Showing papers in "Contemporary Sociology in 1987"
TL;DR: The second edition as mentioned in this paper highlights the issues related to : a) natural resources management (particularly water, forests, and fisheries); b) environmental implications of development programs; and c) the development of human capital through investments in forming grassroots organizations and promoting participation.
Abstract: This edition owes its publication to the success of the first edition in 1985. The contributors have attempted to weigh their earlier conclusions against development experience accumulated during the second half of the 1980s. Their chapters seek to capture the newly emerging trends in the development thinking and practice that are likely to characterize the 1990s. This edition highlights the issues related to : a) natural resources management (particularly water, forests, and fisheries); b) the environmental implications of development programs; and c) the development of human capital through investments in forming grassroots organizations and promoting participation. The contributors also draw attention to certain adverse consequences of development, such as the risk of greater impoverishment of some marginal groups, the forced displacement and involuntary resettlement of populations, and deterioration and dissipation of common property income-generating assets. All of the authors are concerned with understanding the conditions for long-term sustainability of development investments. Finally, the edition analyzes specific cases in which the difficult transition from social science knowledge to the formulation of policy principles and industrial planning procedures was made successfully. This edition strengthens the argument that sociological analysis brings an increment of professional precision to the thinking and practice of induced development.
623Â citations
613Â citations
552Â citations
TL;DR: Betzig as discussed by the authors argues that reproduction is the end of human life and that all forms of power and strength are exploited in reaching this end, and that power corrupts and how despotic governments continue to exist in the world today.
Abstract: \"Much light will be thrown on the origin of man and his history,\" thus ended Darwin's \"Origin of Species\". For many years, the book provoked a flood of argument, but yielded little evidence. In the first century after the book's publication, virtually no one tested Darwin's theory against the evidence of human history. Now that tide has changed.. Laura Betzig challenges the proposition that the evolved end of human life is its reproduction by presenting the literature on conflict resolution from over a hundred societies. The research results presented in Despotism, Social Evolution, and Differential Reproduction convincingly uphold Darwin's prophecy.A basic premise behind research has always been that understanding the way things are should contribute to our ability to change them to the way we would like them to be. This idea forms the basis for Betzig's research - she sets out to explain how things really are by leading the reader through the historical and natural conditions that have promoted despotism in the hopes that this might eventually eradicate it. She begins with the idea that reproduction is the end of human life, and that all forms of power and strength are exploited in reaching this end. In this way, Betzig shows with startling clarity how power corrupts and how despotic governments continue to exist in the world today. Engaging - even at times railing against - existing literature on human and social evolution, such as that of Rousseau and Marx, Betzig asserts herself as a formidable and undeniable voice in this debate.Since Darwin's monumental work, more has been said about why questions regarding how human history has been shaped by natural history should not even be asked, than has been said in an effort to answer them. This work puts a stop to that by testing the Darwinian hypothesis and finding that he was right light has in fact been shed on human political and reproductive history. Controversial and creative, this book makes no apologies for its bold messages and interdisciplinary boundary blending and addresses a topic of continuing interest and importance.
479Â citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the comparative history of the poor in Africa is discussed and the transformation of poverty in southern Africa is described. But the authors do not consider the role of women in this process.
Abstract: Preface 1. The comparative history of the poor 2. Christian Ethiopia 3. The Islamic tradition 4. Poverty and pastoralism 6. Yoruba and Igbo 7. Early European initiatives 8. Poverty in South Africa, 1886-1948 9. Rural poverty in colonial Africa 10. Urban poverty in tropical Africa 11. The care of the poor in colonial Africa 12. Leprosy 13. The growth of poverty in independent Africa 14. The transformation of poverty in southern Africa Notes Bibliography Index.
476Â citations
TL;DR: Based on presentations made at a conference sponsored by the Social Science Research Council's Committee on Social and Affective Development During Childhood, held at Harwichport, Mass., in June 1982, the authors
Abstract: Based on presentations made at a conference sponsored by the Social Science Research Council's Committee on Social and Affective Development During Childhood, held at Harwichport, Mass., in June 1982.
469Â citations
TL;DR: In this article, W. Russell Neuman analyzes the major election surveys in the United States for the period 1948 1980 and develops for each a central index of political sophistication based on measures of political interest, knowledge, and style of political conceptualization.
