Wendy Olsen

Consumption and the Problem of Variety: Cultural Omnivorousness, Social Distinction and Dining Out

In the light of the work of Pierre Bourdieu, this paper begins by reviewing an argument that Western populations no longer recognise any fixed cultural hierarchy and that, instead, individuals seek knowledge of an increasingly wide variety of aesthetically equivalent cultural genres. Contrasting versions of this argument are isolated. Data concerning the frequency of use of different commercial sources of meals and the social characteristics of customers using different types of restaurant in England are examined. An attempt is made to infer the social and symbolic significance of variety of experience and, in particular, of familiarity with diverse ethnic cuisines. The findings are interpreted in terms of the complex role of consumption in personal assurance, communicative competence and social distinction. It is maintained that the pursuit of variety of consumer experience is a feature of particular social groups and that some specific component practices express social distinction.

Changes in the Practice of Eating A Comparative Analysis of Time-Use

This article examines changes in aspects of the eating habits of the populations of five countries between the early 1970s and the end of the 1990s. Time-use diary data provide the main evidence, which is subjected to techniques of statistical description and regression analysis. The study of France, UK, USA, Norway and the Netherlands shows considerable national variation in patterns of food preparation, eating at home and eating out. Each of these components of the practice of eating is examined for indications of whether there are any tendencies towards dedifferentiation within countries or convergence across countries. There are some common patterns across countries, notably a decline in the amount of time devoted to food preparation. Time spent on eating at home reduces in all countries except France. In the USA, time devoted to domestic food preparation and consumption is minimal. Internal differentiation shows continuities — of gender divisions and age-related behaviour — but also new emergent tendencies — with the presence of children and levels of cultural capital becoming significant predictors of behaviour. It is maintained that the analysis of time-use provides a useful framework for comparing practices in different countries and that the variation revealed might best be understood in terms of different modes of institutionalization of consumption.

Social Differentiation and the Market for Eating Out in the UK

Abstract Data collected under the ESRC Research Programme `The Nations Diet: The Social Science of Food Choice’ offer an opportunity for detailed analysis of British eating-out habits. 1001 respondents in Bristol, London and Preston reported on their use of various types of eating-out venue. We find evidence of considerable market segmentation. The eating-out product is significantly differentiated, with `ethnic’ venues appealing to certain social groups for particular reasons. The paper uses logistic regression to distinguish the factors affecting the probability of exposure to each type of restaurant. Age, earnings and household income are important but vary in their specific effects. We find additional, independent effects of locality, occupational class, education, and ethnicity. We describe and recommend logistic regression as an analytic technique for explaining differential participation in the selection between different types of places to eat out.

Disability in the UK: measuring equality

In this article we identify the key survey data for examining the issue of equality in the lives of disabled people in the UK. Such data is essential for assessing change in quality of life over time and for the evaluation of the impact of policy initiatives. For each data source we consider definitions, data collection, issue coverage, sample size and data access. It is evident that there is only limited survey data on the lives of disabled people in the UK. A number of national surveys include questions on disability, but many offer only limited coverage. There is a tendency to focus on the medical aspects of disability and a failure to clearly distinguish disability from other health issues. Moreover, disability definitions vary and sample sizes are often too small to compare differences by age, gender, ethnicity or locality. For effective policy development there is a need to identify and measure what leads to change in disabled peoples’ lives.

Pluralism, poverty and sharecropping: Cultivating open-mindedness in development studies

Abstract Pluralism adds depth to the mixing of methods in development studies. Global society has both structure and complexity, and agents within society actively promote competing ways of describing and interpreting that society. Theoretical pluralism offers a way for social scientists to describe and judge the competing theories about a given social situation. (Methodological pluralism is also discussed in this paper.) An example – tenancy in India – is explored to illustrate how pluralists compare theories. The tenancy literature includes neoclassical, institutionalist, and Marxist theories. These cut across three academic disciplines. Pluralist research is often interdisciplinary in such ways. Such interdisciplinary research generates a dialogue across epistemological chasms and across theories that have different underlying assumptions. Pluralist research can be valued for its discursive bridging function. Pluralist research can also contribute to improvements in scientific measurement. Divergent schools of thought can be brought into contact by reconceptualising the objects of research, such as contracts or coercion. In the tenancy literature, alternative ways of measuring and interpreting power arose. Structuralist approaches tended to assume poverty and inequality as part of the context within which economic action takes place. Strengths and weaknesses of such assumptions are examined. The approach recommended here, which is realist, makes possible an improved dialogue about policy changes aimed at poverty reduction.

Data Collection: Key Debates and Methods in Social Research.

