Evaluating a management and organization development effort in mental health agencies.

Although the use of management and organization development techniques in health and human service settings is increasing, there are few systematic studies of their effects. Those which do exist are problematic in many respects. An 18-month program incorporating both management and organization development is described along with the results of its evaluation, which were positive and well-utilized. A discussion of the methods employed, the problems encountered, and the outcomes obtained illustrates that these evaluation efforts are needed and can be useful to program evaluators involved in planned-change efforts.     

Leverage and evaluation effectiveness

Weaknesses in evaluations often can be traced to structural limitations in the positions of evaluation researchers. Conventional human relations techniques often are an insufficient basis for securing strong support for evaluation research. Strategies for increasing evaluation research leverage are reviewed. Alignment of evaluation research with regulatory bodies with authority to suspend public program expenditures is advocated. Several likely obstacles in the development of the regulatory evaluation model are anticipated and addressed.     

Quality of life indicators and program evaluation

Social indicators and program evaluation research have much in common. Quality of life work specifically raises the question of objective versus subjective variables, aggregate data versus distributional and individual issues, and the reference standards used in judgment and evaluation decisions. This article presents perspectives on these issues from the orientation of quality of life research and proposes that these approaches have relevance for program evaluation work.     

Child maltreatment in the family: a European perspective

Child maltreatment is generally referred to under the global categories of physical, sexual, emotional/psychological abuse and neglect. The Concerted Action on the Prevention of Child Abuse in Europe (CAPCAE) reports on the specific forms of harm and injury, actions and persons believed responsible in eight European countries. The most common actions across all participating countries responsible for harm were those of violent parenting or absent parenting. A review of prevention strategies found that few programmes focused on specific behaviours or included measures to indicate whether their actions were successful in preventing further harm to children. It is recommended that fathers need to be targeted in prevention as well as mothers and that specific data collection of actual harms, actions, persons responsible and outcomes needs to be implemented as a priority in all European countries. Such specificity avoids a focus on risk which is unacceptable in some countries, over inclusive of parents and resource intensive.     

城市文学的"上海怀旧"之旅

20世纪90年代以来,城市文学界出现了一股“上海怀旧”风潮。承载着世界对于中国现代化想象的上海,在文学创作中并没有形成一种现实关切和未来展望的潮流,强势蔓延的却是一种怀旧主题。而且,这种“上海怀旧”也选择了一种非常狭窄的走向———追忆“旧上海的城市文明”,而缺乏强健有力的精神与信念,流于中庸、琐碎也因此成为“上海怀旧”的一种标签。     

世界城市研究历程与分类体系综述

世界城市研究的兴起主要建立在西方发达国家城市发展的基础上,对世界城市的相关概念,研究历程,分类指标及等级体系进行国外文献研究分析,对于我国的世界城市建设及学术研究意义重大。通过世界城市的研究历程可以发现,不同的研究视角往往会产生不同的分类指标体系,而当今世界城市的分类标准正日趋呈现综合化。     

返璞归真：从研究方法到研究问题的本位回归

研究方法是科学研究的重要组成部分,也是科学研究发展的动力之一.我国传统的建立在主体体验基础上的知识生产方式忽视对研究方法进行系统的整理与反思,以逻辑自洽为主的知识检验标准强化了对研究方法的忽视.建立在西方话语体系下的现代社会科学研究缺乏对西方研究方法的审视和批判,对研究方法过于推崇,在方法移植时缺乏细致深入的考察.鉴于此,研究方法的创新必须建立在以问题为本位的研究取向之上,从实践出发、理论联系实践以推动和检验研究方法的创新.     

国外研究中国少数民族习惯法综述

中国少数民族习惯法的学术吸引力不仅限于国内学界,国外的一些学者对其也颇感兴趣。文章对国外研究我国少数民族习惯法的概况进行了简要的梳理,并评析了这类研究存在的独特意义。