Research Programming: Description of a Dutch Experience

In this article we discuss research programming as one of the means to bridge the gap between research and policy. Over the last decade research programming has come to be an integral part of science policy in The Netherlands. As an example of research programming put into practice we describe and evaluate the activities of the Programming Board for Research into the Social Services. We indicate the assets and liabilities of research programming.     

Managing international manufacturing at plant and plant network levels – insights from five case studies

Abstract

In this study, we develop understanding of management of international manufacturing by a combined analysis of manufacturing firms’ plant networks and roles of individual plants within them. We elaborate the framework of Ferdows (1989 Ferdows, K. 1989. “Mapping International Factory Networks.” In Managing international manufacturing, edited by K. Ferdows, 3–21. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier Publishers. [Google Scholar]) at plant and network levels by analyzing data collected from five plant networks of global manufacturing companies and propose an enhanced framework consisting of four main role types with eleven plant roles, which have implications on the network level. The findings give interesting and novel insights into management of international manufacturing; we conclude that plant roles are more complex than conventionally considered and understanding of international manufacturing requires elaborated analysis at both plant and network levels.     

Intergenerational negotiations on (hetero)sexuality and romantic relationships – views of young people and parents in multi-ethnic contexts

This article focuses on intergenerational negotiations on young people’s (13–19 years) sexuality and romantic relationships in families where one or both of the parents have migrated to Finland. By utilising the theoretical framework of intersectionality and negotiability of family relationships, we seek to diversify the often problem-oriented and culture-related examinations of ethnic minority families and young people’s position in them. Methodologically, we draw on interview data relating to both young people and parents. In addition to the vast heterogeneity in practices and ideals, the analysis shows that while conflicts and miscommunication between generations do occur, the intergenerational negotiations for the most part are described as consensual and based on trust. Young people are allotted considerable agency by their parents, and also demonstrate a high degree of agency, whether they are complying with their parents’ views or questioning them. Their negotiations also reflect and are conditioned by their position in the hierarchies of Finnish society.     

The division of domestic work among dual-career and other dual-earner couples in Finland

This study compares the division of domestic work among dual-career and other dual-earner couples. We examine whether gender attitudes, relative resources and working time explain the differences between dual-career and other dual-earner couples. We define dual-career couples as those in which both spouses are professionals and/or managers. The division of housework is important for these couples because of the intense pressures of work. We hypothesise that domestic work is more equally shared among dual-career couples than among other dual-earner couples. The quantitative analyses are based on the Finnish data from the 2010 European Social Survey (N?=?493). The qualitative data consist of 20 Finnish career spouses interviewed in 2005. The quantitative analysis indicates that domestic work is shared the most equally among couples where the woman or both spouses have a career status. Attitudes, resources or working time do not explain this difference entirely. The results support the class culture hypothesis: The division of housework is most equal in homogeneous dual-career couples and least equal in homogeneous no-career couples.     

Searching for the Self: Adult International Adoptees’ Narratives of Their Search for and Reunion With Their Birth Families

In this case study, five international adoptees from Finland were interviewed about their search and reunion experiences to find out what meanings they ascribed to their identities and family relations. The thematic analysis yielded three themes: search and reunion in significant periods of life, meaning of reunion for identity, and belonging and relatedness within family. The first theme was characterized by the changing interest in birth family from the inability in childhood to fully understand the meaning of adoption and the growing interest in adolescence to adulthood where participants’ own parenthood intensified their interest. The second theme was characterized by the sense of coherence and sense of continuity that the adoptees, despite the conflicting emotions of reunion, felt they had achieved through reunion. In the third theme, reunion with their birth family appeared significant, even though belonging to a family was interpreted more as an outcome of attachment and nurture than biology. Particular for all themes was the meaning of communicating about adoption-related issues for the adoptee–adoptive parent relationship. Future research is needed to concentrate in more detail on the broad themes and to investigate how the meanings of the birth family for adoptive identity change over life courses.     

The effects of physical therapists' guidance on improvement in a strength-training program for the frail elderly

Elderly participants experiencing difficulty in chair rising and with a maximum knee-extensor torque below 87.5 N . m were randomized to different versions of a strength-training program for the knee-extensors: to a high-guidance group (HG; two group sessions supervised by a physical therapist and one unsupervised home session per week, n = 17), a medium-guidance group (MG; one supervised group session and two unsupervised home sessions per week, n = 16), or a control group (C; no exercise, n = 16). Maximal isometric knee strength increased more in HG than in C (p = .03) and with increasing guidance (p = .03). The effect was mainly the result of participants with low initial strength. Walking speed increased more for HG than for C (p = .02) and than for MG (p = .06). No statistically significant improvements were seen on other functional tests. In summary, the study shows a trend toward better results with more supervision, but more and larger studies are needed to confirm this.     

Public‐Service Provision in Clientelist Political Settlements: Lessons from Ghana's Urban Water Sector

The politics of public‐service delivery continues to be neglected under the supposedly more context‐sensitive post‐Washington Consensus. Using interviews and documentary evidence from Ghana, this article provides an account of the networks of political interference and informal practices in Ghana's public water utility. It argues that, in order to understand why private‐sector participation succeeds or fails and why similar arrangements have different outcomes across developing countries, we need to examine the effects of the informal institutional context, particularly the country‐specific political settlement in which public‐service provision operates.