Sociology and the Public Agenda.

Research from the thematic sessions of the 1990 American Sociological Association's annual meeting make up this commendable book. William Julius Wilson, as President of the American Sociological Association, sought scholarship displaying the relevance of sociology to the public agenda and the power that good social science can have in shaping the way social problems are defined, addressed, and evaluated. The eighteen chapters on issues ranging from cultural and historical definitions of citizenship, to American welfare policies, and American corporate mergers are strong examples of solid social research, where authors draw out policy implications, and based on their research, make policy proposals.

Several themes connect the articles, making this edited volume cohesive and enlightening. First, the studies all reveal the usefulness and accessibility of sociological research for public policy making. Second, the authors show how misnaming problems can lead to wasteful, or counterproductive, policies. One insight these scholars provide, then, are alternative visions, and perhaps more accurate portrayals, of what a social issue is about. For example, Peter H. Rossi in "The Politics of Homelessness" reminds us that defining the homeless problem in America as simply the lack of shelter, and a policy response which provides temporary shelter to the homeless, misnames the problem, misdirects the solution, and will probably not alleviate homelessness. The problem is the poverty and unemployment of the people (mostly males) who then find themselves homeless. To decrease their homelessness, they need job training and a steady income. Roberta M. Spalter-Roth et al.'s study, "Mothers, Children, and Low-Wage Work: The Ability to Earl A Family Wage," documents that women and children's poverty is not a "failure to marry" problem, but a problem of women's low wages combined with their child care costs. Third, the articles share a common theme in asking for more contextual and multi-dimensional research approaches in order to try to understand socia issues and set the public agenda for addressing social problems.

James P. Comer writes about his longitudinal, in-depth study of several public schools in New Haven. He examined, among many things, the context of schools for the student and their parents. Given the experiences many lower income parents have had with other public institutions, where their expectations are dashed and the institutions fail them once again, Comer stresses thta school reform needs to empower the parents and their children, thus altering the context in which they view their relationship to the public schools. comer believes programs based on these ideas can help inner-city, poor children learn better. Simerlarly, David Knoke advocates a more contextual approach to the study of political attitudes, including voting. Knoke notes that people's attitudes are shaped, in part, by their interpersonal social networks and social interactions. Yet, he maintains many voting studies do not include the social context of people's political opinions and voting decisions. Knoke, echoing a theme throughout this book, asks for more contextual analysis of people's social worlds. Many of the authors recommend an "ethnography" or "ethnographic" research approach. The authors display the benefits of such an approach, then, in their own research.

William Julius Wilson's overview essay, which includes his advocacy for the proper and useful role of social research in politics, is excellent. One of the few weakenesses of the volume is that a couple of the articles are a bit dated and should have been revised to include the 1992 elections. An update of Anne Wortham's analysis of the impact of the new right on American Politics, for example, would have been fascinating. Sociology and the Public Agenda is an insightful book for scholars of social policy, and all those interested in research design issues. The book is very relevant for political scientists engaged in policy research, interested in innovative research designs, and wondering about the "place" of the social scientist in setting public agendas.

Laura R. Woliver
University of South Carolina - Columbia