Thinking About Social Problems: An Introduction to Constructionist Perspectives (Social Problems and Social Issues)

Book Description

While many scholars in sociology, communication, media studies, public policy, psychotherapy, and criminology use social construction perspectives in their own research, these perspectives tend not to be adequately covered in popular college-level texts. This book can bring constructionist perspectives into college classrooms because it offers an accessible overview of these perspectives that is interdisciplinary in scope and historically current in examples. The topics cover a broad range of issues including how successful images of social problem conditions, victims, and villains are constructed; how these images shape public policy and social services; and how these images can change the ways we make sense of ourselves and others. In focusing on what constructionist examination tells readers about their own lives, this book encourages critical reasoning skills; it encourages readers to become thoughtful and knowledgeable consumers of all talk about social problems and to think about the individual, social, and political consequences of the process of constructing public worry.

Customer Reviews:

Clear but Dry.......2006-04-27

While this text does provide a reasonably clear and accessible introduction to the constructionist perspective, it is very dry. Loseke also tends to get repetitive. I never would have finished this book if it hadn't been required for a class. It could have been a lot shorter and needed something more to make it interesting and engaging.

General Equilibrium and Welfare Economics: An Introduction

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General Equilibrium and Welfare Economics: An Introduction
James C. Moore
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Incentives: Motivation and the Economics of Information
Real Analysis with Economic Applications
Contract Theory

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Aggregation, Efficiency, and Measurement (Studies in Productivity and Efficiency)
Infinite Dimensional Analysis: A Hitchhiker's Guide
Dynamic General Equilibrium Modelling: Computational Methods and Applications

ASIN: 3540314075

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Who would've thought the book was so enjoyable?

Welfare Theory: An Introduction
Tony Fitzpatrick
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 033377843X

Book Description

Social policy debates often get lost in highly technical discussions and in day-to-day politics. This introduction to welfare theory offers an alternative approach to understanding social policy. It reviews the concepts of welfare, equality, liberty and citizenship, key political and sociological themes, old and new welfare ideologies, as well as recent theoretical developments including globalization, postmodernism and risk society.

Customer Reviews:

Who would've thought the book was so enjoyable?.......2007-01-04

The writing style is so nice, very conversational, and the book itself is philosophically grounded (conceptually). I never imagined I'd like it so much. The title sounds so dry... Its not just about welfare- as in public assistance benefits- but about social welfare policy in general.

I enjoyed this book more than any other policy book I was required to read. In fact, if I were teaching, I'd use this book as the primary text, because I'd be sure that the students would read it! Any person interested in social welfare policy would benefit from reading this book.

Social Problems: An Introduction to Critical Constructionism

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Excellent Book

Social Problems: An Introduction to Critical Constructionism
Robert Heiner
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Race, Class, and Gender: An Anthology
Shifts in the Social Contract: Understanding Change in American Society
Solutions to Social Problems: Lessons from Other Societies (4th Edition) (Solutions to Social Problems Series)
There is No Such Thing as a Natural Disaster: Race, Class, and Hurricane Katrina
A City Transformed: Redevelopment, Race, and Suburbanization in Lancaster, Pennsylvania 1940-1980

ASIN: 019512992X

Book Description

Social Problems: An Introduction to Critical Constructionism synthesizes conflict theory and social constructionism to help students think critically about social problem construction. A concise alternative to the all-encompassing standard textbooks currently available, this book examines a single theoretical paradigm in depth and demonstrates how theory can be used to understand a breadth of real world phenomena. In six succinct chapters, it focuses on the four problems most often found in social problems courses-inequality, family problems, crime/deviance, and population/environment-analyzing each from a critical constructionist perspective. This approach, popular among many sociologists, helps students conceive of social problems not as objective situations that are "out there," but as socially constructed phenomena whose importance varies according to media attention and the needs of particular interest groups. The author makes the important connection between the power of certain interest groups and their ability to draw the public's attention toward certain problems and away from others. He recognizes the critical role that the media plays in problem construction and provides a systematic critique of media interests. A much-needed cross-cultural emphasis illustrates the range of possibilities in which social problems and their solutions can be conceived; alternative problem construction commonly used outside the United States is examined as well. Special attention is given to the effects of globalization and to the role of corporate interests in problem construction. Offering students a solid theoretical background, Social Problems: An Introduction to Critical Constructionism is intended primarily for social problems courses. Given its readability and consistent application of theory, this book can also be used in introductory sociology courses and social theory courses.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Book.......2003-02-23

I will always be grateful to Oxford University Press for publishing Heiner's book. Since I already use an anthology, Race, Class, and Gender (Margaret L. Anderson and Patricia Hill Collins), as the primary text for the Social Problems course I teach, I was looking for a short book (no more than around 200 pages) to serve as an introduction to the field.

