Pamela Abbott – författare

These books provide a good introduction for the uninitiated to reading and doing research. Abbott and Sapsford provide a clearly written and accessible introduction to social research ... One of their aims is to ''de-mystify'' research, and in this they succeed admirably... After reading the text and the articles in the reader, and working through the various research exercises, readers should have a clear appreciation of how to evaluate other people''s research and how to begin their own.-David Field, Journal of Palliative Medicine

This book, now substantially revised in its second edition, is about the appreciation, evaluation and conduct of social research. Aimed at nurses, social workers, community workers and others in the caring professions, the book is particularly focused on research which evaluates and contributes to professional practice. The authors have provided many short, practical exercises in the text, and the examples are drawn mostly from projects carried out by one or two people rather than large research teams. The clear, accessible style will make this the ideal introductory text for those undertaking or studying research for the first time.

The book may be used in conjunction with Research into Practice (Open University Press), a reader of useful examples selected by the same authors.

This introductory text to evidence-based practice provides nurses and other health professionals with a clear idea of why they should use research information as a basis for high-quality patient care and how they should use that information in the clinical setting. In a logical progression which helps the student build knowledge systematically the text looksat:*the rationale for evidence-based care*what research is and approaches to it*the benefits of research to clinical practice*critical appraisal skills*reflective practice and decision-making*how to put research into practice*the importance of research disseminationA summary of essential points to remember is included at the end of each chapter and the text is firmly grounded in the clinical context. This book provides an indispensible reference guide suitable for use at all levels of training and practice.

This introductory text to evidence-based practice provides nurses and other health professionals with a clear idea of why they should use research information as a basis for high-quality patient care and how they should use that information in the clinical setting. In a logical progression which helps the student build knowledge systematically the text looksat:*the rationale for evidence-based care*what research is and approaches to it*the benefits of research to clinical practice*critical appraisal skills*reflective practice and decision-making*how to put research into practice*the importance of research disseminationA summary of essential points to remember is included at the end of each chapter and the text is firmly grounded in the clinical context. This book provides an indispensible reference guide suitable for use at all levels of training and practice.

The search for ‘the Decent Society’ – a fit place in which to live – has informed policy at both governmental and international level. This book analyses its nature and devises a consistent way of measuring the concept world-wide on the basis of a coherent theory of agency within social structure. Influenced by classical sociology and by the economist Amartya Sen, the book posits that societies need to create (a) economic security, (b) social cohesion, (c) social inclusion, and (d) the conditions for empowerment. The model is interactive and recursive; each component provides the requirements for each of the others.

This book outlines the sociopolitical framework underlying ’the Decent Society'' and summarises a decade of research, some of which has had a formative impact on governments’ policies. The first half contains studies of social quality based on surveys in the former Soviet Union and sub-Saharan Africa, while the second half describes the construction of a Decent Society Index for comparing very different countries across the world.

This book and the index it develops will be of interest both to academics and researchers in sociology, politics, economics, psychology, social policy and development studies and to policy-makers in government, local government and the NGOs.

The search for ‘the Decent Society’ – a fit place in which to live – has informed policy at both governmental and international level. This book analyses its nature and devises a consistent way of measuring the concept world-wide on the basis of a coherent theory of agency within social structure. Influenced by classical sociology and by the economist Amartya Sen, the book posits that societies need to create (a) economic security, (b) social cohesion, (c) social inclusion, and (d) the conditions for empowerment. The model is interactive and recursive; each component provides the requirements for each of the others.

This book outlines the sociopolitical framework underlying ’the Decent Society'' and summarises a decade of research, some of which has had a formative impact on governments’ policies. The first half contains studies of social quality based on surveys in the former Soviet Union and sub-Saharan Africa, while the second half describes the construction of a Decent Society Index for comparing very different countries across the world.

This book and the index it develops will be of interest both to academics and researchers in sociology, politics, economics, psychology, social policy and development studies and to policy-makers in government, local government and the NGOs.

New Directions in the Sociology of Health links a number of contemporary issues to a broader sociological framework. It discusses health policy and programmes aimed at public concerns like AIDS, drug use, tranquilizer dependency and alcohol abuse. The work of a para-medical and lay workers – not least women – in health and prevention is a major focus, with particular attention being paid to the elderly and ethnic groups. Papers dealing with health at work, health in the home, and public health policy complete a collection which illustrates how sociology in the 1990s can contribute to the prevention of illness and the maintenance of good health.

New Directions in the Sociology of Health links a number of contemporary issues to a broader sociological framework. It discusses health policy and programmes aimed at public concerns like AIDS, drug use, tranquilizer dependency and alcohol abuse. The work of a para-medical and lay workers – not least women – in health and prevention is a major focus, with particular attention being paid to the elderly and ethnic groups. Papers dealing with health at work, health in the home, and public health policy complete a collection which illustrates how sociology in the 1990s can contribute to the prevention of illness and the maintenance of good health.

This book explains why the EU is not a ‘normative actor’ in the Southern Mediterranean, and how and why EU democracy promotion fails. Drawing on a combination of discourse analysis of EU policy documents and evidence from opinion polls showing ‘what the people want’, the book shows EU policy fails because the EU promotes a conception of democracy which people do not share. Likewise, the EU’s strategies for economic development are misconceived because they do not reflect the people’s preferences for greater social justice and reducing inequalities. This double failure highlights a paradox of EU democracy promotion: while nominally emancipatory, it de facto undermines the very transitions to democracy and inclusive development it aims to pursue.