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The invasion of Iraq was premised upon accounts of the situation that have proved unsustainable, but that has not generated a change in the strategy of the coalition forces. Conventional contingency accounts of leadership suggest that accurate accounts of the context are a critical element of the decision-making apparatus but such accounts appear incapable of explaining the decisions of those engaged. An alternative model is developed that adapts the Tame and Wicked problem analysis of Rittell and Webber, in association with Etzioni's typology of compliance, to propose an alternative analysis that is rooted in social constructivist approaches. This is then applied to three asymmetric case studies which suggest that decision-makers are much more active in the constitution of the context than conventional contingency theories allow, and that a persuasive rendition of the context then legitimizes a particular form of action that often relates to the decision-maker's preferred mode of engagement, rather than what 'the situation' apparently demands. In effect, the context is reconstructed as a political arena not a scientific laboratory.

In dem Interview wird der Vorsitzende des litauischen Parlaments, Vytautas Landsbergis, zu wichtigen innen- und außenpolitischen Problemen des Landes befragt. Die Prioritäten Litauens in der Sicherheitspolitik und die Frage des Nato-Beitritts, das Verhältnis zu Polen und die eng damit verknüpfte Minderheitenfrage und die Beziehungen zu den Nachbarstaaten Lettland, Estland und Belarus sowie zum großen Nachbarn Rußland stehen dabei im Zentrum des Gesprächs. (BIOst-Mrk)

"An important alternative to traditional social problems textbooks, Best's Social Problems seeks to how and why particular conditions come to be constructed as social problems. Walking students through the stages of the social problems process, the best-selling author of Damned Lies and Statistics equips readers with the tools to better analyze what they read and hear about social problems in the media. The Fourth Edition has been updated with new examples and case studies on timely topics such as campus sexual assault, the opioid epidemic, and fake news, helping students connect theory to everyday life"--

Sociology's basic approach -- Sociology: studying social problems -- Problems of social inequality -- Economic inequality -- Racial and ethnic inequality -- Gender inequality -- Sexuality and inequality -- Problems of deviance, conformity, and well-being -- Aging and inequality -- Crime, violence, and criminal justice -- Alcohol and other drugs -- Problems of social inequality institutions -- Physical and mental health -- Social media -- Economy and politics -- Work and the workplace -- Family life -- Education -- Urban life -- Global problems -- Population and global inequality -- Technology and the environment -- War and terrorism -- Glossary -- References -- Credits -- Name and subject index.