Heiner's text, which combines an approach to social constructionism with critical theory, is precisely what I needed. There is, to the best of my knowledge, nothing else like it, and I have questioned just about every publisher's representative who has come by to visit my office!

Book Description

One of the most difficult issues that confronts veterinarians and staff today concerns the professionrsquo;s obligation to the animal and the sometimes conflicting demands from clients, peers and society. The veterinarianrsquo;s role has become more complex with new ethical challenges posed by issues such as growing public awareness regarding animal welfare, increasing economic value of companion animals, growth of veterinary specialization, experimentation with alternative and complementary medicine, and concern for pain management and mental well-being of animals. Written by an acknowledged pioneer in veterinary ethics, An Introduction to Veterinary Medical Ethics addresses the ethical challenges that veterinarians face daily as they seek to balance obligations to animal, client, peers, society and self. The book offers a highly readable and approachable introduction to the nature of ethical theory, reasoning and decision-making, and its practical application to veterinary medicine. Now with over 100 real-life veterinary case histories and analysis, this edition also includes new discussions of animal pain, distress and happiness, ethics of critical care, alternative medicine, legal status and value of animals, and Aesculapian authority. An Introduction to Veterinary Medical Ethics: Theory and Cases, Second Edition is recommended as essential reading for all veterinary students and practitioners, as well as those interested in general animal welfare. bull; bull;New edition from an acknowledged pioneer in veterinary ethics bull;Addresses ethical challenges that veterinarians face daily bull;Case-based approach to ethics in veterinary medicine, with over 100 real-life cases bull;Includes new discussion of legal status and value of animals, alternative medicine, Aesculapian authority, ethics of critical care, and animal pain, distress and happiness bull;Ideal for veterinary students and practitioners

Customer Reviews:

Practitioners and college-level students will find an enlightening set of considerations, here........2007-04-11

College-level courses in veterinary medicine will find AN INTRODUCTION TO VETERINARY MEDICAL ETHICS: THEORY AND CASES, 2ND EDITION an excellent point of discussion for surveying the vet's ethical and medical issues in animal welfare issues. The author has pioneered veterinary ethics and surveys ethical theory, decision-making practices, and real-life situations, pairing some 100 veterinary case histories with solutions that lend to debate and discussion in the veterinary community. Practitioners and college-level students will find an enlightening set of considerations, here.

Veterinary Ethics.......2000-09-04

The field of veterinary medicine is expanding rapidly to include medical treatments that would have been considered impossible 20 years ago. Today, animals suffering from such things as cancer, joint diseases and severe trauma have a good chance of not only survival but of living a healthy life due to the advancements in veterinary medicine. The many changes in veterinary medicine, coupled with the evolution of new views on animal rights in our society over the last two decades, have created many ethical veterinary dilemmas and questions that have never been explored in a written context. Dr. Rollin has devoted his life to studying these issues and has been intimately involved in various laws and legislation involving animal rights and the ethics involved. This book examines a topic that has been largely debated but, for the most part, not covered in a text format. Dr. Rollin is well respected and speaks to many forums about these topics year round. He does a great job of presenting the cases in this book in an unibiased manner and encourages you to think about each of the important issues brought up by these cases. Each of these cases, by the way, are based on true cases and is beneficial to the understanding of what today's veterinarian faces. The book is not set up in a manner for leisure reading but is still very interesting and easy to follow. This is an excellent book on a fairly new topic of study and I would recommend it to any reader with any link to the veterinary profession or with any interest in animals.

