Research initiation based on idea-circles: from research object to co-actor

This article details an evaluation of a research project based on participatory research methods organized by the Swedish Disability Federation from 2008 to 2011. In Sweden there has been a lack of productive dialogue with the traditional academic world and the question was raised whether proposals for future research would be different if disabled people formulated them. Nine idea-circles with disabled participants and invited researchers from fields of interest close to the participants produced ideas, developed out of the life experience of being a disabled person. These ideas were developed into 72 research drafts that often reflected key advocacy areas, rather than operationalized research issues. The adjustment from the familiar discourse of political struggle to discussion of research was a complicated process for many. When asked to prioritize among areas for research, the representatives from the disability movement chose areas that are not stressed in mainstream disability research in Sweden.     

The Politics of Women's Economic Independence

We identify the political conditions that shape the economicposition of married/cohabiting women and of the economicallymost vulnerable group of women—single mothers. Specifically,we examine the determinants of reductions in single mothers'poverty rate due to taxes and transfers, and women's wages relativeto spouses'/ partners' wages. The Luxembourg Income Study archiveyields an unbalanced panel with 71 observations on 15 countries.The principal determinants of poverty reduction due to taxesand transfers are left government, constitutional veto points,and welfare generosity. The relative wage of women in couplesis a function mainly of female labor force participation, parttime work among women, and women's mobilization. In explainingthe causal pathways to these outcomes, we highlight the interrelationshipsof welfare state, care, and labor market policies.     

The state and structural vulnerability: Policy egalitarianism and household income

The distribution of household income in the United States is remarkably unequal. Stratification researchers predict levels of income in terms of individual characteristics and structural features of the economy and society. These researchers, however, often neglect the role of the state. Political sociologists have begun to examine the impact of the state on aggregate levels of inequality across nations. I build on this literature to explain household income in the United States. Utilizing 2000 IPUMS data, I clarify how household income varies across the sub-national U.S. states according to policy configurations. I find that sub-national states with more egalitarian policies help to buttress the relative incomes of groups vulnerable to low incomes, particularly service workers and single mother families. These results suggest that studies of income and income inequality should consider the role of policies.     

Space-time Multi Type Log Gaussian Cox Processes with a View to Modelling Weeds

Log Gaussian Cox processes as introduced in Moller et al. (1998) are extended to space-time models called log Gaussian Cox birth processes. These processes allow modelling of spatial and temporal heterogeneity in time series of increasing point processes consisting of different types of points. The models are shown to be easy to analyse yet flexible enough for a detailed statistical analysis of a particular agricultural experiment concerning the development of two weed species on an organic barley field. Particularly, the aspects of estimation, model validation and intensity surface prediction are discussed.     

Meeting spiritual needs on an inpatient unit

Two focus groups were held with patients who had experienced inpatient hospitalization and their families, to discuss spiritual needs during psychosis. Spirituality was described in terms of relationship and religion in terms of rules. Four themes emerged to describe spiritual needs during an inpatient hospitalization: comfort, companionship, conversation, and consolation. Eleven succinct interventions were identified within these themes. The number one need expressed by consumers of all denominations and religions who belonged to a church/temple/spiritual group was for their pastor/rabbi/spiritual advisor to not abandon them. For those who did not belong to a religious/spiritual group their number one need was to at least be asked for some type of religious/spiritual preference and for the nurse to somehow contact the person mentioned.     

A Habit of Social Action: Understanding the Factors Associated with Adolescents Who Have Made a Habit of Helping Others

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - Youth social action—activities such as volunteering, campaigning, and fundraising—has gained traction in the...     

Suggestions for Training Students in Using the Internet for Career Counseling

The Internet is increasingly important for career counseling; however, there are few suggestions for training graduate counseling students how to use this technology. This project sought to address that lack by having graduate counseling students use a structured interview with undergraduate volunteer clients to assess which needs could be met using the Internet. Graduate students then identified relevant Web sites and explored these in a meeting with the volunteer clients. Results of class surveys indicated that participants encountered few obstacles using the Internet and perceived this intervention to be useful. Implications for training graduate students in using the Internet for career counseling are discussed.     

Pensions,poverty and wellbeing in later life: Comparative research from South Africa and Brazil

This paper draws on two linked studies of social policy and wellbeing in later life. The studies make comparisons between distinct groups of older people at the national and sub-national levels, as well as over time. The paper reflects on some of the main challenges for operationalising this complex design, as well as for interpreting findings and identifies lessons for other studies. The first study, conducted in 2002, included a questionnaire survey of around 2000 households containing at least one older person in South Africa and Brazil, supplemented by a set of in-depth qualitative interviews. Intriguingly, these countries had remarkably similar pension programmes, providing the majority of older people a reliable payment of roughly US$3 a day. This offered the prospect of exploring the effects of similar interventions in distinct developmental and cultural settings. In both countries, we found that these pensions had a substantial impact on the prevalence and depth of poverty in the study households, and were usually shared between older people and other family members. The second survey took place in 2008/9 and involved revisiting the households included in the 2002 survey, along with a separate set of in-depth interviews. This provided an opportunity for dynamic analysis of economic and wellbeing effects, against a backdrop of increased divergence in the wider national settings. Among other things, this revealed high and increasing levels of life satisfaction across all the study groups, although the extent to which this was directly related to generous pension provision cannot be ascertained.