Showing papers on "Social dynamics published in 1991"

Contradiction and social dynamics in the capitalist agency relationship.

Abstract: Agency theorists appear to believe that they have the means to revolutionize the study of organizations and the role of accounting therein. If this is attempted by straightforwardly extending the existing paradigm of agency theory, however, the result will be nothing more than a particularly narrow-minded version of functional analysis, a paradigm which is already dominant in organizational analysis, and whose theoretical shortcomings are well known. On the other hand, an analysis of the capitalist agency relationship in terms of social action holds out great promise for a radical theorization of the part played by accounting in systems of organizational control. The problematic of a radical theory of this type differs considerably from that of the existing theory of agency. Where this latter is concerned with the specification of monitoring and incentive systems so as to achieve top-down control, the radical analysis proposed here focuses on the contradictions involved in attempts to achieve control through agency relationships within the capitalist social order. This paper represents an attempt to re-think the theory of agency for this purpose. In the process, revisions are proposed to its epistemology, theorization of social action and conceptualization of organization. It is also shown that a broader view needs to be taken of the means of control available to principals, with the social production of trust considered alongside monitoring and incentive schemes. The paper concludes with a preliminary analysis of some of the contradictions which result from the tensions between these two means of control.

Distributed group support systems: Social dynamics and design dilemmas

Abstract: A “distributed group support system”; includes decision support tools and structures embedded within a computer‐mediated communication system rather than installed in a “decision room.”; It should support groups who are distributed in space but not time ("synchronous”; groups), as well as “asynchronous”; groups whose members participate at different times. Pilot studies conducted in preparation for a series of controlled experiments are reviewed in order to identify some of the problems of implementing such a system. Many of the means used by groups meeting in the same place at the same time to coordinate their activities are missing. Embedding decision support tools within a different communications medium and environment changes the way they “work.”; Speculations are presented about software tools and structuring or facilitation procedures that might replace the “missing”; coordination channels.

The One or the Other? Textual Analysis of Masculine Power and Feminist Empowerment:

Abstract: Psychological writing, both theoretical and empirical, is assumed to exist free of the social dynamics of the psychologist who produced it. If anything like social power or control is contained within psychological writings, it is presumed to be an acknowledged feature of the experimental design or a manipulated attribute of the subject-participants. However, close analysis of these writings reveals a rarely acknowledged yet elaborate system of power relations. In the present study, discourses of power and empowerment are defined and compared in two different forms of psychological writing. The first form stresses the perspective of the observer, employs the male gaze, is relatively unreflexive, embraces the experimental method and attempts to centralize knowledge among a few while marginalizing a mass of unknowing others. The second form is grounded in women's attempts to voice their own and other women's concerns. It is watchful of men, advocates a decentralization of power, and tries to achieve underst...

Early Urban Clusters in China and Africa: The Arbitration of Social Ambiguity

Abstract: Urban clusters were the dominant form of cities along the Middle Niger (West Africa) from the inception of urbanism in the first centuries B.C. Many discrete habitation mounds, in close proximity, were occupied simultaneously and together functioned as home to a heterogeneous population that provided diverse services to a wider hinterland. Remarkably similar settlement processes characterized late Neolithic and early Bronze Age China. An examination of why the urban character of these cities was for so long nearly invisible to archaeologists serves to reveal the value-laden nature of our theories about urbanization.A brief review of traditional social thought about the role of early cities illustrates the ways in which the character of urban clusters deviate from scholars' traditional expectations of the physical plan of cities. Such expectations of the underlying social dynamics of early cities presumed the imposition of a coercive state apparatus forcing a heterogeneous population to crowd toget...

Chaos and social change: Metaphysics of the postmodern

Abstract: In this article, findings of chaos theory are explained and extrapolated to social dynamics. Henceforth all social theory must be change theory. Chaos findings demonstrate that natural systems are fractal in their ontology and nonlinear in their dynamics; that bifurcations cascade to transform dynamic states; that near-to-stable dynamics are possible given specific interactions between members of a set. Chaos findings decenter all claims of perfection, finality, normality or historical necessity and thus provides an elegant theoretical envelop in which to locate postmodern science and politics. In social terms, near-to-stable systems embodying the ethics and aesthetics of a praxis society are possible if destabilizing bifurcations in wealth, power and status are avoided. The postmodern quest in emancipatory social science is a search for those attractors which produce an infinite number of near-to-stable iterations of social dynamics congenial to praxis.

The Intellectual and the State: Social Dynamics of Intellectual Autonomy During the Post-Mao Era

Abstract: The relationship between the Chinese intellectual and the communist state experienced some significant changes during the 1980s, although some of the basic patterns established since the 1930s and 1940s were not altered. This contrast is in line with the overall impact of Deng Xiaoping's limited reforms, which gave more room, and more weight, to society vis-a-vis the state, while the basic structures of the latter were left untouched. Social change was the new element which allowed the intellectuals to enjoy more autonomy in organizing their associations and in articulating new ideas. The intellectual with an autonomous base in a more autonomous society emerged from the prevalent pattern of technocratic intellectuals operating within the state framework, a state whose totalitarian scope had deprived them of any social base.

