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During the first half of the 19th century, social public care was organized along two directions: commitment of professional beggars, without a family, in specialized institutions, and home assistance of beggars with families (by a monthly pension and by an annual change of clothes). The article relies on archive documents, such as potential beneficiaries' help requests, administrative documents issued by the authorities, lists of help beneficiaries, inquiries, etc. It presents aspects related to the practical functioning of the social assistance: types of beneficiaries, pension distribution procedures, abuses and frauds. The legal limitations of the administrative rigidity of the pension system were strictly defined, even before the assessment of the real needs in society. This is the reason the efficiency of the pension system was lower than expected both by the authorities and the beneficiaries.

This study proposed, first, to carry out, based on archive documents, an incursion as regards matrimonial relationships of XVIIIth century with all legal, economic and social connotations involved. The marriage contracts studied fall into a typology more closely of what was happening in the same period in Western Europe than in South Eastern Europe. This is because such acts have emerged within the former county of Arad in the first half of the century after the establishment of Habsburg domination and after the German colonists were brought into the area.
Besides the juridical problems regarding the contractual liabilities of the spouses, the status of the children, some problems related to wealth and dowry, I tried to mark out some aspects regarding the everyday life of Arad's inhabitants in the XVIIIth century.

The development of a strict methodology of observation & analysis in soc sci has always met with resistance. In the current debate on this topic in the US, 2 positions can be distinguished. There are the 'theorists,' who find their inspiration in the work of recent philosophers such as H. Marcuse & J.-P. Sartre; they rate the formation of a pol'al theory as a 1st priority. Then there are the 'behaviorists,' whose first care is for sci'fic method. This contrast is reviewed on the basis of the document, "Political Science at Berkeley, An Invitation to a Discussion," which was published anonymously by a group of students. The criticism of these students can be summarized under the headings 'commitment' & 'relevance.' As far as commitment is concerned, the critics reproach the behaviorists for not taking stands in important contemporary moral issues, & for identifying with the status quo. It is argued here that what leads to acceptance of & identification with the existing pol'al order is not behaviorist methodology as such, but rather the mood of the behaviorists. As far as 'relevance' is concerned, the critics are impatient with the futile detail analysis & data collecting of the behaviorists. The behaviorists' use of a strict methodology of explanation by generalization leads to a reduction of the scope of analysis. Then only the 'easy' aspects ('easy' to quantify, 'easy' to collect, etc) are analyzed, & discontinuous developments are neglected. The argument presented here is that the lack of a dynamic theory of the pol'al process is an impediment indeed for pol'al sci, but that, again, behaviorism as such cannot be accused of being 'conservative' or 'conformistic': the refutation of race theories, for example, was rather a radical undertaking. It is concluded that for the time being it is not necessary to lay other bounds on pol'al sci than those that follow from the claims of rational debate & intellectual honesty. HA.

The article offers a brief overview of the administrative-territorial organization and reorganization in the former county of Arad. Old medieval boundaries have known significant changes after the installation of Habsburg rule. Political, social and military reasons determined the imperial authorities to make several reorganizations of the area. Institutions were designed to ensure proper functioning of the county, but also contributed to the upgrade of the administrative structures on the Enlightenment spirit.

Power as the central concept for the analysis of causality in social life: A conceptual-analytical elaboration
Reinoud Bosch
This article provides a description of a conceptual analysis of 'power'. Defining 'power' as 'the relative ability to affect or receive', a method for conceptual analysis is posited and examples are provided of the conceptual analysis of power. An overview is provided of the resulting categories and subcategories of the concept, and possibilities for the use of the concept as a sensitizing concept in the analysis of causality in social life are indicated.
In their replies Fred Wester and Harrie Jansen discuss some aspects of causality and power that need further attention. In his reaction Reinoud Bosch further elaborates on his perspective on the power concept.

Every social problem is hierarchically structured. To elucidate the importance of this hierarchical aspect for solving social problems, the concepts of problem domain & context are introduced. For each problem, its defining instance, its definition, & its experience may be individual or collective. Subjective & objective components of problems can be distinguished. Each problem situation leads to the formation of a field of power involving various problem-defining instances, each with its particular problem definition & problem experience. Problems cannot be solved without taking into account each of the forces in this field of power. 1 Table, 2 Figures. Modified Author Summary.

