scholarly journals (Re)conceptualizing “Polydrug Use”: Capturing the Complexity of Combining Substances

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 400-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pekka Hakkarainen ◽  
Aileen O’Gorman ◽  
François Lamy ◽  
Kati Kataja
Keyword(s):  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
People Who Use Drugs ◽  
Cultural Meanings ◽  
Polydrug Use ◽  
Qualitative Case Studies ◽  
Sensory Effects ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Short Time

The use of multiple psychoactive substances is a widespread phenomenon among people who use drugs. Yet the concept of polydrug use is poorly defined in the social sciences. As a result, theoretical and empirical knowledge of polydrug use is underdeveloped; approaches to measuring polydrug use are inconsistent; and understandings of the cultural meanings of combining substances are limited. This article draws on a collaborative synthesis of three qualitative case studies of polydrug use from four countries: Australia and France, Finland, and Ireland. All three studies explored the practice of substance combination, or “combos” using the lens of intentionality, functionality, and social setting. In addition, the studies shared a common concern with teasing out the rationale for substance combining, and the controls used to balance pleasures with risks, beyond the simple physiological or sensory effects of substances. Our analysis leads us to recommend that a standard definition of polydrug use be adopted for future social science research—that is, the ingestion of two or more substances in combination, at the same time or in temporal proximity, so that the effects of different substances overlap. For analytical purposes, we suggest two subcategories: simultaneous and sequential intake. Moreover, we contend that it is the intention, meaning, and socio-structural context underpinning the use of substance combinations that is central to understanding polydrug use. Consequently, we suggest an adaptation of Zinberg’s seminal concept to one of “drug combo, set, and setting” to incorporate an analysis of the effects of using substances together, or in sequence within a short time frame.

Context in Action and How to Study It

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Care Patient ◽  
Organizational Life ◽  
Integration Of Care ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Organization And Management ◽  
Care Outcomes ◽  
Definition Of

The concept of context is a cornerstone of a large part of social science research, particularly in organization and management studies, yet it has received little theoretical and methodological attention in lieu of its relevance. This book offers a definition of context as a theoretical construct, a discussion of the methodological implications of this, and a framework for how to reflect upon and operationalize the role of context in the different stages of a research process, from formulating research questions to analyzing and writing about results. The chapters presented here integrate lessons derived from various research experiences across the complex and dynamic field of health care. Contributors share their experiences with theorizing about and empirically studying significant organizational phenomena such as implementation of policy, organizational change, integration of care, patient involvement, human-technology interactions in practice, and the interplay between work environment and care outcomes in eldercare. These contributions exemplify how a nuanced approach to context might unfold in different fields, through different designs, methods, and analytical lenses. Relevant to researchers and practitioners, within both healthcare, organization and management studies, and the social sciences more broadly, this book leaves the reader with a practical framework from which to carry out contextual research and analysis and a gain deeper understanding of the significance of context in organizational life.

scholarly journals Has the Credibility of the Social Sciences Been Credibly Destroyed? Reanalyzing the “Many Analysts, One Data Set” Project

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 237802312110244
Author(s):  
Katrin Auspurg ◽  
Josef Brüderl
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Causal Reasoning ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Skin Tone ◽  
Data Set ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Many ◽  
Definition Of

In 2018, Silberzahn, Uhlmann, Nosek, and colleagues published an article in which 29 teams analyzed the same research question with the same data: Are soccer referees more likely to give red cards to players with dark skin tone than light skin tone? The results obtained by the teams differed extensively. Many concluded from this widely noted exercise that the social sciences are not rigorous enough to provide definitive answers. In this article, we investigate why results diverged so much. We argue that the main reason was an unclear research question: Teams differed in their interpretation of the research question and therefore used diverse research designs and model specifications. We show by reanalyzing the data that with a clear research question, a precise definition of the parameter of interest, and theory-guided causal reasoning, results vary only within a narrow range. The broad conclusion of our reanalysis is that social science research needs to be more precise in its “estimands” to become credible.

scholarly journals The ›Head of Household‹

Administory ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-123
Author(s):  
Kerstin Brückweh
Keyword(s):  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
General Question ◽  
Basic Question ◽  
Specific Class ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Head Of Household ◽  
1960S And 1970S ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Reference Person

