Suchergebnisse

Argues that the differing responses of the two countries to the international financial crisis was due to the structure of the electoral coalitions that sustained each government and the relative stability of the electoral environment in each; Mexico and Argentina, 1994-95.

What are the impacts on spatial organization of the neoliberal economic program adopted by Chile as soon as 1973 (radically in rupture with the preceeding substitution of importations model) ? This reorientation resulted in a strong economic growth but social cohesion was dammaged. Towards territory, the dictature had an ambivalent attitude : an administrative reform made the « Region » the reference level in order to ensure the military control of the country as well as it created economic entities apt to insert themselves in the international markets.The analysis of the transformations of the Norte Grande (septentrional fringes of the country, in the Atacama desert) shows that, since its agregation to the national territory after the Pacific War, this region has represented a vital periphery for Chile, due to its mining ressources (nitrates, copper and, today, lithium). Now the open economy seems to have transformed the north into an « enclave of the World system », distinct from a traditional enclave because of the multiplication of its dependance centers (diversification of international investissors' origin) and its effective opening up (through better transports and communications). Henceforth it places the region in the position of an interface between the center of South Cone anf the Pacific area.This evolution engenders de-territorialisation processes, due to the extension of a monetary meaning of space (i.e. as it appears in the conflictuals uses of water) ; it also leads to some social recompositions (re-territorialisation phenomenon). The notion of « neoliberal region » was thus conceived to qualify the emergence of a social link built on the appropriation of a regional space which fonctiuns through its insertion in economic networks. This convergence of interests at a set administrative scale expresses an acceleration of the rhythm of formation of territories, in spite of a context of social inequalities. ; Quels sont les impacts sur l'organisation de l'espace du programme économique néolibéral ...

The objective of this report is to evaluate the targeting method used by PROGRESA in identifying beneficiary households. PROGRESA's methodology consists of three stages: (1) the selection of localities; (2) the selection of beneficiary households within selected localities, and (3) finalizing the list of beneficiaries after feedback from the community assemblies about families excluded or included incorrectly. We evaluate in detail the first two stages of the selection process. We do not provide an evaluation of the third stage of selection as the number of households whose selection into PROGRESA was disputed at this stage of the selection process was minute (0.1% of the total number of selected households). Our evaluation is based on a framework consisting of three key elements: (i) a social objective, (ii) a set of economic, political and social constraints under which policy has to operate, and (iii) a range of instruments available to attain these objectives. Although PROGRESA has a number of interlinked objectives with respect to health, education and nutrition, we will measure the benefits of PROGRESA's targeting solely in terms of its potential impact on poverty alleviation. ; Non-PR ; IFPRI1; PROGRESA ; FCND

Analyzes white identity formations at a series of European folkdance camps in the US to shed light on the performative character of white ethnicity as opposed to other ethnic identities. It is argued that there is no authentic white identity; rather, identity formation occurs in specific contexts & is articulated through communicative cultural practices. It is shown that the framework of transnationalism at the folkdance camps sheds light on how identity, culture, & community formations are reconfigured across time, space, & economic structures. It is maintained that people purposely construct public cultures to develop community formation through cultural practices, eg, dancing, which are reinscribed with new meaning in the US context. The concept of imagined communities is discussed, noting that persons in the same social time/space imagine themselves in & out of ambivalent communities. Analysis supports the contention that a multiplicity of white identities are conceptualized in specific cultural contexts. Implications for intercultural communication are considered. 30 References. J. Lindroth

After briefly reviewing the history of US welfare reform, new reform efforts initiated in the latter 1990s by the Bill Clinton administration are critically evaluated. It is argued that the Personal Responsibility & Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 was actually only paternalism in a new guise; comparisons are made to the 1988 Family Support Act. Deleterious impacts of PRWORA for recipients of AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) are identified, highlighting the effects on child care, education, & job training, all necessary components of the act's success in moving the poor (especially single mothers) from welfare to work. In addition, it is argued that studies by liberal social scientists were used to validate & obtain support for the reforms, allowing the government justification for its essentially punitive measures. This was increasingly reflected in discourses on poverty, particularly in ideas about the "urban underclass" & "core American values." The possibility that these changes may lead to the creation of a new authoritarian state is considered. K. H. Stewart

Introduces a work that presents a challenge to the rightist tack of US liberal politics in general & the Democratic Party in particular. Three elements of this tendency are identified -- a neoliberal element vision of communitarianism, & a cohont of conservative, mainly southern Democrats. Contributions to the volume are described, highlighting their criticisms of the new liberalism & its racialist nature. K. H. Stewart

The issue of whether US-born minority workers' employment in occupational niches generally dominated by minorities augments these workers' labor-market prospects is addressed, along with the effects of immigrant workers' succession into certain occupational niches on native-born minority workers' employment in these sectors. Data from the 1980 & 1990 Public Use Microdata Samples are used to create employment-sector measures for 32 major industry & 7 major occupational categories; the extent of Asian American, Latino American, African American, & white American workers' employment in these various sectors is analyzed. Findings show that high unemployment rates, low occupational status, & low wages were associated with US-born minority & immigrant workers' employment in occupational niches dominated by minority populations. The need to perform comparative research that studies how disparate minority groups use different attributes (eg, English proficiency) in realizing labor-market gains is expressed. 10 Tables, 1 Appendix, 23 References. J. W. Parker

