Suchergebnisse

Explanation is given to the dismal predictions of the Club of Rome studies concerning long-run consequences of economic growth & population increases, & why they are not translated into policy changes affecting those variables. The domestic function of economic growth, providing bargaining space for the solution of political conflicts, & the propensity of policy makers to give priority to short-run problems affecting their own position inhibit these policy changes. Focus is on the theory of W. Harich, (KOMMUNISMUS OHNE WACHSTUM? BABEUF UND DER CLUB OF ROME [Communism without Growth? Babeuf and the Club of Rome], Rheinbeck: Rowohlt, 1975) a philosopher from the German Democratic Republic who argued for rigid centralization of political & economic power at the global level. Although Harich did not include concepts such as `liberty', `democracy', & `constitution' in his theory, this can be compared to some of the political reactions to the challenge in Western Europe. Proposals made by Tinbergen & the Mansholt plan however are found to be more promising. 3 Figures. Modified HA.

Data from political anthropology, archeology, & history are used to develop an overview of the evolution of political organization up to the point of the emergence of the early state. While evolution is a process of gradual transformation, it is possible to distinguish several broad evolutionary states: egalitarian, rank, stratified, & state society. The evolution of political organization is influenced on the one hand by general forces, such as population growth & pressure, & on the other hand by such specific forces as surplus production, obligations caused by reciprocity, ideological convictions, & kinship type; in interplay, these cause specific types of political organization. Such factors as population pressure, war or threat of war, & conquest seem to play the most important role in the gradual emergence of the state. A necessary condition for this emergence seems to be that existing ideological convictions not be incompatible with hierarchization & centralization. Modified HA.

The career of all the burgomasters in office on 1 Aug 1975 (N=722) was studied. The concept of career was operationalized as the change in population-size of the administered municipality. Two dimensions in the career of Dutch burgomasters are distinguished: (1) intramunicipal (following the growth of the municipality), or (2) intermunicipal (being transferred to a larger municipality). There is a negative relationship between the two dimensions. Burgomasters from growing municipalities are less likely to be rapidly transferred to larger municipalities. However, the reverse holds true of the 38 municipalities that have more than 10,000 inhabitants. The burgomasters of those municipalities have a different kind of career from their colleagues. For those burgomasters transferred from growing municipalities there is a positive r between the growth of the municipality & the total growth of their career. No cause can be assigned to the negative r between population growth & intermunicipal career growth without further study. A. Orianne.

A quantitative evaluation of shifts in the voting patterns of the Flemish population from the 1981 to the 1985 national elections in relation to sex, age, & occupational status. Mobility tables are calculated using statistical information from poll surveys & the results of the elections. The results of the analysis, using loglinear modeling, correspondence analysis, & cluster analysis, reveal significant shifts between the different parties, & indicate that sex of voter has no significant influence on voting behavior. 3 Tables, 9 Figures. Modified HA

The gender, profession, & age of local elected Flemish politicians (N = 23,465), 1946-1988, are analyzed with respect to the composition of the population as a whole, & changes in it, drawing on data from the Belgian National Instit for Statistics. It is found that women have been underrepresented in Flemish local politics throughout the era, although slight improvements are observed from 1970 onward, especially after implementation of a representation law in 1994. Higher socioeconomic strata tend to be overrepresented, especially in larger communities; whereas the number of blue-collar workers, agrarians, & employers decreased significantly, the number of intellectuals, employees, & teachers increased. Few representatives under age 35 & over age 60 tended to be elected, but a decrease of average age around 1970 is observed. Differences between representatives of the various political parties are also discussed. 2 Tables. Adapted from the source document.

An alternative approach to studying the relationship between the working class & authoritarianism is presented to overcome the difficulties found in the debate between C. P. Middendorp's & J. D. Meloen's "Over het autoritarisme van de arbeidersklasse" ([Working-Class Authoritarianism] Acta Politica, 1989, 24, 83-96) & P. Dekker's & P. Ester's "Klassepositie als determinant van autoritarisme; een reactie op Meloen en Middendorp" ([Class Position as a Determinant of Authoritarianism; A Response to Meloen and Middendorp] Acta Politica, 1989, 24, 97-104). Analysis of statistical data compiled in A. Felling, et al (Religion in Dutch Society 1985. Documentation of a National Survey on Religious and Secular Attitudes in 1985, Amsterdam: Steinmetz Archive, 1987), shows that it is not the working class, but rather small independent businessmen & farmers, who are the most authoritarian segments of the Dutch population. 4 Tables, 21 References. M. Meeks

