Showing papers on "Shadow (psychology) published in 1989"

The powers of problem definition: The case of government paperwork

Abstract: Problem definition is a package of ideas that includes, at least implicitly, an account of the causes and consequences of undesirable circumstances and a theory about how to improve them. As such, it serves as the overture to policymaking, as an integral part of the process of policymaking, and as a policy outcome. In each of these roles it seems to exert influence on government action. Distinguishing among the roles clarifies the nature of that influence. A case study examines the transition from one problem definition to another in the domain of information collection by the federal government. The rise of the Paperwork Reduc- tion definition illustrates the variety of ways in which problem definition has powerful con- sequences. Problem definition is widely regarded as the first stage of the policy cycle, a stage that lays fundamental groundwork for the ensuing struggle over the construction of useful policy alternatives, authoritative adoption of a policy choice, implementation, and assessment (Brewer and deLeon 1983). Defini- tion in this sense is not merely a label for a set of facts and perceptions. It is a package of ideas that includes at least implicitly an account of the causes and consequences of some circumstances that are deemed undesirable, and a theory about how a problem may be alleviated (Defy 1984, Gusfield 1981). By the frame imposed on circumstances, a problem definition highlights some aspects of the situation, throwing other aspects into shadow. It pushes forward some potential solutions, neglecting others (Gamson and Modigliani 1987). The definition of problems at the outset of the policy process may have various sources: the lonely analyst wrestling to impose intellectual structure on a messy array of facts and dilemmas; savvy politicians crafting issues to appeal to the winning mix of voter demographics; a crisis event splashed across the front page to galvanize attention to previously neglected corners of social life; the insistence of disenfranchised groups that their concerns be taken seriously by those more comfortably circumstanced. Whatever the pre- cipitating factors, problem definition determines how people think about the problems that are (and are not) on the public agenda. 2 I endorse the importance of the initial definition of the problem, as it has been typically considered in the policy literature. A problem definition at the outset of the policy process has implications for later stages: which kinds of

In Sorcery's Shadow: A Memoir of Apprenticeship among the Songhay of Niger

Abstract: The tale of Paul Stoller's sojourn among sorcerors in the Republic of Niger is a story of growth and change, of mutual respect and understanding that will challenge all who read it to plunge deeply into an alien world.

Scottish Banking before 1845: A Model for Laissez-Faire?

Abstract: During the "free banking" era in eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Scotland, there were a number of legal restrictions affecting the evolution of the system. Scottish banking was characterized by restrictions on small-denomination and interest-bearing notes. There were also restrictions inhibiting the development of capital markets and entry into banking. Furthermore, the Bank of England operated as a "shadow" central bank for the Scottish system. These considerations call into question the use of the Scottish banking experience as the appropriate model for laissez-faire and as evidence against the "legal restrictions theory of money" and the "new monetary economics." Copyright 1989 by Ohio State University Press.

The Consequences of Progressive Income Taxation for the Shadow Economy: Some Theoretical Considerations

Abstract: In recent years, both the public debate and the scientific literature have shown increased interest in the phenomenon of the shadow (underground, hidden) economy.1 As a working definition, we may say that the shadow economy consists of those economic activities which contribute to value-added and should be included in GDP or national income according to the conventions of national-income accounting, but are at present not registered by the national measurement agencies. Political concern about the size and the growth of the shadow economy arises for various reasons: apart from the general undesirability of illegal activities, there are also economic problems associated with the underground economy. For example, it may be a result or a cause of allocative and distributive distortions; the effects of stabilization policies may be different when there is a considerable amount of hidden activities; and, in general, spillovers between the shadow and the official economy must not be neglected when policy measures are being planned and implemented. Moreover, if rising tax rates lead to an increase in the extent of the shadow economy, higher tax rates may cause lower instead of higher tax revenues for the government. This possibility of a falling portion of the Laffer curve has to be taken into account when budgetary policies are under consideration.2

The Consequences of a Changing Shadow Economy for the “Official” Economy: Some Empirical Results for Austria

Abstract: During the last few years, growing concern about the phenomenon of the shadow (or hidden) economy has arisen; as a consequence, the shadow economy has received increasing attention by the public, politicians, and social scientists.1 For industrial countries, there are at least two reasons why politicians have become concerned about the growth and size of the shadow economy: (1) If an increase in the size of the shadow economy is mainly caused by a rising tax burden, any increase in tax rates may lead to a further shift from official to inofficial activities and, hence, to a further decrease in tax revenues. (2) If — due to the existence of the shadow economy — some individuals have a second source of income and spend at least part of this income in the “official” economy, any change in the size of the shadow economy directly affects the development of the official economy.