Critical Issues in Social Theory

Abstract: Critical Issues in Social Theory is an analytical survey of persistent controversies that have shaped the field of sociology. It defines, clarifies, and proposes solutions to these "critical issues" through commentary on the writings of such influential social theorists as Hobbes, Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Mead, Merton, Parsons, and Schutz. Instead of being just another history, or another classification of theories, Rhoads's four-part model allows him to focus attention on issues that remain at the core of sociological theory today. First, Rhoads analyzes the controversy over positivism as the proper methodological model for the study of human society. Is there one science, of which sociology is a branch, or do the peculiarities of sociology's subject matter require a modification of the scientific method borrowed from the natural sciences? Rhoads next considers the relationship of individuals to society and its structures. Does society have a mode of existence distinct from its members, or is it merely an abstraction derived from the characteristics of individuals? Third, a discussion of social order raises the question of whether social order is the consequence of rules and their underlying moral values, or the product of continuous construction based on self-interest. Finally, the relative importance of consensus and conflict in social relationships is addressed. Is society better understood as a community united by beliefs, values, and rules, or is the social dynamic of continual conflict over beliefs, values, and rules more fundamental? In coming to grips with these issues, the author in some instances takes sides and in others arrives at a synthesis of diverse perspectives. In the final chapter he points to the limitations on the possibility of rational action that come to light in the clashes over these basic issues.

Disputing the Dead: U.S. Law on Aboriginal Remains and Grave Goods

Abstract: Each year the remains of hundreds of American Indians, Native Alaskans, and Native Hawaiians, along with artifacts such as potsherds and arrowheads, are discovered across the United States. As many as 600,000 aboriginal remains are currently held by museums, historical societies, universities, and private collections. To the scientific community they provide vital data for the study of human evolution. To many members of aboriginal communities, however, they are powerful spiritual and political symbols. The controversy over the disposition of aboriginal remains and grave gods lies at the heart of the ethnic conflict between aboriginal populations and European-American society. Disturbed by the looting of graves for artifacts, the maintenance of collections of remains for study and display to the public, and the disruption of ancestral graves in general, aborigines have sought recourse in the courts and the legislature. In "Disputing the Dead," H. Marcus Price, III, explores the social processes at work as parties on both sides of the conflict manoeuver in the legal arena. This book compiles all relevant federal and state laws concerning the disposition of aboriginal remains. Price describes the laws themselves, the constitutional issues involved, the policies of federal agencies, and the practical application of the laws. An appendix contains a useful chart that allows for easy comparison among states concerning several basic issues of law. Price's book sheds new light on the role of law in social change and the mechanics of dispute resolution. His investigation of this conflict in America will serve as a model for the study of the complex social dynamics between ethnic minorities and dominant populations. General readers interested in this subject will find concise, well-organized background material. For all the attorneys, educators, social activists, administrators, and legislators who are touched by the controversy, "Disputing the Dead" should be of value.

The Internal Structure of Sociology Departments: The Role of Graduate Students and Other Groups.

Abstract: It is possible to understand the social dynamics of academic sociology departments only once the set of groupings within each department have been delineated and the relations between each analyzed. In this paper such a structural analysis is attempted, with the analytical approach stressing the competition among the groupings for control over resources and symbolic capital. The paper focuses on the particular complex role within which graduate students are placed and the constraints imposed by and the opportunities opened by this structural location.

Orality, literacy and worldview: exploring the interaction

Abstract: SUMMARY A variety of orality-literacy studies are briefly summarised in this study to emphasise the importance of research about communication media. Insights gained from these investigations can have valuable catalysing power for an interdisciplinary investigation aimed at the analysis and understanding of social dynamics in a heterogeneous society. Some facets of literate bias, education, cross-cultural communication, and effective self-awareness are discussed as illustration.

Food prohibitions of social and religious origin

Abstract: There are two types of food prohibitions: permanent and temporary. Permanent prohibitions have little influence on diet, except in India. They are symbolic social markers and continue to govern the attitude and behaviour system while facilitating social dynamics. Temporary prohibitions play a major role, particularly as regards the nutritionally "vulnerable" groups. They reflect empirical preoccupations and some of them are in line with science. In each concrete case these aspects interpenetrate and bear the mark of the culture in which they are observed. An inductive approach therefore is necessary and caution must be exerted in interpreting them.

