Benjamin Gidron, Stanley N. Katz, and Yeheskel Hasenfeld
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195125924
- eISBN:
- 9780199833894
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195125924.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This study investigated peace and conflict‐resolution organizations (P/CROs) in three protracted conflicts in South Africa, Northern Ireland, and Israel/Palestine. P/CROs are citizen‐initiated ...
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This study investigated peace and conflict‐resolution organizations (P/CROs) in three protracted conflicts in South Africa, Northern Ireland, and Israel/Palestine. P/CROs are citizen‐initiated voluntary organizations that promote peace, reconciliation, and coexistence between parties to their conflicts, and the mutual recognition of the rights of each side. Comparative research on P/CROs faces theoretical and methodological challenges. They can be analyzed as elements of civil society, as social movement organizations, and as organizations focused on the resolution of conflict. P/CROs activities include service delivery, advocacy, dialog promotion, and consciousness raising. The study examined P/CRO characteristics such as membership, ideology, structure, financial and human resources, relations with other organizations, risks encountered, and impact on the conflict. Study methodology was evolutionary and iterative, and involved a three‐phase selection procedure, research by local teams, and oversight by an international advisory board.Less
This study investigated peace and conflict‐resolution organizations (P/CROs) in three protracted conflicts in South Africa, Northern Ireland, and Israel/Palestine. P/CROs are citizen‐initiated voluntary organizations that promote peace, reconciliation, and coexistence between parties to their conflicts, and the mutual recognition of the rights of each side. Comparative research on P/CROs faces theoretical and methodological challenges. They can be analyzed as elements of civil society, as social movement organizations, and as organizations focused on the resolution of conflict. P/CROs activities include service delivery, advocacy, dialog promotion, and consciousness raising. The study examined P/CRO characteristics such as membership, ideology, structure, financial and human resources, relations with other organizations, risks encountered, and impact on the conflict. Study methodology was evolutionary and iterative, and involved a three‐phase selection procedure, research by local teams, and oversight by an international advisory board.
Jacques Thomassen
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199273218
- eISBN:
- 9780191602962
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199273219.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
The purpose of this book is to describe and explain the changes in electoral behaviour that occurred in six West-European countries in the second half of the twentieth century. Two alternative ...
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The purpose of this book is to describe and explain the changes in electoral behaviour that occurred in six West-European countries in the second half of the twentieth century. Two alternative theoretical approaches are systematically tested in an attempt to explain these changes. The first approach is deduced from modernisation theory. Modernisation theory implies that over time, the explanatory power for electoral behaviour of more or less stable structural variables such as social class and religion will yield to more short-term factors. The second and alternative theoretical approach predicts that changes and variations in patterns of voting behaviour are not due to secular processes in voting behaviour, but to variations in the political-institutional context, both between countries and within countries between different elections. In contrast to much of the authoritative literature, chapter after chapter of this book shows that there is little empirical evidence supporting modernization theory. Electoral behaviour is primarily political behaviour that is shaped by the political context of elections as much as by autonomous processes in society. In this respect, not much has changed during the period covered. The political context was never irrelevant for voting behaviour. No matter how divided a society is in terms of religion and/or social class, as long as these differences are not politicised, voters cannot be mobilised on this basis. Also, if voters do not see the policy differences between the political parties competing for their votes — as was increasingly the case in the second half of the 1980s and the 1990s in some of the countries in this study — one should not be surprised to find low correlations between voters’ policy preferences and their party choice.Less
The purpose of this book is to describe and explain the changes in electoral behaviour that occurred in six West-European countries in the second half of the twentieth century. Two alternative theoretical approaches are systematically tested in an attempt to explain these changes. The first approach is deduced from modernisation theory. Modernisation theory implies that over time, the explanatory power for electoral behaviour of more or less stable structural variables such as social class and religion will yield to more short-term factors. The second and alternative theoretical approach predicts that changes and variations in patterns of voting behaviour are not due to secular processes in voting behaviour, but to variations in the political-institutional context, both between countries and within countries between different elections. In contrast to much of the authoritative literature, chapter after chapter of this book shows that there is little empirical evidence supporting modernization theory. Electoral behaviour is primarily political behaviour that is shaped by the political context of elections as much as by autonomous processes in society. In this respect, not much has changed during the period covered. The political context was never irrelevant for voting behaviour. No matter how divided a society is in terms of religion and/or social class, as long as these differences are not politicised, voters cannot be mobilised on this basis. Also, if voters do not see the policy differences between the political parties competing for their votes — as was increasingly the case in the second half of the 1980s and the 1990s in some of the countries in this study — one should not be surprised to find low correlations between voters’ policy preferences and their party choice.