PART ONE: DATA COLLECTION: AN INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH PRACTICES Research and Data Collection Findings Data Causes Sampling Further Reading for Part One PART TWO: COLLECTING QUALITATIVE DATA Interviews Transcripts Coding Meaning Interpretation Observer Bias Representations Focus Groups Document Analysis Accuracy Ethical Clearance Further Reading for Part Two PART THREE: OBSERVATION AND INVOLVED METHODS Participation Praxis Action Research Observation Methods Online Data Collection Further Reading for Part Three PART FOUR: EXPERIMENTAL AND SYSTEMATIC DATA COLLECTION Questionnaire Design Handling Treatment Data The Ethics of Volunteers Market-Research Techniques Creating Systematic Case Study Data Further Reading for Part Four PART FIVE: SURVEY METHODS FOR DATA COLLECTION Operationalisation Measurement Causality Data Cleaning Data Extraction Outliers Subsetting of Data Survey Weights Further Reading for Part Five PART SIX: THE CASE STUDY METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION Case Study Research Comparative Research Configurations Contingency Causal Mechanisms Further Reading for Part Six PART SEVEN: CONCLUDING SUGGESTIONS ABOUT DATA COLLECTION CONCEPTS Facts Reality Retroduction Further Reading for Part Seven

Religion in the UK: An Overview of Equality Statistics and Evidence Gaps

Social survey data is essential to measuring equality, for the assessment of change over time, and to the evaluation of the impact of new policies. In this article we have identified and evaluated the statistical data and evidence on religion in the UK in relation to key policy areas, such as employment, housing, health, education, and criminal justice. For each data source, we consider definitions, data collection, coverage of issues, sample size, and data access. We examine the multi-faceted nature of religion and consider the links between religious and ethnic identities. We also outline models that can link religious identity to equality outcomes (and hence potentially allow the measurement of discrimination) and identify the evidence gaps. The UK has one of the most religiously diverse populations in the European Union, both in terms of diversity within Christianity and between different world religions. However, while religion is increasingly recognised, in both legal and policy terms, as an important equality issue, the data on the dynamics of religion in the UK are limited. The inclusion of a new question on religion in the 2001 Census in England, Scotland, and Wales is a major new source of data, but data are limited regarding the role and significance of religion in peoples everyday lives, particularly among ethnic minority populations. It is clear that there is a need for a far more comprehensive and rounded approach to data on religion in the UK, which takes account of its multi-dimensional nature. *This article is dedicated to the memory of one of the authors, Dr Alasdair Crockett, who died suddenly in September 2006. He is a sadly missed expert in social science.

Practices and trajectories: A comparative analysis of reading in France, Norway, the Netherlands, the UK and the USA

Using time diary data to examine practices of reading, this article examines trajectories of change within five countries in the last quarter of the 20th century. It employs a conceptual framework derived from theories of practice to illustrate their application in a quantitative and comparative analysis of change in patterns of consumption. Analysing recruitment and defection, the multiplication and diversification of reading-related practices, and the presence of distinct enthusiast groups leads to the rejection of popular claims that the practice of reading is in decline and that this might be a universal process across societies characterized as having ‘advanced reading cultures’. Critiques of cultural homogenization in the context of global consumer cultures are also corroborated. Also, a conceptual and methodological framework for the application of practice theories to the analysis of consumption and social change is advocated.

Surveying sexual orientation: Asking difficult questions and providing useful answers

Social survey data is essential to measuring equality, to assessing change over time and to the evaluation of the impact of new policies. In this article, we identified and evaluated the survey evidence for assessing equality in relation to sexual orientation in the UK. We reviewed the available survey data in relation to key policy areas such as criminal justice, employment and health. Our analysis suggests that there is only limited survey evidence on the circumstances of gays, lesbians and bisexuals in the UK. This poses major barriers for driving forward an agenda of social justice in relation to gay, lesbian and bisexual citizens. Robust research methodologies need to be developed and resourced in order to gain a representative picture of the socioeconomic circumstances of gay, lesbian and bisexual populations in the UK and to assess how they maybe changing over time.

Paradigms and Reality in Micro-Finance: The Indian Case

In India, micro-finance has grown rapidly. We examine qualitative local data on micro-finance in southern Andhra Pradesh. We compare and contrast Mayouxs three paradigms of micro-finance as being differentiated by their assumptions, their claims, and the mode of operation of those who adhere to them. Each paradigm offers a grounding for practice as well as a mode of discourse for microfinance practitioners. In Andhra Pradesh, the empowerment paradigm is fading away compared with the financial sustainability paradigm of micro-finance. The anti-poverty paradigm is also muted. The financial sustainability school is presently dominant in this complex micro-enterprise scene.