Abstract: A central current in the history of democratic politics is the tensions between the political culture of an informed citizenry and the potentially antidemocratic impulses of the larger mass of individuals who are only marginally involved in the political world. Given the public s low level of political interest and knowledge, it is paradoxical that the democratic system works at all.In \"The Paradox of Mass Politics\" W. Russell Neuman analyzes the major election surveys in the United States for the period 1948 1980 and develops for each a central index of political sophistication based on measures of political interest, knowledge, and style of political conceptualization. Taking a fresh look at the dramatic findings of public apathy and ignorance, he probes the process by which citizens acquire political knowledge and the impact of their knowledge on voting behavior.The book challenges the commonly held view that politically oriented college-educated individuals have a sophisticated grasp of the fundamental political issues of the day and do not rely heavily on vague political symbolism and party identification in their electoral calculus. In their expression of political opinions and in the stability and coherence of those opinions over time, the more knowledgeable half of the population, Neuman concludes, is almost indistinguishable from the other half. This is, in effect, a second paradox closely related to the first.In an attempt to resolve a major and persisting paradox of political theory, Neuman develops a model of three publics, which more accurately portrays the distribution of political knowledge and behavior in the mass population. He identifies a stratum of apoliticals, a large middle mass, and a politically sophisticated elite. The elite is so small (less than 5 percent) that the beliefs and behavior of its member are lost in the large random samples of national election surveys, but so active and articulate that its views are often equated with public opinion at large by the powers in Washington. The key to the paradox of mass politics is the activity of this tiny stratum of persons who follow political issues with care and expertise. This book is essential reading for concerned students of American politics, sociology, public opinion, and mass communication.\
465Â citations
465Â citations
TL;DR: Vaulting Ambition is the first extensive and detailed evaluation of the controversial claims that sociobiologists have made about human nature and human social behavior and refutes the notions that humans are trapped by their evolutionary biology and history in endlessly repeating patterns of aggression, xenophobia, and deceitfulness.
431Â citations
430Â citations
TL;DR: Theoretical perspectives as modes of inquiry as mentioned in this paper have been used in the analysis of state and society in theoretical and managerial perspective. But the authors do not consider the class perspective on the democratic state.
Abstract: Preface Acknowledgements Introduction: State and society in theoretical perspective 1. Theoretical perspectives as modes of inquiry Part I. The Pluralist Perspective: 2. State and society in pluralist perspective 3. The democratic state and consensus 4. The democratic state and participation 5. The pluralist perspective on the bureaucratic state 6. The pluralist perspective on the capitalist state Part II. The Managerial Perspective: 7. State and society in managerial perspective 8. The bureaucratic state and centralisation 9. The bureaucratic state and fragmentation 10. The managerial perspective on the capitalist state 11. The managerial perspective on the democratic state Part III. The Class Perspective: 12. State and society in class perspective 13. The capitalist state and accumulation 14. The capitalist state and class struggle 15. The class perspective on the democratic state 16. The class perspective on the bureaucratic state Part IV. Theory, Politics, and Contradictions in the State: 17. The powers of theory 18. The power of politics 19. The power of contradictions.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed how the game is played at the top of big organizations in the private and public sectors. And they found that the more strategic the decision, the more complex the decision making "game" becomes.
Abstract: How are important decisions made? What influences such decisions - their complexity, the ease with which they can be made, or the political dimension? The more strategic the decision, the more complex the decision making "game" becomes. This book analyzes how that game is played at the top of big organizations - in the private and public sectors. Based on ten years of research at Bradford Management Centre, this book features the results and experience of 150 case studies. Its wide coverage takes in subjects as diverse as the differences between decisions about new products and new technology, personnel and reorganization, and which kinds of outside interest, for example, government, trade unions, exert influence.
TL;DR: In this article, T.M. Williams and A.C. Boyes, Television-Viewing Patterns and Use of Other Media, M.L. Williams, Television and Cognitive Development.
Abstract: T.M. Williams, Background and Overview. R.S. Corteen and T.M. Williams, Television and Reading Skills. L.F. Harrison and T.M. Williams, Television and Cognitive Development. T.M. Williams and A.G. Handford, Television and Other Leisure Activities. T.M. Williams and M.C. Boyes, Television-Viewing Patterns and Use of Other Media. M.M. Kimball, Television and Sex-Role Attitudes. L.A. Joy, M.M. Kimball, and M.L. Zabrack, Television and Children's Aggressive Behavior. P. Suedfeld, B.R. Little, A.D. Rank, D.S. Rank, and E.J. Ballard, Television and Adults: Thinking, Personality, and Attitudes. T.M. Williams, Summary, Conclusions, and Implications. Each chapter includes references. Author Index. Subject Index.
TL;DR: Fragments of Modernity as discussed by the authors provides a critical introduction to the work of three of the most original German thinkers of the early 20th century, who illuminated the experience of the modern in urban life, whether in mid-19thcentury Paris or in Berlin at the turn of the century or later as the vanguard city of the Weimar Republic.
