA can beviewed as urban legends; and his ‘temporal lobe connection’conclusion.     

The Social Worker, the Client and the Social Anthropologist

Summary City Centre Project has been working with drifting and homelessyoung people and we considered it important to study not justthe clients, but also the project workers. The discipline andmethods of social anthropology appeared to offer unique advantagesin this attempt However, in the course of our fieldwork, weencountered situations which led us to question the validityof using participant observation with clients, and to explorethe tensions between social workers and academic researchers.We then altered our methods for gathering data, and realizedthat our experience had important implications for researchersconsidering the use of qualitative methods in a social worksetting. This article is our first attempt to generalize fromour particular experience, and to raise questions about powerrelations among the parties to research and action.     

Alternative estimates of the volume of emigration from Canada, 1961–71*

L'apport de l'immigration à l'accroissement de la population au Canada a souvent fait l'objet d'une attention toute particulière. Cependant, on est beaucoup moins bien renseigné sur l'impact qu'a pu avoir l'émigration, puisqu'il n'existe aucune donnée sur le nombre réel de personnes quittant le Canada. Cet exposé présente d'abord trois évaluations du nombre d'émigrants du Canada au cours de la période intercensitaire 1961–71, obtenues à partir de trois méthodes différentes, et on tente de déterminer quelle évaluation est la plus fiable. On montre que le processus d'élaboration des politiques canadiennes d'immigration se doit de tenir compte de l'émigration. The contribution of immigration to Canada's population growth has received considerable analytical attention. However, much less is known about the impact which emigration has had on the nation's population growth, particularly since actual data are not available on the number of persons emigrating from Canada. This paper presents three different emigration estimates for Canada for the 1961–71 intercensal period derived from different estimation procedures, endeavours to determine which estimate is the most reliable one, and demonstrates the importance of considering emigration in the continuing reformulation of Canada's immigration policies.     

Responsible Conduct of Research Measure: Initial Development and Pilot Study

Although much discussion has been focused on research misconduct (RM) and questionable research practices, to date no self-report measures exist to examine this phenomenon. To help fill this void, the authors developed the Responsible Conduct of Research Measure (RCRM) through multiple pilot study waves involving researchers in the social and behavioral sciences. Preliminary results reveal adequate validity and reliability. The authors discuss limitations of the study as well as some possible directions for future research on this topic.     

Fiji Indians and Political Discourse in Fiji: from the Pacific Romance to the Coups

Abstract Why did Fiji Indian political rhetoric shift, at Fiji's independence, from Gandhian political grievance to nation, development and harmony? The Indians were brought to Fiji as plantation labor in order to protect the indigenous Fijians from wage labor. A romantic vision of the indigenes guided colonial policy, and became law at Fiji's independence, in a constitution giving indigenous Fijians and their chiefs special privileges. Despite the appeasing rhetoric, an electoral defeat of the indigenous chiefs was followed by military coups, for protection of indigenes against Indians and consolidation of chiefly power. Fiji has proved difficult to ‘imagine’ as a nation.     

WHO PAYS THE BAR TAB? BEER CONSUMPTION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE UNITED STATES

Few studies explore the linkages between health behaviors and macroeconomic outcomes. This study uses 1971–2007 state‐level data from the United States to estimate the impact of beer consumption on economic growth. We document that beer consumption has negative effects on economic growth measures once the endogeneity of beer consumption is addressed. Our estimates are robust to a range of specification checks. These findings run parallel to a large body of literature documenting substantial social and economic costs stemming from alcohol use. (JEL I1, O4)