Conceptualizing Simultaneity: A Transnational Social Field Perspective on Society1

This article explores the social theory and consequent methodology that underpins studies of transnational migration. First, we propose a social field approach to the study of migration and distinguish between ways of being and ways of belonging in that field. Second, we argue that assimilation and enduring transnational ties are neither incompatible nor binary opposites. Third, we highlight social processes and institutions that are routinely obscured by traditional migration scholarship but that become clear when we use a transnational lens. Finally, we locate our approach to migration research within a larger intellectual project, taken up by scholars of transnational processes in many fields, to rethink and reformulate the concept of society such that it is no longer automatically equated with the boundaries of a single nation‐state.     

The Political Economy of Social Science Funding

This article examines recent economic and political trends constraining the production of social science knowledge. Particular attention is given to the Reagan Administration's attempt to contract public sector programs and curtail financial support for social science research. Trends in the private economy, especially within the publishing industry, that affect the production of social science knowledge are also discussed. Over the past few years, the market for social science knowledge has seriously eroded. The erosion of this market is examined within the larger framework of a shift in public policy from legitimation to capital accumulation, a shift that has accompanied right-wing ascendancy in American politics. This shift has created political and economic incentives encouraging the social science community to align more closely with conservatives.     

Perspectives of college students and their primary health care providers on substance abuse screening and intervention

The authors conducted a needs assessment among students and health-care providers of a southwestern university health center with the goal of developing health-care-provider training addressing substance-abuse screening and intervention. They collected data from focus groups of undergraduate students and structured interviews and questionnaires with health-care providers. They identified gaps in provider and student perspectives on the extent of substance abuse on campus and the perceived roles of health-care providers and patients in screening and conducting interventions for substance abuse. These findings suggest that training for college health-care providers regarding substance-abuse brief screening and intervention should emphasize confidentiality of student medical records, the importance of nonjudgmental attitudes toward students, and the role of the provider as one who is competent and appropriate to address substance abuse. Such training should also educate providers about the types of substances students are using.     

Networks as Resources, Organizational Logic, and Change Mechanism: The Case of Private Business Schools in Post-Socialism

The paper differentiates between three conceptualizations of organizational networks: as resources, as organizational logic, and as a change mechanism. We integrate and apply these conceptualizations in one of the first comprehensive studies of private business schools in post-socialism. Using case studies, content analysis of websites, and an open-ended survey of administrators, we show how East-West networks helped in establishing a new type of organization at the end of socialism, how schools use networking as a core organizational principle to enhance efficacy and legitimacy, and how their activities help build capitalism from the bottom up by transmitting market-based knowledge to post-socialist economic actors.

Impact of an infusion model on social work students' aging knowledge, attitudes, and interests

This study sought to provide data regarding the use of infusion of gerontological materials throughout curriculums to enhance students' attitudes toward older adults, their knowledge of aging-related issues, and their perceptions of gerontological social work. A quasi-experimental design was used to compare outcomes for graduate social work students who were and those who were not exposed to gerontological infusion. Results indicated that exposed students experienced a greater improvement in their view of aging-related career opportunities and in their belief in the importance of gerontological social work. Treatment group students also showed greater gains in self-rated aging knowledge. Both treatment and control group students had significant gains in a test of aging-related knowledge. Pedagogical implications are discussed.     

Unmasking the Barriers to Financing Social Enterprises

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - The institutional complexity of social enterprises (SEs) often hinders their access to financing from conventional...