From local to global: Making social policy more effective for rural community capacity building

Abstract

In the context of a discussion of globalisation this paper examines developments in social policy aimed at building civil society and enhancing social capital. It notes that policy driven by a desire for minimal government intervention and market dominance has resulted in a clear disadvantage in rural Australia and growing inequities between urban and rural communities. Clearly poverty has a postcode and overwhelmingly the postcodes are rural. At the same time the demography of ‘rural’ Australia is changing as the inland empties and the coastal regions experience population overload with its accompanying environmental problems. This paper discusses the need for more effective targeted involvement of the state in rural policy development if we are to preserve quality of life, address inequities and overcome the divide between city and country. There is a strong role for social work in forging rural community development. However, the profession has to be much more politically astute in its dealings with governments and community groups if it is to carve out a central role. Strategies are discussed to develop such a role.

Margaret Alston is an Associate Professor in social work and is Director of the Centre for Rural Social Research at Charles Sturt University, New South Wales. She is a Director for the Foundation for Australian Agricultural Women, a member of the Advisory Board for the Social Sciences Unit, Bureau of Rural Sciences, a member of the Board of General Practice Education Australia and on the Editorial Committee for Australian Social Work     

Exploring the Hidden Nature of Gambling Problems among People Who Are Homeless

Abstract

Although people with gambling problems are now recognised to be among those groups of people at increased risk of homelessness, little research has explored their experiences. This qualitative interpretive study explored the experiences of people who were homeless and had gambling problems, and the housing and gambling service providers assisting them. In-depth interviews were conducted with 17 service users and 18 service providers. A key finding was that gambling problems among those experiencing homelessness are often hidden; few people presented to housing services admitting to gambling problems. Shame, stigma, and identity issues were described as the main reasons service users did not disclose their gambling activities. The research highlighted that the relationship between service providers and service users was infused with power imbalances and shaped by social discourses and policies that demand self-responsibility and hinder information sharing between service providers and service users.     

Modelling a disease-relevant contact network of people who inject drugs

This study uses social network analysis to model a contact network of people who inject drugs (PWID) relevant for investigating the spread of an infectious disease (hepatitis C). Using snowball sample data, parameters for an exponential random graph model (ERGM) including social circuit dependence and four attributes (location, age, injecting frequency, gender) are estimated using a conditional estimation approach that respects the structure of snowball sample designs. Those network parameter estimates are then used to create a novel, model-dependent estimate of network size. Simulated PWID contact networks are created and compared with Bernoulli graphs. Location, age and injecting frequency are shown to be statistically significant attribute parameters in the ERGM. Simulated ERGM networks are shown to fit the collected data very well across a number of metrics. In comparison with Bernoulli graphs, simulated networks are shown to have longer paths and more clustering. Results from this study make possible simulation of realistic networks for investigating treatment and intervention strategies for reducing hepatitis C prevalence.     

Health Education as a Component of Campus Bulimia Treatment Programs

Abstract

College students experience stressful life events and little research exists on the role the Internet may play in students’ coping. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine associations among perceived stress, time spent on the Internet, underlying motives for utilizing the Internet, problematic Internet use, and traditional approaches to coping. Participants: Data were collected from 267 college seniors during March of 2011. Methods: Participants completed an online survey containing measures of coping, motives for utilizing the Internet, problematic online behavior, perceived stress, and background information. Results: Being female, avoidant-emotional coping, and online motive to cope were positively associated with perceived stress and months since most stressful life event and online motive to enhance were negatively associated with stress. Conclusions: Professionals working with college students will benefit from using a nuanced approach to assessing students’ online behavior, including an assessment of underlying motives for use.     

Bsw Programs in Black Colleges: Building on the Strengths of Tradition

This article discusses the importance of undergraduate social work programs in historically black colleges and universities. These programs are explored for their value in preparing students for culturally competent practice and in developing more effective professional responses to the problems plaguing black Americans today. Suggestions are offered for advancing the profession's efforts in these areas by building on the contributions of BSW programs in black colleges and universities.     

Institutional Expectations,Opportunities, and Interest in the Professoriate: A Mixed-Methods Examination of Satisfaction Among Doctoral Students in Social Work

ABSTRACT

This article explores doctoral student satisfaction as related to interest in the professoriate and as influenced by issues of social justice, according to a national student survey. Results indicate that 85% of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with their doctoral education. Most satisfying aspects were individualization or independence, collegiality or collaboration, praxis or translation, and reaching or achieving milestones. Least satisfying aspects were educational environments or climates, course quality, mentorship quality, and finances. Eighty percent reported that satisfaction was “explained by social justice training opportunities and a sense of a socially just institution.” At research-intensive universities, satisfaction predicted interest in the professoriate. Understanding student satisfaction may improve doctoral education and the faculty pipeline.     

Leading the Way in New Product Introductions: Publicity's Message Sequencing Success With Corporate Credibility and Image as Moderators

This investigation further nuanced previous designs in comparing the effectiveness of 4 IMC message sequencing strategies (publicity–publicity, publicity–advertising, advertising–publicity, and advertising–advertising) by introducing them into a new context—new product introductions. In addition, this investigation introduced corporate image and credibility as moderators of the effectiveness of sequence strategies. A 2-phase experiment was conducted involving 423 participants. The results revealed the publicity–publicity sequence strategy is most effective in generating positive product attitude and purchase intent, followed by either sequence of publicity and advertising, with the advertising–advertising strategy being least effective. Positive corporate image and high credibility attenuated the effectiveness of the publicity strategy.     

THIS PROTEST WILL BE TWEETED

This article examines the use of Twitter at protests surrounding the G20 meetings held in Pittsburgh, PA in September 2009. Based on work on information communication technologies and protest, and on more recent work on Twitter usage at protests, we develop several hypotheses about the content of tweets during protests. Most significantly, we argue that Twitter is a widely available mobile social networking tool that can be used to reduce information asymmetries between protesters and police. Examining the content of 30,296 tweets over a nine-day period, we find that protesters frequently used Twitter to share information, including information about protest locations, as well as the location and actions of police, which is information that was formerly monopolized by the police. Twitter use may be creating a new dynamic in protester and police interaction toward information symmetries. We conclude by identifying implications for policing practices and for protesters.     

In Memoriam E. K. M. Masinambow

Wolfe's book proposes affinities between transformations in anthropological knowledge and the changing strategic imperatives of Australian settler colonialism. He sees settler colonialism not as an event but a structure determined by a logic of elimination directed at Indigenous Australians. This article considers the persuasiveness of his claims in relation to the core concepts of settler colonialism and race relations and his approach to gender relations. It situates the book under review in wider debates about the history and anthropology of Indigenous Australians, and in the context of an earlier controversy generated by Wolfe's analysis of the concept of the Dreamtime.