Factors that encourage self-employment in certain ethnic minority groups are examined, as are the effects of the establishment of immigrant enclaves in certain US cities on African Americans' propensity toward self-employment. Public Use Microdata Sample data for 1990 are used to create socioeconomic profiles of male workers from nine different ethnic groups. Findings indicate that being married & the presence of children strongly affected an individual's propensity toward self-employment, except among African American workers. The principal finding is that the emergence of immigrant enclaves in certain cities did not obstruct African American workers' shift toward self-employment. The need for future research to consider the issue of self-employment when making policy recommendations aimed at lessening African Americans' economic problems is articulated. 6 Tables, 1 Appendix, 54 References. J. W. Parker

The effects of ethnic intermarriage & immigration on the US's future racial & ethnic composition are studied. The US Census Bureau's 1997 population estimation & additional data sources measuring ethnic identification & exogamy are employed to predict the US's future racial & ethnic composition throughout the first half of the 21st century. In addition, the 1996 national population projections are utilized to estimate fertility, mortality, & international migration trends for the five primary racial categories in the US, 1995-2050. Findings indicate that the Latino & Asian population will almost quadruple by 2050; additional projections for the other three racial categories illustrate less significant increases. It is emphasized that the accuracy of such predictions is contingent on how the number of individuals with multiracial ancestries identify themselves. In light of the problems posed by increased intermarriage rates, it is concluded that the validity of current models for projecting racial populations has been seriously challenged. 10 Tables, 29 References. J. W. Parker

Offers a semiotic analysis of the song "Like a Prayer" (1989) by popular female singer, Madonna, & its accompanying visual narrative, in the context of the larger US culture. Focus is on the work's (1) basic images & meanings, (2) social situation, (3) type of experience, (4) author's intention, (5) intended audience, & (6) agency through which it is made available. It is shown that Madonna draws on her Catholic background to make a point about female victimization & the individual potential for empowerment. The song also metaphorically attacks the church's insistence on compliance & denial of spirituality for women. K. Hyatt Stewart

This study examines U.S. policy on the transition to democracy in Kenya from the beginning of 1990 to the end of 1992. It uses the case study method and relies on data from official policy documents and oral interviews to understand why, how and with what results the U.S. intervened in Kenya's democratic transition. It focuses on the pressure by the U.S. government on the government of President Daniel arap Moi to accede to growing demands for democratic reforms, especially to allow multipartyism, to generally review the country's laws and constitution, to release political prisoners, and to hold free and fair multiparty elections. The central thesis is that U.S. pressure was instrumental in nudging the recalcitrant Moi regime to repeal the one-party clause in the constitution in December 1991, thus allowing for multipartyism, and to take other measures to open up the political system. The U.S. used both its hegemonic position as the sole superpower and influence in the donor community to rally international pressure for democratic reform in Kenya. It also deployed its diplomatic and economic leverage it had accumulated over the years as one of Kenya's major donors and diplomatic patrons to apply pressure independently on the Moi regime. U.S. unilateral and multilateral initiatives played a great role in the inauguration of the transition to democracy which saw the government legalize the opposition, release political prisoners, amend some of the laws and to ultimately organize the first multi-party elections in twenty-six years Its contribution to the inauguration of the transition notwithstanding, U.S. policy was, however, fraught with contradictions, ambivalence, equivocation and conflicts between the major actors (Congress, the Administration in Washington and the embassy in Nairobi). These problems arose mainly because of the perennial conflict between promotion of democracy and other goals of U.S. foreign policy. The need to address other urgent issues of national interest sometimes led to policy actions ...

Vulnerability to natural disasters increases with urbanization and development of associated support systems (reservoirs, power plants, etc.). Catastrophic earthquakes account for 60% of worldwide casualties associated with natural disasters. Economic damage from earthquakes is increasing, even in technologically advanced countries with some level of seismic zonation, as shown by the 1989 Loma Prieta, CA ($ 6 billion), 1994 Northridge, CA ($ 25 billion), and 1995 Kobe, Japan (> $ 100 billion) earthquakes. The growth of megacities in seismically active regions around the world often includes the construction of seismically unsafe buildings and infrastructures, due to an insufficient knowledge of existing seismic hazard. Minimization of the loss of life, property damage, and social and economic disruption due to earthquakes depends on reliable estimates of seismic hazard. National, state, and local governments, decision makers, engineers, planners, emergency response organizations, builders, universities, and the general public require seismic hazard estimates for land use planning, improved building design and construction (including adoption of building construction codes), emergency response preparedness plans, economic forecasts, housing and employment decisions, and many more types of risk mitigation. The seismic hazard map of the Americas is the concatenation of various national and regional maps, involving a suite of approaches. The combined maps and documentation provide a useful global seismic hazard framework and serve as a resource for any national or regional agency for further detailed studies applicable to their needs. This seismic hazard map depicts Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) with a 10% chance of exceedance in 50 years for the western hemisphere. PGA, a short-period ground motion parameter that is proportional to force, is the most commonly mapped ground motion parameter because current building codes that include seismic provisions specify the horizontal force a building should be able to withstand during an earthquake. This seismic hazard map of the Americas depicts the likely level of short-period ground motion from earthquakes in a fifty-year window. Short-period ground motions effect short-period structures (e.g., one-to-two story buildings). The largest seismic hazard values in the western hemisphere generally occur in areas that have been, or are likely to be, the sites of the largest plate boundary earthquakes. Although the largest earthquakes ever recorded are the 1960 Chile and 1964 Alaska subduction zone earthquakes, the largest seismic hazard (PGA) value in the Americas is in Southern California (U.S.), along the San Andreas fault.