Article Abstract:
Emile Durkheim's concept of moral individualism, a sense of personal rights and dignity that prevents widespread murder, is supported by an analysis of the murder rates in 29 countries during 1975-1980. The research indicates an inverse relationship between moral individualism and societal murder rates. While modernization and inequality may be factors causing variations in murder rates, cross-national research clearly supports the notion that murder decreases in societies that develop an overall sense of individual rights, civil freedom, and personal respect.
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Article Abstract:
The field of social monitoring is still in its infancy compared to the field of economic monitoring. The sporadic reporting and availability of social indicators make social problems seem uncontrollable and hopeless. This deficiency in social monitoring also increases the vulnerability of social policies to ideology and politics. The Fordham Institute for Innovation in Social Policy's annual Index of Social Health for the US is a commendable initiative in the development of a system of social indicators.
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Article Abstract:
This article evaluates the use of correlational data in social science research on violence. A reliance on correlational data without support from more robust statistical methods may result in unqualified causal statements and misleading findings on the causes of violent behavior.
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