Suchergebnisse

Investigates the relation of organizational characteristics to levels of employees' earnings, drawing on data from the 1991 National Organizations Study. It is generally found that the larger the organization, the higher the level of earnings across establishments. Further, earnings are higher in organizations that are more differentiated & formalized. The presence of internal labor markets is most strongly associated with higher earnings. In terms of gender differences, the long-standing conclusion that women earn appreciably less than men is supported. Separation of organizational & individual effects on earnings proved impossible, because the research design employed data from only one respondent in most organizations. It is suggested that a more comprehensive explanation of the relation between organization size & earnings level will have to take into account the possibility that size affects the dispersion of earnings as well as their average levels. 2 Tables, 1 Appendix. D. M. Smith

Der Beitrag untersucht den Zusammenhang von Politisierung und Depolitisierung, Medienformaten bzw. Fernsehformaten sowie politischer Realität und referiert empirische Befunde sowie theoretische Überlegungen auf dem Hintergrund der Frage nach der Struktur und Funktion des politischen Informationsangebots in einer sich verändernden Medienlandschaft. Im einzelnen geht es um folgende Fragen: 1) Wird im politischen Informationsangebot des Fernsehens eher politisiert oder depolitisiert? 2) Finden sich spezifische Fernsehformate, die sich nicht nur, aber auch hinsichtlich ihres Politisierungsgrades unterscheiden lassen? 3) Was bedeuten die etwaigen Formate von Fernsehpolitik für die Zuschauer? Bei der Betrachtung des Verhältnisses von Medienrealität und politischer Realität wird vor allem das Konstruktionsparadigma (Winfried Schulz 1989) sowie ein auf neueren Entwicklungen der Systemtheorie und der sogenannten "Second-Order-Cybernetics" basierender Konstruktivismus diskutiert, wie er in den Arbeiten Niklas Luhmanns angelegt ist. Für die Massenkommunikationstheorie bedeutet dieses Denkmodell, daß publizistische Kommunikation immer eine Beobachtung zweiter Ordnung ist und keine Wirklichkeitserfahrung aus erster Hand. In einem abschließenden Fazit fordert der Autor eine eher entpolitisierte Berichterstattung in dem Sinne, daß sie sich stärker um die Aufhellung der dezentralen Macht- und Entscheidungsstrukturen bemüht, in denen tatsächlich Politik betrieben wird, anstatt ein zu gouvernementales Bild der Politik zu vermitteln. (ICH)

The 1978 Long Term Trade Agreement between the People's Republic of China & Japan called for a special bilateral relationship between the two countries, but China's market-oriented reforms & internationalization have affected economic relations with Japan. With China's recognition of international economic interdependence, especially within the Asia Pacific region, & China's shift in its mix of goods, labor, & investments, Japan is no longer China's predominant trading partner. Domestic interests in both countries have affected exports, leading to trade friction. A centralized bilateral mechanism has proved to be unfeasible in the face of decentralized market forces. Japan & China have enormous differences in lifestyles, values, decision-making practices, & politics, but these may lessen as China approaches Japan & the West economically. A multilateral, rules-based framework in which Japan participates can facilitate China's integration into the world economy & resolve Sino-Japanese friction. 5 Tables. M. Pflum

Introduces a Vol of nine Chpts (each abstracted) by providing a theoretical & political context for issues raised by recent changes in & challenges to the political project of feminism. The central idea of a shared oppression uniting women in their struggle for liberation informed second-wave feminism of the 1960s & 1970s, which tended to concentrate on social structures that universally disadvantaged women, regardless of class, race, or sexual differences. This ignorance of difference eventually led to the assertion of radical difference in postmodernist & poststructuralist feminist thought. These new strands of theory were anchored in a wider challenge to Western philosophical thought that revealed the gendered nature of the dichotomies that structure it. Two particular claims were stressed by poststructural feminists: that all knowledge was partial & relative to the social construction of experience. Thus, recent feminist work is described as emphasizing the local & cultural variability of gender in all its forms. Others have focused on the nature of power as ambivalent & negotiated rather than imposed from one group onto another. With a focus on identity issues in the context of practicing feminism, contributions address the significance of women's agency & sense of active subjectivity as well as notions of identity construction in power relations. 85 References. D. M. Smith

