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"Das Forschungsinteresse westeuropäischer Wirtschaftshistoriker hat sich den jeweiligen ökonomischen Problemen der Zeit flexibel angepaßt. Nachdem es sich zunächst auf die Wirtschaftskonjunkturen gerichtet hatte, verlagerte es sich auf das Wirtschaftswachstum. Gegen Ende der euphorischen 1960er Jahre widmete man sich allerdings erneut der Untersuchung langer Wellen. Zu einem großen Teil befaßte sich die quantitative Wirtschaftsgeschichte mit der Erstellung einer Datenbasis. Daneben gab es bedeutende empirische Untersuchungen, die Auswirkungen auf die Wirtschaftstheorie ausübten. Die aus Amerika stammende New Economic History School zeigte keine allzu lang anhaltende Wirkung in Westeuropa. Gründe dafür wurden ausführlich an anderer Stelle dargelegt. Wichtiger ist allerdings wohl, daß westeuropäische Wirtschaftshistoriker neben dem Aufbau stärker abgesicherter Datensammlungen bedeutsame Änderungen in der Wirtschaftstheorie herbeiführten. Mit diesen wichtigen Änderungen der Theorie ist der Historiker aus der Zwangslage befreit, nun jedes wirtschaftshistorische Phänomen dem neoklassischen Rahmen einfügen zu müssen. Bei stärkerem Einsatz statistisch-ökonomischer Methoden werden die Wirtschaftshistoriker noch weiteren Einfluß auf die Wirtschaftstheorie nehmen können. So müßten die volkswirtschaftlichen Gesamtrechnungen, die bisher aufgestellt wurden, gründlich überprüft werden, selbst wenn sie einst in der Nachkriegszeit einen Meilenstein der Forschung darstellten. Die konstanten durchschnittlichen Wachstumsraten, die in diese volkswirtschaftlichen Gesamtrechnungen eingingen, müssen abgeändert werden. Man kann erwarten, daß das Forschungsprojekt zur Produktivitätsentwicklung, an dem jetzt gearbeitet wird, einen wichtigen Beitrag sowohl zu empirischen als auch zu theoretischen Aspekten zu leisten vermag. Bei der Forschung über die langen Wellen muß sicher mehr Gewicht auf die entscheidenden Komponenten des wirtschaftlichen Fortschritts gelegt werden, nämlich auf Vorgänge der Faktorsubstitution und der Faktorverwendung. Größere Aufmerksamkeit sollte auch den Länder- und Sektorenvergleichen zukommen, mit denen man jeweils ein Führen oder Nachhinken ('leads' und 'lags') aufspüren könnte." (Autorenreferat)

Die armenische Verfassung sieht eine Trennung der Armenischen Apostolischen Kirche vom Staat vor. Es gibt keine religiösen Schulen, die allgemeine Bildungsdienste anbieten oder Religionsunterricht im Curriculum vorsehen. Dennoch existiert im offiziellen Curriculum der Schulen ein Schulfach mit dem Titel "Geschichte der armenischen Kirche". Der Beitrag wirft einen genaueren Blick auf die Trennung von Staat und Kirche in Armenien. Der Fokus liegt dabei auf dem Bildungswesen als staatlicher Institution und der "Armenischen Apostolischen Kirche". Der Beitrag untersucht das Spezifische der Entwicklungen in Armenien, angefangen mit der Einführung von Religion in Schulen im postsowjetischen Armenien. Der Artikel basiert auf ethnographischen Feldstudien in Schulen sowie auf Analysen der Schulcurricula, Schulbücher, rechtlicher Grundlagen und öffentlicher Diskussionen. (ICA2).

After briefly tracing the development of cultural policy in Singapore since the country's independence in 1965, the dimensions & directions of contemporary cultural policy are outlined. Particularly evident is the government's goal of making Singapore a "global city of the arts" at the forefront of a cultural renaissance for all of Asia. The creation of the Ministry of Information & the Arts in 1990 & its establishment of the National Arts Council the following year are described, & their major policies & programs are reviewed, including promotion of the arts, an appreciation of national heritage, literacy, social harmony, patriotism, & international understanding. Statistical data are presented to document the growth of arts & theater groups during the 1990s, as well as public participation in these activities. The spatial consequences of recreating Singapore as a renaissance city of the arts are explored, focusing on the creation of arts housing districts, the "sanitizing" of the urban landscape, & the "Disneyfication" of the civic & cultural district. The place of cultural policy in a government increasingly involved in the global capitalist system is considered within a larger discussion of the relationship between cultural policy & modernity in the contemporary nation-state. 1 Table, 38 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