The amalgamation of Belgian municipalities was intended to enhance the resolution of civic problems. Although it would require more dedication, deeper understanding, a readiness to listen, & preliminary research on the part of the managers, the merged communities could have better facilities because they were centralized. However, the resulting hierarchy & bureaucracy have made flexible management more difficult, & some citizens focus on the negative rather than positive aspects of the consolidation. The global impression is that the consolidation has been better for the small municipalities than the large ones, especially those of 50,000+ inhabitants, who feel that the understanding & resolution of their problems has become more complicated. This situation is viewed with particular regard for the services offered by Belgium's public centers for social welfare (OCMW). Modified HA.

The bad reputation in the social sciences of social Darwinian theories is one of the main hindrances to paying attention to ethology, the biological study of behavior. Although developments in this area of research suggest interesting implications for political science, so far, very few political scientists have dealt with these matters. First, the biological way of thinking about behavior is introduced. The object & method of ethology are dealt with, & attention is paid to the problems of function, causation, & history of behavior of animal & man. The neo-Darwinian theory of evolution, which is fundamental to ethology & to the main argument presented here, is summarized. It is concluded that morphology & behavior are both evolutionary organisms. Next, man is considered in the perspective of evolution. The belief in a rigid distinction between nature & nurture is discussed. The modern biological view that the human capacity for making culture is genetically coded is accepted. In a second part, some aspects of this biological view of behavior, relevant to political science, are discussed. From a comparison of definitions in ethology & political science, it appears that social behavior is the most important problem in both disciplines. Social scientists usually study behavior as an autonomous subject while biologists integrate their vision of behavior in the larger context of evolution. There is a fundamental similarity between ethological concepts of social behavior & some recently developed conceptions of political behavior. It is argued that relinquishing the more traditional focus of political science on state-oriented or group-centered action is an important condition.

Abstract

Studying societal trends through analyzing media content

Digital media, social media and public media reflect many aspects of our everyday life and of social and cultural developments in our societies. However, one finds relatively few studies based on media data to describe and analyze these developments. This paper is an appeal and helping hand for those who hesitate and wonder how to design and conduct such media studies.

Dit artikel beschrijft enkele methodologische aspecten van praktijkonderzoek, specifiek gericht op casuïstiek in het sociaal werk. In de meeste sectoren van het welzijnswerk in Vlaanderen vinden regelmatig teamvergaderingen plaats, waarin casusbesprekingen een vaste plaats innemen. Dagelijks selecteren sociale werkers praktijkervaringen of 'gevallen' die ze via een mondelinge of schriftelijke tekst reconstrueren en voorleggen aan anderen. Dit doen ze al jarenlang.

Noting that problems with social exclusion are increasingly related to unemployment, ethnic factors, & urban crime in Belgium, the applicability of the primarily British & US concept of the underclass is examined. Definitions of the concept are discussed, arguing that some are too vague to clearly circumscribe a sociologically relevant group, & others possess a moral undertone that renders their explanatory power minimal. Although the term cannot be applied straightforwardly to the Belgian situation, three recurrent aspects of its definitions are explored: economic marginality, deviant values regarding work & family, & criminal behavior. It is found that economic marginality in Belgium is not as stable as in the UK & US, & relevant values & behavior are not specifically associated with or restricted to economically marginal groups. However, the expression of conflict in terms of ethnicity is recognized. It is concluded that, although Belgium's problems can be viewed in a framework of underclass formation processes, no definable underclass exists. Adapted from the source document.

The study aims to carry out an analysis from demographic perspective for the city of Arad during the years 1767-1768. It is based on two documents that contain mainly statistical data with which it is possible to emphasize aspects related to some demographical behaviour in Arad. Information about the deceased, newborns and marriages registered, about the share of different ethnicities and confessions help us to outline the image of Arad, in which, during the XVIIIth century has been seen a clear process of modernization and demographic growth.