When practices, promises, profits, and policies outpace hard evidence: the post-menopausal hormone debate

Currently, there is widespread controversy regarding the risks and benefits of hormone therapy for women over 50. The history of hormone therapy provides an excellent example of how different constituencies with competing objectives can produce health practices and policies of questionable benefit. We examine this history from the perspectives of women who now live longer, expecting higher quality of life throughout their later years, healthcare providers who are influenced by the real and perceived needs of their patients as well as information provided by drug manufacturers, the pharmaceutical industry which seeks to identify and promote drugs that offer the most promise for both patients and shareholders, and medical researchers —including the National Institutes of Health and the Federal Drug Administration .     

An interactive contextual model of migration in Ilocos Norte,the Philippines

This paper develops and estimates an interactive contextual model of migration in Ilocos Norte, the Philippines. It focuses on how contextual features alter the effects of family class status and community development level on the family's migration decisions. The model estimates show a curvilinear relation between class status and migration, but the pattern differs in accordance with the prevalence of migration from the community in the past. In addition, the effects of socioeconomic development and agricultural commercialization patterns vary with context. These results demonstrate the importance of using interactive models for analyzing the contextual influences on migration.     

Issues for a Neo-Polanyian Research Agenda in Economic Sociology

Kari Polanyi Levitt has commented that her father's writing was met with a 'deafening silence' in England, a silence which she suggests is 'yet to be explained'. Given The Great Transformation was purpose fully , situated in England Polanyi Levitt's point is an interesting one, and one which still deserves attention. But the last two decades have witnessed an intensification of interest in Karl Polanyi's methodological approach and theoretical insights, from England as well as elsewhere, and representing a range of disciplines. This raises a string of associated questions: interest from who? Why now? And how? Further we could ask: Does this new interest have the potential to redress the Polanyi Levitt charge without falling prey to an opposite one of misusing or abusing the Polanyi legacy? This paper contributes to the much larger agenda of examining in a serious way the usefulness and applicability of Polanyi's key ideas and methods, particularly as they apply to the burgeoning interest in markets and exchange within New Economic Sociology (NES) . A sub-set of this agenda is to explore whether Polanyian insights provide a more nuanced and critical understanding of competitive processes and innovation than is currently available within Economics, Sociology or indeed Economic Sociology.     

Choice,interests, and black political actors: The dilemmas of inclusion

This is an analysis of qualitative data collected from formal and informal black political actors in Richmond, Virginia. It will outline the elements of tactical and strategic political styles that have developed during the process of racial inclusion and from the emergence of diverse political interests in the African-American community. These political styles have implications for the biases inherent in American political systems and for the advance of specific and collective political interests. Their differences are displayed in the choices political actors make about structuring their political power, the identity of their constituency, and structuring their demands for political resources. This case illustrates the dilemmas faced by all minority political actors, across the country and around the world, who are involved in the transition from racial political exclusion to racial political participation. Their dilemmas are brought to light in the choices that they must make in the face of both fading and persistent racial inequality. An earlier draft of this article was prepared while I was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research, Northwestern University.     

The Family Life Cycle and Clinical Intervention*

With an aim toward encouraging more precise identification and treatment of familial dysfunction, the authors suggest combining the principles of first and second order change (Watzlawick, Weakland, and Fisch, 1974) with the concept of the family life cycle (Duvall, 1971). A theoretical discussion is followed by clinical case examples.     

Social background,emotionality, and belief as predictors of punitiveness toward deviants

This research addresses the general question of which factors other than evidence determine the outcomes of criminal justice processing. Specifically, it investigates the relationships between social background factors, beliefs and emotions, and punitiveness toward deviants. The results offer support for the proposition that differing backgrounds are systematically linked with different views about human nature and society. The results also support the proposition that these variations in belief are linked to punitiveness toward deviants.     

Effectiveness of the Brief Alcohol and Screening Intervention for College Students (BASICS) Program With a Mandated Population

Abstract

Objective: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a large-scale intervention designed to reduce alcohol abuse among adjudicated college students. Participants: Participants were college students mandated to attend a Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) program and a randomly selected comparison group of high-risk drinkers. Methods: Data were collected from January 2006 through December 2008. A total of 1,390 (67%) students in the intervention group and 508 (61%) students in the comparison group completed baseline and 6-month follow-up surveys. Results: Male students in the intervention group significantly decreased their drinking at follow-up, whereas those in the comparison group increased their drinking. Women in both the intervention and comparison groups decreased their drinking at 6 months. Conclusions: When implemented with fidelity, BASICS is a generally effective intervention, especially for male adjudicated college students. The intervention was most effective for moderate- and high-risk drinkers.     

Furloughs and Faculty Management of Time: Maintaining Quality in an Economic Crisis

An anonymous Web-based survey was used to gather the perceptions and experiences from 114 faculty members teaching in 16 social work programs in the California State University system about the effect of severe budget cuts on their educational activities. Most respondents reported they worked on their furlough days and maintained the same or larger workload that they had before the furlough. Larger workloads, diminished feelings of personal accomplishment, and stressful interactions with students were associated with higher levels of emotional exhaustion. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

“No Matter What I Do They Still Want Their Family”: Stressors for African American Grandparents and Other Relatives

Grandparents and other relatives increasingly assume the role of primary caregiver to minor children. This study interviewed family members caring for children whose parents were not available due to parental incarceration, other involvement in the criminal justice system, and substance abuse-related issues. Interviews with 25 African American women examined the impact of caregiving including stress and depression. Stress included caregiver issues related to finances, time allocation, care responsibilities, and concerns about the absent parent, as well as issues specific to the children related to school concerns, child behavior, and emotional problems. These stresses were examined along with caregiver depression scores using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, which indicated more depression related to caregiver illnesses, older caregivers, and care for older and a larger number of children. This study suggests that caring for these children is both challenging and stressful, and caregivers are at risk for depression and other mental health concerns. Health and service providers should carefully assess the needs of caregivers when determining the needs of families where children are under care of nonparental relatives. Family-based services are needed that include caregiver supports as well as support for children.