Macro Forces Research Articles

Education and Religion in Shaping Support for Same-Sex Relations: Considering Differences Over Time and Across Geographical Areas

Abstract Across the world, attitudes about same-sex relationships have become rapidly more supportive. While education is typically viewed as a liberalizing force, religious beliefs are often seen as restricting more tolerant perspectives and contributing to more conservative attitudes in general. Focusing on the United States, this study examines the roles of religion and education, as individual and group properties, for understanding disapproval of same-sex relationships. Drawing on restricted information that makes it possible to identify where General Social Survey respondents lived, we find that graduating from college is associated with more support, but has less of an effect on Evangelicals and more religiously engaged people. Moreover, we find that residents in areas with higher overall levels of education became liberal faster, irrespective of whether or not they had a college degree. Our findings speak to the power of education and religion, as micro and macro forces, for understanding public opinion about same-sex relations over time.

‘We did not want to marry then, but’: understanding early marriage among Muslims in the context of the ‘Kerala model’ of development

Kerala, the Indian state with the highest reported level of social development, faces a challenge with persistent early marriage, particularly among Muslims in Malappuram. This study explores the sociocultural factors influencing this situation, in which child marriage rates among Muslims are significantly higher than those of Hindus and Christians. Employing a qualitative research strategy within a specific Malappuram mahallu, a Muslim-majority village cluster encompassing three villages, we identify a multifaceted interplay of micro and macro forces perpetuating early marriage. Lack of social networks, stemming from limited higher education options and career opportunities, restricts girls’ choices and makes them susceptible to parental pressure to marry early. Parents, on the other hand, often view early marriage as an appropriate solution to their anxieties concerning parental responsibility, dowry and family honour. This pressure is amplified by the narrative promoted by religious leaders who portray early marriage as the ideal path. This narrative, in turn, resonates with a subset of young men, particularly temporary Gulf migrants who prefer to marry adolescent girls, thereby perpetuating the cycle. We also argue that, unlike most regions in India, poverty and illiteracy are not the primary drivers of early marriage among Muslims in Malappuram.

On becoming a queer educator: reflections on queer perspectives and approaches in initial teacher education

ABSTRACT This paper will explores the experiences of embedding queer perspectives and approaches into Initial Teacher Education (ITE). Initial teacher education is a topic of great interest; however, little is known about how teacher educators and teacher training institutions can support queer preservice and graduate teachers’ transition into their chosen profession. Queer educators face unique challenges, including homophobia and transphobia, covert and complex norms that regulate and silence queer identities, and systemic, macro forces that play out in everyday work. This article explores the literature on this topic. A brief review of the literature contextualizes issues relevant to this article to frame an account of four reflective vignettes that illustrate key concepts. Concepts including queerness and queer identities, heterocentricity, heteroprofessionalism, the nature and impact of homophobia and transphobia in educational contexts, neoliberalism, critical theory and critical literacies are used to connect the reflective vignettes to these ideas. It concludes with recommendations for teacher educators and training institutions and future research. Recommendations for teachers and teacher educators are relayed including the facilitation of spaces for queer and allied educators as well as strategies for queering curriculum.

Analysis of the Micro and Macro Forces for Change and Design of Organization Development Interventions for Business Organizations in Pakistan

Analysis of the Micro and Macro Forces for Change and Design of Organization Development Interventions for Business Organizations in Pakistan

