Suchergebnisse

The charts & tables contained in chapter 11 of Social Indicators, 1976 are examined. The wide range of social behavior that they cover includes topics such as: educational & occupational mobility, voting in national elections, volunteer work, charitable giving, participation in community organizations, views on religion, & feelings of anomie. All of these have bearing on the well-being of citizens. But the significance of most of the indicators for public policy is debatable. The factual conclusions that can be drawn from the tables & charts are discussed & additional information from recent research on some of the topics is presented, particularly on educational & occupational mobility, voting & political behavior, & participation in community organizations. 3 Tables, 3 Charts. Modified HA.

Doubts about the easy equation of economic growth & social progress in the 1960s led to renewed interest in social measurement & to the birth of the 'social indicators movement.' Social Indicators, 1976, (US Office of Management & Budget), a product of that interest, can be read as both a report on social conditions & trends in the US & as a progress report on social indicators research. The volume is best understood against the background of the social indicators movement & of the research it has stimulated. Several research traditions are joined together in the social indicators movement, but they share a concern for measurement, analysis, & the reporting to a general audience of aspects of social conditions. The tradition best reflected in Social Indicators, 1976 stresses monitoring, & reporting social change. Research in this tradition emphasizes conceptual & methodological development of measures, improvements in available data bases, development of social indicator models, & social reporting. In its data selection, treatment of data, organization, & commentary, Social Indicators, 1976, is an improvement over Social Indicators, 1973, though its analysis is notably insufficient. Most of the improvements which should be found in future editions depend upon continued progress in the development of social indicators. 3 Tables, 3 Charts. Modified HA.

Social measurements are differentiated from social indicators by their ultimate objectives, even though both are interdependent in social evaluation & explanation. While social measurement tries to obtain reliable quantitative data on social phenomena for a variety of interests & purposes, social indicators present evidence more closely related to problems of human well-being. Three problem areas in developing social indicators are identified: (1) technical problems related to social measurement; (2) sociopolitical problems, eg, ideological biases in problem definition, data presentation, & interpretation; & (3) communication problems that impede the effective presentation of information to policymakers & the general public. Modified HA.

Chapter 1: The sociological study of conflict, social movements, and collective behavior -- Chapter 2: Sources of social conflict -- Chapter 3: Crises of national unity in new states: origins of the Nigerian Civil War -- Chapter 4: Mobilization: the formation of conflict groups -- Chapter 5: Mobilization: participation in opposition movements, leaders and activists, opposition ideas -- Chapter 6: Mobilization, leaders, and followers in the Civil Rights movement in the United States, 1950 to 1970 -- Chapter 7: Social control and conflict regulation -- Chapter 8: Confrontation -- Chapter 9: Group violence

J. Wright's & R. Hamilton's contention that college educated blue-collar workers are as satisfied with their jobs as those without college training is disputed (see SA 28:5/80L0704). The authors: (1) ignored related research that contradicts their findings, (2) neglected consideration of relevant social & political realities, & (3) misinterpreted their own data. In Reply, Richard Hamilton (McGill University, Montreal, Quebec) & James Wright refute each of these claims: Blumberg has distorted the claims of the original study & ignored references to related research in the field, & his presentation of other research findings is selective & misleading. 1 Table. P. Montgomery.