University ranking as social exclusion

In this article we explore the dual role of global university rankings in the creation of a new, knowledge-identified, transnational capitalist class and in facilitating new forms of social exclusion.We examine how and why the practice of ranking universities has become widely defined by national and international organisations as an important instrument of political and economic policy. We consider how the development of university rankings into a global business combining social research, marketing and public relations, as a tangible policy tool that narrowly redefines the social purposes of higher education itself. Finally, it looks at how the influence of rankings on national funding for teaching and research constrains wider public debate about the meaning of ‘good’ and meaningful education in the UK and other national contexts, particularly by shifting the debate away from democratic publics upward into the elite networked institutions of global capital. We conclude by arguing that, rather than regarding world university rankings as a means to establish criteria of educational value, the practice may be understood as an exclusionary one that furthers the alignment of higher education with neoliberal rationalities at both national and global levels.

Environmental quality in residential areas : a social survey approach to improvement priorities

The research is concerned with the measurement of residents' evaluations of the environmental quality of residential areas. The research reflects the increased attention being given to residents' values in planning decisions affecting the residential environment. The work was undertaken in co-operation with a local authority which was in the process of revising its housing strategy, and in particular the priorities for improvement action. The study critically examines the existing evidence on environmental values and their relationship to the environment and points to a number of methodological and conceptual deficiencies. The research strategy developed on the basis of the research review was constrained by the need to keep any survey methods simple so that they could easily be repeated, when necessary, by the sponsoring authority. A basic perception model was assumed, and a social survey carried out to measure residents' responses to different environmental conditions. The data was only assumed to have ordinal properties, necessitating the extensive use of non-parametric statistics. Residents' expressions of satisfaction with the component elements of the environment (ranging from convenience to upkeep and privacy) were successfully related to 'objective' measures of the environment. However the survey evidence did not justify the use of the 'objective' variables as environmental standards. A method of using the social survey data directly as an aid to decision-making is discussed. Alternative models of the derivation of overall satisfaction with the environment are tested, and the values implied by the additive model compared with residents' preferences as measured directly in the survey. Residents' overall satisfactions with the residential environment were most closely related to their satisfactions with the "Appearance" and the "Reputation" of their areas. By contrast the most important directly measured preference was "Friendliness of area". The differences point to the need to define concepts used in social research clearly in operational terms, and to take care in the use of values 'measured' by different methods.

Quantifying short-term dynamics of Parkinson's disease using self-reported symptom data from an internet social network

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an incurable neurological disease with approximately 0.3% prevalence. The hallmark symptom is gradual movement deterioration. Current scientific consensus about disease progression holds that symptoms will worsen smoothly over time unless treated. Accurate information about symptom dynamics is of critical importance to patients, caregivers, and the scientific community for the design of new treatments, clinical decision making, and individual disease management. Long-term studies characterize the typical time course of the disease as an early linear progression gradually reaching a plateau in later stages. However, symptom dynamics over durations of days to weeks remains unquantified. Currently, there is a scarcity of objective clinical information about symptom dynamics at intervals shorter than 3 months stretching over several years, but Internet-based patient self-report platforms may change this. Objective: To assess the clinical value of online self-reported PD symptom data recorded by users of the health-focused Internet social research platform PatientsLikeMe (PLM), in which patients quantify their symptoms on a regular basis on a subset of the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Ratings Scale (UPDRS). By analyzing this data, we aim for a scientific window on the nature of symptom dynamics for assessment intervals shorter than 3 months over durations of several years. Methods: Online self-reported data was validated against the gold standard Parkinson’s Disease Data and Organizing Center (PD-DOC) database, containing clinical symptom data at intervals greater than 3 months. The data were compared visually using quantile-quantile plots, and numerically using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. By using a simple piecewise linear trend estimation algorithm, the PLM data was smoothed to separate random fluctuations from continuous symptom dynamics. Subtracting the trends from the original data revealed random fluctuations in symptom severity. The average magnitude of fluctuations versus time since diagnosis was modeled by using a gamma generalized linear model. Results: Distributions of ages at diagnosis and UPDRS in the PLM and PD-DOC databases were broadly consistent. The PLM patients were systematically younger than the PD-DOC patients and showed increased symptom severity in the PD off state. The average fluctuation in symptoms (UPDRS Parts I and II) was 2.6 points at the time of diagnosis, rising to 5.9 points 16 years after diagnosis. This fluctuation exceeds the estimated minimal and moderate clinically important differences, respectively. Not all patients conformed to the current clinical picture of gradual, smooth changes: many patients had regimes where symptom severity varied in an unpredictable manner, or underwent large rapid changes in an otherwise more stable progression. Conclusions: This information about short-term PD symptom dynamics contributes new scientific understanding about the disease progression, currently very costly to obtain without self-administered Internet-based reporting. This understanding should have implications for the optimization of clinical trials into new treatments and for the choice of treatment decision timescales.

