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Gender aspects of changes in local political economies & their implications for the future development of metropolitan areas are surveyed. These changes are broadly characterized as a movement from a Fordist to a post-Fordist system of economic relations, & the introduction of greater numbers of women into the paid workplace. Regional variations in this general trend are investigated in the context of a comparative examination of the Boston, MA, & Pittsburgh, PA, metropolitan areas. It is noted that as women have gained a higher presence in the economy, they have also assumed larger roles in local decision-making processes. 2 Tables, 58 References. D. M. Smith

"Empirically the chapters of this book deal with current changes in selected political-economic institutions of rich, mostly Western democracies. To us the most prominent theoretical frameworks employed in the analysis of the welfare state and of contemporary political economy generally seem singularly ill-equipped to capture significant developments underway in many if not all of them. While we join with a large literature that rejects the notion that previously diverse political economies are all covering on a single model of capitalism, we notice that many arguments in support of the idea of distinctive and stable national models lack the analytic tools necessary to capture the changes that are indisputably going on in these countries. One consequence is a tendency in the literature to understate the extent of change, or alternatively to code all observed changes as minor adaptive adjustments to altered circumstances in the service of continuous reproduction of existing systems." (excerpt)

Artisanal cheeses have captured the taste buds of many Americans over the last 20 years, especially in dairy states where it can be found in local specialty shops & farmers' markets, but also in Slow Food-approved supermarkets such as Whole Foods. This chapter explores the production & marketing of specialty cheeses in Vermont. It is argued by many that this recent evolution represents the profit-driven creation of an elite niche market for America's most distinguished cheeses. Slick brochures describe such cheeses as Vermont Shepherd, with its "smooth & creamy texture," "rich & earthy flavor," & "hints of clover, wild mint, & thyme," its quality enhanced by the grasses of the natural fields where the sheep graze -- marketing phrases designed to make the customer drool while forking over $20 for a pound of this epicurean delight. However, the author contends that the production of such cheeses is not just market-driven. The cheese artisans want to make the best of the best & take pride in what they do. The husband-&-wife makers of Vermont Shepherd traveled to France, where the Basques taught them the secrets of making the best sheep's milk cheese. It is concluded that the "social relations of small-scale agriculture & food production in the US are driven by sentiment, affiliation, & politics as well as by economic rationality.". References. J. Stanton

This chapter offers a short overview of the development of quality assurance and accreditation systems in higher education in several non-member countries and how they manage cross-border provision of higher education. It gives examples of how different countries and regions in Asia, Africa and Latin America are coping with the increase in cross-border provision of higher education with respect to quality assurance and accreditation. (DIPF/Orig.).

A commentary examines recent changes in the organization of economic activity that have produced more low-wage jobs, general economic insecurity, & new forms of employment-centered poverty. Although insecurity & poverty have existed in developed countries for a long time, the focus here is on the contribution of new terms of employment to increases in socioeconomic & spatial inequalities. It is argued that the decline of mass production as the propelling force of the economy resulted in a weakening of the broader institutional framework that shaped the employment relation. Three trends are examined in depth: (1) growing inequality in both the profit-making capacities of varied economic sectors & the earning capacities of different types of workers; (2) greater socioeconomic polarization stemming from the organization of firms & labor markets, especially in the service industries, coupled with the "casualization" of the employment relation; & (3) an increase in urban marginality caused by new structural processes of economic growth rather than by abandonment. 4 Tables, 36 References. J. Lindroth

A discussion of the evolution of a discourse of "embedded capitalism" in Germany & Japan from the late 19th century to the present focuses on institutions that solidified the market economy. Prescriptions for social control over markets are described, noting that state leaders sought "discourse coalitions" & turned toward conservative reform when liberalism proved incapable of guaranteeing rapid economic development. Examination of early experiments with liberal solutions in Germany highlights philosophical & religious attitudes that promoted state activism in economic affairs. However, a new discourse of conservative reform was adopted during the financial crash of the 1870s. The hegemony achieved by the nonliberal discourse in Germany was the origin of a path-dependent process of institution building. Social conservatives in Japan's Meiji era integrated some ideas from the German discourse to develop a social model of the (vertical) "ie society." The impact WWI & WWII is discussed, along with the ability of the embedded capitalism discourse to adjust to major political upheavals & external challenges. Prospects for the future are discussed. J. Lindroth

A discussion of the evolution of a discourse of "embedded capitalism" in Germany & Japan from the late 19th century to the present focuses on institutions that solidified the market economy. Prescriptions for social control over markets are described, noting that state leaders sought "discourse coalitions" & turned toward conservative reform when liberalism proved incapable of guaranteeing rapid economic development. Examination of early experiments with liberal solutions in Germany highlights philosophical & religious attitudes that promoted state activism in economic affairs. However, a new discourse of conservative reform was adopted during the financial crash of the 1870s. The hegemony achieved by the nonliberal discourse in Germany was the origin of a path-dependent process of institution building. Social conservatives in Japan's Meiji era integrated some ideas from the German discourse to develop a social model of the (vertical) "ie society." The impact WWI & WWII is discussed, along with the ability of the embedded capitalism discourse to adjust to major political upheavals & external challenges. Prospects for the future are discussed. J. Lindroth