Abstract: Fragments of Modernity provides a critical introduction to the work of three of the most original German thinkers of the early 20th century. In their different ways, all three illuminated the experience of the modern in urban life, whether in mid-19th-century Paris or in Berlin at the turn of the century or later as the vanguard city of the Weimar Republic. They related the new modes of experiencing the world to the maturation of the money economy (Simmel), the process of rationalization of capital (Kracauer), and the fantasy world of commodity fetishism (Benjamin) - in each case focusing on those fragments of social experience that could best capture the sense of modernity.David Frisby is Reader in Sociology at Glasgow University. Fragments of Modernity is included in the series Studies in Contemporary German Social Thought, edited by Thomas McCarthy.
TL;DR: The authors discuss the American lag in advanced manufacturing technologies, the implications of robotics, strategic planning, and computerized manufacturing, and the role of robotics in the development of new manufacturing technologies.
Abstract: Essays discuss the American lag in advanced manufacturing technologies, the implications of robotics, strategic planning, and computerized manufacturing.
TL;DR: The concept of rural development has been studied extensively in the literature as discussed by the authors, with the focus on the role of the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors in the development process.
Abstract: PART I: INTRODUCTION Concepts and Connotations of Rural Development Basic Elements of Rural Development Growth versus Development Why Rural Development Rising Expectations and Development Development and Change Human Beings as the Cause and Consequence of Development Some Dilemmas in Development Main Points Questions for Discussion PART II: RURAL ECONOMY OF INDIA Introduction Size and Structure of the Rural Economy The Characteristics of the Rural Sector The Role of the Agricultural Subsector The Role of the Non-agricultural Subsector Challenges and Opportunities Main Points Questions for Discussion PART III: MEASURES OF DEVELOPMENT Introduction Measures of Level of Rural Development Measures of Income Distribution Measures of Development Simplified Concepts and Measures of Rural Poverty Main Points Questions for Discussion PART IV: SOME PARADIGMS OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT Introduction The Modernisation Theory The Dependency Theory of the Marxist School Rosenstein-Rodan's Theory of the 'Big Push' Leibenstein's 'Critical Minimum Effort Thesis' Lewis' Model of Economic Development Gunnar Myrdal's Thesis of 'Spread and Backwash' Effects The Human Capital Model of Development The Gandhian Model of Rural Development Development Theories from Other Social Sciences Main Points Questions for Discussion PART V: DETERMINANTS OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT Introduction Changes in Output Natural Resources Human Resources Capital Technology Organisational and Institutional Framework Relation between Rural Development and Its Determinants Main Points Questions for Discussion PART VI: RURAL DEVELOPMENT POLICIES Introduction Freedom, Control and Public Policy Need for a Rural Development Policy Goals of Rural Development Policy Hierarchy of Policy Goals Rural Development Policies in India Globalisation and Rural Development Main Points Questions for Discussion PART VII: STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Introduction The Concepts of Sustainability and Sustainable Development Some Indicators of Non-sustainable Development A Critical Review of India's Strategies of Rural Development Some Elements of a New Strategy for Sustainable Development Main Points Questions for Discussion PART VIII: POLICY INSTRUMENTS OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT Introduction A Conceptual Framework An Action System Policy Instruments Main Points Questions for Discussion PART IX: EQUITY-ORIENTED AND GROWTH-ORIENTED PROGRAMMES Introduction Equity-oriented Programmes Growth-oriented Programmes Main Points Questions for Discussion PART X: POVERTY AND UNEMPLOYMENT ERADICATION PROGRAMMES Introduction Current Poverty Scenario and Trends Rural Employment Scenario Poverty and Unemployment Alleviation Programmes Social Welfare-oriented Programmes (SWOP) Main Points Questions for Discussion PART XI: NATURAL RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES Introduction Natural Resources-based Programmes National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (NAIS) Pilot Weather-based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) Infrastructure Development Programmes Main Points Questions for Discussion PART XII: PLANNING FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT Introduction Levels and Functions of Planning Decentralisation of Planning Methodology of Micro-level Planning Methodology for Block- and District-level Planning Main Points Questions for Discussion PART XIII: ORGANISING FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT Introduction A Detour to Organisational Models The Search for a New Paradigm Criteria for Designing an Appropriate Organisation Government Organisations Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) Cooperatives Voluntary Agencies/Non-governmental Organisations Corporations and Rural Development Main Points Questions for Discussion PART XIV: FINANCING RURAL DEVELOPMENT Introduction Domestic Institutional Sources The Role of Non-institutional Agencies Deficit Financing or Controlled Inflation Foreign Sources of Funds Main Points Questions for Discussion PART XV: IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING AND EVALUATION Introduction Project Implementation Project Control Integration and Coordination People's Participation in Implementation Project Monitoring Project Evaluation Main Points Questions for Discussion References and Select Bibliography Index