Bernard A. Knapp
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199237371
- eISBN:
- 9780191717208
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199237371.003.0008
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Archaeology: Classical
The final chapter reiterates in summary fashion several key issues related to islanders' insularity and identity on prehistoric and early historic Cyprus. Following a discussion of island identities, ...
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The final chapter reiterates in summary fashion several key issues related to islanders' insularity and identity on prehistoric and early historic Cyprus. Following a discussion of island identities, aspects of insularity and identity on Cyprus are summarized, and suggestions are made about how some of the findings from the Cypriot case might be applied to comparative research in the wider Mediterranean. After further consideration of how insularity and connectivity in the Mediterranean has long served to link diverse peoples and cultures, it is argued that the rich and robust Mediterranean archaeological record demands not only a focused, contextual approach but also broader, comparative treatments that engage deeper research issues, problems, and priorities. To develop such a perspective, certain themes and crucial issues that might be involved in further, long‐term, comparative work in Mediterranean island archaeology and history are indicated. The chapter ends with some final, more general thoughts on islands and identities.Less
The final chapter reiterates in summary fashion several key issues related to islanders' insularity and identity on prehistoric and early historic Cyprus. Following a discussion of island identities, aspects of insularity and identity on Cyprus are summarized, and suggestions are made about how some of the findings from the Cypriot case might be applied to comparative research in the wider Mediterranean. After further consideration of how insularity and connectivity in the Mediterranean has long served to link diverse peoples and cultures, it is argued that the rich and robust Mediterranean archaeological record demands not only a focused, contextual approach but also broader, comparative treatments that engage deeper research issues, problems, and priorities. To develop such a perspective, certain themes and crucial issues that might be involved in further, long‐term, comparative work in Mediterranean island archaeology and history are indicated. The chapter ends with some final, more general thoughts on islands and identities.
Hans Van Gossum, Tom N. Sherratt, and Adolfo Cordero-Rivera
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199230693
- eISBN:
- 9780191710889
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199230693.003.0017
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology, Animal Biology
Species that exhibit genetic colour polymorphism are ideal for studying the micro-evolutionary forces that maintain genetic variation in nature. One very intriguing polymorphism is the coexistence of ...
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Species that exhibit genetic colour polymorphism are ideal for studying the micro-evolutionary forces that maintain genetic variation in nature. One very intriguing polymorphism is the coexistence of several discrete morphs within only one sex, with one morph often resembling the opposite sex in colour and sometimes behaviour. In males, this resemblance often allows access to receptive females, while in females the polymorphism appears related to avoiding excessive male sexual harassment. One might wonder why natural selection does not simply give rise to a single best male and female type for each species. The phenomenon of sex-limited polymorphisms provides an important opportunity to test contemporary ideas relating to sexual selection and sexual conflict, and the diversity of polymorphisms that have arisen in odonates clearly offers one of the best natural systems for among species and population comparative research.Less
Species that exhibit genetic colour polymorphism are ideal for studying the micro-evolutionary forces that maintain genetic variation in nature. One very intriguing polymorphism is the coexistence of several discrete morphs within only one sex, with one morph often resembling the opposite sex in colour and sometimes behaviour. In males, this resemblance often allows access to receptive females, while in females the polymorphism appears related to avoiding excessive male sexual harassment. One might wonder why natural selection does not simply give rise to a single best male and female type for each species. The phenomenon of sex-limited polymorphisms provides an important opportunity to test contemporary ideas relating to sexual selection and sexual conflict, and the diversity of polymorphisms that have arisen in odonates clearly offers one of the best natural systems for among species and population comparative research.
Carol M. Ashton and Nelda P. Wray
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199968565
- eISBN:
- 9780199346080
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199968565.003.0009
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health
The Democrats gained control of Congress in 2007, and the debates about the CHAMP Act’s comparative effectiveness provisions had occurred against the party’s mobilization to win the White House. With ...
