Meanings and Measures - Strengthening Mixed Methods in Nordic
Comparative Alcohol and Drug Research (MISCHMASCH)

MISCHMASCH is a Nordic social scientific research network on alcohol, drugs and addictions funded by a research grant  from Nordforsk. The network will arrange activities between September 2009 and March 2012.

The aim is to stimulate to the employment of mixed methods in comparative Nordic research in the field of alcohol and drugs.

The network:

- arranges conferences and research training

- offers a possibility for Nordic researchers to make short visits (1-2 weeks) at partner institutions

- aims for further future cooperation in terms of new or extended joint Nordic projects

The network aims at strengthening the use of mixed methods in contemporary studies on alcohol and drug use in the Nordic countries, with a special interest in involving PhD students and early stage researchers. The network acknowledges a mutual need to invest further in method elaboration in order to adjust knowledge production to new societal contexts and needs, and for internationally creating a Nordic expertise-profile in mixed-methodological comparative studies.

One point of departure is the thought that the position and function of substance use and intoxication are changing in the Nordic countries and elsewhere along with lifestyle changes related to both abstract circumstances like modern citizens' identity formation in a globalized world, but also regarding everyday practical arrangements like new communication technology.

The main aim is to strengthen methodological aspects within comparative Nordic research on use and misuse of addictive substances. The network will also introduce and directly involve a younger generation of researchers into comparative social research, open up future possibilities for innovative research designs and cooperation prospects in the alcohol and drug field.

Soc. Sc, Adjunct Professor Pekka Hakkarainen serves as the scientific project leader.

Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social Issues (NVC) is the Project managing institution.

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