An Introduction to Modern Welfare Economics

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An Introduction to Modern Welfare Economics
Per-Olov Johansson
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Economic History | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Applied Welfare Economics
Readings in Social Welfare: Theory and Policy (Blackwell Readings for Contemporary Economics)
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Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance (Political Economy of Institutions and Decisions)

ASIN: 0521356954

Book Description

This is the first book on welfare economics to be primarily intended for undergraduates. It explores such concepts as Pareto optimality in a market economy, the compensation criterion, and the social welfare function, and analyzes market failures using different ways of measuring welfare changes. The book covers public choice, and the issues of efficient provision of public goods, government failures, and efficient and optimal taxation, concluding with an examination of applied welfare economics, methods for revealing people's preferences, cost-benefit analysis, and project evaluation in a risky world.

Bayesian Statistics for Evaluation Research: An Introduction (Contemporary Evaluation Research)

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Bayesian Statistics for Evaluation Research: An Introduction (Contemporary Evaluation Research)
William E. Pollard
Manufacturer: Sage Publications, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Methodology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0803925093

Book Description

Pollard's introduction to the logic and techniques of Bayesian analysis is aimed at evaluation researchers. Although there is increasing interest in the approach among evaluators, most are unaware of what it has to offer. He addresses basic questions such as: What is it? How can it be applied? How is it different from other approaches? What advantages does it offer? Readers are assumed to have familiarity with programme evaluation and a sound knowledge of statistics.

Division of Labor and Welfare: An Introduction to Economic Systems (Library of Political Economy)

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Division of Labor and Welfare: An Introduction to Economic Systems (Library of Political Economy)
Louis Putterman
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 019877298X

Book Description

Intended as a main or supplementary text for students, this book provides an excellent starting point for the study of comparative economic systems. Putterman selects three types of economic systems--capitalism, centralized socialism, and decentralized workers' management--and systematically
assesses their ability to achieve certain objectives. He begins by defining economy and economic system, explains what is meant by division of labor, and suggests criteria for evaluating the success of each system in solving problems raised by that division, both under ideal conditions and under
increasingly realistic and adverse conditions. Throughout, Putterman illustrates the ways in which economic arrangements matter not only to society's economic performance, but to virtually all aspects of people's lives. He considers the question of whether economic systems should be viewed as
objects of choice by societies and collectives and whether it is possible to understand them in a manner free of ideological bias.

Freedom and Security: An Introduction to the Basic Income Debate

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Freedom and Security: An Introduction to the Basic Income Debate
Tony Fitzpatrick
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

This book offers a refreshing alternative to most texts on the welfare state. The author provides an introduction to the Basic Income debate, while examining a range of arguments. A Basic Income would be an income paid periodically and unconditionally to every man, woman and child as a fundamental right of citizenship and without reference to employment, marital and household status. The author's position is that the principles of collective and universal welfare can be defended but that the system should be reformed by introducing the radical yet disarmingly simple device of Basic Income.

A Strategic Profile of Mayotte, 2000 edition (Strategic Planning Series)
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A Strategic Profile of Mayotte, 2000 edition (Strategic Planning Series)
The Mayotte Research Group , and The Mayotte Research Group
Manufacturer: Icon Group International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Ring-bound

Strategy & Competition | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0741823098

Book Description

Mayotte has recently come to the attention to global strategic planners. This report puts these executives on the fast track. Ten chapters provide: an overview of how to strategically access this important market, a discussion on economic fundamentals, marketing & distribution options, export and direct investment options, and full risk assessments (political, cultural, legal, human resources). Ample statistical benchmarks and comparative graphs are given.

Book Description

Investigating the financial fraud and misguided power plays that brought down the telecom industry

Once the foundation of the Dow and NASDAQ, the telecom industry has eaten up more capital than any other industry in recent history and has nothing to show for it. Today, it is by far the worst culprit in the spate of financial dirty dealings that have been splashed across the business pages, and yet the rewards reaped by top executives at many of these failed or failing companies have been inversely proportionate to their decline. Broadbandits takes readers behind the scenes to get the story they won't get in the media. Investigative reporter Om Malik follows the money trail and deciphers the actions and motivations of a generation of new economy "barbarians" that brought down this once lucrative industry. This intriguing book offers an inside look into the telecom bubble, with tales and anecdotes about mavericks who turned simple light and glass fibers into veins of gold, financiers who got greedy and fleeced unsuspecting millions, clueless venture capitalists who thought they'd tapped into the mother lode, hapless entrepreneurs who believed that they were changing the world, and self-proclaimed pundits who were cheering it all on from the sidelines. Broadbandits is a compelling account of the downfall of telecom giants such as WorldCom and Global Crossing, and will show readers how many telecom upstarts and veterans alike became victims of what one chief executive aptly described as "high-yield heroin."