Abstract The household forms an important category in social science research. It is used to collect data, to classify it and to represent the results. However, what seems to be a simple listing of facts becomes less clear when a basic question is raised: What is a household? Is it a family living under one roof? Is a roof limited to a house, or does a flat already constitute a household? Do members of a household have to be officially related, meaning married, adopted etc., or even related by blood? And how do households and definitions of households differ over time and space? Some definitions like the United Nations’s dwelling concept, for example, sound pragmatic with little regard to the social relationships of the actual human beings living in a household. However, there are indeed power relations within a household (e.g. between parents and children). Social scientists also observed these everyday asymmetries and therefore constructed a hierarchy in social classifications when they placed the household in a specific class according to the ›Head of Household‹ or the ›Household Reference Person‹, the ›Chief Wage Earner‹, the ›Householder‹ etc. The different designations of the reference person indicate that it is not an easy task to name this person or to define this person without a normative bias. By taking the example of Great Britain, this article demonstrates that the definition of the ›Head of Household‹ was a normative category rather than a descriptive one, meaning that it was less able to facilitate analysis of social reality and that it fortified a normative view with the help of statistics. While feminists and other historical actors in different states, for example the U.S., already criticised the normative bias of the definition in the 1960s and 1970s, a different question seems to be of equal or even greater importance to the historian: How, when and why did different nations and professions decide to drop the normative in favour of a descriptive definition of the ›Head of Household‹? This leads to a more general question: How did administrators, statisticians and other survey researchers deal with the aim of long-term stability of statistical categories for the sake of comparability, e.g. in a national census, on the one hand, and with adaption to societal change on the other hand? In taking the example of the United Kingdom, the following story combines aspects of a history of knowledge with administrative history.

scholarly journals The promise and pitfalls of social science research in an emergency: lessons from studying the Zika epidemic in Brazil, 2015–2016

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. e002307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Joana Passos ◽  
Gustavo Matta ◽  
Tereza Maciel Lyra ◽  
Maria Elisabeth Lopes Moreira ◽  
Hannah Kuper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Power Relationship ◽  
Social Science Study ◽  
Congenital Zika Syndrome ◽  
The Uk

Social science generates evidence necessary to control epidemics. It can help to craft appropriate public health responses, develop solutions to the epidemic impacts and improve understanding of why the epidemic occurred. Yet, there are practical constraints in undertaking this international research in a way that produces quality, ethical and appropriate data, and that values all voices and experiences, especially those of local researchers and research participants. In this paper, we reflected on the experience of undertaking social science research during the 2015/2016 Zika epidemic in Brazil. This experience was considered from the perspective of this paper’s authors: three Brazilian academics, two UK academics and two mothers of children affected by congenital Zika syndrome. This group came together through the conduct of the Social and Economic Impact of Zika study, a mixed-methods social science study. The key findings highlight practical issues in the achievement of three goals: the conduct of high-quality social science in emergencies and efforts towards the decolonisation of global health in terms of levelling the power between Brazilian and UK researchers and optimising the role of patients within research. From our perspective, the information collected through social science was valuable, providing detailed insight into the programmatic needs of mothers and their affected children (eg, economic and social support and mental health services). Social science was considered a low priority within the Zika epidemic despite its potential importance. There were logistical challenges in conducting social science research, foremost of which are the difficulties in developing a trusting and balanced power relationship between the UK and Brazilian researchers in a short time frame. When these issues were overcome, each partner brought unique qualities, making the research stronger. The mothers of affected children expressed dissatisfaction with research, as they were involved in many studies which were not coordinated, and from which they did not see a benefit. In conclusion, the importance of social science in epidemics must continue to be promoted by funders. Funders can also set in place mechanisms to help equalise the power dynamics between foreign and local researchers, researchers and participants, both to promote justice and to create best quality data.

