Suchergebnisse

Argues that the rise of professions in the modern world has been central to the development of governmentality. Borrowed from Michel Foucault (1979 [see abstract 82M2377]), governmentality is defined as a form of power to produce & organize information for the regulation of peoples that arose in Europe, 16th-19th century. According to this interpretation, the long-standing controversy in the literature over whether & how much professions are autonomous from the state is misguided, because it assumes that professions & government are separate from one another. An appeal is made to the work of M. S. Larson (1977), A. Abbott (1988), & P. Starr & E. Immergut (1987), as exemplars of an emerging tradition that points the way to an understanding of professions not as an entity, but as forms of knowledge in a constant state of production. From this view, the state & professions are engaged in a mutual process of the construction of political problems, the means & instrumentalities for solving them, & thus, of governmentality itself. 24 References. D. M. Smith

Though education was not one of the policy areas underlying the formation of the European Union, today it is an established aspect of Europeanized policy making. This chapter summarizes educational policy in the EU, pointing out the characteristics that have distinguished the process of educational institutionalization during the last 30 years. It then discusses the educational programs & initiatives that were introduced in the mid-1980s & 1990s. Finally, the institutionalization process itself is examined, & trends & new policy directions are explored. In particular, it is noted that the question of national identity must be considered, as EU involvement in educational policy has caused & will continue to cause conflict among member countries & transnational political groups. K. A. Larsen

Studies the impact of various organizational models on party performance through a case study. The demise of the Union de Centro Democratico (UCD) was caused by the party's lack of institutionalization. One key component was the lack of commitment of the party's top-ranking leaders in Madrid, who interacted with the party in purely utilitarian terms to achieve election, but failed to tie values into the party institution or to develop loyalty toward the party. Lack of agreement was also evident regarding the model of the party, its electoral strategies, & its norms of internal governance. Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez wanted to develop a classic catch-all party with strong presidential leadership; while the party's 'barons' favored development along factional lines with collective decision-making processes. Different expectations led to infighting & defections by prominent leaders. The lack of commitment to the party at the abstract level, lack of behavioral norms, & intra-party decision-making processes destroyed the party & even threatened the survival of the new democratic regime. An electorate disillusioned with the UCD's destructive conflicts gave it the worst electoral defeat in West European history. 2 Tables, 1 Figure. L. A. Hoffman

Offers a broad, introductory overview of political developments in these 3 newly independent states formed following the breakup of the USSR, focusing on commonalities & differences in the evolution & functioning of political parties in each country. Though similar in terms of their level of industrialization & economic development, educational attainment of the population, & lack of ethnic conflict, significant differences in the political trajectories of Belarus, Ukraine, & Moldova emerged 1993-1998 as a result of macro- & microlevel political, economic, social, psychological, & personal factors both within & outside of the respective countries. The ideology, structure, strategies, stability, & success of political parties in each state are contrasted & projections are made about future developments. 1 Table. K. Hyatt Stewart

The impact of institutionalization on the survival of environmentalism is examined. Ecological discourse on the environment is no longer monopolized by the environmental movement. Environmentalism has become a topical issue on the public agenda & many voices, both proponents & opponents, are now being heard, forming an institutionalized ecological master frame that is restructuring the public sphere & simultaneously creating a free flow of communication & structuring information. The emergence of the ecological master frame counteracts the transformation of the public sphere that occurred in the eighteenth & nineteenth century in which powerful institutional actors facilitated the contraction of communication. The implications of institutionalization of the ecological masterframe on the environmental movement are many: (1) increased competition with other actors in shaping debate over ecological issues; (2) dominance of a political ecology discourse within the ecological masterframe; & (3) intensified use of the media, creation of an identity market, & increasing attention on self-presentation & building of symbolic resources. 84 References. D. Generoli

The article presents an institutionalization concept in a post-soviet society. The double institutionalization phenomenon was described as a specific social mechanism which supports social stability and integration under conditions when institutional bases of social life are ruining. In order to test hypotheses on specific character and tendencies of post-soviet institutionalization and new social institution formation, authors use the data of sociological monitoring on social changes in Ukrainian society conducted by the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine for many years.

Explores the possibility that the distinctions between bottom-up & top-down institutionalization may reflect relatively modest differences in context & focus, rather then irreconcilable divergences in foundational assumptions. After developing several arguments about the factors that may affect the localism or globalism of the institutionalization process, a number of theoretical issues that may affect the likelihood that institutionalization will be driven by the dynamics at various levels of analysis are considered. Finally, data on high technology venture capital financing practices in the US during the 1980s are examined to determine the extent to which such practices were institutionalized at the levels of: individual firms, geographically localized organizational communities, & a nationwide societal sector. 2 Tables, 4 Figures. M. Maguire

Discusses factors leading to the government institutionalization of individual property rights. Although previous theorists have hypothesized that property rights emerge as the result of moral requirements, it is argued that these rights are the product of desires to improve the productivity & wealth of individuals &, thereby, the government. Individual rights institutions evolve in environments characterized by conflict between the old agents of control & agents seeking changes in old institutions. Since society without rules leads to unproductive & unregulated conflict, governments support individual rights to enhance productivity, which allows government to advance its own power through increased taxes & other forms of support. Drawing on a game-theoretic model of government-enforced individual rights, it is concluded that law enforcement policies must be known to society to maintain the government monopoly of rights & achieve the desired ends associated with such rights granting. In an environment with incomplete information, governments may fail to grant necessary rights or grant rights that undermine their own goals. 2 Tables, 1 Appendix. T. Sevier