Rethinking sociology: Applied and basic research

In this article, Whyte makes eight criticisms of conventional sociology. He then suggests ways of improving sociology through an emphasis on applied research and active field work. He is the author or co-author of twenty books, including Street Corner Society.     

Planning for production in construction: controlling costs in major capital projects

There has been limited research that has examined how the public sector can guarantee their major capital projects are delivered within budget. A Strategic Asset Management Framework (SAMF) developed by the Western Australian State Government, was implemented that ensured their major capital projects were delivered within 5% of their budget. Interviews were conducted with stakeholders who had participated in the delivery of capital projects using the SAMF to understand how it had been used to successfully deliver projects. The interviews highlighted the importance of the SAMF in addressing optimism bias and strategic misrepresentation with the use of independent auditors. The research provides invaluable insights from practice that have been used to control and manage the capital expenditure of assets. Such knowledge is pivotal for ensuring strides are made forward to addressing the cost growth phenomenon that continues to plague major capital projects.     

Fake Passports and Appointed Communities: Nation and Transnationalism in the Danish Asylum System

Nationality underwrites a great deal of the Danish asylum process, and of the refugee regime as a whole. The housing and care of asylum seekers, handled by the Danish Red Cross, is based on classifications by nationality. Bending a phrase from Benedict Anderson, these might be called 'appointed communities'. While the Danish asylum system in principle performs individual determination procedures for asylum seekers, granting refugee status on a case-by-case basis, in practice those identified as Iraqi or Afghani have had a very high acceptance rate. However, it is clearly the case that not all asylum seekers have citizenship of the countries they claim to come from, or indeed feel they come from the countries of which they have citizenship. In this context, we must enquire about the mechanics of determining nationality and about how asylum seekers themselves relate to national identities. I argue that although the social networks that are significant to asylum seekers at times may be composed mainly of individuals from a single nation, they are also thoroughly transnational, and embody a sense of home not necessarily so tightly bound to place, as the asylum process presumes.     

RevisitingStreet Corner Society

Almost 50 years after its publication,Street Corner Society was the focus of new scholarly attention inReframing Organizational Culture and a special issue of the Journal of Contemporary Ethnology. Whyte comments on the issues raised regarding the intellectual background of the book and his relations with the community studied. He also discusses the new style of criticism embodied in critical epistemology in its relations with social science.     

Going beyond training: theory and practice in managing learning

The establishment of new bodies to replace the Central Council for Training and Education in Social Work (CCETSW) and to regulate the social work profession provides the opportunity to establish an improved progressive system of qualifications and continued professional development in the coming years. With the current pressure on social work agency budgets it is imperative that precious training resources—staff and money—are used to make the maximum impact on service delivery. Our involvement in the provision of a range of training programmes leads us to believe that much of the staff development and training effort invested by agencies in their staff often seem to have a limited impact on effectiveness. A change in approach is needed so that learning is placed at the heart of organisational processes to maximise the benefits of affirmation and growing professional confidence. This is essential if we are to continue to ‘nurture’ valuable professional staff and ensure that services remain flexible, creative and responsive in meeting ever‐rising public expectations.

This paper examines some of the challenges of evidence‐based practice and the demands for routine evaluation and objective‐setting. The advantages and disadvantages of a competence specification approach within the development of service and occupational standards as the basis for professional education are discussed. The paper argues that strategies for practice learning require the development of learning organisations and a better academic and agency partnership to support more effective professional education and continued professional development.