Suchergebnisse

A unitary, strongly centralized state has characterized French political thought and practice for centuries. The Socialist Party broke from this tradition during its recent tenure in national office when it passed a comprehensive program of political decentralization. We consider these recent changes in the structure of the French state from pluralist, elitist, and ruling class perspectives, and conclude that each of these traditional conceptualizations limits our understanding of state power in various ways. We explore the utility of a refined ruling class perspective known as social capital, and suggest it offers insights into political decentralization and state structure not provided by alternative perspectives. We conclude by suggesting that social capital holds promise for application to problems of analytical and practical significance.

Global economic restructuring modifies the traditional material value of language skills and stands to increasingly fragment labor along class and ethnic lines. Language deskilling, brought about by the international mobility of capital and technological change, has diminished the value of traditionally skilled labor. Yet labor, though weakened economically and politically, is not powerless. Two contrasting instances, examined through a common political‐economic perspective, are considered: the U.S. meatpacking industry as exemplified in a Lexington, Nebraska, plant and the labor movement in the national economy of Quebec. These two cases illustrate the unity and diversity found in the contingent and uncertain process of global economic change. The Lexington example illustrates the process by which the language abilities of both immigrant and indigenous labor have been successfully deskilled. The Quebec instance illustrates the capacity of labor to utilize a common language and culture as a mobilization resource to diminish the devaluation of language and secure material gains. Possible future directions of change are considered in each instance.