"Angesichts der gegenwärtigen weltweiten Rezession ist das Interesse am Phänomen der Kondratieff-Zyklen wieder stark belebt worden. Trotz einer intensiven wissenschaftlichen Diskussion und zahlreicher empirischer Analysen besteht bis heute kein Konsens in der Frage der Realität solcher Zyklen. Zwar zeigen sich in vielen ökonomischen Indikatorenreihen Trendschwankungen, doch es ist sowohl in der theoretischen wie der statistischen Forschung ungeklärt, ob sich diese Schwankungen mit einer angebbaren Regelmäßigkeit wiederholen. Die Nichtlösbarkeit des Problems in der bisherigen Forschung ist einmal auf das Fehlen geeigneter Datenreihen zurückzuführen, zum anderen auf den Umstand, daß kein brauchbares statistisches Verfahren für eine gegenstandsneutrale Untersuchung zur Verfügung stand. Die zunächst mit hohen Erwartungen eingesetzte Spektralanalyse wird neuerdings mit Recht starker methodischer Kritik unterzogen; denn der in allen ökonomischen Zeitreihen vorhandene Trend macht eine informative Spektralanalyse unmöglich, da diese immer ein Ergebnis liefert, dessen Form bereits Granger als 'typical spectral shape of an economic variable' bezeichnet hat. Ein spektralanalytischer Nachweis langer Wellen erfordert daher immer die vorherige Trendbereinigung der Zeitreihe. Diese exakte Trendbereinigung gelang bislang nicht. Entweder wurden die langen Wellen mit dem Trend ausgefiltert oder es waren die Auswirkungen der Trendbereinigung im Frequenzbereich nicht überprüfbar, so daß immer offen blieb, ob eventuell ausgewiesene lange Schwingungen erst durch das Verfahren erzeugt wurden (Slutzky-Effekt). Die Nichtüberprüfbarkeit der Hypothese von der Existenz langer Wellen war insgesamt ein sehr unbefriedigender Zustand. Ein völlig neuer Weg zur Lösung dieser Frage besteht darin, Zeitreihenanalyse als Filter-Design-Problem zu begreifen und sich methodisch ganz vom klassischen Komponentenmodell zu lösen. Einer Arbeitsgruppe um Prof. Stier in Bochum ist es gelungen, Filter zu konstruieren, die jene scharfen Trenneigenschaften aufweisen, mit denen das Problem der langen Wellen optimal angegangen werden kann. Der Schlüssel liegt in der Kombination dieser neuen rekursiven Filter mit der Spektralanalyse. Damit lassen sich, über die Intention bisheriger Arbeiten hinausgehend, Form und Lage von Langfristzyklen in der historischen Zeitdimension erstmals darstellen. Das Verfahren wurde auf verschiedene Zeitreihen (Preisserien, Produktions- und Lohndaten) angewandt. Von den z. T. überraschenden Ergebnissen seien nur einige kurz skizziert: Langfristzyklen sind in allen untersuchten Reihen nachweisbar. Allerdings zeigt sich der typische Kondratieff-Zyklus nur in Preisreihen. Produktionsreihen weisen eindeutig kürzerfristige Zyklen auf, die vielleicht dem Typ der Kuznets-Zyklen zuzuordnen sind, wahrscheinlich aber einen neuen Typus langer Wellen darstellen. Die mit Hilfe der Spektralanalyse diagnostizierten Zyklen-Typen erfahren allerdings bei der Darstellung in der historischen Zeit wesentliche Modifikationen. Von Zyklus zu Zyklus ändert sich nicht nur die jeweilige Zyklenlänge, sondern auch die Dauer der Auf- und Abschwungsphasen. Hinzu kommt, daß die Amplitudenausschläge deutliche Unterschiede zwischen vorindustrieller und industrieller Zeit aufzeigen. Vergleichsuntersuchungen mit deflationierten Preisreihen haben gezeigt, daß eine schwankende Geldwertstabilität nicht Ursache dieser Zyklen sein kann, sondern nur den Trend beeinflußte. Die als Trend ausgefilterten nicht-periodischen Schwingungen zeigen keinen gleichmäßig linearen, sondern einen wellenförmigen Verlauf. Ob es sich bei diesem Phänomen um ein methodenbedingtes Ergebnis handelt, muß vorerst offen bleiben." (Autorenreferat)

Introduces an edited Vol that overviews the future of capitalist diversity in the wake of Maastricht neoliberalism & global deregulation. The literature on capital diversity has consistently argued that nation-states possess the capacity to shape capitalism according to nontrivial local preferences. This framework appeared to explain the gravitation of some national economies toward strongly institutionalist forms, while others moved toward more pure market economies. However, in recent years, it has become increasingly clear that strongly institutional economies are coming under global economic pressures to conform to a new style of international capitalism that prefers pure-market arrangements. This has raised the issue of the relative competitiveness of institutionalized capitalist forms & the future of capitalist diversity. It is suggested that, in the near future, these global economic pressures are likely to destroy a range of governance mechanisms in institutional economies, favor pure-market arrangements, & promote convergence. D. Ryfe

In the coming decades in the process of globalization the position of the USA and Europe will weaken, while the role of developing countries will increase. The role of the two largest emerging economies – China and India – will be of special significance.
What future will these fast-growing giants face? The demographers
agree that pretty soon India will lead the world in population and thus surpass China, while China will encounter serious population ageing. But economic and political scenarios of the future are quite different: from resounding success and world leadership to collapse caused by demographic and socio-political troubles.
Which of them is more feasible? In the present article I analyze the Chinese and Indian development models separately and comparatively and make prognosis of their perspectives in the twenty-first century. Such an analysis could be helpful for understanding Russia's ways of development.