The Ross-Dunlop debate and union wage concessions: A median voter analysis

The Ross-Dunlop debate concerns the extent to which unions take into account the trade-off between wages and employment in formulating their wage demands. This paper develops a median voter model of union behavior that offers a new approach to resolving the Ross-Dunlop debate. The model shows that when the binding constraint on the median union member in the seniority distribution is the threat of layoff, the union will behave as a “Dunlop-type” union; when the binding constraint is the cost of striking, the union will behave as a “Ross-type” union. The model is then applied to the related issue of union wage concessions. Two questions are examined: Under what conditions will a union agree to wage concessions? How large a cut in wages will be accepted?     

The Magic Years revisited

Taking as its starting point Selma Fraiberg's book,The Magic Years, this paper presents a critique of traditional psychoanalytic developmental theory. A contrast is drawn with some of the findings of current research on infancy, and an outline is suggested for the foundations of a developmental theory that would be consistent with the tenets of self psychology.     

The border pedagogy revisited

Border pedagogy is a multicultural educational approach utilized in multicultural settings to help students understand their histories and experiences and how it affects their identities and cultures. The approach seeks to produce intellectuals that transcend physical and metaphysical boundaries. The goal of border pedagogy is to remove cultural and political barriers to attain a greater conceptualization of the human experience. This paper will discuss border pedagogy in the contemporary Mexican/American border region.     

The minimal overlap rule revisited

This paper provides an analysis of the Minimal Overlap Rule, a solution for bankruptcy problems introduced by O’Neill (1982). We point out that this rule can be understood as a composition of Ibn Ezra’s proposal and the recommendation given by the Constrained Equal Loss Rule. Following an interpretation of bankruptcy problems in terms of TU games, we show that the Minimal Overlap Value is the unique solution for bankruptcy games which satisfies Anonymity and Core Transition Responsiveness.     

The Chilean economic miracle revisited

This article examines some basic principles of socioeconomics and communitarianism as exhibited in the case of Chile. The socioeconomic hypothesis o of primary concern is the argument that the market economy functions best when contained within a properly structured social capsule. The communitarian hypothesis of principal interest is that, in purely Humean terms, modern societies achieve “refinement” when they possess a strong network of community organizations which compete for dominance over the political system without undermining the fragile democratic rules of the game.Chile is used as a case study for two reasons. First, between 1965 and 1995 it experienced two extremes of socioeconomic organization and then achieved what appears to be a viable balance. Second, Chile is often cited as an example of the superiority of the neoliberal approach over the more balanced approach of socioeconomics. The article concludes that Chile's experience provides stronger support for the socioeconomic and communitarian views than for the neoliberal model.     

The model of place utility revisited

"The purpose of this paper...is twofold: first, to specify a way of calculating place utility so that potential migrants could move to the place where overall place utility is maximized; and second, which is more important, to reveal how decision-makers in the real world, who are acting within 'bounded rationalities'...,make their decisions on where to migrate. This study is supported by an empirical survey of recent Chinese immigrants to Edmonton [Canada].... The findings reveal that when people evaluate different places, they do not necessarily look for the one that generates the highest overall value or utility across all properties.... The study further indicates that the assumption underlying most microeconomic models (that maximizing utility or benefit is the ultimate rule for choosing one location out of several) has not been verified." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)     

The question of community attachment revisited

In this paper we compare the relative effects of satisfaction with specific community (neighborhood) attributes and social integration into the community on community attachment. Previous research on community attachment has not assessed the importance of satisfaction with specific attributes as a determinant of attachment. Instead, this research has focussed on integration into the social life of a community as the primary source of community attachment. We find that although social integration has the more important effect on attachment, satisfaction with specific community attributes also has a statistically significant effect. People who are satisfied with the general physical appearance, the noise level, and the quality of neighbors in their communities tend to be more attached to them than those who are less satisfied. We address the theoretical and policy implications of this finding. In short, this finding implies, contrary to previous thought, that it is possible for there to be higher levels of attachment to communities that appear to be lacking a well‐developed social life. It also implies that levels of attachment to communities could be enhanced by programs that improve certain features of the physical environment which are seen as indicative of the quality of communities as good places to live.     

The professionalism debate in South African public relations

Professionalism is a contentious topic in journals serving a wide range of disciplines, both internationally and in South Africa. However, there is seldom concrete empirical research into professionalism—which limits the usefulness of this debate. In response, the present study empirically investigates the perceptions of South African public relations (PR) practitioners regarding professionalism. The questionnaire-based survey shows that the professionalism problem for PR practitioners in South Africa is twofold. Firstly, the South African PR governing body has not taken ownership of the issues regarding professionalism amongst its members. Secondly, practitioners themselves are making little effort to professionalize their activities. Both parties agree on the importance of professionalization, but claim that the onus is on the other party to promote it. This situation is untenable: professionalization should be actively encouraged so as to maximize the impact of the PR profession in South Africa.