Scottish devolution stands as an example for change within the UK constitution & its politics. As a model of democracy, the Scottish Parliament has committed itself to exploring new methods of consultation, participation, & consensus building; the idea of plural & multilayered democracy in Europe; & developing a stronger relationship between citizens & government. It is working to achieve gender balance in the Parliament, allowing petitions by individual citizens, & increasing communication & education through technology. Still, it is subject to the negative feelings left over from 20th-century prejudice against politicians & their activities & the influence of the media in the hands of owners & editors committed to neoliberal & economistic views. Scottish voters also express some disillusionment & disappointment, not as a lack of support for its existence, but in the desire for greater change. The devolution process must boldly reach its goals or face the discredit that most other elected governments in this post-political age have experienced. L. A. Hoffman

Examines the nature, challenges, & implications of the new cultural politics of difference (CPD). The distinctive characteristics of CPD are (1) a rejection of homogeneity in favor of diversity, multiplicity, & heterogeneity; (2) the privileging of the concrete, specific, & particular; & (3) emphasis on the context, flexibility, & provisional nature of knowledge. It is argued that CPD represents a creative response to the precise circumstances of the present historical moment in which various groups & individuals seek transformation & deconstruction of marginalizing discourses, institutions, & practices. However, many proponents of CPD face a continual struggle between their dual commitments to deconstruction of institutional borders & their own roles as academics or administrators within these institutions. These cultural critics must also confront an intellectual challenge: the synthesis of academic knowledge & action with the world of history, culture, & society. Advocates of CPD must attempt to forge alliances & solidarity while simultaneously asserting the importance of difference, personal autonomy & agency, & individual freedom. 1 Figure. T. Sevier

Presents a genealogy of Eurocentric responses to the question of representation in art & culture to indicate how the new cultural politics of difference is currently building on prior positions on this issue. Both Matthew Arnold & T. S. Eliot sought to construct a Highbrow culture that might act as a higher authority by which to establish standards of cultural representation. US dominance of the cultural market in the post-WWII period signaled a challenge to the white elite's embrace of an eroding highbrow European culture. The decolonization of the Third World produced another significant blow to Arnold's & Eliot's projects. The black diaspora inaugurated by decolonization cast the issue of cultural representation into sharp relief. Issues of hybridity & identity have traversed long-standing catgories of race, class, & gender to create a crisis in representational practices. The cultural workers of the new politics of difference are encouraged to develop strategies that at once explode dominant cultural identities & offer new terms by which people may come together. D. M. Smith

An examination of ethnic differences in educational attainments in the UK reveals a complex picture of continuity & change. Recent trends in migration to the UK are described, along with factors most likely to influence the educational attainments of children, including social/economic status & geographic location. An overview of evidence from a variety of data sources reveals large contrasts in educational attainments with African Asians, Indians, & Chinese realizing the highest attainments & Bangladeshis the lowest. Pakistanis & Whites were in the middle with Black Caribbeans somewhat lower. All ethnic groups showed educational gains in relation to their immigrant parents. Black Caribbeans experienced the highest rate of both exclusion from school & level of teacher-child conflict. Although Caribbean immigrants exhibit a high rate of single-parent households, the children of these households did not display lower scholastic attainments as did the children of White single-parent households, probably because single Caribbean mothers tend to be better qualified than their married counterparts. The implications for further research are discussed. Tables, Figures, References. J. Lindroth

After reviewing previous research on the relationship between employment commitment & unemployment, hypotheses are formulated on gender differences in role priorities that lead to differences in employment commitment between young men & women. These hypotheses are then tested with data from a comparative study of unemployed youth, ages 18-24, in 5 European counties (Finland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, & Spain total N = 9,817). Results indicate that employment commitment was generally higher among unemployed young women than among young men (with the exception of Norway); commitment levels were unrelated to levels of national unemployment, female labor force participation, or welfare regime. 7 Tables, 5 Figures. K. Hyatt Stewart

An exploration of whether the link between harsh physical discipline & children's aggressive behavior problems generalizes beyond middle-class Caucasians argues that cultural differences in child-rearing practices influence children's interpretations of their parents' actions. The literature on physical discipline, abuse, & the development of aggressive behavior problems is reviewed. The evidence indicates physical punishment is a risk factor for antisocial behavior among European Americans, but not for African Americans. Competing hypotheses about the meaning of these findings are explored. Although none of the explanations is conclusive, it is suggested that the tone or quality of the parent-child relationship may influence the way children view their physical punishment. Parents who punish with an attitude of anger & hostility may elicit greater feelings of anger, fear, & rejection in their children. Emphasis is placed on the need for research that highlights the multiple factors that differ across ethnic & cultural groups, including the impact of children's perceptions of their discipline experiences on subsequent aggressive behavior problems. Tables, References. J. Lindroth