A report of a policy evaluation of the personnel situation in Belgium's amalgamated municipalities, investigating the degree to which amalgamation has achieved its objectives & which instruments have contributed to that achievement. It appears that the number of personnel in local administration grew more than in regional ones, particularly in public welfare agencies. This growth is probably due more to social evolution than to the amalgamation operation. The fact that large municipalities have relatively more personnel than small ones is not due to increase of the population. The diachronic study of the % of total expenditures for personnel shows that they have decreased, which could indicate a scale effect. However, there is insufficient information to ascribe this change to amalgamation. It is concluded that amalgamation as a policy measure has not brought many changes in policy implementation, which is explained by the lack of a strategy for change. It does not suffice merely to pass a law to bring about fundamental change. 11 Tables, 1 Figure, 1 Appendix. Modified HA.

Although the 2006 local elections can hardly be described as 'historical,' there is sufficient evidence to distinguish remarkable characteristics associated with this elections. For the first time in decades, turnout has been growing. This evolution can be explained by several factors. This article emphasizes besides the impact of changes in the electoral rules, transformations in demographic structure of the population & the stake of the elections the importance of the media campaign surrounding the elections. However, in spite of this (national) campaigns, there are more than enough indications that local politics keeps its local 'nature.' Secondly, the 2006 elections were the first ones organized after the transfer of the responsibility for municipality legislation from the federal state to the regions. This means that each region designed its own local government architecture & electoral rules. Yet, in practice, the consequences of this transformation seem to be very limited. Thirdly, & particular in the Flemish region, 'strong mayors' arose from the ballot stations (with the Antwerp mayor as the most spectacular case). The consequences of this trend will in the future be the issue of a new debate concerning the relations between council, board of alderman & mayor. Adapted from the source document.

Challenges in setting up and conducting interviews with non-Belgian prisoners
In 2018, 44.6% of the prison population in Belgium consisted of prisoners with a non-Belgian nationality (n = 4.601). Despite their overrepresentation, little is known about this group of prisoners, because they are often excluded from research. Therefore, the FIP2 project (Foreigners' Involvement and Participation in Prison) was initiated and focuses on non-Belgian prisoners and their formal and informal participation in prison life. Fifty-one interviews with non-Belgian prisoners were conducted in four prisons. During these interviews, we experienced several challenges, which included various difficulties. In this article, we describe, analyze and reflect on the most important challenges in setting up and conducting interviews with non-Belgian prisoners: (1) how we can reach non-Belgian prisoners; (2) interviewing in a foreign language for the researcher/respondent; (3) the presence of an interpreter in individual interviews; (4) the use of Appreciative Inquiry in a less appreciative context; (5) objective researchers versus emotionally jarring conversations; and (6) 'white' female researchers and male non-Belgian prisoners. We do not have miracle solutions about how to deal with these challenges. Nevertheless, we do have some recommendations that we would like to give to other researchers and professionals about engaging in interviews or conversations with this 'forgotten' group of prisoners.

The future of ethnography in the Big Data era
By taking an ethnographic viewpoint, Beuving explores knowledge claims about Big Data (BD) as discussed in Seth Stephens-Davidowitz' best-selling book Everybody Lies (2017). It portrays BD in a way that evokes affinity with ethnography: as a naturalistic research practice that makes small subpopulations visible and discloses people's hidden motives. But for Beuving this threefold assertion appears to rest on misguided conceptions. For the ethnographic researcher, naturalism refers to a reflexive practice, yet the BD researcher associates it with researcher invisibility. And the term population, which has a statistical meaning in BD, has a strong theoretical connotation in ethnography. Finally, motives in BD are about direct interpretation of revealed preferences as social facts, whereas the ethnographer considers them to be expressions of social behavior that require a Verstehende interpretation.
Bosch sees the relation of ethnography and Big Data research as a new form of Methodenstreit, which urges qualitative researchers to develop and apply user-oriented analysis techniques. Gigengack stresses that ethnography and Big Data are in fact incompatible. They should not be seen as methodological rivals in understanding society and social conduct. Ethnography and Big Data analyses are different perspectives on the social world. Ethnography should study the world of Internet behavior as it studies religious rites or societal identities.