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The Democrats gained control of Congress in 2007, and the debates about the CHAMP Act’s comparative effectiveness provisions had occurred against the party’s mobilization to win the White House. With the prospect of a Democratic president came the chance of comprehensive health care reform. In late2007 and early 2008 the US economy began its slide into the Great Recession and was in free-fall when Barack Obama was elected president in November 2008. Within 3 weeks the new administration was presenting its plans for fiscal stimulus. Many pieces of ready-to-go legislation were amalgamated to form the February 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, among them $1.1 billion for comparative effectiveness research. A cliff-hanger battle for health reform culminated in the March 2010 Affordable Care Act, one provision of which was a federal mandate for comparative effectiveness research modelled on a proposal of Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Kent Conrad (D-ND).Less
The Democrats gained control of Congress in 2007, and the debates about the CHAMP Act’s comparative effectiveness provisions had occurred against the party’s mobilization to win the White House. With the prospect of a Democratic president came the chance of comprehensive health care reform. In late2007 and early 2008 the US economy began its slide into the Great Recession and was in free-fall when Barack Obama was elected president in November 2008. Within 3 weeks the new administration was presenting its plans for fiscal stimulus. Many pieces of ready-to-go legislation were amalgamated to form the February 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, among them $1.1 billion for comparative effectiveness research. A cliff-hanger battle for health reform culminated in the March 2010 Affordable Care Act, one provision of which was a federal mandate for comparative effectiveness research modelled on a proposal of Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Kent Conrad (D-ND).
Uwe Hasebrink, Kjartan Ólafsson, and Václav Štětka
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781847424396
- eISBN:
- 9781447302643
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781847424396.003.0004
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families
This chapter addresses some of the key theoretical and methodological questions related to cross-national comparative research, focusing on the research field of (new) media and communication ...
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This chapter addresses some of the key theoretical and methodological questions related to cross-national comparative research, focusing on the research field of (new) media and communication technologies. Following their presentation and some critical reflections in the first part of the chapter, these methodological considerations are applied to the topic of children's online behaviour and online risks and opportunities, taking the research conducted within the European Union (EU) Kids Online project as a concrete empirical example.Less
This chapter addresses some of the key theoretical and methodological questions related to cross-national comparative research, focusing on the research field of (new) media and communication technologies. Following their presentation and some critical reflections in the first part of the chapter, these methodological considerations are applied to the topic of children's online behaviour and online risks and opportunities, taking the research conducted within the European Union (EU) Kids Online project as a concrete empirical example.
Carol M. Ashton and Nelda P. Wray
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199968565
- eISBN:
- 9780199346080
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199968565.001.0001
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health
Americans like to believe that the medical care we get from our doctors is based on solid scientific evidence. We hear often that American medical care and medical research are the best in the world. ...
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Americans like to believe that the medical care we get from our doctors is based on solid scientific evidence. We hear often that American medical care and medical research are the best in the world. Yet between 2003 and 2010, three different laws were enacted, the most recent being the Affordable Care Act of 2010, that mandated new federal investments in a type of clinical research called comparative effectiveness research, research into what works best in medical care. In this book, we tell the story of how—and why—the federal government decided to make comparative effectiveness research an important feature of health reform. Despite significant legislative uptake of policy proposals on comparative effectiveness research, support for federal mandates took dramatic twists and turns as bipartisan alliances fell apart, special interests resisted, public opinion was mobilized, and compromises were reached. We examine where comparative effectiveness research fits in the production of scientific evidence about the benefits and harms of treatments for human diseases and conditions, and offer sobering confirmation that contemporary American medical care falls far short of the evidence-based ideal. While more research is needed, payment policy will be required in order to align medical practice with what the evidence shows works best in specific clinical scenarios, improving patients’ outcomes and enhancing the value of health care expenditures. Moreover, if we are to deal constructively with the vast uncertainties in medical care, policies are needed to make the generation of high-quality evidence an inseparable part of routine medical care.Less
Americans like to believe that the medical care we get from our doctors is based on solid scientific evidence. We hear often that American medical care and medical research are the best in the world. Yet between 2003 and 2010, three different laws were enacted, the most recent being the Affordable Care Act of 2010, that mandated new federal investments in a type of clinical research called comparative effectiveness research, research into what works best in medical care. In this book, we tell the story of how—and why—the federal government decided to make comparative effectiveness research an important feature of health reform. Despite significant legislative uptake of policy proposals on comparative effectiveness research, support for federal mandates took dramatic twists and turns as bipartisan alliances fell apart, special interests resisted, public opinion was mobilized, and compromises were reached. We examine where comparative effectiveness research fits in the production of scientific evidence about the benefits and harms of treatments for human diseases and conditions, and offer sobering confirmation that contemporary American medical care falls far short of the evidence-based ideal. While more research is needed, payment policy will be required in order to align medical practice with what the evidence shows works best in specific clinical scenarios, improving patients’ outcomes and enhancing the value of health care expenditures. Moreover, if we are to deal constructively with the vast uncertainties in medical care, policies are needed to make the generation of high-quality evidence an inseparable part of routine medical care.
