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Presents a methodology for developing economic literacy using popular education techniques, drawing on 1991/92 fieldwork conducted with a group of women in Peten, Guatemala. It is observed that the first step in any such program is a proper understanding of the economic, cultural, & political reality of women as it is experienced in their daily lives, which is translated into an educational program geared to respond to this reality. The next step is to provide a group experience that allows women to learn from one another & positively reinforces each individual's abilities & knowledges. Women are inspired to become independent learners who can construct concrete visions of their economic futures & act on those visions. Economic literacy must be attached to the availability of capital so that women can expand their enterprises in the context of their communities. It is suggested that this method encourages individual & community economic development & can be used as a stepping stone for women who live in poverty to become agents rather than objects of economic forces. 1 Figure. D. M. Smith

Die Policy-Forschung hat inzwischen einen weitgehend selbständigen Theoriebestand entwickelt, der in seiner ganzen Breite noch nicht auf die Staatstätigkeit der EU übertragen worden ist. Kennzeichnend für diesen Forschungsstand, der im vorliegenden Beitrag in seinen wesentlichen Aspekten dargestellt wird, ist der Mangel an Integration der einzelnen Ansätze. Neben der fehlenden Integration der Forschungsansätze als grundlegendem Defizit der traditionellen Policy-Forschung im Hinblick auf die Untersuchung europäischer Entscheidungsprozesse versucht der Autor folgende Fragen zu klären: Wie lässt sich politikfeldorientierte Steuerung im neuen politischen Raum theoretisch prägnanter fassen? Sind die im nationalen Rahmen entwickelten theoretischen Überlegungen der Policy-Forschung "europäisierbar", und inwieweit können einzelne Ansätze der Policy-Forschung zum Verständnis der Staatstätigkeit auf EU-Ebene beitragen? Der Autor sieht das Potential einer auf die Analyse der EU-Governance abstellenden Policy-Forschung weder in der Verknüpfung mit Macht- und Organisationsfragen, wie sie vor allem Integrationsforscher interessieren, noch in einem theoretischen "Großansatz", sondern in den noch nicht hinreichend genutzten Möglichkeiten zur Hypothesenbildung diverser theoretischer Designs. Solche je unterschiedlichen Ressourcen an Erklärungskraft werden für insgesamt acht Theorieansätze, nämlich Netzwerkanalyse, Advocacy Coalition, Policy Learning, Politikstilanalyse, Epistemic Communities, Neo-Institutionalismus, Nested Games und Multiple Streams, der Reihe nach aufgezeigt. Gerade in der vorhandenen Varietät der Ansätze der Policy-Forschung und ihrer weitgehenden Unverbundenheit sieht der Autor einen heuristischen Vorteil des Policy-Ansatzes. (ICA2)

Investigates ways in which the new information society might contribute to economic development at the regional level & help to lessen the gap between central & peripheral regions. Reports & policy statements by the Commission of the European Communities are optimistic that combining information-based goods & services with diffuse electronic networks can help offset the "tyranny of geography" that has relegated certain areas to the nether regions of social & economic participation. Here, the development of a telecommunications infrastructure in various European regions is outlined, exploring how the adoption of new information & communications technologies gives peripheral regions enhanced work mobility by (1) industrializing the service sector, (2) creating a spatial separation of production & consumption, & (3) allowing firms to manage at a distance. Barriers to such development are identified, & the concept of "learning region" is introduced to describe the prerequisites necessary to successful adoption of information & communication technologies at both the individual & organizational levels. 2 Tables, 1 Figure. K. Hyatt Stewart

An examination of the life, teachings, & legacy of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, a Japanese educational reformer & founder of the Soka Gakkai Buddhist movement, who promoted more holistic approaches to the learning process. The meaning of "value-creating education" is discussed, along with Makiguchi's struggle against the dominant voices of the time, in an attempt to find more humane ways to teach young people. His philosophy was rooted in traditional wisdom & a sense of place, & centered on education as a means to nurture self-discovery, a sense of purpose, appreciation for work, & a love of life. Makiguchi's legacy for the 21st century highlights the need for community; the imperative that humans understand & care for the earth; & the value of character-nurturing education. Intimate ties with the earth, & feelings of responsibility toward it, were basic to Makiguchi's conceptions because he feared a global environmental crisis resulting from the disappearance of inhabitants rooted in communities & appreciative of their habitat. He believed education was meant to encourage students to become "joyful, self-directing, self-actualizing, socially conscious members of society.". J. Lindroth

"Interdependent activities may be coordinated in the absence of a central coordinator if each individual in a group adjusts himself to the state of affairs resulting from the actions of other individuals in that group. Such coordination by mutual adjustment can assume different forms: competitive adjustments, as in the market; persuasion, as in an adversary process; consultation, as in a collegium. This chapter focuses on the last two types of mutual adjustment. Persuasion is shown to be as important in achieving social consensus on policy as in resolving conflicts among experts over technical issues with public policy implications. Policy communities play an important role in resolving the conflict between the demand for greater participation in policy-making and the need for an increasingly narrow technical specialization. The collegium is discussed as a distinct principle of coordination based on consultation and persuasion, rather than on competitive adjustments or administrative rules. When cognitive complexity is high, outcomes ambiguous, and quality difficult to evaluate, the collegium has definite advantages over alternative modes of coordination and control. Hence, it is proposed that collegiality, rather than hierarchy, should be the main organizing principle for highly technical activities of public administration such as environmental and safety regulation. The chapter concludes by noting the role of persuasion in bridging the gap between policy formulation and implementation, and in creating a context in which social learning can take place." (author's abstract)