Normal force on the asteroid regolith generated by the impact of lander footpad

The landing of a probe on the surface of an asteroid can produce a stable operating platform and obtain vital data describing the mechanical response of the asteroid material. The fine-grained regolith area on the asteroid surface is essential in cushioning the probe from impact energy and in avoiding the risk raised by the large protruding rocks during the landing of the probe. Models incorporating macro forces explaining the interaction between the landing terminal of the probe and the regolith on the asteroid surface conclusively reflect the mechanical process and characteristics of the interaction, making them particularly suitable to analyze and control the landing process of the probe. In this paper, we study the macro normal force of the interaction between the footpad of a legged probe and the regolith on the asteroid surface with particular attention paid to the mathematical expression of the force model and the contribution of the most essential soil parameters. The ultimate bearing theory of soil mechanics is extended to discuss the mathematical model of the macro normal force on the asteroid regolith in a micro-gravity environment undergoing different damage modes. Subsequently, a series of discrete element method simulations are implemented to verify the normal force model and to analyze its characteristics under the influence of landing impact. On the basis, the effect modes of several most essential soil parameters of soil porosity, particle size and cohesive strength are revealed through a robust regression analysis of the simulation data. Next, the correlation coefficients of the effects of soil parameters on the macro normal force are researched. The model of macro normal force established in this paper can be used to facilitate an effective performance analysis in the development of the landing-cushioning mechanism of the probe, as well as to conclude a reference for the most essential soil properties parameters of the asteroid regolith via the inverse solution of the interaction data recorded in actual landing missions.

Consumption of Visually Impaired Students Based on the Theory of Consumer Vulnerability and Resilience

This study analyzes the consumption of elementary-school educational service by visually impaired individuals based on the theory of consumer vulnerability and resilience of Baker and Mason (2012). To this end, an ethnographic investigation was performed on a non-governmental organization (NGO) involved in the education of visually impaired students and conducted in accordance with the procedure of Transformative Consumer Research described by Crockett, Downey, Firat et al. (2013). Data were collected through narrative interviews with 16 elementary-school students, six in-depth interviews with managers and teachers from the NGO Lar, and five in-depth interviews with the guardians of the students, in addition to seven months of participant observations. The data were analyzed using the data analysis spiral technique. The results indicate that pressures from the individual, family, school community, and macro forces caused the state of vulnerability. Impotence in the face of practices by school managers and teachers as well as dependence on friendly schools appeared in the form of shock caused by two triggers events: the attempt to enroll students and the first days of school. The resilience of the consumers, the school community, and the NGO contributed to reduce the vulnerability.

Resistance and Submission: A Case Study of the Training of DV Advocates

ABSTRACT Domestic violence work typically happens within the confines of significant macro forces that shape most social work practice, including but not limited to neoliberalism, criminalization and professionalization. Using the concept of professional resistance, we discuss and present our case study research that sought to understand how these intersecting macro forces shape domestic violence advocacy training in Oregon. House Bill (HB) 3476 established privilege for certain communications between people seeking DV services and “certified advocates.” This bill mandates training for advocates as a condition for accessing privileged communications. Our research suggests that understanding dynamics of power, resistance, and compliance with macro forces that shape domestic violence advocacy training and consequently social work require epistemologies that move us beyond binary thinking, and toward the assemblage of complicated dynamics.

Food industry and engineering—Quo vadis?

Food industry and engineering—Quo vadis?

Supporting Black women's pursuits in STEM

AbstractResearch related to achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) does not provide a clear understanding of the conditions that influence the experiences and performance of Black women. Studies make it difficult to tease out the forces shaping student aspirations and outcomes in STEM, which can lead to flawed explanations that do not take in account the influence of macro forces that can structure students' pathways to degree. This study addresses these concerns by identifying and exploring the opportunities—both past and present—that facilitate the achievement of Black women undergraduate students in STEM at 10 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Slow scholarship for social work: A praxis of resistance and creativity

Expediency, efficiency, and rapid production within compressed time frames represent markers for research and scholarship within the neoliberal academe. Scholars who wish to resist these practices of knowledge production have articulated the need for Slow scholarship—a slower pace to make room for thinking, creativity, and useful knowledge. While these calls are important for drawing attention to the costs and problems of the neoliberal academy, many scholars have moved beyond “slow” as being uniquely referencing pace and duration, by calling for the different conceptualizations of time, space, and knowing. Guided by post-structural feminisms, we engaged in a research project that moved at the pace of trust in the integrity of our ideas and relationships. Our case study aimed to better understand the ways macro forces such as neoliberalism, criminalization and professionalization shape domestic violence work. This article discusses our praxis of Slow scholarship by showcasing four specific key markers of Slow scholarship in our research; time reimagined, a relational ontology, moving inside and towards complexity, and embodiment. We discuss how Slow scholarship complicates how we understand constructs of productivity and knowledge production, as well as map the ways Slow scholarship offers a praxis of resistance for generating power from the epistemic margins within social work and the neoliberal academy.

