Suchergebnisse

Though highly visible, top corporate executives are not accessible. Surrounded by gatekeepers, leverage is often needed to gain access, & that done, the researcher is in foreign territory; unless fully prepared, inaccurate or scripted information can result. Personal or professional contacts, personalization of the research, & accommodating the interviewee's schedule can help lower barriers to access. The researcher can maximize the probability of obtaining useful information by: (1) having a clear agenda; (2) clarifying ground rules for the interview; (3) using a semistructured interview format; (4) supplementing the interview with other data; & (5) establishing the opportunity for follow-up access. 29 References. D. Generoli

The impact of North American integration upon Canada's federal political system is studied. An overview of Canada's economic, political, & social relations with the US & with other countries throughout the world is presented. The popular assertion that North American integration processes will worsen regional conflicts within Canadian society is challenged; even though it is conceded that regional integration could intensify competition between Canadian provinces for investment & trade, it is asserted that global & regional integration will have little impact on regional divisions in Canadian society. The effects of global & regional integration processes upon various aspects of Canadian federalism are then highlighted. Specifically, it is argued that such processes have produced little effect upon Canadian identities, have not generated considerable support for Quebec's independence movement, have not promoted the decentralization of Canada's federal government, have had various effects upon Canadian intergovernmental relations, & have not created potentially destructive levels of economic competition & harmful environmental policies. Future directions within the international order that could solidify or jeopardize the Canadian federal system's stability are also pondered. 68 References. J. W. Parker

An exploration of problems involved in the agricultural element of Poland's accession negotiations for membership in the EU calls attention to the fact that, after two years of talks, the EU has failed to present an official negotiating position on such crucial matters as organization of the common agricultural market, rural development, horizontal difficulties, & veterinary concerns. It is maintained that a speedy conclusion to negotiations is unlikely because of serous differences between the Polish & EU negotiating positions. The relation of agricultural negotiations to other difficult areas like the Free Movement of Capital, environmental protection, & the roads element of transportation is discussed, along with the most important of the 55 specific negotiating problems listed in the Polish negotiating position. Special concerns related to the issues of direct payments, production quotas, & the use of national resources to finance structural programs are discussed. J. Lindroth

Thinking of cultural identities as fluid & symbolic by describing them as hybrid or diasporic is an important step away from modern exclusivist ethnicity with its fixed boundaries & racism. However, concepts of hybridity & diaspora are not endemically antiracist, even though they challenge static & essentialist notions of ethnicity & race. The major problems with location culture as the core of identity & community are discussed; culture & identity, especially in the formation of solidary projects, need to be associated. Shifts in identity need to be viewed within wider structural processes & resource claims. M. Pflum

"This paper attempts to assess international regimes and some of the problems that appear with them, namely environmental regimes and security regimes. The paper assesses these problems through prisms of two of the major theories of international relations: Realism and Liberalism. It looks into aspects such as how these theories differ in comparison, while addressing the issues under discussion? First and foremost, what are international regimes and how do we categorize them? Analyzing the task of international regimes and explaining to some extent the significance of international environmental and security regimes for today's world is the subject of this paper." (author's abstract)

The psychological, legal, & cultural challenges faced by unemployed women in post-Soviet Russia are discussed, based on 1993/94 interview data from 64 unemployed women. During socialist rule, 90+% of women were employed, & this trend coincided with a paradoxical ideology that simultaneously emphasized gender equality in the workplace & reinforced traditional gender stereotypes. In recent years, unemployment has disproportionately affected women, & the state has promoted housewifery in an attempt to free jobs for unemployed men. This has created psychological problems for unemployed women without the jobs that once delineated prestige & status. Russian society also lacks the legal & institutional structures to support one-income, female-led households, & traditional gender stereotypes have undermined appreciation for the time & energy involved in domestic work. Gender ideology, social norms, & legal codes no longer match the situation of many Russian women. It is concluded that official gender ideology will be challenged & transformed in the near future by women seeking greater employment equality & increased appreciation for domestic work. T. Sevier

Anhand von Beispielen aus der demographischen Forschung in Kanada wird das Problem der Datenbeschaffung thematisiert. Dabei wird von einer hypothetischen Problemsequenz ausgegangen, der sich der Forscher bei der Datenbeschaffung gegenübersehen kann. Informationsprobleme über vorhandene Daten, Dokumentationsprobleme bezüglich Gehalts- oder Reichweitenirrtümern bei vorhandenen Daten, sowie Probleme der Datentransformation und ihrer Analyse werden dargestellt. (BG)

Introduces the volume & its concern with political delegation & accountability in seventeen parliamentary democracies of Western Europe. Our objective is to contribute to our empirical & theoretical comprehension of parliamentary democracy. We consider political institutions & how they at once articulate & delimit citizens' expression; governance dilemmas in parliamentary systems; & changes over time in dealing with delegation matters. This chapter also discusses the historical roots of parliamentary systems, the problematics of terminology for modern representative democracies, parliamentarism vs. presidentialism, & principal-agent strategy for addressing the difficulties of delegation & accountability. The other contributions to the volume are also briefly introduced. 1 Table, 115 References. K. Coddon