Mothering and ‘insider’ dilemmas:feminist sociologists in the research process

This paper is about care, insider positions and mothering within feminist research. We ask questions about how honest, ethical and caring can we really be in placing the self into the research process as mothers ourselves. Should we leave out aspects of the research that do not fit neatly and how ethical can we claim to be if we do? Moreover, should difficult differences, secrets and silences that emerge from the research process and research stories that might 'out' us as failures be excluded from research outcomes so as to claim legitimate research? We consider the use of a feminist methods as crucial in the reciprocal and relational understanding of personal enquiry. Mothers invest significant emotional capital in their families and we explore the blurring of the interpersonal and intrapersonal when sharing mothering experiences common to both participant and researcher. Indeed participants can identify themselves within the process as 'friends' of the researcher. We both have familiarity within our respective research that has led to mutual understanding of having insider positions. Crucially individuals' realities are a vital component of the qualitative paradigm and that 'insider' research remains a necessary, albeit messy vehicle in social research. As it is we consider a growing body of literature which marks out and endorses a feminist ethics of care. All of which critique established ways of thinking about ethics, morality, security, citizenship and care. It provides alternatives in mapping private and public aspects of social life as it operates at a theoretical level, but importantly for this paper also at the level of practical application.

‘The past was never simply there to begin with and the future is not simply what will unfold’ : a posthumanist performative approach to qualitative longitudinal research

Peer reviewed

‘The past was never simply there to begin with and the future is not simply what will unfold’ : a posthumanist performative approach to qualitative longitudinal research

Peer reviewed

‘The past was never simply there to begin with and the future is not simply what will unfold’ : a posthumanist performative approach to qualitative longitudinal research

Peer reviewed

Obesity and Overweight among Black American Adolescent Females: The Role of Social Influences in Everyday Dietary Practices

Obesity and overweight disproportionately impact Black American adolescent females—placing them at a lifetime of elevated physical health risks. Despite this burden, the literature that explores the contributors to obesity and overweight among Black American adolescent females remains limited and unclear. This dissertation aims to develop knowledge related to obesity and overweight in Black American adolescent females, by appraising the current understanding of factors that contribute to their obesity and overweight, and explicating the everyday social influences on dietary practices. The primary study conducted for this dissertation used a mixed method, multiple case study design to examine the mother, daughter, and other household contributors to Black American adolescent daughters’ everyday practices of food consumption, acquisition, preparation, and planning. Findings reveal the importance of understanding the complex and dynamic ways mothers and other household members contribute to a holistic view of everyday dietary practices among adolescent daughters. By deeply examining the nuanced ways the multiple cases varied, context-dependent knowledge essential to understanding the complicated health challenge of obesity was produced. Subsequently, recommendations are provided for health providers and scholars to more holistically approach and examine obesity—particularly among populations who are disproportionately affected.

