ABSTRACT
The situation is complicated by semantic and cultural problems, and by ethical dilemmas. The researcher is often confronted by differences in reporting procedures, variances in definition and terminology, diversity of sources and of their range. Researchers in developed nations tend to concentrate on countries which, they believe, can usefully inform their policy deliberations because of similar levels of development and similarities in historical, cultural or psychological backgrounds. In regard to both types of studies researchers have learned to be cautious about simplistic solutions to the problems they encounter. Most researchers would probably agree with Vladimir Rys that the ideal comparison is holistic because the workings of social institutions cannot be understood nor compared outside the social whole. The literature likewise often refers to the ambiguity of data in the social welfare field — a feature that is generated by the ambiguity of the social world.
