Bücher der Reihe Published in Association with The Open University

An introduction to the principles of social and educational research, offering an assessment of issues of values and practice in social research. It discusses such issues as race, gender and power in social research; the politics and ethics of data collection; and the relevance of social research.

Questions distinctions between health/welfare occupations and informal roles; explores approaches to developing sensitivity to diverse experiences and challenge discriminatory responses, attitudes and stereotypes; and examines potential for user empowerment.

An introductory textbook in family studies. The contributors demonstrate how "the family" is constituted in the public and private spheres, and outline the tensions that exist between the dominant assumptions of state and society and the lived realities and everyday experiences of family life.

An up-to-date compendium of key articles, this reader should be a useful introduction to management and organizational behaviour. It brings together pieces written on the art and science of management, deliberately counterposing them to highlight alternative perspectives.

This text is an essential sourcebook of key statements about transformations in media culture. Focusing on questions of democracy, technology and culture, it provides theoretical approaches to past and present media transformations; and case studies of a range of media, both old media in new times and emerging new media.

`This is an ambitious book attemping to be relevant to a wide range of professionals in the health and welfare fields and to move from the macro policy context for change to the micro concerns of individual professional client relationships... There is much that will be of use and/or interest to both practitioners and researchers alike' - Social Policy

Explains and critically evaluates a range of research techniques for the caring professions.

This major textbook will take a fresh look at professions and professionalism - what these terms mean and what they need to mean in the future in the health and social care field. This a course text for The Open University course Critical Practice in Health and Social Care (K302).

Examines the range of issues raised by ageing in contemporary society. This collection combines academic and practitioner analysis with personal accounts. It aims to reflect the diverse nature of the subject by taking a multi-disciplinary approach, including literary and historical perspectives.

Introductory text, examining psychological and sociological perspectives on the family, and exploring the links between the family and social policy. The focus is on issues which bring the family into contact with the welfare state, such as domestic violence, child abuse, mental health and poverty.

Acts as a guide to conducting investigations under time- and resource-pressured conditions, equipping readers with the key skills and approaches for research designed to influence or inform development policies. This book also provides a critique of various methods and situates these approaches within 'real life' organisational settings.

This text presents a set of articles which attempt to answer basic questions on the co-ordination of social life by using models of markets, hierarchy and networks. These three models aim to provide a basis for the analysis of social life that transcends time and place.

This text explores the nature and extent of racial discrimination, and the successes and failures of equal opportunities programmes. A successful balance of important articles and specially written contributions, it presents analyses of institutional racism in immigration law, housing, social work, employment training and the criminal justice system.

The chapters in this book outline the history and scope of educational research. They also discuss many of the major issues at stake in current debates, and exemplify the contrasting perspectives to be found in the literature. This is the companion volume to Educational Research in Action (edited by Roger Gomm and Peter Woods). It is one of two course readers for The Open University course E824 Educational Research Methods.

Provides a wide-ranging and innovative rethinking of the study of Europe and social policy and offers new ways of analyzing European welfare and its future. This reader also addresses a range of other challenging and provoking issues which have been marginalized or ignored in the study of European social policy.

Praise for the First Edition:`A clear and concise introduction to comparative social policy. It provides students with a framework in which to analyze the British welfare regime and to compare it with those developed and developing elsewhere'' - Hilary Graham, Professor of Applied Social Studies, University of WarwickThis extensively revised Second Edition, provides a critical introduction to British and comparative social policy. Drawing on the comparative analysis of welfare regimes, the book show how the welfare systems of individual countries can only be understood thorugh exploring the wider global context. The chapters highlight the richness, complexity and dynamics of welfare regimes in different countries, while ar the same time considering shared features and trends.Comparing Welfare States provides a unique way into analysis of the British welfare state through its wider international focus. In this extensively revised second edition, the British case is related to the experiences of the United States of America, Sweden, Germany and Ireland, and set in the context of policy issues within the European Union. Througout the authors problematize traditional notions of welfare, emphasizing variations in levels and forms of provision and in the ways in which different social groups experience welfare. Particular attention is paid to the interactions between family policies and issues of race and gender, and to the processes by which indivduals or groups are given or denied access to full welfare citizenship.This book is an invaluable text for students of British and comparative social and public policy, and to all of those interested in the study of European welfare states.Comparing Welfare States is a course book for the Open University course, Family Life and Social Policy (D311).

This Second Edition of Controlling Crime provides an important evaluation of criminal justice in the United Kingdom during a period of rapid social change. Each chapter encourages historical, comparative and critical reflection on the organizational logics, powers, procedures and practices of the criminal justice system.

This fully revised and updated Second Edition of the bestselling text offers a comprehensive analysis of some of the most important developments in the study of crime.

A guide to carrying out a research project in social psychology which challenges the reader to tackle the key methodological and theoretical issues in conducting research. Eight social psychological studies are used to demonstrate a wide range of methods.

This major text takes the reader on an intellectual journey starting with the story of modern science and the impact that this has had on social scientific practice, and going on to outline and critically review the major approaches to social scientific inquiry, ranging from positivism to postmodernism.