El enfoque biográfico en el análisis social : Claves para un estudio de los aspectos teórico-metodológicos de las trayectorias laborales

Este trabajo desarrolla los supuestos que se esconden tras los estudios biográficos, centrándose en los enfoques europeo y norteamericano. Intenta vislumbrar los distintos ámbitos de producción en donde surgieron los fundamentos epistemológicos, teóricos y metodológicos, los cuales enmarcan el análisis de las trayectorias: la centralidad del sujeto, la relación individuo-sociedad, la integración de perspectivas metodológicas y la importancia de la dimensión espacio-temporal. La relevancia de esta tarea radica en que el enfoque biográfico se constituye como telón de fondo en el estudio de las trayectorias laborales. En el primer apartado se indagan los orígenes del uso de biografías en la investigación social; en el segundo y el tercero, se examinan los supuestos centrales del enfoque biográfico y del curso de vida, al encontrar en ellos las raíces que encuadran y dan sentido al estudio de las trayectorias. Por último, se desarrollan los aportes y potencialidades de los estudios con trayectorias laborales a través del análisis de un corpus de investigaciones empíricas producidas en América Latina

Revisando el uso de grupos focalizados en la investigación social

Las reflexiones metodológicas sobre grupos focalizados (GF) de este artículo tienen como punto de partida una investigación con sectores medios del Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires. El estudio de referencia aborda los discursos y prácticas de cuidado de la salud en el escenario contemporáneo caracterizado por la diversificación de especialistas, la creciente cobertura mediática de recomendaciones sobre la vida sana y el bienestar, la implementación de políticas públicas de promoción de la salud, y el crecimiento de la industria de productos y servicios vinculados con la temática. El objetivo del artículo es reflexionar, a partir de nuestra experiencia de investigación, sobre dos aspectos que han recibido especial atención en la literatura metodológica más reciente: los criterios para componer los grupos y sus consecuencias para la dinámica de las conversaciones grupales, y las estrategias para dar cuenta de la interacción grupal en el análisis de los datos. En este último eje exploramos el potencial de los GF para observar el trabajo identitario vinculado con el cuidado de la salud. Enmarcamos nuestro estudio y las decisiones metodológicas tomadas en los debates actuales sobre la variedad de usos de los GF.

El enfoque biográfico en el análisis social : Claves para un estudio de los aspectos teórico-metodológicos de las trayectorias laborales

Este trabajo desarrolla los supuestos que se esconden tras los estudios biográficos, centrándose en los enfoques europeo y norteamericano. Intenta vislumbrar los distintos ámbitos de producción en donde surgieron los fundamentos epistemológicos, teóricos y metodológicos, los cuales enmarcan el análisis de las trayectorias: la centralidad del sujeto, la relación individuo-sociedad, la integración de perspectivas metodológicas y la importancia de la dimensión espacio-temporal. La relevancia de esta tarea radica en que el enfoque biográfico se constituye como telón de fondo en el estudio de las trayectorias laborales. En el primer apartado se indagan los orígenes del uso de biografías en la investigación social; en el segundo y el tercero, se examinan los supuestos centrales del enfoque biográfico y del curso de vida, al encontrar en ellos las raíces que encuadran y dan sentido al estudio de las trayectorias. Por último, se desarrollan los aportes y potencialidades de los estudios con trayectorias laborales a través del análisis de un corpus de investigaciones empíricas producidas en América Latina

El enfoque biográfico en el análisis social : Claves para un estudio de los aspectos teórico-metodológicos de las trayectorias laborales

Este trabajo desarrolla los supuestos que se esconden tras los estudios biográficos, centrándose en los enfoques europeo y norteamericano. Intenta vislumbrar los distintos ámbitos de producción en donde surgieron los fundamentos epistemológicos, teóricos y metodológicos, los cuales enmarcan el análisis de las trayectorias: la centralidad del sujeto, la relación individuo-sociedad, la integración de perspectivas metodológicas y la importancia de la dimensión espacio-temporal. La relevancia de esta tarea radica en que el enfoque biográfico se constituye como telón de fondo en el estudio de las trayectorias laborales. En el primer apartado se indagan los orígenes del uso de biografías en la investigación social; en el segundo y el tercero, se examinan los supuestos centrales del enfoque biográfico y del curso de vida, al encontrar en ellos las raíces que encuadran y dan sentido al estudio de las trayectorias. Por último, se desarrollan los aportes y potencialidades de los estudios con trayectorias laborales a través del análisis de un corpus de investigaciones empíricas producidas en América Latina