Om Malik (New York, NY) is a Senior Writer for Red Herring who focuses on the telecommunications sector. Prior to joining Red Herring in July 2000, he was senior editor at Forbes.com. His work has also been published in newspapers and magazines such as The Wall Street Journal, Business 2.0, Brandweek, and Crain's New York Business. For a very brief while, he was a venture capitalist.

Customer Reviews:

Highly Recommended!.......2004-05-06

If you've even glanced at your retirement account balance or brokerage statement in the past few years, you no doubt have felt the effects of the broadband bubble. Less publicized than the tech wreck of 2000, the broadband meltdown was every bit as costly. Journalist Om Malik gathers the varied tales of telecom shenanigans anddf then adds up the stock sales so you can see just how much the broadbandits took. Malik's engaging and vitriolic writing style is fun to read, and he makes the intriguing assertion that the telecoms outdid the dot-coms in terms of sheer greed and gall. We suggest this book to any investor who hopes not to get burned, and to any executive responsible for safeguarding shareholder value.

How the great telecom bubble grew and finally burst.......2003-09-19

It was the best of times (money flowed like water), it was the worst of times (in retrospect, for those who didn't cash out at or near the top). It was a great human drama, and unlike Dickens, it was all 100% nonfiction - it really did happen. For anyone in the telecom industry who lived through the bubble, and now the depression, for anyone who invested in the telecom bubble, or for anyone curious about one of the greatest financial manias in human history, I recommend Broadbandits.

Broadbandits profiles most of the key individuals and companies who helped inflate (and in many cases profit from) the telecom bubble, at a steady one company per chapter pace. Being in the telecom industry myself (still), I can state that Malik accurately captured the major stories I already knew, so I assume the rest of the book is generally factual. Although Malik focuses most of his anger on company bigwigs, he also admits that a bubble the size of this one could not have been created without active, willing participation from all sectors of the community: greedy disconnected CEOs, conflicted Wall Street and industry analysts, small investors who wanted to double their money overnight, and a unique confluence of regulatory and technological changes and advances.

Broadbandits could have been better. Malik's principle sources are business press articles, and he has a fascination with documenting dollar figures, so he doesn't probe as deeply as he could into the reasons behind the actions he reports. The book was written hurriedly (to keep it topical), and there are more than a few data errors. Malik correctly cites Ravi Suria's seminal report on the debt and finances of telecom firms, which proved how the emperor of telecom stocks had no clothes (I remember almost crying for joy when I originally read Suria's report), but he missed Jeremy Siegel's equally important bubble bursting op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal proving that Cisco and other high P/E stocks were way overvalued and that we were experiencing another "Nifty Fifty" tech mania episode. Finally, to return to my Dickens reference, the book would be even more dramatic if it recounted more anecdotal stories and statistics of the small investors and employees who lost their money, retirement savings and jobs, to provide contrast to the well-documented stories of folks who cleared many millions during the boom. However, I do admit that with the title of Broadbandits, the focus is on the bigwigs who inflated and profited from the bubble.

One more minor quibble: two of the people who praise Broadbandits on the back cover are thanked by Malik in his Acknowledgements. Conflicts of interest are everywhere! And just what did Malik do during his brief stint as a venture capitalist?

Like Reading Your Obituary in Living Color.......2003-08-31

I enjoyed the book very much. Chapter by chapter Om Malik gives the reader story by story of leading companies during the late 90's early 2000's and how they were brought down. Thought painful, as I along with many lost money during this period it brings home many basic investment thesis and bubble philosophies and makes for great read.

