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Chronicles the history of public education in Germany from the foundation of the first universities in the 14th century to the present, highlighting issues of (1) state & church power, (2) hierarchical organization, (3) goals & curricula, (4) social function, & (5) pedagogies & politics. It is shown how the schools served to preserve social segmentation based on the principle of "occupational estates" (Berufsstande), through which, following elementary education at the Volksschules, the lower classes were steered into vocational training while the middle & upper classes enjoyed an education at gymnasiums (secondary schools) that allowed them entrance into bourgeoisie society or membership in the aristocracy as educated elite. Changes in educational policy under National Socialism & during the post-WWII period are outlined, tracing the development of more equal educational opportunities for all children. A call is made for continued educational reform to more closely link general & vocational education so as to improve coordination between education & employment. K. Hyatt Stewart

Investigates the impact of educational policies & practices on immigrant children in NJ, drawing on a survey of 161 school districts concerning their immigrant student population & programs to serve that population, supplemented by in-depth case studies of 12 school districts with promising programs & services. No coherent immigrant education policy exists at either the federal or state level. This has meant that education of these students is shaped by a series of legislative & judicial mandates handed down at both the state & federal levels. School districts tend to concentrate on the language needs of students, to the neglect of other economic, social, cultural, & psychological factors that influence the learning process. As NJ's immigrant population becomes more diverse, & children's educational needs become more complex, school districts will have to create better programs to assist these students. The federal government is encouraged to allocate more money for professional development, & researchers are urged to develop more creative & effective solutions to problems faced by school districts in this area. 8 Tables, 2 Appendixes, 19 References. D. M. Smith

Reviews the nature & role of the Third World state, focusing on Marxist approaches. The terms nation-state & Third World are European inventions produced from the 16th-19th centuries both in practice & liberal political theory. State forms in the non-European context grew directly out of the colonial experience of the 17th & 18th centuries. Recent Marxist interpretations challenge the traditional liberal understanding of the state; much of Marxist literature analyzes class struggles for control of Third World states, & debates in this tradition in Africa & South Asia are briefly discussed. However, events have forced commentators beyond Marxist models because global forces have dismantled the notion of a unified Third World borne out of the anticolonial struggle. Context-specific research is needed to underpin a new unified theory of the state. D. M. Smith

Summarizes the results of studies of nine industrialized countries (US & Europe) in an effort to determine the effects of female education level & employment opportunities on family formation in a variety of cultural contexts. The results are interpreted here within the framework of Gary Becker's (1981) theories on marriage & family. In all countries examined, higher female education has had a profound effect on marriage & birth rates, but widely varying effects on cohabitation. It is concluded that increased female education only begins to delay marriage when cohabitation becomes an alternative route for emancipation from the parental household. 6 References. M. Wagner

Der Beitrag skizziert Trends und Entwicklungen der Umweltbildung in den Mitgliedstaaten der OECD. Forschungsmethode: deskriptive Studie. Die Untersuchung bezieht sich auf den Zeitraum von 1986 bis 1996. (BIBB).

A conclusion to this collection of essays on contemporary public attitudes toward the welfare state revisits the development of modern society, identifying the core values of civilization (particularly in Eastern & Western Europe) & the role of the state in sustaining them. The concept of civilization is discussed in terms of Norbert Elias's (1939) work & later theories derived from it. Focus is on how the withdrawal of the state from many of its former functions has impacted the citizens of complex, modern societies, specifically, in terms of (1) social coexistence; (2) the evolution of cultural values & their "trickling down" from the highest to the lowest strata; (3) the distribution of resources & access to them; (4) civilizing agents; (5) the greater refinement & intricacy of civilizational patterns at the top of the social strata; (6) changes in the role of physical & symbolic violence; & (7) the lengthy time necessary to achieve civilization & various factors that can cause de- or anticivilization. Specific factors shaping modern civilization are identified, & the state's role in addressing new challenges posed by increased social density & complexity, social differentiation & exclusion, & competitiveness is explored. 49 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

Traces the historical patterns of medical professionalization in the Scandinavian countries, drawing on statist analyses in the literature. Three spheres of medical authority in state-profession relationships are identified: state-doctor relationship, internal interactions in the medical profession, & external dynamics of the profession, eg, division of labor & gender stratification. It is shown that the medical profession has been integrated into state formation since the 16th century, meaning that hospital doctors achieved dominance in the profession, but alternative practitioners, eg, midwives, survived. Relations between the profession & the state were strengthened with the introduction of social democracy in the post-WWII period. Efforts to introduce market principles into the health care system will likely be shaped by the historical medical profession-state relationship, however, it is still premature to properly assess the impact of new reforms. 2 Tables, 50 References. D. M. Smith