Carol M. Ashton and Nelda P. Wray
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199968565
- eISBN:
- 9780199346080
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199968565.003.0006
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health
In the early 2000’s “comparative effectiveness research”—finding out what works best in medicine—took its place in the parade of legislative proposals aimed at controlling the nation’s unsustainable ...
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In the early 2000’s “comparative effectiveness research”—finding out what works best in medicine—took its place in the parade of legislative proposals aimed at controlling the nation’s unsustainable rise in health care costs. Though many policymakers believed that it was a new kind of research, all that was new was the label: comparative effectiveness research is simply a kind of clinical research. However, its intense appeal as a policy solution grew out of an idea that became a mantra during the 2000’s: that 30% of health care is wasted—wasted because it does not improve patients’ outcomes. If comparative effectiveness research could identify those ineffective or low-value health care items and services, the thinking went, then they could be eliminated without any harmful effects, objectionable alternatives like rationing could be avoided, and the value of the health care dollar would increase.Less
In the early 2000’s “comparative effectiveness research”—finding out what works best in medicine—took its place in the parade of legislative proposals aimed at controlling the nation’s unsustainable rise in health care costs. Though many policymakers believed that it was a new kind of research, all that was new was the label: comparative effectiveness research is simply a kind of clinical research. However, its intense appeal as a policy solution grew out of an idea that became a mantra during the 2000’s: that 30% of health care is wasted—wasted because it does not improve patients’ outcomes. If comparative effectiveness research could identify those ineffective or low-value health care items and services, the thinking went, then they could be eliminated without any harmful effects, objectionable alternatives like rationing could be avoided, and the value of the health care dollar would increase.
Shaun P. Vecera
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195334654
- eISBN:
- 9780199933167
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195334654.003.0028
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Cognitive Psychology
This chapter uses two examples—perceptual grouping and visual attention—to highlight the implications of comparative research for the vision sciences. In perceptual grouping, results from nonhuman ...
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This chapter uses two examples—perceptual grouping and visual attention—to highlight the implications of comparative research for the vision sciences. In perceptual grouping, results from nonhuman animals suggest that vision scientists look beyond the perceptual cues for grouping and consider an organism's goals, its typical behavior, and its environment. In attentional control, a consideration of how a nonverbal, nonhuman animal might control attention has led to a novel application of learning mechanisms to attentional control. The chapters in this book represent more than merely looking at the human vision sciences literature for a paradigm that can be applied to pigeons, rats, or monkeys. The pigeons, rats, and monkeys can provide fresh insights and important new directions for thinking about the origins of visual behavior.Less
This chapter uses two examples—perceptual grouping and visual attention—to highlight the implications of comparative research for the vision sciences. In perceptual grouping, results from nonhuman animals suggest that vision scientists look beyond the perceptual cues for grouping and consider an organism's goals, its typical behavior, and its environment. In attentional control, a consideration of how a nonverbal, nonhuman animal might control attention has led to a novel application of learning mechanisms to attentional control. The chapters in this book represent more than merely looking at the human vision sciences literature for a paradigm that can be applied to pigeons, rats, or monkeys. The pigeons, rats, and monkeys can provide fresh insights and important new directions for thinking about the origins of visual behavior.
Prudence L. Carter
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199899630
- eISBN:
- 9780199951147
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199899630.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Education, Race and Ethnicity
This book details a sociological, comparative analysis of the institutional and group dynamics in eight schools located within four cities in the United States and South Africa. This book details how ...
