Suchergebnisse

The major themes explored in this book, originally published in 1986, are the political resonances of social stratification and change; the growing distance between the working class and the providers of social services; and the role of locality in social reproduction. The relationship between society and space is the subject of a major debate in developed countries. The key questions are about just how far spatial patterns and local conditions affect social relations and stratification and how far they shape collective action, electoral responses and class.

The literature has identified particular restrictions on the ability of women to obtain paid work in rural areas, with lack of job opportunities, lack of child care facilities, access problems and cultural expectations about a woman's role in rural society all bearing negatively on the ability to attain jobs for which women are qualified. This paper acknowledges these constraints but cautions against placing too much emphasis on them. Drawing on census data at the NUTS5 level, this paper examines the 1,184 NUTS5 zones (wards) in the East of England Region, comparing labour market contexts for cities, mid‐sized towns and rural areas, with rural zones distinguished by the nature of their linkages with cities and local arenas of employment. The paper shows that rural areas in general have rather similar labour market engagements for women as urban zones. Within rural areas there are differences that need noting, with places with weak integration into city‐centred economies standing apart from the rest in terms of lower rates of female labour market activity. Even here, however, relationships are not uniformly negative, with a general picture of rather slim differences between the area‐types under investigation. The main message of the paper is not to over‐emphasize the 'peculiarities' of 'rural' phenomena, which can bear heavy, if not dominant traces, of society‐wide processes, as well as revealing as important a level of distinction within rural zones as between them and urban areas.

This paper explores reasons for the uneven employment of African workers in Spanish agriculture. Examining employment patterns at a provincial level, it explores why there is a concentration in certain regions of Spain. Focusing on the province of Girona, the study utilizes interview responses from African workers, employers and key local informants to explore reasons for African employment, as well as examining the working conditions of African labourers. It finds that Spanish workers have come to reject farming as an occupation, just as farm employers have come to favour African labourers over possible Spanish labour sources. Whether within or outside the farm sector, the vast majority of African workers do unskilled work, on poor pay, in occupations associated with inferior social status, with short periods of employment, in jobs that are rarely part of a promotion ladder. For many African immigrants, this means they have to shift into and out of farm work repeatedly, while those who stay in farming usually do so on a poor contractual footing. With the majority of immigrant African workers seeing Spain as their permanent home, the paper concludes by noting that the work experiences of African labourers strongly support segmentation theory ideas on the development of niches for particular kinds of workers. This is seen as having potentially detrimental long‐term consequences for issues of social exclusion, as well as restricting the pace of productivity improvements in the farm sector.

Les Anglais sont de plus en plus nombreux dans les campagnes françaises, comme le montre l'évolution des chiffres dans les recensements de 1982 et de 1990. S 'appuyant sur une enquête menée auprès de cette population immigrée, cet article examine ses motivations et s'interroge sur le choix de la France comme destination. Il analyse les rapports entre les arrivants et les communautés d'accueil, et montre la division radicale qui existe entre ceux qui cherchent à s'intégrer et ceux qui veulent recréer le mode de vie anglais en France.

How can government stay linked to its citizens? Across the world, governments' basic principles are turned on their heads as global markets, weakened national states, and active citizens emerge. Governments increasingly act not alone, but many governments and private groups make policy jointly - labeled 'governance'. But this raises new concerns for adequate citizen responsiveness. Leaders and parties previously considered left or right make unexpected choices - as leaders explore Third Ways, New Political Cultures, and more. As policy choices grow more complicated, they are harder to present to citizens - which undermines citizen legitimacy of parties and elected officials. How can government maintain democratic accountability? This volume explores new answers by probing citizen involvement in specific cities and countries the world over. There is no single problem, hence no single remedy. But by contrasting key elements of national and local contexts, this volume offers lessons about how citizens are variously activated; about what works, where, and why. From specific results emerge insights about how citizens may drive policy, or be ignored, in a time of turbulence and rapid cultural change for government policy making.

Researching Human Geography is an essential new text for any geography student about to embark on a research project. An understanding of how different theories of knowledge have influenced research methodologies is crucial in planning and designing effective research; this book makes this link clear and explores how various philosophical positions, from positivism to post-structuralism, have become associated with particular methodologies. The book gives an overview of a wide range of methods and data collection, both quantitative and qualitative, and explores their strengths and weaknesses f