Suchergebnisse

While there has been some anecdotal discussion that hints at what motivates people to engage with qualitative research, little research has systematically explored the role of research engagement for those who choose to participate: Why do people engage with qualitative research? Using interview data collected from experienced researchers ( n=13), this article seeks to systematically explore this issue by examining how researchers understand the mechanisms that motivate and facilitate research engagement. At an individual level, the supporting mechanisms identified include: subjective interest, enjoyment, curiosity, introspective interest, social comparison, therapeutic interest, material interest and economic interest. At a collective level, however, the mechanisms identified by researchers include: representation, political empowerment, and informing 'change'. It is argued that a greater appreciation of these supporting mechanisms is likely to be crucial in examining how the research process is shaped by the motivations of those who engage, as well as helping to maintain current levels of research engagement through the development of more positive research relationships.

Gatekeepers occupy increasingly important positions within qualitative social work research and their engagement with research is crucial to the ongoing development of a useable knowledge base. However, while some studies have hinted at the mechanisms that support and challenge the relationship between gatekeepers and researchers, there is a paucity of systematic research concerning how these relationships can be maintained more effectively for all concerned. This article aims to develop the literature in this respect by examining how researchers in the child and families research arena (n = 13) understand the mechanisms that support and challenge the engagement of gatekeepers. Several mechanisms that support engagement are identified. These are: political representation, civic and moral responsibility to engage, and the identification of good practice. Similarly, a number of mechanisms that can challenge engagement are also explored. These include: methodology, representation, intrusion, and, disruption. These results are discussed in relation to the current developments within the field of qualitative social work that have seen a rise in collectivized responses to research requests.

Despite a number of references to research fatigue and over-researching in the literature, the concepts have yet to be empirically investigated within qualitative contexts. This article, therefore, seeks to explore how researchers understand and account for research fatigue and over-researching. Using the results generated from a grounded analysis, a number of precursors are identified and discussed. These include lack of perceptible change attributable to engagement, increasing apathy and indifference toward engagement, and practical causes such as cost, time, and organization. It is suggested that marked levels of research fatigue are likely to occur where the mechanisms that challenge research engagement increase and the supporting mechanisms decrease. Furthermore, claims of over-researching are likely to be reported in contexts where repeated engagements do not lead to any experience of change or where the engagement comes into conflict with the primary aims and interests of the research group.

In 1974 Britain elected a Labour government pledged to expand public spending significantly. Labour followed its programme for two years, but after that began to cut both government spending and taxation, anticipating the post-1979 Conservative agenda. This paper examines the history of this government, using it as a test-case for various 'New Right' economic and political theories that suggest that government expansion eventually hits structural limits. Such theoretical accounts prove unsatisfactory. By contrast, several short-term factors seem to have played an important constraining role. But an examination of the political thinking within the 1970s Labour Party suggests that autonomous ideological changes were the most crucial determinant of the policy reversal.

The author draws on international treaties to argue that the provision of immigrant and refugee settlement services are human rights obligations. Therefore, services such as primary health care, food, education and housing are minimum core obligations that should be available to newcomers without discrimination. The implications of this position for advocacy initiatives are substantial. Instead of pleading for services from governments, activists, supported by international committees, would hold governments accountable for implementing international human rights treaties. ; L'auteur s'appuie sur les traités internationaux pour étayer l'argumentation selon laquelle la mise en place de services favorisant l'intégration des immigrant et des réfugiées sur un territoire est une obligation relevant des Droits de l'Homme. Conséquemment des services comme les soins élémentaires de santé, la distribution de nourriture, l'instruction et le logement sont des obligations minimales fondamentales dues à tout nouvel arrivant sans discrimination. Plutôt que de quémander des services aux gouvernements, les activistes, appuyés par les comité internationaux, se doivent de tenir les gouvernements légalement responsables de l'application concrète des traités internationaux sur les Droits de l'Homme.