So good you will cry at the stupidity........2003-08-05

This is a good read for those who want to know how cycles come and go in the economic world and how those in the right place at the right time with shaky ethics and/or poor strategic skills can get filthy rich. The sheer stupidity of investors, bankers and "yes men" employees is stagering and worth the price of the book just for this alone.

UNDER THE WIRE.......2003-07-21

A lot of us -- and I must include myself to some extent -- were dazzled by all that apparent growth. I always thought that there was a lot of hype out there, but never saw the complete train wreck coming.

From Malik's book it sounds like Gilder didn't either, and -- it seems to me -- that as the wreck was approaching he was screaming "full steam ahead." It's too bad really, because in the end some of Gilder's predictions about wasting bandwidth may well turn out to be prescient. But as that famous quote from Keynes said, "In the long run we're all dead."

What the industry really needs as a replacement to Gilder is someone more like an Old Testament prophet -- that is someone who can at the same time chastise and point specifically to the right path. (Gilder was more of a psalmist -- singing praises to the Lord and making us all feel good about ourselves.)

I think our new prophet is also going to have to talk a lot less about raw growth and a lot more about where value is actually to be found.

Book Description

How to Start a Business in New Hampshire is your roadmap to avoid planning, legal and financial pitfalls and direct you through the bureaucratic red tape that often entangles fledgling entrepreneurs. This all-in-one resource goes a step beyond other business how-to books to give you a jump-start on planning for your business and provides you with:

Quick reference to the most current mailing and Internet addresses and telephone numbers for federal, state, local and private agencies that will help get your business up and running.
State population statistics, income and consumption rates, major industry trends and overall business incentives to give you a better picture of doing business in New Hampshire.
Checklists, sample forms and a complete sample business plan to assist you with numerous startup details.
State-specific information on issues like choosing a legal form, selecting a business name, obtaining licenses and permits, registering to pay for taxes and knowing your employer responsibilities.
Federal and state options for financing your new venture.

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful primer on starting a business with contact information for locating startup funds if necessary........2006-10-29

This is a valuable book (resource) for budding entrepreneurs. It seems to try to cover all the bases for starting a small business, but it can't do them all well in the space available between its covers. The book is only 288 pages long. If you are in the planning stages of starting a small business, then I highly recommend you get a copy of this book. Read it, study it, and outline it. There are helpful checklists to help you grasp the subjects. You will come up with a plethora of keywords and terms that you will want to google to find Web pages giving more detailed (and maybe more current) information.

I am a SCORE counselor (Senior Corps of Retired Executives) who typically does face-to-face counseling sessions three nights a month. It would really be neat if my clients would read this book BEFORE they came to their session with me because they would pretty much be "educated customers" ready to ask educated questions. Our sessions would be so much more beneficial.

My favorite chapters were:

1. Initial business concerns
2. Your business' structure
3. Business start-up details
5. Sources of business assistance (SCORE is mentioned here)
7. Your smart business plan (and a good sample plan is included)
8. Obtaining the financing you need

The book is weak when it comes to how the Internet can be used in corresponding, hiring, and marketing. But this is just one example of how googling keywords and concepts found in the book will make the book more complete. Don't treat the book as authoritative on the law. It isn't. Nor was it ever intended to be. It is light on tax information as it relates to small business.

I was particularly impressed with the material presented in Chapter 2: Choice of Legal Entity. That subject is sorely ignored in most small business books, and it is critically important. It is a subject I regularly must spend a great deal of time discussing at my SCORE sessions. This book does a pretty good job on the topic.

Chapters 4 and 9 through 12 are easy to find fault with. The topic of each could fill a book. But having these topics covered definitely will help a budding entrepreneur know some of the issues they raise.

I would have liked the book more if Chapter 6 (marketing) had been less superficial. When I read it I got the impression that the author was more a public relations expert than a marketing expert. I generally categorize public relations as a subset of marketing. Marketing includes advertising, public relations, and a whole host of other promotion techniques. I did not get this message when I read the book. I also would have liked the book better if the Internet, email, and Web sites had been discussed more. But there are many books on those subjects. Therefore, I can't complain too much about the limited discussion of computers.

When you read this book it may feel a little like it was produced on an assembly line. Maybe it was? There are 51 versions of this book sold; one for each state and the District of Columbia. Content is king, and this book has it. 5 stars!

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