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Author: Robert E. Parker
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1793625530
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 147
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Book Description
The Misuse, Misrepresentation, and Politicization of Statistics in American Society critically examines the early measurement efforts of several government agencies responsible for some of the most widely watched social indicators on unemployment, life expectancy, crime, and population. It argues that official statistics are dubious at best, better seen not so much as objective barometers of social life but rather as socially constructed metrics that are easily manipulated and often politicized. This book argues that official statistics powerfully frame social reality, ultimately helping to determine who counts and what matters in society. It makes the case that, as with other types of official accounts, data derived from government sources needs to be regarded skeptically and systematically investigated. This book concludes that official statistics are a kind of sanctioned cover up of everyday reality, hiding the true extent of joblessness, distorting the real increase in life expectancy, obscuring where crime actually happens, and understating the undeniable growth of minority populations.
Author: Robert E. Parker
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1793625530
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 147
Get Book Here
Book Description
The Misuse, Misrepresentation, and Politicization of Statistics in American Society critically examines the early measurement efforts of several government agencies responsible for some of the most widely watched social indicators on unemployment, life expectancy, crime, and population. It argues that official statistics are dubious at best, better seen not so much as objective barometers of social life but rather as socially constructed metrics that are easily manipulated and often politicized. This book argues that official statistics powerfully frame social reality, ultimately helping to determine who counts and what matters in society. It makes the case that, as with other types of official accounts, data derived from government sources needs to be regarded skeptically and systematically investigated. This book concludes that official statistics are a kind of sanctioned cover up of everyday reality, hiding the true extent of joblessness, distorting the real increase in life expectancy, obscuring where crime actually happens, and understating the undeniable growth of minority populations.
Author: Christopher T. Conner
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1666933090
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 445
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Book Description
Conspiracy Theories and Extremism in New Times outlines a cadre of alt-right groups, conspiracy theories, and other forms of stigmatized knowledge threatening our society. In an era dominated by the pervasive influence of social media, the scholarly gaze has often overlooked the ways far-right factions leverage these platforms to propagate anti-democratic ideologies. From the denial of the moon landing to the enigmatic labyrinth of QAnon, and a myriad of other alt-right groups in between, this anthology presents a compelling case for the continued relevancy of the Frankfurt School of Critical Social Theory. Uncover the intricate web connecting these ideologies to everyday life, and arm yourself with the critical insights needed to navigate the turbulent currents of our modern socio-political landscape.
Author: Nancy E. Whittier
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538175940
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 713
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Book Description
Statistics for Social Understanding introduces statistics as it’s used in the social sciences—as a tool for advancing understanding of the social world. The authors provide thorough coverage of social science statistical topics, a balanced approach to calculation, and step-by-step directions on how to use both SPSS and Stata software, giving students the ability to analyze data and explore exciting questions. “In Depth” boxes encourage critical thinking by tackling tricky statistical queries, and each chapter concludes with a chapter summary, a section on using Stata, a section on using SPSS, and practice problems. All problems have been accuracy-checked by an outside panel of reviewers. Readily available datasets for classroom use include material from institutions such as the American National Election Study, General Social Survey, World Values Survey, and the School Survey on Crime and Safety. Statistics for Social Understanding is accompanied by a learning package, written entirely by author Tina Wildhagen, that is designed to enhance the experience of both instructors and students.
Author: Tenko Raykov
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1442218460
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 345
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Book Description
Basic Statistics provides an accessible and comprehensive introduction to statistics using the free, state-of-the-art, powerful software program R. This book is designed to both introduce students to key concepts in statistics and to provide simple instructions for using R. This concise book: Teaches essential concepts in statistics, assuming little background knowledge on the part of the reader Introduces students to R with as few sub-commands as possible for ease of use Provides practical examples from the educational, behavioral, and social sciences With clear explanations of statistical processes and step-by-step commands in R, Basic Statistics will appeal to students and professionals across the social and behavioral sciences.
Author: Robert L. Scardamalia
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 164143452X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 771
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Book Description
America’s urban population has been growing while rural areas are declining – especially after the great recession. This is not new, as rural decline has been affected by the long-term shift from an agriculturally based economy to a service based economy. However, the preference of many millennials for urban settings exacerbates the issue and reduces the rural community’s ability to replenish the population. Life in Rural America: A Statistical Portrait presents economic and demographic indicators of the rural population and help users understand the community and geographic differences that rural communities experience. The book will be used as a reference source for data users looking to understand community and geographic differences in the rural component of the nation’s population.