Career counselling with life design in a collectivist cultural context: An action research study

Large-scale macro forces are restructuring forms of work in urban India creating the need for alternative methods of career counselling. This research explores the application of a US-based approach to constructing careers i.e. Life-Design Career Counseling (i. e., LDC) with two mid-career professionals in India. Data consisted of client responses to different narrative career counselling exercises such as a lifeline activity, a career construction interview and semi-structured feedback interviews. Action research's focus on reflexivity helped integrate theory with practice to contribute to knowledge production and meaningful innovations within practice. Findings from this research underscored the importance of relationship, reflection and sense-making and the need for India to utilise a culturally resonant career intervention. The study holds value for career professionals, in India and beyond where LDC is still unexplored. Moreover, LDC practitioners in non-Western countries and collectivist societies will benefit from a contextual adaptation that encourages focus on client learning.

Institutional Logics, Gender, and Advertising Within a Culture in Transition: Examining Strategies of Advertising Professionals in Turkey for Managing Institutional Complexity

Advertisers face longstanding challenges—perhaps more acute under shifting cultural and gender forces such as the global #metoo movement—in creating gendered messages. This research builds on work at the intersection of gender, advertising and institutions, which bridges macro and micro issues faced by advertising professionals, to explore the unique East-West context of Turkey. Using institutional theory as a lens to examine a context in transition, this research illustrates how macro forces permeate four logics from which advertising professionals draw, specifically logics of: gender roles, power, duality, and risk. It further identifies strategies that advertising professionals utilize to manage increasing institutional complexity when creating gendered messages amidst competing logics. This study contributes to an understanding of how advertising professionals engage in institutional work within broader macro realities and the impact this has on the creation of gendered messages in society. Implications for consumer welfare, particularly regarding gender relations, are offered.

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst: barriers to service innovation

PurposeDespite the growing scholarly interest in service innovation and its associated benefits for organizations, research into the barriers to developing new services remains scant. In addition, most of these studies have been mainly conducted at the firm level, failing to incorporate macro forces in the industry. To fill this gap, this study aims to investigate major industry trends as well as organizational attributes that affect organizations’ capability in designing innovative services.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach was used. In all, 21 semi-structured interviews with senior executives in different banks were conducted to collect data. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis.FindingsThe results of this study suggest that privatization, technological shortcomings, legislative inefficiencies and deposit orientation instead of market orientation were major industry trends that affect service innovation. Furthermore, ambiguity in knowledge management regimes, silo mentality and the absence of a collaborative organizational culture, growing need to focus on human capital and risk aversion were the main organizational attributes that should be addressed for effective service innovation.Practical implicationsService innovation is a strategic asset for organizations. To effectively leverage the benefits, managers should have an end-to-end approach toward the subject. The findings of this study would inform managers of different obstacles in the development of new services from an organizational and industry-wide perspective. Based on the outputs of the interviews and a thorough review of the literature, managerial implications are presented.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few studies that explores service innovation challenges at both macro and micro levels of analysis, providing a more holistic view of the phenomenon in the context of service organizations.

