Back to the future? From pragmatic approaches in the social sciences to the development of the patchwork theory

The debate on the function of the social sciences in complex societies, and more generally of the role of knowledge, leads necessarily to a discussion on pragmatism. The gap between theoretical approaches and empirical research still exists and has even widened, in part as a result of the use and abuse of social science knowledge in politics and by the media. However, the academic system is equally to blame for this. Mutual ignorance and scholastic fights are barriers against openness, creative and imaginary thinking. The structures and the practices of the academic system reinforce this trend. Pragmatism aims at overcoming these cleavages by looking at commonalities between different approaches rather than by disputing their validity. It aims at a comprehensive understanding of the process of knowledge production and at the productive use of results. Defining itself in this tradition, the patchwork theory goes beyond the traditional pragmatic approaches: it catches part of the reality of social phenomena from a certain perspective that allows for an overview without having the full picture. Methodologicall, the approach guided by patchwork theory emphasizes the relevance of stakeholders’ knowledge and citizen science, and calls for public participation and democratic access to the production and use of knowledge in a discursive manner.     

Statistical Engineering: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?

Several authors, including the American Statistical Association (ASA) guidelines for undergraduate statistics education (American Statistical Association Undergraduate Guidelines Workgroup) American Statistical Association Undergraduate Guidelines Workgroup (2014), “2014 Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Programs in Statistical Science,” Alexandria, VA: American Statistical Asociation. Available at http://www.amstat.org/education/curriculumguidelines.cfm [Google Scholar], have noted the challenges facing statisticians when attacking large, complex, and unstructured problems, as opposed to well-defined textbook problems. Clearly, the standard paradigm of selecting the one “correct” statistical method for such problems is not sufficient; a new paradigm is needed. Statistical engineering has been proposed as a discipline that can provide a viable paradigm to attack such problems, used in conjunction with sound statistical science. Of course, to develop as a true discipline, statistical engineering must be clearly defined and articulated. Further, a well-developed underlying theory is needed, one that would prove helpful in addressing such large, complex, and unstructured problems. The purpose of this expository article is to more clearly articulate the current state of statistical engineering, and make a case for why it merits further study by the profession as a means of addressing such problems. We conclude with a “call to action.”     

NATION-STATES CONFRONT THE GLOBAL: Discourses of Indigenous Rights in Fiji and Tanzania

How do global issue constructions serve as resources for actors engaged in domestic political contention, and what does the appropriation of global ideas by domestic actors imply about the spread of global culture? To contribute to knowledge about conflict‐based diffusion of global ideas, we examine the histories of global constructions of indigenous rights and national debates about indigenous rights in Fiji and Tanzania. While global models of indigenous rights emphasize self‐determination for nondominant, culturally distinct groups at risk from the nation‐state, advocates for indigenization policies in Fiji and Tanzania have argued for state policies to entrench political and economic rights for majority or near‐majority groups that were well integrated into the nation‐state. Although transnationally connected indigenous rights organizations have a greater presence in Tanzania than in Fiji, actors in Fiji remain more engaged with changes in international indigenous rights discourse than their counterparts in Tanzania. This difference reflects variations in the leverage global culture offered in the two cases because of its externality to national political debates. In Fiji, actors appropriated global culture as a means to internationalize a domestic dispute, while in Tanzania the impetus for indigenization came from global economic pressures. Our findings imply that conflict‐based diffusion concentrates agency with respect to the use of global legal discourses in domestic actors rather than the globally connected actors and experts who carry global culture in consensus‐based diffusion.     

Donald R. Cressey: An Intellectual Portrait of a Criminologist

The late Donald R. Cressey (1919–1987) was a central figure in twentieth century American criminology. A distinctive feature of criminology since the 1930s has been the dominance of sociology among the various disciplines studying crime and criminal justice. Cressey's contributions to the sociology of crime and delinquency came from his teaching, scholarship, and involvement in criminal justice policy. He was best known for his carrying on the tradition of Edwin Sutherland in taking Sutherland's criminology textbook through many revised editions after Sutherland's passing and for his pioneering, innovative contributions to the study of organized crime, prisons, and criminological theory. He also made central and lasting contributions to the sociology of criminal law and white collar crime. His ideas in each of these areas are reviewed to produce a portrait or profile of what he added to criminology, to remind those who know it already and to introduce it to those who may not.     

Child survival,poverty, and labor in Africa

Children in Africa face harsh risks and are often subjected to hostile environments that severely limit their emotional, mental, physical, and social growth and development. That, in turn, significantly limits their prospects for childhood survival, increases their chances of having to enter into employment voluntarily or forcibly, and makes them susceptible to poverty. This paper examines and analyzes the plight of Africa's children in the context of the risks they face with respect to their mortality, their socio-economic security, and their engagement in economic activities. The trends and contributory factors are discussed and an analytical assessment is offered with policy implications for mitigating the consequences of child mortality, poverty, and labor on the African continent.     

Why are there so few women in information technology? Assessing the role of personality in career choices

Despite increases in female labor force participation, women remain substantially under represented in most scientific and technical fields. The small number of women in engineering, physics, chemistry, computer science and other similar fields has variously been attributed to discrimination, differences in ability or choice. This paper uses a unique data set containing information on vocational interests to examine the determinants of entry in to Information Technology occupations. We show that men and women differ systematically in their interests, and that these differences can account for an economically and statistically large fraction of the occupational gender gap.     

Children's sports injuries

With the public's awareness of the importance of exercise and physical fitness, more children than ever before are participating in a wide variety of sports. The ability to allow children to participate in sports in a safe and enjoyable fashion is a readily achievable goal if specific guidelines for such participation are employed. Overall precautions in avoiding athletic injuries in the child involve several factors. The most important is the early identification of the child who may be at risk for injury, with the appropriate care then being initiated. Of additional importance is the development of a sensible philosophy on the part of parents and coaches alike so that a child may participate in a safe and non-threatening atmosphere.     

“Do We Have A Customer?” — A Team Approach To Intake

This article examines some of the ambiguities surrounding requests for assistance in the voluntary sector. The authors have developed a team approach at the ‘intake’ stage for clients whose requests often demand a well-thought-out response in order, as Haley suggests we must, “to start well”. Some of the literature about ‘beginning with families’ is examined, and the complex issues of ‘engaging’ and ‘joining’ are discussed. It is suggested that not every ‘shopper’ is necessarily a ‘customer’ for our wares, but that they are almost certainly shopping for something. ‘Emergency’ and ‘crisis’ calls are distinguished, and different responses to each are indicated. Finally, the procedures used are described, within the context of this particular voluntary agency, so that readers may distinguish what could be applicable in different contexts.