Researching Street-level Bureaucracy: Bringing Out the Interpretive Dimensions (Routledge, 2024) is the first among a number of new titles in the Routledge Series on Interpretive Methods that we’ll be featuring on New Books in Interpretive Political and Social Science. In it, Mike Rowe discusses the continued relevance of the idea of street level bureaucracy, and the merits of adopting interpretive methodologies for studying frontline discretionary workers. He reflects on his own ethnographic and

Picture a young person arriving at their first mental health appointment, weighed down not only by their difficulties but also by the puzzle of navigating referrals, assessments, and uncertainty. Beneath the clinical process is a story shaped by hope, resilience, and the powerful impact of relationships and evidence in shaping outcomes. From stories of children and families seeking answers to frontline professionals looking for better ways to help, this episode, ‘Diagnosis with Heart: The Promise

From an early age, Rose Ann lived the party life. Decades later, as a wife, mom, and high-level executive, she found Jesus, but she couldn't find a reason to give up alcohol. Most programs required complete abstinence from substance use, but they couldn't explain the neuroscience behind addiction. Shortly after a divorce from a toxic marriage, Rose Ann found a program that psychologically and scientifically addressed substance use - and it worked for her. Throughout her recovery, she began applying

Professor Lucy Easthope is a leading authority on recovering from disaster and she joins our host Will Hutton in the first episode of Season 9 of the We Society.They discusses the long-term implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and other disasters on societal resilience. Drawing from her experiences and insights in emergency planning, she highlights the importance of community responses and the emotional significance of preserving personal belongings after a disaster. To find out more about

A conversation with Dr Paul Scriven, RMIT University about the relevance of Alfred Schütz’s phenomenological framework for exploring how players can have empathic social experiences with NPCs. Dr Scriven focuses on the ways in which technology reconfigures how we relate to each other, and to the world we live in. Informed by the phenomenological tradition, in particular the philosopher Alfred Schütz, his topics of interest and expertise include mediated interaction in virtual video game worlds, the

Queer Correctives: Discursive Neo-homophobia, Sexuality and Christianity in Singapore (Bloomsbury Academic, 2025) explores Christian discourses of sex and sexuality in Singapore to argue that metanoia, the theological concept of spiritual transformation, can be read as a form of neo-homophobia that coaxes change in the queer individual.In Singapore, Christian discourses of sex and sexuality have materialised in the form of testimonials that detail the pain and suffering of homosexuality, and how

Over the course of the last century, there has been an outsized incidence of conflict between democracies and personalist regimes—political systems where a single individual has undisputed executive power and prominence. In most cases, it has been the democratic side that has chosen to employ military force.  Why Democracies Fight Dictators (Oxford UP, 2025) takes up the question of why liberal democracies are so inclined to engage in conflict with personalist dictators. Building on research in

Over the centuries, we have learned to peer into what was once invisible. Imaging devices like cameras, telescopes, microscopes, and MRI machines map the world around, beyond, and within us in ways the naked eye could never see. In so doing, these technologies have transformed our understanding of our place in the universe and our conception of our own bodies--and we may be on the cusp of an even greater revolution.Daniel K. Sodickson--a physicist and biomedical imaging innovator--explores the

In this week's episode, our social work hosts discuss the reality of NFA in practice - the point at which CPS or the police decide not to proceed due to 'insufficient evidence.'Join the conversation every Friday morning. Created by social workers, for social workers.

In this episode of Route Notes, Wes and David reflect on inclusion, access, and the quiet power of systems designed with care. From a joyful moment of off-road driving with Wes’s newly licensed daughter to a breakthrough theater performance by David’s son Miles, they explore how moments of belonging—when thoughtfully created—can reshape lives and communities.They unpack the concept of universal design, tracing its implications from curb cuts and classroom accessibility to larger conversations about

On this episode of ABA Mom, host Allie Langan interviews Andrew Bortzner, a BCBA and owner of KT-ABA, who shares his unique journey into the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and his passion for integrating community outings and nature into therapy. Andrew discusses the importance of engaging clients in natural settings, such as parks and beaches, to promote social skills and reduce problem behaviors. He also shares his love for dinosaurs and how he incorporates this interest into his

What happens when the worst thing you’ve ever done becomes the foundation for your life’s work?Episode SummaryMy guest on this episode is Tom Hardin, otherwise known as Tipper X.  He's been on the show before, but this time we're tackling a different angle.If you don’t already know his story, Tom was a rising star in the hedge fund world in his twenties when he became involved in insider trading. Caught by the FBI, he made the decision to cooperate — ultimately becoming one of the most prolific

A cutting-edge volume on current trends in sex work, from sugar relationships and cyber brothels to financial domination, sex worker activism, and feminist pornSex is for sale in more ways than ever. It can be bought and sold online, in sex clubs, on the street, and around the world. As with many industries, discrimination, exploitation, and inequality persist in sex work. Yet it also offers autonomy, job satisfaction, and even pleasurable experiences for those involved. Sex Work Today: Erotic

Ways of Knowing: Oral Histories on the Worlds Words Create (Litwin Books, 2025) sits at the heart of the library project, shaping how materials are described and organized and how they can be retrieved. The field has long understood that normative systems like Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress do this inadequately and worse, deploying language and categories that are rooted in white supremacy, patriarchy, and U.S. imperialism. In Ways of Knowing, Emily Drabinski and Amanda Belantara present

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This is episode 101 of SWM, and Psychotherapist Hugh Mayers is our special guest. In our conversation, Hugh shares details about his career, and we take a deeper dive into his interesting work with young men at HM Prison Feltham following a difficult period, as well as his work with several school Pupil Referral Units and his meaningful therapeutic work with young Black boys. Hugh can be found on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and X, he hosts his own community radio talk show @https:/...

If you want to understand how misinformation works in general…and anyone who cares about democracy should right now…there’s no one better to talk to than researchers who have been studying climate misinformation for years. In today's episode, John Cook (University of Melbourne) and Dominik A. Stecuła (Colorado State University) join to walk us through everything the research is telling us so far. Reminder that you can get a copy of the book Climate Obstruction: A Global Survey here (and download

Urban Legends returns next week, but today, we’re sharing a guest episode from our friends at Weekly Spooky — one that connects closely to our most recent chapter.____On July 4, 1984, police dogs uncovered a shallow grave in the quiet town of Northport, Long Island. Inside lay the mutilated body of 17-year-old Gary Lauwers—stabbed more than 30 times in a drug-fueled frenzy by his friend Ricky “The Acid King” Kasso. Within days, the story became national news, sparking headlines of Satanic sacrifice

Welcome to our annual month of creepy topics! We are kicking off this year's selection with an overview of various conceptuatlizations of Hell from the perspectives of different religions and denominations. How common is the idea of Hell and why do so many traditions embrace this idea?We are excited to get started!RecommendationsAbraham: Shrinking (https://tv.apple.com/us/show/shrinking/umc.cmc.apzybj6eqf6pzccd97kev7bs) Shane: 28 Years Later (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10548174/)Holidays

Send us a text This episode explores Book 2 of Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, focusing on his revolutionary concept of the "division of stock" and how capital accumulation drives economic growth. • Smith distinguishes between fixed capital (machines, buildings, land improvements) and circulating capital (money, goods in transit) • Money is described as "the great wheel of circulation" – necessary but not productive in itself • Banking allows society to economize on expensive metallic curren...