Bayesian identifiability and misclassification in multinomial data

The authors consider the Bayesian analysis of multinomial data in the presence of misclassification. Misclassification of the multinomial cell entries leads to problems of identifiability which are categorized into two types. The first type, referred to as the permutation‐type nonidentifiabilities, may be handled with constraints that are suggested by the structure of the problem. Problems of identifiability of the second type are addressed with informative prior information via Dirichlet distributions. Computations are carried out using a Gibbs sampling algorithm.     

The unity of social movements

A coherent intellectual structure for social movement studies has recently been emerging over a range of theoretical and empirical studies. This structure counterposes ‘within social movements’ a diverse range of collective actions against the unity imposed by a collective identity. However, theorisations of this collective identity have so far failed to address the contradiction between structure and agency. A definition of collective identity for social movements that is not caught in the structure/agency divide is proposed by defining the appropriate level of abstraction for such a definition, defining why movements are unified and then how.     

Cost-containment,computers and confidentiality

The profession of social work has clear standards to follow in protecting confidentiality when a client discloses information in a psychotherapy session. These standards are examined in relation to an ever-increasing diresrefard for privacy as staff of managed care for mental health services and employee assistance programs gather and store information in computer databases, with the overall objective of cost-containment. Ethical principles are discussed and suggestions are made for safeguarding, the client's right to privacy.     

The third dimension of two-dimensional cutting

A number of papers in Operational Research literature have described and discussed approaches to one and two dimensional cutting stock, or trim loss problems; only a handful describe implementation in an industrial setting. It seems that in this area of Operational Research, as in many others, implementation lags far behind theory. In this paper, written jointly by the client and the researcher, we suggest that there is an equally important ‘third dimension’ concerned with practical and interpersonal issues which is often overlooked in tackling cutting stock problems. We describe work with an international timber company who were concerned about this issue because they were attempting to market a waste cutting optimisation computer package for the furniture and packing case industries. To explore the issue we used techniques developed by our research group at the University of Bath, UK, including an interactive software package called cope which is designed to assist in the exploration of complex decision making issues.     

From Altruism to Action: Primary Task and the Not-for-Profit Organization

This paper examines the concept of primary task,as it has been used in action research and consultancyat The Tavistock Institute and elsewhere. It applies theconcept to the not-for-profit organization and argues that primary task should not bethought of opportunistically; it relates to themission of the organization. The threesector model of public, private and voluntaryorganizations is linked to basic assumptions, as described by Bion andapplied to societal institutions. The voluntary sectoris considered to have a valency for basic assumptionpairing organizational behavior. A case study of a voluntary organization demonstrates the waydifferent stakeholders claim psychological ownership ofthe enterprise. The paper concludes that the concept ofprimary task remains important, offering a stable reference point for working with organizations,where the boundary between sectors is increasinglyproblematic, threatening to overwhelm their originalpurpose.     

Homeless Children and Stress: An Empirical Study

Families with children constitute the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population. Past literature has indicated that children who are homeless experience more stress than children who are not homeless. This study measured the level of psychosocial stress experienced by homeless children by utilizing two direct and two indirect measurement tools. The sample included 52 children from family-shelter facilities in Central Florida. T-test results indicated a statistically significant difference between the sample's scores and that of the normative group. Prompt intervention at both the individual and environmental level is recommended.     

Moral distinctions and structural inequality: homeless youth salvaging the self

This paper explores the construction and contestation of moral distinctions as a dimension of contemporary structural inequality through a focus on the subjectivities constructed by young people who have experienced homelessness. Empirical material from two research projects shows that in young people's narratives of homelessness, material insecurity intertwines with the moral economies at work in neoliberal capitalist societies to construct homelessness as a state of moral disgrace, in which an ungovernable experience is experienced as a moral failure. When young people gain access to secure housing, the increasing stability and security of their lives is narrated in terms of a moral adherence to personal responsibility and disciplined conduct. Overall the paper describes an economy of worth organized around distinctions between order and chaos, self‐governance and unruliness, morality and disgrace, which structures the experience of homelessness. As young people's position in relation to these moral ideals reflects the material conditions of their lives, their experiences demonstrate the way that moral hierarchies contribute to the existence and experience of structural inequalities in neoliberal capitalist societies.     

Space‐oriented Children's Policy: Creating Child‐friendly Communities to Improve Children's Well‐being1

This paper reviews different perspectives of the changing nature of childhood, comparing these to state responses that seek to improve children's well‐being. Unlike previous generations of children, children today spend much of their time under cover and under the watchful eyes of adults. It is likely that this change has had a negative impact on children's well‐being. The paper explores possible styles of state intervention, arguing that a broader approach is needed in the UK than is currently being considered.