Suchergebnisse

Technical aid to the under-developed countries may have important side-effects on the internal soc structure of the receiving community, contrary to the desired goals of the projecters. It may generate tensions & soc conflict between existing & emerging factions of the community. This is shown re some case studies from the Indo-Norwegian Fishing Project in Kerala. Technical assistance is defined as a process by which the donor tries to transfer goods & services to a receiver with a diff culture, & where some of the items are already accepted as valuables, but are scarce goods. The goods & services introduced from the outside are considered as stimuli for action & split into 2 components (1) capital: mechanized boats, fishing nets, subsidies & loans & (2) value-set: the soc'ization of habits, skills & att's necessary for the operation of the new equipment. It is shown that the unequal reception of the new technology by the diff parts of the community in some cases have increased rather than reduced the inequality of living standards which existed prior to the introduction of the aid program & have accelerated econ growth in that part of the pop which already for some time had been in a process of their own econ development. The possibilities of changing the opinions and values of that group of the community which does not react adequately to the new stimuli are discussed. Modified AA.

Both structural-functional theory & conflict theory provide useful models of society. However, the elements of the structural-functional model are diametrically opposed to those of conflict theory, so that in the former the following propositions hold: (1) every society is a relatively persisting configuration of elements, (2) every society is a well-integrated configuration of elements, (3) every element in a society contributes to its functioning, & (4) every society rests on the consensus of its members. In conflict theory, on the other hand, the following propositions hold: (a) every society is subjected at every moment to change: soc change is ubiquitous, (b) every society experiences at every moment soc conflict: soc conflict is ubiquitous, (c) every element in a society contributes to its change, & (d) every society rests on constraint of some of its members by others. Until a more general theory of society is developed, society must be thought of as presenting a double aspect to the sociol'al understanding. A model of conflict is constructed which locates the structural origin of soc conflict in the dominance relations which prevail within certain units of soc org. Max Weber's concept of 'imperatively co-ordinated group' is employed for these units. Thus soc conflicts are structurally explained on the basis of the division into positive & negative dominance roles, so that: (i) interest in the status quo is associated with the positive dominance roles & interest in the change of the status quo is associated with the negative dominance roles, (ii) the bearers of positive & negative dominance roles organize themselves into groups with manifest interests, (iii) interest groups which originate in this manner are in constant conflict concerned with the preservation or change in the status quo, & (iv) the conflict among interest groups leads to changes in the structure of the soc relations in question through changes in the dominance relations. Interest groups are a function of conditions of org; specific forms of conflict are a function of the conditions of conflict; & specific forms of change are a function of the conditions of change. 'Thus the task of the theory of conflict turns out to be to identify the 3 sets of conditions & to determine as sharply as possible their respective weight - ideally, by quantitative measure.' Illustrations of the theory & the sorts of variables involved are given from the realms of industrial conflict & the totalitarian state. I. Taviss.

There is no framework for conflict analysis currently in existence: generalization across disciplinary lines has been slow to develop, propositions have not been systematically linked, res has not always been guided by hyp's of acceptable power & significance, & no body of case materials based on comparative types, unifying concepts & general hyp's has been developed. In an attempt to arrive at more precise conceptualization, 50 propositions culled from the literature are presented & analyzed. The following 8 properties of conflict systems are outlined as the basis for hyp's re the sources, conditions, functions, context, & type of conflict: (1) conflict requires at least 2 parties or 2 analytically distinct units, (2) conflict arises from `positions scarcity' &'resource scarcity,' (3) conflictful behaviors are those designed to destroy, injure, thwart, or otherwise control another party or otner parties, & a conflict relationship is one in which the parties can gain only at each other's expense, (4) conflict requires interaction among parties in which actions & counteractions are mutually opposed, (5) conflict relations always involve attempts to gain control of scarce resources & positions or to influence behavior in certain directions; hence a conflict relationship always involves the attempt to acquire or exercise power or the actual acquisition or exercise of power, (6) conflict relations constitute a fundamental soc-interaction process having important consequences, (7) a conflict process or relation represents a temporary tendency toward disjunction in the interaction flow between parties, & (8) conflict relations do not represent a breakdown in regulated conduct but rather a shift in the governing norms & expectations. I. Taviss.