Letters to the Editor as a Means of Measuring the Effectiveness of Propaganda

1937 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Schuyler Foster ◽  
Carl J. Friedrich
Keyword(s):  
Research Council ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
The United States ◽  
Organized Activities ◽  
World War ◽  
Letters To The Editor ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
Definition Of

In spite of the enormous literature on propaganda recently surveyed by a committee of the Social Science Research Council, there has not as yet emerged a generally accepted definition of propaganda. Consequently, any discussion in this field requires at the outset some statement or general indication of what one is dealing with, in order to reduce misunderstanding. As political scientists, we are taking a strictly pragmatic view of propaganda, as completely removed as possible from the area of psychological controversies. We have, for the purposes of our studies, considered only such propaganda as is manifested in the organized activities involved in efforts to get people to take a particular step, such as to vote for Roosevelt, or to abstain from objecting to a particular step, such as the United States’ entry into the World War. These efforts, when promotional, may be denominated “a propaganda campaign.” Such a campaign proceeds by the organized dissemination of propaganda appeals. But these same appeals can, and do, operate without any organized promotion; and still they tend to influence those whom they reach. Many different kinds of individuals carry these appeals—teachers, writers, gossips, etc. From the viewpoint of propaganda analysis, they may be called “propagandizers.” In the course of a typical campaign, there appear propagandizers who indulge in various activities which are significant in spite of their unorganized nature. Different is the propagandist who participates in a propaganda campaign.

Economics of Climate Change Adaptation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Babatunde O. Abidoye
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Economic Framework ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Adaptation Decision ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Global Agreement ◽  
Short Time

To view climate change adaptation from an economic perspective requires a definition of adaptation, an economic framework in which to view adaptation, and a review of the literature on specific adaptations (especially in agriculture). A focus on tools for applying adaptation to developing countries highlights the difference between mitigation and the adaptation decision-making process. Mitigation decisions take a long-term perspective because carbon dioxide lasts for a very long time in the atmosphere. Adaptation decisions typically last the lifespan of the investments, so the time frame depends on the specific adaptation investment, but it is invariably short compared to mitigation choices, which have implications for centuries. The short time frame means that adaptation decisions are not plagued by the same uncertainty that plagues mitigation choices. Finally, most adaptation decisions are local and private, whereas mitigation is a global public decision. Private adaptation will occur even without large government programs. Public adaptations that require government assistance can mainly be made by existing government agencies. Adaptation does not require a global agreement.

What is Forced Labour? A Practical Guide for Humanities and Social Science Research

2018 ◽  
pp. 79-93
Author(s):  
Jean Allain
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Practical Guide ◽  
Humanities And Social Sciences ◽  
Forced Labour ◽  
Definition Of

This practical guide provides a baseline understanding of the concept of forced labour to assist researchers in the humanities and social sciences ensure their representations of the phenomenon are rigorous and credible. While recognising the limitations of the 1930 ILO Convention definition of forced labour, this Chapter provides helpful guidance in understanding what does – and what does not – constitute forced labour. Summarised in 10 Practical Points for Understanding Forced Labour, this Chapter helps researchers build a baseline understanding of forced labour by providing a dozen helpful markers to ensure that those within the humanities and social sciences are speaking the same language when they represent the phenomenon of forced labour.

scholarly journals Is a Consistent Message Achievable? Defining ‘Message Consistency’ for Weather Enterprise Researchers and Practitioners

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-43
Author(s):  
Castle A. Williams ◽  
Gina M. Eosco
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Definition Of

Capsule SummaryThis paper combines the needs of operational meteorologists with insights from social science research to offer a definition of message consistency for weather enterprise researchers and practitioners.

Frequently Encountered Problems in the Application of Regression Analysis to the Investigation of Sex Discrimination in Salaries

1986 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald V. Barrett ◽  
Ralph A. Alexander ◽  
Martin N. Anesgart ◽  
Dennis Doverspike
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Sex Discrimination ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Micro Analysis

Regression analysis has played an important role in social science research and litigation involving sex discrimination in pay. Seberhagen is typical of those researchers who have conducted a regression analysis and reached a conclusion that there was discrimination against females in pay. He concluded that 70% of the male-female pay differential was due to sex discrimination. An analysis of his regression procedures, identification of variables, definition of discrimination, and a micro analysis of individual cases indicated that little confidence could be placed in Seberhagen's conclusion of discrimination in compensation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document