Suchergebnisse

Three major challenges facing the communication & development field are discussed: (1) the reinvention & expansion of the modernization paradigm under the rubrics of globalization, free markets, & the information revolution; (2) the revitalization of grassroots movements & indigenous communication modes & the integration of traditional channels of media into modern information technologies; & (3) the increasing knowledge that development is not just a Third World problem, but a global one that requires new methodologies for study & analysis. The need to shift from viewing communication & development as two separate yet complementary & necessary phenomena to viewing them as a unified concept is stressed. D. Generoli

A complex nexus of economic & political problems has made it necessary to rethink the traditional Western approaches to understanding Japanese economics. Western scholars have long focused on Japan's dramatic rate of economic growth & the lessons it might have for the West. But as Japan enters a new period of slower economic growth, scholars need to identify more appropriate approaches for analyzing Japan's economic strengths & weakneses. Toward that end, the factors that have influenced the existing method of questioning within English-language studies of Japanese economic development are examined. Particular attention is given to the structure of cultural exchanges between Japanese & non-Japanese scholars & to the differing ideological perspectives that have driven research on Japan in various parts of the world. 50 References. M. Maguire

Presents four conceptual frameworks that draw on different theoretical traditions of cultural theory to relate culture to collective action, using examples from the women's movement, in particular, the lesbian feminist movement, as illustrations. The four frameworks are labeled as emergent norms & interpretive frameworks, collective identity, ritual, & discourse. The emergent norms framework, which stems from the symbolic interactionist tradition, is described as emphasizing the ways in which challenging groups redefine normative frameworks to justify their mobilization efforts. Drawing on the Marxist tradition that focuses on class consciousness, other social movement scholars have developed a notion of collective identity to denote the ways in which shared group definitions are constructed as a vital component of grievance interpretation. Related to the study of collective identity is the recent concern with understanding ritual as the emotional dimension of social movements & the link between structural arrangements, culture, & personal feelings. Finally, the discursive framework emphasizes the ways in which language, ideas, & interpretations constitute social practices that are embedded within the institutional structure of social movements & the larger institutions in which they are situated. It is suggested that cultural analysis conducted through all of these frameworks must be attentive to the ways in which cultural meaning is linked to social protest, & thus, to issues of resources, power, & organization. D. M. Smith

Contribution to a special journal issue entitled "Rational Choice Theory & Politics" (see related abstracts in SA 44:1). Donald P. Green & Ian Shapiro (1984) discover a curious gulf between the prestige of rational choice approaches & the dearth of solid empirical findings. However, one can understand neither the prestige of rational choice theory nor its pathologies unless it can be seen as a variant of the equilibrium analysis found in physics, economics, & biology. Only such a global perspective on rational choice theory will reveal its core assumptions & the likely shape of its future in political science. In this light, the growing dominance of rational choice theory in political science is all but inevitable, & its pathologies are all but inescapable. Adapted from the source document.

An introduction to a special journal issue entitled "Rational Choice Theory & Politics" (see related abstracts in SA 44:1), focusing on the debate over Donald P. Green's & Ian Shapiro's Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory (1984). The debate sustains their contention that rational choice theory has not produced novel, empirically sustainable findings about politics -- if one accepts their definition of empirically sustainable findings. Green & Shapiro show that rational choice research often resembles the empirically vacuous practices in which economists engage under the aegis of instrumentalism. Yet Green's & Shapiro's insistence that theoretical constructs should produce accurate predictions may inadvertently lead to instrumentalism. Some of their critics hint at a better approach, which would eschew predictive testing in favor of testing the applicability of the theory to particular cases. Adapted from the source document.

If what goes on in human societies is viewed as institutional facts rather than brute facts, then basic issues are raised with regard to the meaning of federalism. Institutional facts are constituted by reference to rules & rule-ordered arrangements that turn on design concepts & their place in the constitution of order in human societies. Constituting societies through patterns of covenantal relationships implies that federal societies cannot be understood by placing primary reliance on forms of government. The question "Where to begin?" raises basic ontological & epistemological problems bearing on the place of language & culture in the constitution of covenanting societies. Adapted from the source document.

Though highly visible, top corporate executives are not accessible. Surrounded by gatekeepers, leverage is often needed to gain access, & that done, the researcher is in foreign territory; unless fully prepared, inaccurate or scripted information can result. Personal or professional contacts, personalization of the research, & accommodating the interviewee's schedule can help lower barriers to access. The researcher can maximize the probability of obtaining useful information by: (1) having a clear agenda; (2) clarifying ground rules for the interview; (3) using a semistructured interview format; (4) supplementing the interview with other data; & (5) establishing the opportunity for follow-up access. 29 References. D. Generoli

A reply to contributions to a special journal issue entitled "Rational Choice Theory & Politics" (see related abstracts in SA 44:1). More than three decades after its advent in political science, rational choice theory has yet to add appreciably to the stock of knowledge about politics. In Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory (1984), Green & Shapiro traced this failure to methodological defects rooted in the aspiration to come up with universal theories of politics. After responding to criticisms of this argument, these authors elaborate on their earlier recommendations about how to improve the quality of rational choice applications. Building on suggestions of contributors to this volume, an empirically based program is laid out that is designed to delineate the conditions under which rational choice explanations are likely to be useful. Adapted from the source document.