The implementation of good practice in school-based drug education : a stakeholder evaluation
This thesis analyses the delivery of drug education in the school setting through an exploration of the views, experiences and actions of two key stakeholders in the process: teachers with responsibility for programme co-ordination and development and pupils in the 15-16 year old age group. It is based on mixed methodology research carried out in schools in the East Midlands of England (1997-1999) and is inspired by post-positivist evaluation paradigms. Drawing on theories and models from sociology, psychology (communication theory), policy studies and health education, the thesis promotes understanding of factors helping and hindering the implementation of principles of good practice in drug education. The main reasons for a discrepancy between `ideals' and chalk face realities emerge as timetable constraints, a lack of confident and skilled delivery teachers and uncertainty in relation to the acceptability of a harm-reduction focus to programmes. Implicated, on a deeper level, are the dominant values in the education system and the ideology behind current drug control policy. The thesis develops a conceptual schema that captures the personal, interpersonal, organisational and wider, contextual influences behind patterns of variability in young people's take-up of drug education messages and indicates how these interrelate. It also sets out an argument that the key to efficacy in drug education lies in the sensitive tailoring of programmes to the pre-dispositions that young people bring to the process. The thesis concludes with recommendations for the future enhancement of policy and practice in this area.
Evaluating health promotion programs
The author, Thomas W Valente, is Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California School of Medicine. So the book is built on the author’s experience in evaluating health communication projects and in teaching programme evaluation to graduate level students in public health.

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Social capital theory: implications for public health
Issue addressed: This paper examines the theoretical foundations of social capital and suggests some of the implications for public health policy-making and research. Methods: The paper provides an overview of the origins of the concept of social capital, and examines the theories of James Coleman and Pierre Bourdieu in depth. Comparisons are drawn between the two theories, and their implicit assumptions about the nature of the relationship between the individual and society are analysed. The ways in which each theory has been used and the implications of each theory for public health are examined. Results: The paper argues that the two major theorists of social capital use very different perspectives. Coleman's rational choice perspective conceptualises social capital as the product of interactions between self-interested, rational individuals. Major limitations of this concept are its individualism, which results in failure to account for structure and power relationships, and its limited ability to capture the complexity of social relationships. Bourdieu's theory, in contrast, takes a conflict-structural approach that examines how people's access to resources shapes their position in society. Conclusions: The paper suggests that the two main conceptions of social capital may be useful for different purposes. Coleman's concept has rhetorical value in the current political environment but, due to its individualism, carries the risk of being misused and corrupted. Bourdieu's concept is more compatible with social justice and empowerment, but is less likely to be quantifiable. So what? Public health practitioners using the concept of social capital need to understand the world views that are embedded in the competing perspectives, and the implications of each in terms of rhetorical value, insights into social determinants of health and measurability. (author abstract)