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This book details a sociological, comparative analysis of the institutional and group dynamics in eight schools located within four cities in the United States and South Africa. This book details how even as discussions and approaches to educational equality differ significantly in two nations rebounding from centuries of overt practices of racial and social inequality, many everyday school exchanges and practices parallel one another. Educators in the United States and South Africa are faced with the continual challenges of how to make schools work better for all students and of how to incorporate diverse groups of students better within these schools. This book argues chiefly that schools in these two societies, weakened historically by racial and ethnic discrimination, will greatly miss the benefits of a critical social policy for reducing inequality via education if they do not pay sufficient attention to the school's socio-cultural context. This book sheds insight into how to enable school-communities to better incorporate previously disadvantaged groups and to engender equity by promoting “cultural flexibility.” It also raises important and timely questions about the social, political, and philosophical purposes of schooling that have been greatly ignored by many and cautions against myopic approaches to education that merely focus on test-scores and attainment outcomes.Less
This book details a sociological, comparative analysis of the institutional and group dynamics in eight schools located within four cities in the United States and South Africa. This book details how even as discussions and approaches to educational equality differ significantly in two nations rebounding from centuries of overt practices of racial and social inequality, many everyday school exchanges and practices parallel one another. Educators in the United States and South Africa are faced with the continual challenges of how to make schools work better for all students and of how to incorporate diverse groups of students better within these schools. This book argues chiefly that schools in these two societies, weakened historically by racial and ethnic discrimination, will greatly miss the benefits of a critical social policy for reducing inequality via education if they do not pay sufficient attention to the school's socio-cultural context. This book sheds insight into how to enable school-communities to better incorporate previously disadvantaged groups and to engender equity by promoting “cultural flexibility.” It also raises important and timely questions about the social, political, and philosophical purposes of schooling that have been greatly ignored by many and cautions against myopic approaches to education that merely focus on test-scores and attainment outcomes.
Aniruddh D. Patel
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195123753
- eISBN:
- 9780199848034
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195123753.003.0003
- Subject:
- Neuroscience, Behavioral Neuroscience
Although there have already been several studies that investigated how rhythm is integrated with the domains of both music and speech, there have rarely been comparative studies regarding musical ...
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Although there have already been several studies that investigated how rhythm is integrated with the domains of both music and speech, there have rarely been comparative studies regarding musical rhythm and linguistic rhythm. The lack of such comparative research may be attributed to how researchers of one domain barely have time to look into the complexities of the other since each possesses its own large share of complexities, rather than lack of interest. As such research may enable us to gain a wider view on how rhythm plays a central part in human cognition, one of the goals of this chapter involves providing both empirical and conceptual tools for researchers to examine the links between musical and linguistic rhythm. This chapter clarifies the definition of “rhythm”, introduces the notion of rhythm in speech, and provides an account regarding cross-domain comparisons of rhythm.Less
Although there have already been several studies that investigated how rhythm is integrated with the domains of both music and speech, there have rarely been comparative studies regarding musical rhythm and linguistic rhythm. The lack of such comparative research may be attributed to how researchers of one domain barely have time to look into the complexities of the other since each possesses its own large share of complexities, rather than lack of interest. As such research may enable us to gain a wider view on how rhythm plays a central part in human cognition, one of the goals of this chapter involves providing both empirical and conceptual tools for researchers to examine the links between musical and linguistic rhythm. This chapter clarifies the definition of “rhythm”, introduces the notion of rhythm in speech, and provides an account regarding cross-domain comparisons of rhythm.
Timothy M. Smeeding
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199860586
- eISBN:
- 9780199932948
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199860586.003.0019
- Subject:
- Social Work, Social Policy, Children and Families
This chapter reviews the research contained in this book. The chapter points to the value of cross-national research efforts in providing the opportunity for those interested in social policy in an ...
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This chapter reviews the research contained in this book. The chapter points to the value of cross-national research efforts in providing the opportunity for those interested in social policy in an individual country to learn that indeed most countries face similar challenges. Although uniform policy responses across countries are unrealistic, the work contained in the volume demonstrates that it is possible to organize the different approaches into conceptual groups that have evolved for the most part independently of each other. Finally, the opportunity that comparative work on social policy now provides for all countries is noted. Whereas each country may have developed its own network of social programs largely on an independent basis, an innovative policy developed in an individual country may resonate with others, leading to more widespread adoption. This opportunity to learn from each other about approaches to common problems is the greatest benefit from comparative research on social policy.Less
This chapter reviews the research contained in this book. The chapter points to the value of cross-national research efforts in providing the opportunity for those interested in social policy in an individual country to learn that indeed most countries face similar challenges. Although uniform policy responses across countries are unrealistic, the work contained in the volume demonstrates that it is possible to organize the different approaches into conceptual groups that have evolved for the most part independently of each other. Finally, the opportunity that comparative work on social policy now provides for all countries is noted. Whereas each country may have developed its own network of social programs largely on an independent basis, an innovative policy developed in an individual country may resonate with others, leading to more widespread adoption. This opportunity to learn from each other about approaches to common problems is the greatest benefit from comparative research on social policy.