Keys to Better Water Management: Seeking Sustainability Amid the Chaos

Here we go again. A series of unexpected circumstances have intersected to drive oil markets down, causing myriad challenges for operators and service companies alike. A virus pandemic erupts, shutting down global economies and thus the demand for oil. Ongoing disagreements between OPEC, Saudi Arabia, and Russia on a response strategy and increased production sees global crude prices drop to the $20 range, something we have not seen in decades. Compounding the crisis in North America is the market influence over the past few years, which drove operators to focus on cash flow and profitability over production and capital discipline with limited access to equity and additional debt. Operators will need to work closely with service providers to once again make step changes in optimizing value, improving efficiency, and eliminating downtime and wasted resources. The New Normal Speculation as to the duration of this crisis is just that: speculation. The macro forces fueling it, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the price war between OPEC and Russia are beyond our control. In terms of business, it is wiser and more prudent to focus on what we can control. Even before the recent events, most operators and service providers had already been revising their strategies, shifting from production growth to profit growth, in response to dwindling investment. We can expect that trend to intensify. There will be an increased emphasis on making operations more efficient and leaner with fewer resources and less susceptible to incidents and interruptions that lead to downtime. Further, investors are continuing to prioritize ESG factors (environment, social, and governance) alongside profitability. The room for error and cost overruns just got a lot smaller. It is a well-worn cliché but perfectly apt right now: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. As challenging as the current market climate is, it nonetheless presents us with opportunities to adopt more sustainable and more efficient solutions; among them is better water management. Given the ratio of produced water to oil—up to 10 bbl for every 1 bbl of oil—development of unconventional assets has required increasing the focus on water management operations. To hydraulically fracture a single well requires millions of gallons of water, water that is frequently sourced elsewhere and transported to the fracturing site via truck. Hydraulic fracturing produces millions of barrels of water from the reservoir in addition to the oil. The produced water, along with any recovered frac water (flowback), contains sands, salts, and metals that make it challenging to reuse directly in fracturing or otherwise. The more sustainable and more efficient solution is to recycle the flowback and produced water. It entails desanding, filtering, and treating the flowback and produced waters, blending it to applicable specifications, safely storing it, and finally transferring the recycled water to the wellsite for use as a fracturing fluid. A comprehensive, integrated, and automated closed-loop water management system can render flowback and produced water into a suitable base fluid for fracturing. Such a system not only brings more sustainability, accuracy, and efficiency to water management, it is cost-effective, especially now amid this volatile market.

A Research Tapestry: Stories Woven into Stories

This autoethnography highlights the subjective nature of narrative research and illustrates the ways in which both micro and macro forces impact the research process. Through this article, I present a research tapestry in which the experiences, perspectives and stories of the participants weave together with my own experiences, perspectives and stories. I draw from my dissertation research, a narrative inquiry focused on the experiences of Haitian educational leaders working to create systemic change after the 2010 earthquake.

Neighborhood Effects on Children's Development in Experimental and Nonexperimental Research

Children's neighborhood contexts are defined by rising socioeconomic inequality and segregation. This article reviews several decades of research on how neighborhood socioeconomic conditions are associated with children's development. The nonexperimental literature suggests that the most salient neighborhood socioeconomic condition depends on the outcome—disadvantage for social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes and advantage for achievement-related outcomes. Moreover, children's cumulative exposure to neighborhood socioeconomic conditions over the first two decades of life, and possibly especially in childhood, may matter most for later development. These findings are partially supported by the few experimental studies available, and across study designs, neighborhood effects are typically modest. In order to improve our understanding of this topic, we recommend methodologically rigorous designs—experimental and nonexperimental—and comparative approaches, particularly ones addressing the complexities of development in neighborhood contexts. To guide this research, we provide an integrated framework that captures a broad and dynamic perspective including macro forces, neighborhood social processes and resources, physical features, spatial dynamics, and individual differences.

