Was Cicourel’s critique in Methods and Measurement in Sociology too radical?

This article is a contribution to a mini symposium on the 50th anniversary of the publication of A V Cicourel’s Method and Measurement in Sociology (1964). The central theme of the book is reviewed – the problem of the relationship between everyday language and cultural meanings, and the language of measurement in social research – and the lack of an adequate ontology of social actors is identified as being the cause of the problem. The solution offered by Alfred Schütz – that social scientific language should be derived from everyday language – is discussed and it is argued that this was probably too radical at the time the book was published, and is still generally neglected in the social sciences.     

Using small data to interpret big data: 311 reports as individual contributions to informal social control in urban neighborhoods

Informal social control is considered a vital component of the well-being of urban communities. Though some argue that the actions that constitute this social process are often said to reflect territoriality, little else is known about how individuals contribute to it. The current study leverages a database of over 600,000 requests for government services received by the city of Boston, MA's 311 system as a way to answer such questions, focusing particularly on reports of issues in the public space arising from incivilities. In order to establish construct validity for the “big data” of the 311 system, they are combined with the “small data” of a survey of 311 users, permitting the simultaneous analysis of objective reporting behaviors with self-report attitudes. The analysis occurs in two parts. First, reporting of incivilities is distinguished behaviorally from reporting public issues arising from natural deterioration, and people are found to specialize in one or the other. Second, the survey is used to test whether the reports are a reflection of territoriality. Reports of incivilities were unique in their association with a desire to enforce local social norms. They were also associated with a second territorial motivation to benefit the community. Implications for future research are discussed.     

Task-based learning approaches for supporting the development of social science researchers’ critical data skills

Conducting social science research is a complex process, and social science students face a number of learning challenges in order to develop their skills. Moreover, new sources and types of data including so-called big data are providing new opportunities for research, but also pose methodological challenges. In this article, we explore a task-based learning approach for teaching social science research methods. We draw on evidence from two case study learning tasks: (i) the collection and analysis of Twitter data; and (ii) designing and conducting a face-to-face and online survey. The students were guided to co-lead the tasks, apply their knowledge and then to critically reflect. The pedagogical framework of task-based learning provides opportunities to embed learning in new ways by integrating knowledge, practice and critical reflection. Task-based learning can create a dynamic learning environment and can empower students to develop their identities as researchers.     

Health-care Work in Globalization: News Reports on Care Worker Migration to Japan

Health-care worker migration has emerged as a social issue in Japan, contrary to it has in Indonesia. This article shows how national contexts affected by globalization have shaped social understandings and policies towards health-care worker migration in the two societies over time. Analyses of news coverage in the Japanese and Indonesian national media reveal a gap of social responses toward this change. The Japanese are more likely to respond negatively to health-care worker migration; yet they intend to face cross-cultural challenges, although slowly, making revisions to related policies. In contrast, in Indonesia, from where health-care workers migrate to Japan and many other countries, this tends to be understood positively, overall, as providing economic benefits and permitting Indonesian professionals to contribute to the worker shortage in Japan. I interpret these results based on the literature on health-care worker migration, emerging global norms and local changes, and comparative research on employment and care work. This study contributes to the sociological understanding of worker migration and health-care issues.     

论分享价值原则的文化战略学意义--十八届三中全会《决定》的理论解读

在“五位一体”框架中，探讨支撑国家整体发展战略的基本价值原则，乃是当代中国化马克思主义文化战略学的重要课题之一。中共十八届三中全会《决定》强调“让一切劳动、知识、技术、管理、资本的活力竞相迸发”，要做到这一点，在市场之内的初次分配中，必须让“资本-劳动”分享利润，与此相对应的是一种与“平等”等密切相关的“分享”价值原则。《决定》有关“多渠道增加居民财产性收入”“保障农民公平分享土地增值收益”等重大举措，同样是在市场之内贯彻分享价值原则，而以民生为主的社会建设、以公共服务为主的文化事业则是在市场之外推行分享价值原则的主要方式。全面推行分享价值原则，既有利于坚定地推进新型市场化改革，同时也有利于保障平等、促进和谐、拓展自由，对内可以凝聚社会共识，激发国民创造力，对外则有助于在价值制高点上展现社会主义中国的文化魅力和感召力。     

开拓诗歌研究的新领域——读《魏晋南北朝乐府制度与歌诗研究》

长期以来歌诗被简单地当作诗歌,歌诗研究往往局限于纯文本研究,与之相关的配乐、配舞、表演者、观赏者、表演方式,以及受这些要素影响所形成的歌诗文本在语言艺术方面的诸多特点,被人为地忽略了。《魏晋南北朝乐府制度与歌诗研究》一书,从全新的视角出发,采用新的方法和思路,对这些相关问题进行了细致的探讨,不仅结论新颖稳妥,拓展了歌诗的研究领域,对于其它相关领域的研究工作,也有其独特的启发意义。     

论边疆自治州行政管理体制改革目标确立的思路——以文山壮族苗族自治州为个案

边疆自治州行政管理体制改革目标是确定改革内容、明确改革思路、完善行政管理体制的前提,是改革的出发点和归宿。改革目标的确立受多重因素制约,是一个综合考虑各方面因素的过程。以文山壮族苗族自治州为个案,认为边疆自治州行政管理体制改革目标,应该在准确分析改革目标确立存在问题的基础上,以科学的理论为指导,结合特殊的行政生态环境才能进行确立。     

General standby allocation in series and parallel systems

Stochastic orders are very useful tools to compare the lifetimes of two systems. Optimum lifetime of a series (resp. parallel) system with general standby component(s) depends on the allocation strategy of standby component(s) into the system. Here, we discuss three different models of one or more standby components. In each model, we compare different series (resp. parallel) systems (which are formed through different allocation strategies of standby component(s)) with respect to the usual stochastic order and the stochastic precedence order. The results related to the cold as well as the hot standby models are obtained as particular cases of the results discussed in this article because the model considered here is a general one.     

Family Background and the Process of Ability Formation*

This paper takes a sociometric approach to the process of skills formation in children as they mature into adults. Honda suggests that meaningful communication with family as a child is the determining factor that raises those abilities (ability β ¹ ) that fall outside of scholastic aptitude – motivation, personal relations skills, personality, and emotions. Along with considering the results of Honda's thesis, I have constructed an operating hypothetic model that includes two additional factors: the financial state of the family during childhood, and the transition of the communication target from within the family to a target outside the family. The data for this investigation were then verified. From the results, the direct effect of the observed family communication, when isolated from other influencing variables in the formation of abilities β, is not as decisive a factor as Honda emphasized. It was clear that the financial status of the family played a role, as did the indirect results of the intermediary shift from communication within the family to outside the family (the process of children becoming socially independent). The results of this analysis show that we should not necessarily be looking for the decisive factors of abilities β within the family; if anything, it reflects the existence of a formative route for abilities β that capitalizes on the resources outside the family. Based on the above, the results also show the potential for the introduction of social intervention to address the disparity and inequality in skills formation, and the possible anticipation of more rationality in the overblown discourse surrounding the role of the family in facilitating educational ability.     

解决信访问题的有效性对策——基于对H市信访问题特点的分析

信访问题能够反映不同时期、不同治理状态下的政府行为对相对人的影响，信访问题呈现的新特点能凸显公民的利益诉求方向，解决信访问题的有效性对策正是要解决根源性问题，加强源头治理，规范政府行为，强化各级政府社会管理的主体意识、担当意识和责任意识；健全信访制度体系，推进建立信访预警研判机制。