Author: S. McClennen
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 113740521X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 254
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Book Description
The book studies the intersections between satirical comedy and national politics in order to show that one of the strongest supports for our democracy today comes from those of us who are seriously joking. This book shows how we got to this place and why satire may be the only way we can save our democracy and strengthen our nation.
Author: Sabine Kuhlmann
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030536971
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 415
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Book Description
This open access book presents a topical, comprehensive and differentiated analysis of Germany’s public administration and reforms. It provides an overview on key elements of German public administration at the federal, Länder and local levels of government as well as on current reform activities of the public sector. It examines the key institutional features of German public administration; the changing relationships between public administration, society and the private sector; the administrative reforms at different levels of the federal system and numerous sectors; and new challenges and modernization approaches like digitalization, Open Government and Better Regulation. Each chapter offers a combination of descriptive information and problem-oriented analysis, presenting key topical issues in Germany which are relevant to an international readership.
Author: Kenneth C. Land
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400724217
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 594
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Book Description
The aim of the Handbook of Social Indicators and Quality of Life Research is to create an overview of the field of Quality of Life (QOL) studies in the early years of the 21st century that can be updated and improved upon as the field evolves and the century unfolds. Social indicators are statistical time series “...used to monitor the social system, helping to identify changes and to guide intervention to alter the course of social change”. Examples include unemployment rates, crime rates, estimates of life expectancy, health status indices, school enrollment rates, average achievement scores, election voting rates, and measures of subjective well-being such as satisfaction with life-as-a-whole and with specific domains or aspects of life. This book provides a review of the historical development of the field including the history of QOL in medicine and mental health as well as the research related to quality-of-work-life (QWL) programs. It discusses several of QOL main concepts: happiness, positive psychology, and subjective wellbeing. Relations between spirituality and religiousness and QOL are examined as are the effects of educational attainment on QOL and marketing, and the associations with economic growth. The book goes on to investigate methodological approaches and issues that should be considered in measuring and analysing quality of life from a quantitative perspective. The final chapters are dedicated to research on elements of QOL in a broad range of countries and populations.
Author: Freedom House
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1442261536
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 905
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Book Description
Freedom in the World, the Freedom House flagship survey whose findings have been published annually since 1972, is the standard-setting comparative assessment of global political rights and civil liberties. The survey ratings and narrative reports on 195 countries and fifteen territories are used by policymakers, the media, international corporations, civic activists, and human rights defenders to monitor trends in democracy and track improvements and setbacks in freedom worldwide. The Freedom in the World political rights and civil liberties ratings are determined through a multi-layered process of research and evaluation by a team of regional analysts and eminent scholars. The analysts used a broad range of sources of information, including foreign and domestic news reports, academic studies, nongovernmental organizations, think tanks, individual professional contacts, and visits to the region, in conducting their research. The methodology of the survey is derived in large measure from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and these standards are applied to all countries and territories, irrespective of geographical location, ethnic or religious composition, or level of economic development.
Author: Justin Parkhurst
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 131738086X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 287
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Book Description
The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.tandfebooks.com/, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 license. There has been an enormous increase in interest in the use of evidence for public policymaking, but the vast majority of work on the subject has failed to engage with the political nature of decision making and how this influences the ways in which evidence will be used (or misused) within political areas. This book provides new insights into the nature of political bias with regards to evidence and critically considers what an ‘improved’ use of evidence would look like from a policymaking perspective. Part I describes the great potential for evidence to help achieve social goals, as well as the challenges raised by the political nature of policymaking. It explores the concern of evidence advocates that political interests drive the misuse or manipulation of evidence, as well as counter-concerns of critical policy scholars about how appeals to ‘evidence-based policy’ can depoliticise political debates. Both concerns reflect forms of bias – the first representing technical bias, whereby evidence use violates principles of scientific best practice, and the second representing issue bias in how appeals to evidence can shift political debates to particular questions or marginalise policy-relevant social concerns. Part II then draws on the fields of policy studies and cognitive psychology to understand the origins and mechanisms of both forms of bias in relation to political interests and values. It illustrates how such biases are not only common, but can be much more predictable once we recognise their origins and manifestations in policy arenas. Finally, Part III discusses ways to move forward for those seeking to improve the use of evidence in public policymaking. It explores what constitutes ‘good evidence for policy’, as well as the ‘good use of evidence’ within policy processes, and considers how to build evidence-advisory institutions that embed key principles of both scientific good practice and democratic representation. Taken as a whole, the approach promoted is termed the ‘good governance of evidence’ – a concept that represents the use of rigorous, systematic and technically valid pieces of evidence within decision-making processes that are representative of, and accountable to, populations served.