Daniel P. Ritter
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780198719571
- eISBN:
- 9780191788666
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198719571.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This chapter introduces the reader to comparative historical analysis (CHA), one of the oldest methods in the social science repertoire. CHA is characterized by its emphasis on historically ...
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This chapter introduces the reader to comparative historical analysis (CHA), one of the oldest methods in the social science repertoire. CHA is characterized by its emphasis on historically contextualized comparisons explicitly aimed at producing causal arguments about the macro-sociological phenomena. After a theoretical overview that discusses the method’s nature, logic, and central concepts, the chapter turns its attention to practical matters. Thus, rather than an extended scientific discussion of what CHA is, the chapter seeks to encourage interested students by providing them with a series of tools and techniques that can be used when doing comparative historical research on social movements and revolutions. More specifically, the chapter offers a five-step approach: research design and puzzle formulation; data identification; the use of data; data analysis; and the writing process. A discussion on the use of technology in the research process is present throughout the practical part of the chapter.Less
This chapter introduces the reader to comparative historical analysis (CHA), one of the oldest methods in the social science repertoire. CHA is characterized by its emphasis on historically contextualized comparisons explicitly aimed at producing causal arguments about the macro-sociological phenomena. After a theoretical overview that discusses the method’s nature, logic, and central concepts, the chapter turns its attention to practical matters. Thus, rather than an extended scientific discussion of what CHA is, the chapter seeks to encourage interested students by providing them with a series of tools and techniques that can be used when doing comparative historical research on social movements and revolutions. More specifically, the chapter offers a five-step approach: research design and puzzle formulation; data identification; the use of data; data analysis; and the writing process. A discussion on the use of technology in the research process is present throughout the practical part of the chapter.
Irena Kogan
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780197266373
- eISBN:
- 9780191879562
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197266373.003.0012
- Subject:
- Sociology, Migration Studies (including Refugee Studies)
This chapter explores how sexual liberalisation values differ between young people with an immigrant background and their majority peers in Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and England. It focuses in ...
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This chapter explores how sexual liberalisation values differ between young people with an immigrant background and their majority peers in Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and England. It focuses in particular on cultural aspects of immigrant integration, including acculturative change associated with immigrant generations, as well as youth’s varying ethno-cultural heritages and religious affiliations. Analyses document the tendency to more-conservative attitudes among minorities with a more traditional background, in terms of both religious affiliation and country of origin. That cultural imprints are resilient towards acculturative tendencies is also sustained by our findings of no significant differences between first- and second-generation immigrants. Consistently across all four CILS4EU countries, the more religious individuals displayed lower levels of sexual liberalism, other things being equal. Parents are proved to be influential in young people’s value formation, with the congruence of values between parents and children being significantly stronger in more-religious families. Finally, the study highlights the assimilative role of interethnic mixing in terms of either intermarriages or young people’s interethnic friendship ties.Less
This chapter explores how sexual liberalisation values differ between young people with an immigrant background and their majority peers in Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and England. It focuses in particular on cultural aspects of immigrant integration, including acculturative change associated with immigrant generations, as well as youth’s varying ethno-cultural heritages and religious affiliations. Analyses document the tendency to more-conservative attitudes among minorities with a more traditional background, in terms of both religious affiliation and country of origin. That cultural imprints are resilient towards acculturative tendencies is also sustained by our findings of no significant differences between first- and second-generation immigrants. Consistently across all four CILS4EU countries, the more religious individuals displayed lower levels of sexual liberalism, other things being equal. Parents are proved to be influential in young people’s value formation, with the congruence of values between parents and children being significantly stronger in more-religious families. Finally, the study highlights the assimilative role of interethnic mixing in terms of either intermarriages or young people’s interethnic friendship ties.
Kerry E. Jordan and Elizabeth M. Brannon
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199216895
- eISBN:
- 9780191696039
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199216895.003.0003
- Subject:
- Psychology, Developmental Psychology
Language does not necessarily support all human cognition. Comparative research continues to uncover the links between the cognitive abilities of humans and other animal species that lack language. ...