Neither an Accident nor a Mistake

Abstract: Something ... happened ... in the first half of this century, and the second half, hovering between nightmare and parody, is only its shadow. Even so we must take its measure. Not on a small scale, based on the last three or four centuries.... But since philosophy, even in its possibility, is at stake, the true assessment, incalculable as it is, of the entire history of the West is needed. And that is another matter altogether. We know that this other matter was, at the time, the Heidegger affair.... Since Nietzsche no thinker has delved so deeply and so far into the question of the essence of philosophy (and consequently, the essence of thought), nor has there been anyone who has opened a dialogue of such breadth and rigor with the tradition of the West. Nonetheless, a detail concerning this subject requires our attention: to subscribe, as I do, to Heidegger's theses (and particularly to his theses about philosophy), or even to grant a primary place to his thought, does not amount to any kind of declaration or profession of "Heideggerianism," as it is called.... Strictly speaking, the idea of a "Heideggerianism" is meaningless. It is not out of coyness or inconsistency that Heidegger constantly reminded us that "there is no philosophy of Heidegger." This clearly was an expression of his own question in condensed form: the question of Being could not in any way produce a new thesis on Being or, even less, give rise to any sort of "concept of the world." ... To be or call oneself "Heideggerian" does not mean anything, then, any more than being or calling oneself "anti-Heideggerian." Or rather, both mean the same thing, that one has missed the essential of Heidegger's

Aesthetic Displacement in Javanese Shadow Theatre: Three Contemporary Performance Styles

Abstract: InJava today, dhalang (shadow puppeteers) are manipulating the oral and written texts which have mingled in the oral tradition of the shadow theatre for centuries. The domain in which the shadow theatre operates as an oral tradition passing on meaningful information to future generations has narrowed in the late 20th century. One can, however, find both traditional and modern styles of shadow play performance in Java today. In the traditional domains, Javanese aesthetic authority is dominant-coincidence, embellishment, and the subversion of linearity continue to generate meaning in traditional ways. But modern ideas are penetrating traditional domains, and village styles of shadow theatre performance are absorbing new ideas and technologies. While these new ideas and technologies enter the shadow theatre, they enter in traditional ways, through the flexible workings of the oral tradition. Yet in new urban styles, Western aesthetics which have developed out of the Aristotelian unities of time, place, and causality (see Becker I979:216-I9) seem to be gaining in authority and visibility. The clash of old and new authorities, and old and new aesthetics, is particularly visible in the Javanese shadow theatre tradition as it responds to modern and Western influences.

The long shadow : culture and politics in the Middle East

Abstract: This is a book about politics by a historian. Though the subject matter closely resembles that of a political scientist, policy analyst, or journalist, the approach and treatment reflect the perspective available only to someone versed in the long shadow of the past. Daniel Pipes, a well-known writer on Middle East issues, offers the larger perspective so often missing. His study of the languages, religions, and culture, supplemented by years of personal experience in the region, give this book unusual depth. The Long Shadow concentrates on 5 vivid and critical topics of the Middle East. 1. The Islam and Public Life. Pipes, author of two books on Islam in politics and a recognized authority, assesses Islam in Iran, Iraq, and the Soviet Union, as well as Islam's role in anti-Semitism. 2. The Persian Gulf. Here Pipes examines the origins of the Iraq-Iran war, the curse of oil wealth, and shares insights gained from an unusual visit to Kuwait. 3. The Arab-Israeli Conflict. In some of his most original work Pipes argues that the struggle between Arabs on the question of Palestine is actually more central than the struggle between the Arabs and Israel. He sees the PLO as little more than a tool of the Arab states, and perceives the deep division between Jews and Arabs in Israel today is likely to be permanent. 4. Iranian, Lebanese, and Libyan Terrorism have greatly affected the tenor of Middle East politics. Pipes shows how they differ and why the Iranians pose the greatest threat to the United States. 5. The United States in the Middle East. Pipes examines U.S. policy toward the area and American media coverage, arguing that both follow idiosyncratic rhythms, and explaining these peculiarities against the backdrop of larger American interests in the region. While a number of Middle East specialists have written books or essays on the subjects addressed by Pipes, his book is distinguished both by its scope and its focus on the general reader as well as the specialist.

Living in the Shadow of the Second Coming: American Premillennialism, 1875–1982 . By Timothy P. Weber. Enlarged edition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1987. xiv + 305 pp. $12.95.

Abstract: expans ion a m o n g the varied populat ions of the South Pacific, from Sydney to Fiji. O n the w h o l e , these wel l informed essays prove more self-assured in description than in interpretation, but they deserve a place among some of the promis ing "new history" of Seventh-day Advent i sm (an Austral ian companion to G a r y L a n d , ed. , Adventism in America). A l though mostly the work of Adventist scholars publ ished by an Adventist press, the essays are nevertheless critical (for e x a m p l e , on the Adventist neglect of the Aborigines) . T h e lack of a bibl iographical essay is regrettable; the absence of an index unforgivable.

In the Shadow of Death: Robert Denhardt's Theology of Organizational Life

Abstract: Robert Denhardt has made a unique contribution to organization theory. Drawing on depth psychology, In the Shadow of Organization (1981) lays bare the hidden religious underpinnings of organization as cultural symbol of the denial of death. In exchange for the magical, protective embrace of the organization, however, we unconsciously submit to domination and abdicate responsibility for our actions. Only by using the dynamite of "negation" and Critical Theory, argues Denhardt, can we explode the repressed truth: Our toleration of instrumentalism and domination is a form of faulty self-knowledge, of bondage to hypostatized powers. This article probes the strengths and weaknesses of Denhardt's "theology " of organizational life. It contends that Denhardt's religious orientation—once four important limitations of his Critical Theory are recognized-should be accepted into the mainstream of organization theory.