Australia, New Zealand, and the United States : internal change and alliance relations in the ANZUS states

Abstract: Preface Introduction Social Dynamics Australia: Social Dynamics and International Orientation New Zealand and Social Dynamics: Changing Models Social Dynamics and Political Consciousness: The United States Since 1945 Comment Political Evolution Central Power in the Australian Commonwealth: The Postwar Polity The World Turned Upside Down? Change and Continuity in New Zealand Politics in the Postwar Era U.S. Political Change and the ANZUS Relationship Images and Attitudes Australia, New Zealand, and the United States: Mutual Perceptions Adrift in an Alien Sea? Australian Perspectives on the World New Zealand and the ANZUS Alliance: Changing National Self-Perceptions, 1945-88 Peripheral International Relationships in a More Benign World: Reflections on American Orientation toward ANZUS Comment Implications for Relationships Bibliography Index

Social Dynamics and Health Care in Adolescence

Abstract: IT IS timely THAT I address the social dynamics of the health issues facing today's adolescents. Yesterday, October 1,1990, the nation celebrated Child Health Day, an occasion that provides a national focus for discussion of issues surrounding the well-being of one of our most important resources. The focus this year was on the adolescent, and the commemorative program was entitled \"Adolescent Health: Links to the Future.\" Child Health Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in October for the past 30 years. It was originally celebrated on May 1 st from 1928 to 1959 under a proclamation of President Calvin Coolidge and a joint resolution of Congress. In that proclamation, President Coolidge declared the protection and development of the health of children a fundamental necessity to the future progress and welfare of the nation. He also acknowledged that the conservation and promotion of chUd health placed a grave responsibility on those organizations and agencies who took up the cause of children. This year's theme of adolescent healtii echoes that challenge some 60 years later. The protection and development of the health of adolescents are fundamental necessities to the progress and welfare of this nation as we prepare for the 21st century.

The Mathematical Modeling of Chaotic Social Structures.

Abstract: Chaos theory describes the wal. systems change over time. It proposes that systems governed by physical laws can undergo transitions to a highly irregular form of behavior and that although chaotic behavior appears random, it is governed by strict mathematical conditions. This paper applies chaos theory to administrative and organizational issues. Three goals are addressed. First, the use of chaos theory to model social dynamics is justified. Second, organizational theory is defined from a chaos perspective. Finally, the mathematics of chaos is applied to a simple issue of informational theory to demonstrate how new perspectives of social dynamics are gained. (34 references) (Author/RR) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** The Mathemtical Modeling of Chaotic Social Structures

A course on social dynamics for urban junior high school students : a case study in school improvement.

Abstract: A COURSE ON SOCIAL DYNAMICS FOR URBAN JUNIOR HIGH STUDENTS: A CASE STUDY IN SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

The long-term effects of development aid - Empirical studies in rural West Africa.

Abstract: This article is based on field studies in rural West Africa. It concentrates on the socio-structural effects of development aid in the long run, in contrast to numerous available evaluation reports on the short-run effects of development projects. The study reveals that superficial generalisations or condemnations of development projects, like the big farmers benefit at the expense of the smaller ones, or the men benefit at the expense of the women, do not hold up to verification. Quite to the contrary one observes a wide range of specific adapted forms by which the target groups react to the demands and offers of development projects, and thereby transform their own social structure. In short, one observes a great diversity of social self-organisation. The bureaucratic structures of the development administration do, however, unfortunately - more often than not - ignore the social dynamic of their target groups which they nevertheless sustain unconsciously. Development aid has become an important political and economic factor in most African countries. Its financial impact often exceeds that of the national budget. It contributes, therefore, significantly to the development of a bureaucratic class and of its clients: the project development degenerates into a project nationalization / bureaucratization. This contrasts vividly with the strategies of the peasants. Men and women at village level do not accept any longer the paternalistic development approach. They just select what they need out of the packages of solutions that are offered to them, while they develop their own solutions, like a variety of seeds adapted to their specific resource endowments, diversified sources of income, different strategies of accumulation and risk prevention. All this allows for a gradual evolution by variation and selection. The dynamic of the rural society is to a large extent due to a competition of different (strategic) groups, opposed to one another, about the partitioning of the cake of development aid. Normally this struggle between different vested interests is covered up by the rhetoric of development planning. Planned development has up to now proven to be to rigid, to be able to take account of the complex and subtle fabric of self organisation. Aid sometimes appears to be a second best substitute for a vision of a democratic society. This is due to the fact that the structures we are aiming for in the long run - which are to allow for open markets, an orientation of the producers at the resources and needs of the nation, and last not least, the growth of indigenous structures of self-help - would require a responsible and democratic government, as well as the guarantee of civil rights, accountability, an independent judiciary, freedom of the press, etc.; up to now, however, all these elements are still oppressed by the commando state itself, well nourished by the various forms of technical and financial aid.

A Study of Herbert Spencer's Educational Ideas

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to clarify Herbert Spencer's educational ideas as the foundation of his ideas of physical education not by analyzing Education but by deducing them from his thought in its entirety. Spencer divided his social philosophy into two parts: social statics and social dynamics. This division accords with the one in Principles of Ethics, i.e. absolute and relative ethics, which is the most important part of his philosophy. In this study we focus on the former which deals with the state of the ideal society, i.e. the necessary laws for achieving happiness as the supreme end in his system of thought.The attainment of happiness is nothing but the establishment of morality as an inner discipline for right conduct. Main characteristics of Spencer's thought are interdependent under this ultimate end. Spencer described the state of ideal society and of its member as social equilibrium and egoistic altruism. Egoistic altruism formed by morality can regulate right conduct for not only individual but social happiness. Hence, complete living set up as the final end in Education is only to be understood in its relation to the establishment of morality. Such characteristics of Spencer's educational theory as the stress on nature and science concern the formation of right conduct leading to happiness.