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Language does not necessarily support all human cognition. Comparative research continues to uncover the links between the cognitive abilities of humans and other animal species that lack language. Representing and manipulating numbers are important for most aspects of human life, and much of this involves abstract symbolic representations. Given this perspective, the authors illustrate how the comparative approach has been used in the domain of numbers to identify the origins of mathematical thinking. The authors in this chapter found out that a system for representing numbers nonverbally is shared by both humans and many nonhuman animal species. A host of behavioral parallels between human and animal numerical cognition such as ratio dependence, semantic congruity, cross-modal matching, and nonverbal arithmetic are revealed in this chapter. The homologous brain structures appear to support numerical representations in humans and macaque monkeys.Less
Language does not necessarily support all human cognition. Comparative research continues to uncover the links between the cognitive abilities of humans and other animal species that lack language. Representing and manipulating numbers are important for most aspects of human life, and much of this involves abstract symbolic representations. Given this perspective, the authors illustrate how the comparative approach has been used in the domain of numbers to identify the origins of mathematical thinking. The authors in this chapter found out that a system for representing numbers nonverbally is shared by both humans and many nonhuman animal species. A host of behavioral parallels between human and animal numerical cognition such as ratio dependence, semantic congruity, cross-modal matching, and nonverbal arithmetic are revealed in this chapter. The homologous brain structures appear to support numerical representations in humans and macaque monkeys.
Peter Hupe, Michael Hill, and Aurélien Buffat
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781447313267
- eISBN:
- 9781447313298
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447313267.003.0018
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
What has been put on the table and how to go on from here? With this question leading, this chapter has two main sections. The first of the two concerns the specification of issues, questions and ...
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What has been put on the table and how to go on from here? With this question leading, this chapter has two main sections. The first of the two concerns the specification of issues, questions and findings arising out of the chapters in this book, against the background of the street-level bureaucracy literature in general. It proposes a transversal view on the variety arising from the chapters, addressing convergent and divergent trends in terms of findings. The section will conclude by identifying substantive issues to be researched in a future research agenda. Then, building on the latter, section Three develops a more prospective view aiming at drafting how the study of street-level bureaucracy should look like in the future. Three issues will be explored. How can future studies deal with the issue of generalization? Then we suggest that this implies both better specification of the dimensions of variety and contextualized comparison. Finally we explore how the future study of street-level bureaucracy can be made properly comparative.Less
What has been put on the table and how to go on from here? With this question leading, this chapter has two main sections. The first of the two concerns the specification of issues, questions and findings arising out of the chapters in this book, against the background of the street-level bureaucracy literature in general. It proposes a transversal view on the variety arising from the chapters, addressing convergent and divergent trends in terms of findings. The section will conclude by identifying substantive issues to be researched in a future research agenda. Then, building on the latter, section Three develops a more prospective view aiming at drafting how the study of street-level bureaucracy should look like in the future. Three issues will be explored. How can future studies deal with the issue of generalization? Then we suggest that this implies both better specification of the dimensions of variety and contextualized comparison. Finally we explore how the future study of street-level bureaucracy can be made properly comparative.
Laurie R. Santos and Bruce M. Hood
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199216895
- eISBN:
- 9780191696039
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199216895.003.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Developmental Psychology
In this chapter, the authors discuss some of the most relevant historical works on object representation to have emerged from developmental and comparative research. The authors focus on: the ...
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In this chapter, the authors discuss some of the most relevant historical works on object representation to have emerged from developmental and comparative research. The authors focus on: the question of objects as permanent entities; the question of objects as entities with properties; and the question of objects as entities to be manipulated. The authors cite the constructivist Jean Piaget's approach to the problem of investigating infant knowledge. Piaget theorized that infants gain more adult-like knowledge of the physical world by constructing it themselves through their actions on the world. The authors also mention the core knowledge (CK) hypothesis by Elizabeth Spelke and her colleagues. Nativist CK argues that our adult human knowledge of the physical world stems from experience-independent, innate principles for reasoning about entities within the domain of inanimate physical objects.Less
In this chapter, the authors discuss some of the most relevant historical works on object representation to have emerged from developmental and comparative research. The authors focus on: the question of objects as permanent entities; the question of objects as entities with properties; and the question of objects as entities to be manipulated. The authors cite the constructivist Jean Piaget's approach to the problem of investigating infant knowledge. Piaget theorized that infants gain more adult-like knowledge of the physical world by constructing it themselves through their actions on the world. The authors also mention the core knowledge (CK) hypothesis by Elizabeth Spelke and her colleagues. Nativist CK argues that our adult human knowledge of the physical world stems from experience-independent, innate principles for reasoning about entities within the domain of inanimate physical objects.
