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The effects of Brazilian federalism on the process of economic reform are analyzed in the context of the interactions & balance of power between the president & the governors, Congress, & others protecting state interests. Federalism indicators alone -- the resource base of subnational governments, the power of governors, the national Congress' degree of emphasis on subnational interests, & the distribution of government functions across levels -- would give Brazilian state actors leverage over presidents, which was the case in three presidential policy initiatives between 1985-1994 -- state debt containment, state bank control, & fiscal allocation adjustments between the national & subnational governments. This situation was reversed during President Fernando Henrique Cardoso's 1995-2002 regime because of factors specific to his administration, eg, the President's skill in achieving reform, the degree of Congressional backing for the President, & presidential performance. It is concluded that the study of federalism's effects on policy cannot be reduced to institutional issues, but have to include complementary variables. 4 Tables, 81 References. M. Pflum

Investigates the work experiences of Kenyan women & their daily life situations inside & outside the home, drawing on secondary sources. It is shown that, despite differences across classes, regions, & ethnic communities, Kenyan women contribute greatly to the household, local, & national economies. Barriers to an expansion of their role in the economy are educational, cultural, political, & structural. Various groups of women, particularly in the urban areas, have worked either autonomously or through existing organizations to overcome these barriers; however, progress in this area has been slow & fragmented. It is suggested that further improvements of women's situation must be propelled by changes in gender attitudes & increased access to educational & economic opportunities. D. M. Smith

Ethnographic work studying a homeless shelter in Northampton, MA, shows that homeless men who have accepted neoliberal explanations for homelessness use individualized, accommodationist survival strategies at the price of collective action. Homeless men blame their own shortcomings on their homeless conditions, & they try to participate in self-reform through job training & self-help therapy. However, over one-third of the men living in the Northampton homeless shelter during 1994-1996, a time of economic prosperity, were employed. Material & historical conditions that are ignored in the neoliberal discourse include the decline in higher-paying manufacturing jobs, a growing temporary labor industry, urban gentrification, the globalization of capitalist production, faltering labor unions, & tax policies that benefit the rich. The author argues that collective movements of homeless people to challenge systemic inequality are yet possible. L. A. Hoffman

"Ungleichheitsforschung aus der Perspektive traditioneller Strukturindikatoren vernachlässigt die Handlungs- und Entscheidungsperspektiven der Akteure. Dies wird vor allem dann fragwürdig, wenn sozialer Wandel oder unterwartete und unwahrscheinliche Handlungsweisen einer Erklärung zugänglich gemacht werden sollen. Der Beitrag schlägt daher einen Wechsel von der Struktur- zur Akteursperspektive vor. Unter Rückgriff auf Giddens' Theorie der Strukturierung werden soziale Mechanismen und die Gestaltungsweisen junger Fachkräfte in sechs Ausbildungsberufen in den Blick genommen. Unter Bezug auf Ungleichheitsstrukturen wird gezeigt, wie sich junge Fachkräfte in den ersten Berufsjahren unter Rückgriff auf biographische Ressourcen und eigene Wünsche mit ihren beruflichen Handlungskontexten auseinandersetzen und spezifische Muster der Gestaltung ihrer Berufsbiographie stabilisieren. Die übersituativen Muster der Biographiegestaltung werden mit einer Typologie der "berufsbiographischen Gestaltungsmodi" (BGM) unterschieden. Die Modi stehen in keinem beliebigen Verhältnis zu ihren Handlungskontexten. Vielmehr müssen sie zu ihnen "passen"; dabei handelt es sich um ein lockeres, kein deterministisches Verhältnis. Obwohl die BGM relativ stabil sind, können auch zwei grundsätzliche Varianten ihres Wechsels beobachtet werden. Zum einen als Folge grundlegender Veränderungen des beruflichen Kontextes (z.B. durch Betriebswechsel) und zum anderen ausgelöst durch veränderte Bilanzierungen der Berufssituation. Es wird gezeigt, wie sich die jungen Fachkräfte mit den jeweiligen BGM in spezifischer Weise an ihre Handlungskontexte binden (Autonomiegewinn, Karrieregestaltung, Statusarrangement) und damit unterschiedlich von Arbeitsmarktentwicklungen betroffen sind." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Implications of information technology for preserving or constraining individual freedom are considered. Although information technology is neither inherently good nor evil, such technological advances are held to disrupt the existing order of things. Noting that much information technology is imperfect, it is suggested that constraints to freedom may emerge from misunderstanding of technology's shortcomings & capabilities. Several problems in transforming data into information to be utilized by individuals & state institutions are identified (eg, use of dated information). Some uses of information technology by public institutions & organizations (eg, medical facilities) to monitor individual behavior are perceived as pressuring individuals to conform. Rather than simplifying the human experience, it is concluded that information technology has complicated questions of freedom. 13 References. J. W. Parker

The extent to which agents acting on behalf of the state are constrained by internal & external factors is examined. Literature on the influence of various factors on state decision making is reviewed, & constraints that affect state decision making on foreign policy are identified: agent views & inclinations; agent positions in the state structure; state political & legal foundations; & state economic, historical, & geographical position in relation to other states. International diplomatic standards, global law, international morality, different regimes, & global institutions also influence state decision making. Although none of the aforementioned constraints are absolutes, it is concluded that successful foreign policy requires the balancing of freedom & necessity. 34 References. J. W. Parker

The article addresses Chile's status as an innovator & international model of social policy reform in the 1970's & 1980's. Discussed are reasons why the establishment of an effective system of unemployment insurance remained beyond Chile's scope for many years, including the barriers created by infrastructure in Chile's labor market & financial economy, as well as the overall market neutrality that discouraged companies from hiring labor for long term employment. B. Boyce