Angela Dale - Böcker

The use of census microdata - which is the extremely detailed information collected through the 'ultracensusing' of a small number of households at the time of the last census - forms an important part of many research activities in subject areas as diverse as geography, demography, sociology, economics, politics and statistics. It is vital that the researchers know how the data was collected, which statistical techniques are useful and why, and how to model the data in order to draw inferences about the whole population. Analyzing Census Microdata meets and is relevant to a wide and international market. Analyzing Census Microdata - written by some of the leading authorities in the field - provides the first guide to the analysis of census microdata, with the basic statistical summary techniques presented in a clear and concise way. It contains a large number of up-to-date examples, drawing on data from the USA, the UK and a wide variety of other international contexts. I concludes with a chapter discussing applications specific to census microdata - such as the ethnic composition of families in Great Britain and in the United States, and a cross-national examination of Chinese immigrant populations.

Understanding change over time is a central concern for research in sociology, political science, education, geography and related disciplines. It is also an issue which presents significant methodological problems, in response to which different techniques have been developed - for example, time series analysis, multilevel models, log-linear models and event history analysis. Outlining the nature of such techniques, this accessible collection covers: the respective values of cross-sectional and longitudinal data in the analysis of change; the variety of methods available for the analysis of change over time; the types of research objective to which various techniques are suited; the limitations and constraints of individual methods; and the different philosophies which underlie particular approaches.

Understanding change over time is a central concern for research in sociology, political science, education, geography and related disciplines. It is also an issue which presents significant methodological problems, in response to which different techniques have been developed - for example, time series analysis, multilevel models, log-linear models and event history analysis. Outlining the nature of such techniques, this accessible collection covers: the respective values of cross-sectional and longitudinal data in the analysis of change; the variety of methods available for the analysis of change over time; the types of research objective to which various techniques are suited; the limitations and constraints of individual methods; and the different philosophies which underlie particular approaches.

Originally published in 1988 Doing Secondary Analysis is a practical guide to the secondary analysis of large-scale survey data.At a time when funding for primary data collection was increasingly constrained, the secondary analysis of high-quality government surveys offered the social scientist an unrivalled opportunity. This volume provided a guide which moves through every stage of ‘doing secondary analysis’. The authors begin with the conceptualization of the research problem and examine all the practicalities of using both standard rectangular data and hierarchical data, and of deriving simple and complex variables. They also provide a lucid description of the hardware and software available to the secondary analyst at the time.This book successfully demonstrates the way in which secondary analysis can contribute both to the development of sociological theory and to social policy formation. The authors emphasize throughout that secondary analysis cannot be used as a short cut to quick ‘results’, but that as much care over defining the research problem and understanding the categories of data is needed as for any other kind of research.While Doing Secondary Analysis was invaluable to those about to embark upon social research, it also offered many challenges to more experienced researchers.

Jennifer Mason and Angela Dale's book seeks to set out cutting-edge developments in the field of social research and to encourage students and researchers to consider ways of learning from different approaches and perspectives in such a way as to make their own research richer, more insightful and more rewarding.

Social Researching brings together a wide variety of research methods - both qualitative and quantitative - to help students and researchers to consider the relative benefits of adopting different approaches for their own research work.

The authors clearly identify the most appropriate methods for different research questions and also highlight areas where it might be fruitful to compliment different methods with each other or exploit creative tensions between them. The book is therefore a highly practical guide which also seeks to draw readers outside their methodological comfort zones.

This book includes:

- Critical coverage of issues in research design;

- Expert experience in many methodological fields;

- An overview of the many different ways to approach similar research problems;

- Coverage of the tensions between different methodological approaches;

- Examples of excellence in research design and practice;

- An examination of how to turn methodological tensions into richer research practice.

The methods covered include highly innovative, 'cutting-edge' approaches and they are demonstrated in terms of their transferability between the different social sciences. This inter-disciplinary approach is complimented by a wide range of strategically chosen examples which demonstrate the authors' pragmatic and creative take on research design.

Jennifer Mason and Angela Dale's book seeks to set out cutting-edge developments in the field of social research and to encourage students and researchers to consider ways of learning from different approaches and perspectives in such a way as to make their own research richer, more insightful and more rewarding.

Social Researching brings together a wide variety of research methods - both qualitative and quantitative - to help students and researchers to consider the relative benefits of adopting different approaches for their own research work.

The authors clearly identify the most appropriate methods for different research questions and also highlight areas where it might be fruitful to compliment different methods with each other or exploit creative tensions between them. The book is therefore a highly practical guide which also seeks to draw readers outside their methodological comfort zones.

This book includes:

- Critical coverage of issues in research design;

- Expert experience in many methodological fields;

- An overview of the many different ways to approach similar research problems;

- Coverage of the tensions between different methodological approaches;

- Examples of excellence in research design and practice;

- An examination of how to turn methodological tensions into richer research practice.

The methods covered include highly innovative, 'cutting-edge' approaches and they are demonstrated in terms of their transferability between the different social sciences. This inter-disciplinary approach is complimented by a wide range of strategically chosen examples which demonstrate the authors' pragmatic and creative take on research design.

The transformations that are now taking place in women's lives are of great interest to social scientists and policy makers, yet we know very little about the impact of this social change over time. This new study uses longitudinal data - information gathered over a considerable period of time - to provide new insights into the changing dynamics of lives of women today. In particular, it explores the potential of longitudinal or life course analysis as a powerful tool for appreciating the gender dimension of social life.The contributors view the data from a policy perspective and use comparative analysis from Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Japan to expand our understanding of women's life courses in relation to both men and women and the system of inequality.