Jan Carle and Torild Hammer
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781861343680
- eISBN:
- 9781447304388
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781861343680.003.0002
- Subject:
- Social Work, Social Policy
This chapter discusses the method and research design, and some of the methodological problems, in the project. The research investigates the outcome of long-term unemployment among youth. There are ...
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This chapter discusses the method and research design, and some of the methodological problems, in the project. The research investigates the outcome of long-term unemployment among youth. There are various methodological problems in comparative research. However, the attrition analyses conducted for the countries involved showed that, all in all, the material is well balanced and that there is no need to correct skewness. However, the Scottish and Italian cluster samples are difficult to assess because they are not representative samples.Less
This chapter discusses the method and research design, and some of the methodological problems, in the project. The research investigates the outcome of long-term unemployment among youth. There are various methodological problems in comparative research. However, the attrition analyses conducted for the countries involved showed that, all in all, the material is well balanced and that there is no need to correct skewness. However, the Scottish and Italian cluster samples are difficult to assess because they are not representative samples.
Rauna Kuokkanen
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- March 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190913281
- eISBN:
- 9780190913311
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190913281.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, Political Theory
The introduction outlines the main themes and explains the theoretical and methodological framework of the book. The author introduces the Indigenous communities in which the fieldwork was conducted, ...
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The introduction outlines the main themes and explains the theoretical and methodological framework of the book. The author introduces the Indigenous communities in which the fieldwork was conducted, explains the methodology and case selection and discusses the rationale for the comparative approach. It considers the complexity of the concept of gender from an Indigenous perspective. Secondary literature on Indigenous feminist analyses of self-determination is also discussed, especially that produced in the United States. The original research is also framed and contextualized in the broader, ongoing conversation on Indigenous self-determination and Indigenous feminist analyses in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.Less
The introduction outlines the main themes and explains the theoretical and methodological framework of the book. The author introduces the Indigenous communities in which the fieldwork was conducted, explains the methodology and case selection and discusses the rationale for the comparative approach. It considers the complexity of the concept of gender from an Indigenous perspective. Secondary literature on Indigenous feminist analyses of self-determination is also discussed, especially that produced in the United States. The original research is also framed and contextualized in the broader, ongoing conversation on Indigenous self-determination and Indigenous feminist analyses in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.
Dennis C. Spies
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198812906
- eISBN:
- 9780191850691
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198812906.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
The chapter summarizes the New Progressive Dilemma (NPD) debate, identifying three arguments from comparative welfare state and party research likely to be relevant to the relationship between ...
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The chapter summarizes the New Progressive Dilemma (NPD) debate, identifying three arguments from comparative welfare state and party research likely to be relevant to the relationship between immigration and welfare state retrenchment: public opinion, welfare institutions, and political parties. Alignment of anti-immigrant sentiments and welfare support varies considerably between countries, especially between the US and Europe, leading to different party incentives vis-à-vis welfare state retrenchment. The chapter introduces insights from comparative welfare state and party research to the debate, discussing inter alia, political parties in terms of welfare retrenchment, immigrants as a voter group, and cross-national variation of existing welfare institutions. It addresses the complex debates around attitudinal change caused by immigration, levels of welfare support, voting behavior, and social expenditures. Combining these strands of literature, a common theoretical framework is developed that is subsequently applied to both the US and Western European context.Less
The chapter summarizes the New Progressive Dilemma (NPD) debate, identifying three arguments from comparative welfare state and party research likely to be relevant to the relationship between immigration and welfare state retrenchment: public opinion, welfare institutions, and political parties. Alignment of anti-immigrant sentiments and welfare support varies considerably between countries, especially between the US and Europe, leading to different party incentives vis-à-vis welfare state retrenchment. The chapter introduces insights from comparative welfare state and party research to the debate, discussing inter alia, political parties in terms of welfare retrenchment, immigrants as a voter group, and cross-national variation of existing welfare institutions. It addresses the complex debates around attitudinal change caused by immigration, levels of welfare support, voting behavior, and social expenditures. Combining these strands of literature, a common theoretical framework is developed that is subsequently applied to both the US and Western European context.