The transmission of violence and trauma across development and environmental contexts: Intimate partner violence from the perspective of men with histories of perpetration

BackgroundResearch has established a relation between ecological contexts and intimate partner violence (IPV), but little is known about how environmental factors affect childhood development over time and culminate in IPV perpetration from the perspective of men who perpetrated IPV. MethodsUsing grounded theory, this study employed focus groups with 32 predominately low-income, African American men in batterer intervention programs to explore factors and processes through which families, neighborhoods, and policy influence men's development, contributing to their use of IPV. Using an inductive approach, the researchers cycled between data collection and analysis resulting in a parsimonious conceptual model validated by participants. ResultsThree core categories emerged from focused and axial coding: adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma, structural forces, and systemic forces. Theoretical coding illuminated how these core categories relate to each other, producing a collective narrative illustrating how environmental contexts contributed to men’s development. Study participants described childhood exposure to adversity and trauma within the home that diminished essential foundations of trust and safety. Positive (e.g., Old Heads, matriarchs) and negative (e.g., gangs, community violence) structural neighborhood forces influenced the social learning of violence and exposed participants to re-traumatization outside the home during their adolescence. Finally, key macro forces such as mass incarceration exacerbated violence and trauma exposure through the proliferation of high-risk neighborhoods, predisposing men toward IPV as young adults. ConclusionsFindings reinforce the notion that environmental stress not buffered by protective adults profoundly affects development and behavior. From the perspective of male perpetrators, our results help identify those stressors and how they might contribute to male-to-female IPV.

The Every Day Work of Studying the Law in Everyday Life

Susan Silbey began her academic training in political science and in the course of her studies became a sociologist of law, the last two decades as a member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's anthropology department and management school. The disciplinary transformations ground, in part, her attention to the ways in which the everyday life of scholarship has led her to study the everyday life of the law. In this article, she describes her scholarly life through seven chapters of relatively distinct challenges and themes. Across the arc of her life, she identifies the recurrent influence of both serendipity and theoretical inference acting within the immediate constraints of family and personal capacity. Reading across descriptions of her work on regulatory enforcement, dispute negotiation and mediation, and popular legal culture and consciousness, she points to the necessity of reconciling on-the-ground vicissitudes of doing legal work with the theories and narratives social scientists construct to make sense of institutions and history. She muses on theoretical attempts to align the particular and the general, the micro and macro forces working in legal cultures, and concludes by celebrating the ubiquity of social ordering whose own momentum both seduces and frustrates social scientists.

Socially-Engineered Trauma and a New Social Work Pedagogy: Socioeducation as a Critical Foundation of Social Work Practice

ABSTRACTRecent social science data identifies white supremacist racism, neoliberal economic policies and cisgender-heteropatriarchy as three primary systemic engines of traumatic outcomes at the individual level. Social work pedagogy, however, fails to identify such experiences as socially-engineered trauma (SET). Lacking an explicitly anti-oppressive pedagogy, social workers attend to micro-level traumas while ignoring the macro forces leading to trauma exposure among certain populations. The term socioeducation is introduced as a method for discussing macro social systems with clients to support trauma recovery, with the goal of catalyzing client and worker participation in social justice movements seeking to disrupt oppressive systems.

From Apples and Cases to Barrels and Orchards: Macro-Level Drivers of Workplace Abuse

Workplace abuse, broadly defined as interpersonal mistreatment against employees in the workplace that might harm or injure them and contribute to a hostile work environment, is one of the most pervasive and harmful problems faced by organizations worldwide. In the current symposium, we focus attention on the macro-level drivers of workplace abuse that occur within organizations and in society more generally. At the societal level, we will have one paper about important global trends affecting today’s organizations. The paper investigates how, why, and for whom these macro forces have implications when it comes to workplace harassment. At the organizational level, we will have three papers, one dedicated to unpacking the multiple dimensions of organizational tolerance for abuse. Two more papers will focus on structural organizational features, namely the mechanisms of communication, and structural pay inequality that can impact perceptions of interpersonal abuse at work. We argue that a stronger focus on studying the “barrel” and “orchard”, rather than “apples” and “cases”, can enhance our understanding of social and structural factors that underpin everyday workplace interactions and help us identify new avenues of theorizing and practice to prevent interpersonal workplace abuse.