Empiricism, Symbolic Realism, and the Mystique of the Extreme*

The empiricist/symbolic realist debate in the sociology of religion, as well as the broader objectivist/subjectivist controversy in social science, suffers from the mystique of the extreme. Emphasis has been placed on the two approaches as opposing alternatives, an either-or choice. This paper suggests that the mystique of the extreme prohibits perception of the necessary, dialectical complementarity of the two approaches. Neither alone can succeed in understanding religion scientifically. Research efforts must bring together the two perspectives by using what social anthropologists refer to as the emic and etic levels of analysis.     

Estimating the costs of preventive interventions

The goal of this article is to improve the practice and reporting of cost estimates of prevention programs. It reviews the steps in estimating the costs of an intervention and the principles that should guide estimation. The authors then review prior efforts to estimate intervention costs using a sample of well-known but diverse studies. Finally, the authors illustrate the principles with an example, the Family Bereavement Program. They conclude that example by discussing whether and how the costs of the intervention might differ when implemented in a real-world setting.     

Mixed-Mode Contacts In Web Surveys: Paper is Not Necessarily Better

This paper investigates the impact of paper and email contactson web survey response rates. We use six combinations of paperand email prenotifications and reminders to test the impactof mixed-mode contacts. In addition, we use two survey samplesthat differ in their relationship with the sponsoring institutionto test if the impact of contact mode is conditional on relationshipbetween respondents and the survey researchers. Contrary toprevious research, we find little differences in response ratesacross experimental groups.