Social Sciences

Most people in the UK believe lone parents with children should be first in line for government subsidies for childcare and wages, according to research published today by the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr). However, the public also supports measures to encourage single mothers with school age children to take jobs by placing conditions on their benefits.

The chapter on public attitudes by Peter Taylor-Gooby, Professor of Social Policy at the University of Kent, is pa

At a time when the Government is aiming to increase the number of students in higher education (HE), a new book offers an analysis of the impact of higher tuition fees for students from low-income families and looks at how HE is organised in terms of progression for students from “alternative” entry routes.

Closing the Equity Gap: the impact of widening participation strategies in the UK and the USA – published by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) and edited by

Poor education may be linked to bad health, but simply putting more of us through university will not ensure adults are fit and well, according to new research sponsored by the ESRC.

Though highly educated men and women are generally healthier, what happens in childhood and beyond is key to our well-being later in life, says the study led by Dr. Tarani Chandola, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London (UCL).

And his report found no evid

Consumers use prior knowledge to judge purchasing decisions

Imagine a shiny new BMW sitting in your driveway. Now, imagine a shiny new Hyundai. Now, come up with one reason why you should drive that BMW. How about ten reasons? What about the Hyundai? A little bit harder isn’t it? An article in the June 2005 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research explores how and why consumers use prior information to decide to buy a BMW or a Hyundai.

According to the research of

(Can social factors explain sex differences in insomnia? Findings from a National Survey in Taiwan J Epidemiol Community Health 2005; 59: 488-94)

Women have higher rates of insomnia than men, but the better educated a woman is, the more likely she is to sleep through the night, finds a large study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Conversely, the better educated a man is, the less likely he is to get a good night’s sleep, the research shows.

The

Successful treatment of heroin abusers

The Kurage Program in Karlstad, Sweden, is a successful program for treating heroin abusers. This is shown in an assessment carried out by the Institute for Quality and Developmental Work, IKU, at Karlstad University.

The Kurage Program is a method of treatment in which heroin abusers receive help in gradually creating a new existence without drugs. The program includes the use of the drug Subutex in combination with well-developed s