After briefly tracing the development of cultural policy in Singapore since the country's independence in 1965, the dimensions & directions of contemporary cultural policy are outlined. Particularly evident is the government's goal of making Singapore a "global city of the arts" at the forefront of a cultural renaissance for all of Asia. The creation of the Ministry of Information & the Arts in 1990 & its establishment of the National Arts Council the following year are described, & their major policies & programs are reviewed, including promotion of the arts, an appreciation of national heritage, literacy, social harmony, patriotism, & international understanding. Statistical data are presented to document the growth of arts & theater groups during the 1990s, as well as public participation in these activities. The spatial consequences of recreating Singapore as a renaissance city of the arts are explored, focusing on the creation of arts housing districts, the "sanitizing" of the urban landscape, & the "Disneyfication" of the civic & cultural district. The place of cultural policy in a government increasingly involved in the global capitalist system is considered within a larger discussion of the relationship between cultural policy & modernity in the contemporary nation-state. 1 Table, 38 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

Imagines what Alexis de Toqueville, in his analysis of the growth of democracy in the US, might have thought about the contemporary relationship between the press & the arts. De Toqueville's comparison of the US & French democratic enterprises is reviewed, focusing on the practice of the arts & arts education. Regarding the extension of opportunities for artistic expression to the masses, Toqueville argued that art became trivialized, pursued for utilitarian & monetary reasons rather than its inherent beauty. These views are applied to recent controversies surrounding support by the US government to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). K. Hyatt Stewart

It has often been claimed that fascism began with WWI & ended with the defeat of Hitler in 1945; however, it is more accurate to argue that fascism emerged long before WWI & that its tenets are still visible in the contemporary era. In an effort to prove this case, the relationship between historicism & fascism is discussed, social factors of the pre-WWI era are examined, political thinking of the time is outlined, & modernity is described. The relationship between fascism & intellectual thought, anti-Semitism, & Sorelian revolutionary revisionism is examined also. These events demonstrate that fascist thinking existed for 30 years before the beginning of WWI. Historical happenings should always be kept in mind when other political terminologies are discussed. For example, the historical background of totalitarianism, Stalinism, Nazism, & communism must be considered before these ideologies can be accurately portrayed. K. Larsen

The cultural & organizational components required for the development of civil society in Muslim cultures is studied, focusing on the movement for civil society in contemporary Indonesia. The conventional perception of Islamic politics as unified is challenged; several strands of political thought have emerged from the Islamic political tradition in Indonesia. An overview of Indonesia's colonization reveals the existence of a movement toward civil society before independence was declared in 1945. The rise of a central state & concomitant decline of civil society during the 1950s & 1960s & the return of democratic civility during the 1980s & 1990s are discussed. Analysis of Indonesian civil society confirms the assertion that civic values are not naturally engendered by certain societal institutions; rather, it is contended that the interaction between such institutions & the state is an overlooked yet necessary component in the establishment of civil society. J. W. Parker

The relevance of the concept of class for analysis of contemporary social movements is examined. It is argued that the concept of class is too immersed in Marxist interpretations of the history of industrial society to have much relevance for understanding contemporary collective action. Contemporary social movements are not givens of the structure of society, but are socially constructed collective realities -- complex & composite action systems that result from the interaction of resources & limits of constituents of conflictual discourses. Characteristics of emerging collective phenomena include: (1) self-reflective form of action; (2) global dimension of action; (3) specific relation between latency & visibility; & (4) production of institutional change, new elites, & cultural innovation. Most importantly, emerging collective phenomena hinge not on class antagonisms, but on conflicts over the production & consumption of informational resources. 33 References. D. Generoli

The development of the US anticorruption project is studied within the context of contemporary New York City. Four periods of corruption control in US history since the late 19th century are identified. Various sectors & elements in New York City that have been affected by anticorruption movements include civil service, protection for whistleblowers, & auditing. Several aspects of the anticorruption project that have degraded the functioning of local government agencies are noted, eg, increasing the problems faced by public agencies that wish to collaborate with nongovernmental organizations. Multiple recommendations for improving contemporary corruption control movements are offered, encouraging greater civic involvement in public administration. J. W. Parker

Investigates the survival of various forms of traditional, "prenational" performing arts in the postcolonial societies of Southeast Asia, focusing on the influence of national government cultural policy & structures. Arguing against the view that traditional forms of culture have primarily been redefined & commodified by outside forces, it is suggested that the state has played quite an active role in local culture. It is shown that, once free of colonial rule, the governments of Southeast Asia were quick to establish administrative structures either strictly for culture or to place culture as part of a "portfolio" within specific government ministries. The relationship between government policies, structures, & funding for the performing arts across different countries is shown to be quite similar; regional variations in the pairing of culture with education, information, or tourism are identified & related to differences in funding & development priorities. The contemporary relationship between government & culture is described as "symbiotic," with each helping shape & being shaped by the other; it can also be seen as an inherited form of patronage, with state cultural agencies bestowing funds for artistic projects. The government's position toward performers & the role of subsidy in the maintenance of traditional forms of performing arts are reviewed, along with the perpetuation of the highly structured role of the audience in these performances. 19 References. K. Hyatt Stewart