Defining the Nonprofit Sector Cross-Nationally

Defining the Nonprofit Sector: A Cross-National Analysis, by Lester M. Salamon and Helmut K. Anheier. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1997. 526 pp., $29.95 paperback. The Nonprofit Sector in France, by Edith Archambault. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1997. 324 pp., $27.95 paperback. The Nonprofit Sector in Italy, edited by Gian Paolo Barbetta. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1997. 309 pp., $59.95. The Nonprofit Sector in Sweden, by Tommy Lundstrom and Filip Wijkstrom. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1997. 345 pp., $69.95.     

Social services,social work,and information management: Some european perspectives

Social services are entering the information society. Over the past decades, information technology applications have slowly permeated service agencies. Although originally the domain of administrative and management staff, now core operational staff are also confronted with making increased use of technology. The way information management in human services is shaped is not only dependent upon technology, but increasingly seems to result from an interaction between social policy developments and information technology opportunities. Similarly, social policy developments are shaped by the existing information management infrastructure. One of the purposes of this paper is to explore–taking social services and social work as the exemplar, and mainly drawing upon experiences from the UK and the Netherlands–the relationship between new technology and the policy environment. We also reflect on whether or not this relationship is more complex than indicated by globalization and related post-Fordist theories.     

On‐the‐job training in Europe: Determinants and wage returns

Using data from the European Community Household Panel on six countries over the period 1995–2001, this article investigates the determinants of workers’ participation in training activities and the effects of training on wages. Based on measures of four distinct training types, the authors find that while OLS estimates yield significant wage returns to training for nearly all of the countries, fixed‐effects estimations show returns to be not statistically different from zero. This suggests that wage returns to training might be overstated due to failure to take adequate account of the correlation of training with confounding factors that affect wages.     

Reflections on Donald J. Trump’s First 100 Days

The arrival of Donald J. Trump as President of the United States is frightening to U.S. intellectuals on many grounds, not the least of which is his narrow conception of who and what is an “American.” This essay explores this broad worry but also reflects more personally on those dangers. It contrasts visions of ‘America’ and argues that the U.S. is indeed a house divided unto itself, but not in terms of geography or citizenship. And, contrary to much wishful thinking over the years, that right-wing of the U.S. population is not a fringe element of U.S. society.     

Remembering Muriel

ABSTRACT

Muriel Dimen was singular—but also multiple. A brave risk taker, wearing her vulnerability. A mentor showing her uncertainty. She created a hybrid form of written address in which the formal and the colloquial, the public and the intimate, the erotic and the traumatic, the put-together and the broken-up shared the stage, speaking not as one but as multiples. The world without her feels like an endless absence.     

Core Indicators to Assess Quality of Life in Population with Brain Injury

Assessing quality of life of people with brain injury has a relevant role for developing strategies focused on personal outcomes that allow us to guide good practices and rehabilitation. So far, assessment of quality of life for this population has been restricted to an evaluation of personal outcomes from a health-related quality of life perspective. This approach it is mostly centered on physical health, however, quality of life needs to be addressed from a holistic and multidimensional perspective. The goal of this study is to identify core indicators of quality of life in brain injury based on a comprehensive theoretical model focused on the most relevant aspects of this population functioning. A Delphi study was carried out to obtain the specific core indicators of quality of life for this population. The methodology used to reach a consensus about the best indicators and items to measure quality of life involved four rounds and 14 experts on rehabilitation of people with brain injury. The Delphi study provided evidence of content validity for the field-test version of a new scale that will be applied to a wide sample in order to empirically check its suitability for this population.