Suchergebnisse

The defining characteristics of the case study method are specified, & it is distinguished from other methods available for research on social movements, emphasizing its particular empirical & theoretical utility. Some basic procedural guidelines for conducting case studies & for analyzing the data derived from them are outlined. The case study is deemed especially valuable for social movement research because it is a triangulated method with the ability to generate richer, more detailed, multivocal, & more holistic analyses than any other method. 63 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

Describes the Study of Adult Development, currently conducted by the Henry A. Murray Center at Harvard U (Boston, MA), which, since it started in 1938, has been expanded to include three cohorts: (1) 90 intellectually gifted women from CA born around 1910, originally participants in a life cycle study by Lewis Terman; (2) 268 socially advantaged men from Harvard, born around 1920, originally part of the university's Grant Study; & (3) 456 inner-city white men, born around 1930, from Boston, MA, who formed the control group for the juvenile delinquency study conducted by Sheldon & Eleanor Glueck at Harvard. Subsequent data obtained from these cohorts are drawn on to extend each study's earlier findings & to conduct additional investigations. The 2 male samples are analyzed in research on (A) familial influences on alcoholism, & (B) the influence of social support on physical health in old age; findings demonstrate the importance of biological factors (familial alcoholism or ill health) over sociological or psychological ones. On the other hand, findings from an investigation of the career trajectories of the female sample & their offspring reveal that social forces often outweigh the influence of biology (giftedness). The benefits of such long-term longitudinal studies for knowledge of adult development are summarized. 2 Figures, 15 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

Recalls the planning, development, implementation, & evaluation of the Baltimore (MD) Beginning School Study (BSS), initiated in 1982 with a sample of approximately 800 first-grade children entering the city's public schools. Focus was on exploring reasons for the gap in test scores between African American & white children found in previous research, hoping to identify differences in school quality that might be responsible. Student academic achievement (based on standardized test scores & grades), self-esteem, locus of control, expectations, & other noncognitive characteristics were measured, along with family, social, & neighborhood data; teachers & parents were also interviewed. The authors reflect on several methodological issues, particularly timing, as it affects both sampling & research findings; thoughts are also offered on ways that involvement in the BSS affected the researchers personally & professionally. BSS results reveal seasonal patterns of children's academic achievement that vary as a function of family socioeconomic status; several policy implications are considered. 1 Table, 59 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

Many of women's political contributions have been overlooked because they occurred outside the "traditional electoral-political arena." Women's involvement in social movements, demonstrations, & other forms of collective behavior have successfully challenged, & often changed, political & social institutions. To capture these contributions, the author argues that the study of women's political participation must be broadened. The "supposed" separation of the public & private sphere, the definition of the political, hidden activism, & the limits imposed by standards of appropriate femininity are all addressed as topics that should be explored to uncover women's true role in the political process. Questions & topics for further research are addressed at the end of the discussion. J. Harwell

Reports procedures used to draw a sample of & collect data on a national probability sample of work establishments for the 1991 National Organizations Study, which surveyed 1,427 US organizations. Probability proportionate size sampling was employed, asking respondents to the General Social Survey to name the establishments for which they & their spouses work; 927 establishments were selected, & data were collected on the individual organizations. The final sample of 727 represents a statistically valid sample of all types, ages, & sizes of work organizations. Moreover, this methodological design has the added advantage of being flexibly adaptable to many variations & extensions that may be appropriate for different research needs. 6 Tables, 2 Figures, 1 Appendix. D. M. Smith

Following an overview of currents in American political development (APD), specific lines of APD inquiry are detailed, exposing multiple orders, ingrained incompatibilities, & colliding principles of organization as emergent premises for investigation of US politics. Discussion begins with APD studies of American political culture goaded by the work of Louis Hartz (1955). Next, analyses building on V. O. Key's (1955) proposition of periodization, ie, that US politics is periodically punctuated by "sharp & durable changes," are addressed. Attention turns to institutions & their construction of politics, attending to three versions of the constructivist thesis, policy & polity, & intercurrence. Conclusions center on a sketch of two conceptions of history developing from these studies. J. Zendejas

The new Europe will bring together a plurality of religions, traditions and cultures. The process of European integration has not only political implications, but also economic, political, social and religious implications. In this context, the building of a New Europe requires a coherent interreligious dialogue. The perspectives of the world and European ecumenical movement concern the realization of the unity among churches. There is a visible tendency towards the realization of a unity in diversity, at the same time seeing the obstacles that exist in front of this vision. A big step forward in Europe was made by the cooperation between CEC and CCEE to organize the European Ecumenical Assemblies and to elaborate the document entitled Charta Oecumenica.
The ecumenical dialogue is practically based on the phenomenon of the concentric circles. What is important is in fact how much the parts have in common or how far a Christian denomination has gone from the doctrinal, administrative and juridical point of view. The dialogue is the ideal means in putting face to face the different points of view, in examining the divergences that separate Christians. In the ecumenical dialogue, the seriousness of the engagement and the depth of the problems that require a solution are obvious.

Describes a longitudinal study begun in 1962 in Detroit, MI, with a probability sample of 1,304 married white women who had borne a child the previous year. The study became intergenerational in 1980 as these children reached age 18 & were included in data collection. Interviews conducted with mothers & children through 1993 yielded a total of 8 waves of data, which are used to examine fertility preferences & patterns as a function of family characteristics, as well as to compare intergenerational patterns. Though results clearly documented the emergence of a "baby bust" in Detroit at the study's beginnings that replaced the postwar baby boom, in line with the fertility decline occurring in the rest of the US, they were less clear in identifying the determinants of this phenomenon. Changes in the study's goals & protocols over time to take account of larger social changes, eg, increases in the divorce rate & in women's labor force participation, are described, along with adjustments made when the research became intergenerational, eg, a shift in focus to the influence of maternal attitudes & behaviors on those of children. Special methodological issues inherent in the evolution of such long-term panel studies are considered. 56 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

"Über die Zukunft der Beziehungen zwischen der VR China und Taiwan herrscht Uneinigkeit und Ungewissheit. Mögliche Szenarien beinhalten sowohl Vereinigung als auch militärische Auseinandersetzungen." (Autorenreferat)