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The elaborate comparative models that characterized nineteenth-century ethnology fell into disuse with the more modern concern with the internal structures of particular 'tribal societies.' The secondary Africanist tradition of regional 'culture area' studies, represented by such diverse figures as M. Herskovits, H. Baumann, & G. P. Murdock, also collapsed in the face of functionalist anthropology, at least in part because the theoretical shortcomings of culture-trait analysis became increasingly apparent. One consequence of these developments has been a neglect of the very evident fact that cultural fields do indeed exist, & provide a fertile basis for particular forms of comparative analysis. One may, within a culture area, hold certain factors constant in analyzing variations in local systems; one may study the various local evolutions of traditions with a single origin; &, perhaps more ambitiously even, one may discern underlying structural regularities which define the culture area, despite the complexity of regional variation. This may be true of regions of Africa as it is of traditional Australia, or much of Indonesia, or of India, & the focus of research should more often be the cultural region. AA.

Drawing on a multidisciplinary survey carried out in three contrasting areas of the Rhône‐Alpes Region in France, this article investigates how the concept of multifunctionality has been understood and appropriated. After a retrospective look at French agricultural policy, the first part presents our analytical framework, which is inspired by the sociology of action. The second part analyses the socio‐political issues of farming in each area and the compromises established around the various functions attributed to agriculture. The third part highlights the different ways of considering and practising farming, as well as the social expectations towards agriculture. This regional comparison shows that professional identities are constructed at local levels in different places: the farms and their neighbourhood, local groups and agricultural organisations. Local agreements on agriculture and the construction of professional identities take into account multifunctionality in specific ways, which depend on the social and economic relationships that the farmers have established with their fellow citizens.

Regarding the fact that bribery and other forms of corruption are illegal in most countries, the participants of such practices strive thoroughly to hide them and uncovering corruption is often almost impossible. Even so, a large number of specific procedures exist nowadays. These procedures attempt to quantify corruption rates in each country. A common feature of these methods is however that they focus on corruption rates at the country level, but socio-economic development is not homogeneous from country to country. It can be assumed that corruption levels also differ in individual regions within the country. Sub-national areas which are more corrupt lower the rating of the corruption level in the entire country. Sub-national resolution in terms of corruption rates could bring a whole new dimension to the theory of cause and effect in the question of regional disparities. The main objective of this paper has been formulated in this context. A newly created index was used to verify corruption variability within the NUTS II regions in European countries. The high level of variability in corruption was confirmed between regions, particularly in Italy, but also in other countries. Because of this variability, it is in many cases very misleading to evaluate the country as a whole from the viewpoint of the impact of corruption. ; Vzhledem k tomu, že úplatkářství a jiné formy korupce jsou ve většině zemí nezákonné, účastníci těchto praktik se snaží tyto praktiky důkladně skrývat a odhalení korupce je často téměř nemožné. I přesto existuje v současnosti již velké množství specifických postupů, které se snaží o kvantifikaci míry korupce. Společným rysem těchto metod však je, že se zaměřují na kvantifikaci míry korupce na úrovni státu. Míra korupce je přitom v rámci jednotlivých regionů heterogenní a na aktuálním hodnocení korupčního prostředí v zemi se tedy podílí jednotlivé regiony různou měrou. Sub-národní rozlišení z hlediska míry korupce může přinést zcela nový rozměr teorie příčin a důsledků regionálních disparit. Hlavní cíl příspěvku je formulován v této souvislosti. Nově vytvořený index byl využit k ověření variability korupce v regionech NUTS II evropských zemí. Vysoká úroveň variability korupce byla potvrzena mezi jednotlivými regiony, zejména pak v Itálii. Vzhledem k této variabilitě, je v mnoha případech velmi zavádějící hodnotit zemi jako celek z hlediska jejího zasažení korupcí.

This article presents the concept of Informational City – the city of 21st century with its highly developed digital, knowledge or creative infrastructures as well as other important aspects contributing to its informativeness. The authors have selected four Japanese cities as the best candidates for (emerging) Informational Cities and investigated data referring to them in order to determine if they indeed can be labelled as Informational Cities. The authors compared the four cities – Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka and Kyoto, and made a ranking of them in regard to their level of informativeness.

This article evaluates three provocative cross‐regional comparisons that use Eastern European cases. It begins by defending such comparisons against serious objections emphasizing Leninist legacies. Books by Offe, Greskovits, and Henderson et. al. form the foundation for a discussion of comparisons to the Eastern German, Latin American, and East Asian NIC cases, respectively. The different comparative approaches are assessed with reference to three blocks of issues: the possibility of achieving democratic capitalism "by design," the strength of social responses to economic hardship, and the viability of state instruments to keep reforms moving. Characterizing the different approaches as reliant upon "exemplars, analogies, and menus," the article assesses the outcomes of East European transformations at the ten‐year mark. It concludes with a sketch of a partially convergent agenda for further research along all three lines.

ABSTRACT  Regional economies are continually undergoing adjustment as their firm populations react to changing tastes, technologies, and the challenges of outside competition. Adjustment typically takes place as the stock of jobs is renewed in each industry. This micro‐dynamic process of renewal has a substantial impact on the structure of national and regional economies. The primary objective of this paper is to measure the degree of renewal within the Canadian manufacturing economy as whole and within individual provinces. Using a longitudinal micro‐data set—which covers the population of manufacturing plants in Canada from 1973 to 1996—the study shows that the manufacturing sector experienced considerable job renewal. Two‐thirds of jobs in 1996 were newly created since 1973. There was considerable variation in provincial renewal rates. A decomposition analysis suggests this variation is not purely an artifact of the types of industries found in provinces, but reflects other characteristics of provincial economies.

This paper compares & clarifies differences revealed in proposals from different regions on a future multilateral climate regime, after the year 2012. More than 100 articles in English were collected, categorized according to the lead author's region, & then reviewed to identify the general tendencies of each region. Proposals on emission allocation rules were the most popular in Europe, while rules related to international emissions trading dominated proposals from the United States. Few articles came from other Annex I countries, but these generally provided only the most basic aspects of a future regime. Meanwhile, concerns for equity & the relevance of any new regime in terms of sustainable development were clear in proposals from non-Annex I countries. Differences among regions were considered to be a reflection of current circumstances in each author's region. The capacity & culture of authors in some regions were considered to be other possible factors in differences. The paper concludes that recognition of regional background that formulate respective preferences & concerns regarding a future climate regime will be important to help reach a multilateral agreement in future official negotiations. 4 Tables, 117 References. Adapted from the source document.