DAVID EASTON'S SYSTEMS ANAZYSIS IS APPLIED AS THE ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE STUDY OF THE DANISH SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE INTERWAR PERIOD. FOR A MASS PARTY THE RESOURCES PROVIDED BY THE MEMBERSHIP SUPPORT ARE VITAC, AND IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT A MASS PARTY WOULD REACT AGAINST DISTURBANCES THREATENING ITS STEADY GROWTH IN VOTING SUPPORT BY REGULATION OF MEMBERSHIP SUPPORT.
In post-World War II agricultural research, a new perspective on "peasant society" developed. This approach is still vigorous today and implies that peasant society—defined by subsistence production, the safety-first principle, and a stable village system with moral obligations—leads to conservative behavior toward change. It also assumes that only external forces can tear down the system and force peasants into markets. However, many researchers throughout Europe have challenged these opinions of peasant mentality and peasant behavior. This study investigates five parishes in southern Sweden (Scania) to analyze the behavior of peasants during the agricultural transformation (c. 1750–1850). Important organizational and institutional changes, such as enclosures, the emergence of a formal credit market, and the growing land market, are analyzed. Results reveal that some peasants actively participated in the agricultural transformation in a number of ways and that peasant farmers in Scania did not demonstrate a conservative attitude toward change.
THE ARGUMENT OF THE PAPER IS THAT POLITICAL SCIENCE WOULD BENEFIT FROM CLARIFICATION OF THE CONCEPT' CIRSIS, AND THAT THIS CLARIFICATION SHOULD BE RELATED TO NEIGHBOURING CONCEPTS SUCH AS 'STABILLITY" AND 'BREAKDOWN. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE STABILITY OF A POLITICAL REGIME IS DEMONSTRATED BY ITS ABILITY TO AVOID TRANSFORMATION AS WELL AS BREAKDOWN AT TIMES OF CRISIS WHEN THE CONTINUITY OF THE REGIME'S IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS IS THREATENED.
IN THIS PAPER ELEMENTS OF A THEORY OF ELECTORAL BEHAVIOUR IN REFERENDUMS ARE PRESENTED AND TESTED ON A THEORETICALLY IMPORTANT CASE. AMONG THE MAIN DETERMINING FACTORS-SOCIAL CLASS, POLITICAL PARTY AND IDEOLOGICAL ATTITUDE-IT IS SHOWN THAT ON A RELATIVELY SIMPLE ISSUE WITH LOW IMPORTANCE FOR THE EVERYDAY LIFE OF THE VOTERS, IDEOLOGICAL ATTITUDE IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN POLITICAL PARTY AND SOCIAL CLASS IN EXPLAINING REFERENDUM VOTING. ON THIS BASIS A SCHEME OF ANALYSIS AND A NUMBER OF HYPOTHESES ARE SUGGESTED FOR FURTHER STUDY.
The assumption that parties in government command legislative majorities that can be used to enact desired policies does not apply to Denmark. Explores the policy consequences of minority government during the 1980s. It is shown that the government may in fact not always govern, that the government may actually be the opposition, and, consequently, that the party-policy link can indeed be extremely complex. (Abstract amended)
Possible changes in the health of women who were laid off from permanent posts in the county council of Värmland are identified. The factors which influence the possible changes in health and well‐being induced by the lay‐offs are examined. The study is both descriptive in nature and hypothesis‐generating. The data were collected by means of a postal questionnaire (response rate of 86%). The study population consists primarily of assistant nurses and nurse aides. The results suggest significant changes in the health of the great majority of women who were laid off. In those cases in which a change has occurred, the change has more often been of a negative rather than a positive nature. The results show that there is a correlation between possible changes in health and the way in which the women have reacted to the lay‐offs.
This paper presents results from a study of turnout in the 1994 European Parliament elections which inserted several new questions into the post-election Eurobarometer, including some open-ended questions. It distinguishes between circumstantial and voluntary abstention and shows how each type varies depending on the institutional arrangements for the election. Using both the subjective reasons given for abstention and a range of more objective measures of attitudes, it makes the case that conventional views as to the impact of Sunday-voting and the proportionality of the electoral system and as to the non-impact of attitudes to the European Union need to be modified. It concludes by identifying some practical institutional and political measures that could encourage higher levels of participation. (European Journal of Political Research / FUB)