Considers how political ethnicity has been engendered in Nigeria, & assesses its implications for the viability of that country as a nation-state. Political ethnicity arose in the context of colonialism, a system in which ethnic associations arose to perform social welfare functions. The nationalist movement in Nigeria is demonstrated to have sprung directly from these ethnic associations in the 1940s. Further, postcolonial political parties have been organized along ethnic lines to ensure representation of all ethnic groups. It is suggested that political ethnicity reinforced the tensions & centrifugal tendencies of the Nigerian polity & eventually pulled the country away from the unitary state model; thus public policy was divorced from social need, the state was envisioned as a hostile force, most of the population was marginalized from power, & state power was equated with national security. Recent movements toward democratization are briefly discussed as minimizing these consequences of political ethnicity. 1 Table, 52 References. D. M. Smith

Data collected during fieldwork, 1978-1991, are drawn on to discuss the highly gendered nature of civil society & the private-public dichotomy in Jordan & Syria. Middle Eastern states have traditionally reinforced the strict division between male/public & female/private spheres, &, in times of political upheaval, women have been able to exploit their traditional absence in the public sphere by participating in protests & performing tasks that would have led to death for men. However, recent attempts at political & economic liberalization have complicated these traditionally gendered conceptions of the public & private spheres, & women are increasingly called on to contribute to national political & economic growth. Despite the limited symbolic gains associated with such efforts, women have been (1) depicted as backward & detrimental to growth, (2) required to serve the public interests while maintaining all of their private duties, & (3) made even more dependent on male breadwinners. It is concluded that meaningful participation in civil society still eludes most Syrian & Jordanian women. 34 References. T. Sevier

The transition of industrial society to risk society is examined. Modernization has produced real, physical riskiness, particularly in the form of large scale nuclear & chemical technologies that can no longer be contained by modernist systems of prediction & control. A risk society is emerging in two phases: (1) systematic production of self-endangerment without public debate or political conflict; & (2) the domination of the hazards of industrial society in public, private, & political debates. Within such a risk society, epistemic authority for decision making about environmental concerns is fragmented across a huge range of social groups. That dispersal of authority carries the potential of raising society to a qualitatively new level of self-critique. Variants of risk societies are discussed. D. Generoli

Nach einer kurzen historischen Einleitung behandelt der Autor folgende drei Schwerpunkte: 1. Zusammenhang zwischen Expansion der Hochschulbildung und der Entwicklung neuer ökonomischer Formen, insbesondere des neuen Arbeitsmarktes. Wird die Universität in der sogenannten Wissensgesellschaft ihren Platz finden oder wird die Schlüsselrolle an andere Institutionen übertragen, die die notwendige Wissensbasis organisieren? - 2. Zusammenhang zwischen Hochschulbildung und Gesellschaft, Wissenschaft und Kultur. Werden alte soziale Grenzlinien, basierend auf Klasse, Geschlecht, Religion, Volksgruppe, Region einer neuen Schichtung weichen, die auf formellen Bildungsabschlüssen bzw. sozialen Referenzen basieren? Wie kann man die Legitimation einer rationalen Wissenskultur, wie sie in der Universität repräsentiert wird, in Übereinstimmung bringen mit der kurzlebigen, relativistischen postmodernen Kultur? 3. Die Auswirkungen des sozialen Wandels auf die sich wandelnden Strukturen der Hochschulbildung. Sind akademische Freiheit und institutionelle Autonomie unter diesen neuen Konditionen noch das gültige Ideal oder müssen wir uns einem neuen Regime der intellektuellen Reflexivität und sozialen (oder Markt-) Verantwortlichkeit unterwerfen? (HoF/Ko.).

Der Beitrag analysiert die Transformationsprozesse des Berufsbildungswesens in Ostdeutschland und der Tschechischen Republik aus einer vergleichenden Perspektive. Der Vergleich zeigt, daß die Regierungen beider Länder in der Anfangsphase nach der Wende ähnliche Strukturen zu implementieren beabsichtigten. Anstelle der zentralisierten und vorrangig an industriellen Erfordernissen orientierten Berufbildungssysteme sahen die Reforem das "duale System" mit einem Schwerpunkt auf Diensleistungsbereiche vor. Die Implementation dieses Programms gelang in beiden Ländern jedoch nur teilweise. Die Unternehmen zögerten, sich an den Aufbaukosten des neuen Systems angemessen zu beteiligen. Durch das Fehlen starker korporativer Akteure in der Tschechischen Republik entwickelte sich hier ein stark privatierter und an marktwirtschaftlichen Kriterien orientierter Sektor der beruflichen Bildung. (pre).