Interlocks in the Netherlands: Stability and careers in the period 1960–1980

The article is oriented towards the dynamics behind the network of interlocking directorates. In the interorganizational perspective the stability of different types of interlocks/lines between corporations is of strategic importance; in the intraclass perspective, the carriers of persons. The article therefore analyzes both. It shows that particularly primary interlocks (interlocks between the corporation in which the multiple director has an inside position and the other corporations in which he has outside positions) as well as multiple interlocks between corporations are considerably more stable than other interlocks. They are most likely being used for interorganizational purposes. Most of the interlocks however are generated by a very specific career pattern in which an executive position in a large corporation is almost a prerequisite to obtain many directorships.     

Jews in the News – Representations of Judaism and the Jewish Minority in the Norwegian Contemporary Press

This article provides an analysis of how Jewish rituals and Jews as a minority group are represented and debated in the Norwegian press: How is “news about the Jews” framed by the media? Which discourses dominate the debates? Are notions of what it “takes to be Norwegian” put forward in these cases? The article is also an analysis of Jewish voices in the press, and based on the fact that Jewish advocates refer to minority-based legal rights suggests that the Jewish minority benefits from the use of a broader international human rights discussion in the press. I claim that a multicultural discourse provides the Jewish minority with language that makes it possible to argue for cultural rights without referring to Jewishness; offering protection against a general fear of anti-Semitism.     

Racist in the woodpile? Prejudice and education

Even in totalitarian regimes, freedom of thought presumably cannot be outlawed, provided that such thought remains unspoken and unwritten. In Australia, freedom of expression is taken-for-granted. This paper sets out to theorise my teaching practice/s, as I enact some of my theories. It emerges from my recent attempts to encourage in my students a greater sense of empathy towards others, and adoption of a multiplicity of perspectives. The contexts in which the study is embedded include immigration (to Australia) and attitudes to Indigenous Australians, but the teaching approaches described here can be applied to other similar contexts internationally. The paper outlines and evaluates related teaching strategies. Questions posed by the paper include: what are the internal mechanisms that limit our thought with regard to social issues such as equality? What are the teaching/learning approaches that we might employ to help our students transcend these limitations? Can freedom of thought only function in the context of self-regulation? In other words, where, if anywhere, are the ‘natural limits’ of freedom of thought, and are there times when freedom of thought is not desirable or acceptable? If so, who decides and how? What are the implications for the power differential between teacher and student?     

Bright and Brave Women in the Chinese Military

CHINA has the largest number of women soldiers, and women with the highest military rank, of all the armies in the world. In 1955, when the Chinese army conferred titles for the first time, Li Zhen was given the rank of Major General. From 1988 to the present, 13 more outstanding women have become major generals and Nie Li was promoted to Lieutenant General. They now hold leading posts in higher     

Assertiveness in the Managerial Role of the College Health Nurse—Leadership and Change in the Role

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to introduce ways in which health professionals can improve their self-image and gain professional satisfaction. The intention of this paper is to familiarize health professionals with assertive skills. The paper highlights several examples of assertive, nonassertive, or aggressive behavior. Two short tests are included to help the individual become more aware of how to behave and perform. Health professionals in management roles should realize the need for talents such as leading, communicating, and motivating. The skills of assertiveness will help to develop talents in management.     

On Women Writers and the Women Literature in the New Period

Avital new force in China's literature circle is the group of women writers who have come into prominence during the "new period," the years since 1978 when China entered a period of reform. These women writers brought their talents of creation into play and have made remarkable achievements. There are five generations of fine women writers. The first generation includes Bing Xin, a founding member of the New Cultural Movement, around the time of the May 4th Movement in     

Generation and complicity in Zoë Wicomb's Playing in the Light

Zoë Wicomb's novel Playing in the Light (2006 Wicomb, Z. 2006. Playing in the light, New York: New Press.  [Google Scholar]) continues to address a central concern in Wicomb's earlier fiction, that of conflict between generations where the racist complicity of an older generation is addressed from the point of view of their children. Generation is, in Wicomb's work, not simply a concern for individual families but deeply connected to and reflective of the political legacy of coloured identities. ‘Playing white’ gains its particular meaning within the question of complicity – the association of whiteness with superiority, and the very real privilege granted to persons classified as white under the Population Registration Act. In the aesthetic theory of the German philosopher Hans‐Georg Gadamer the concept of ‘play’ is used to address the function of the work of art. The opposition between play and seriousness is, according to Gadamer, a result of a one‐sided focus on the player rather than the play itself as subject. The metaphorical use of play in the expression ‘play‐whites’ also suggests that the game itself is what has primacy, not the players. By addressing the issue of ‘playing white’ through a depiction of conflicts between generations, Wicomb's novel approaches history in a manner that evokes Gadamer's concept of gleichzeitigkeit (contemporaneity) whereby history becomes present in its enactment through the work of art.     

Have cash transfers succeeded in reaching the poor in Latin America and the Caribbean?

We present original estimates of the quality of targeting of conditional cash transfer (CCT) and non‐contributory pension (NCP) programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our contribution is novel because we use both national and international poverty lines; provide differentiated estimates for urban and rural areas; and compare the CCT and NCP programmes. We show that leakage to the non‐poor coexists with pervasive under‐coverage of all poor, including the extreme poor. On average, the CCTs cover only 50.5% of the extreme poor in households with children under 18 years of age. Similarly, the NCPs cover only 50.9% of the extreme poor in households with elderly members who do not receive a contributory pension. At the same time, 40.4% of CCT beneficiaries and 50.1% of NCP beneficiaries are not poor, highlighting the potential need for re‐targeting and re‐certification. In most countries, re‐targeting could produce a substantial double benefit in terms of poverty reduction and fiscal savings.     

Taking and giving: the case of the JDC and OZE in Lithuania 1919–26

This article examines the conditions that facilitated the activity of the American Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) in Lithuania during the early 1920s. In particular, it discusses the interaction between the JDC and the Society for the Protection of the Health of the Jews (OZE). It demonstrates that, unlike in other countries, the JDC's involvement in Lithuania went beyond the conventional development of policies and controlling budgets. The JDC practically took over the health section of the Lithuanian Jewish National Council and implemented its own policies. This step was possible due to the unique political situation of Jews in Lithuania and the fact that the OZE centre in Vilna was detached from the rest of that organisation's activists. This study demonstrates the importance of close analysis of specific localities when dealing with the history of philanthropy and the politics of taking and giving in Eastern Europe during the interwar era.     

Social work in the public and non-profit sectors in Italy: what are the differences?

Professional social work in non-profit organisations is still little studied, despite the increased number of social workers in such organisations. The article presents the results of a survey conducted on the differences in working conditions between social workers in the public and non-profit sectors in Italy, and shows the factors that influence those working conditions. The article also furnishes empirical indications on how the training of social workers could be reorganised, and the image of social work reconceptualised, in a period when welfare systems are being restructured.     

A Bionian Approach to the Body and the Feminine in Cammell and Roeg’s Performance

ABSTRACT

This psychoanalytic study of Performance (directed by Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg, 1970) explores the importance of the bodily, sensorial, and material aspects of a pivotal moment in the development of the protagonist’s sexual identity and considers how this moment has been conceived as being dependent on a certain containing function that is performed by a female character. Drawing on Bionian and post-Bionian theory, the article proposes that this containing function is fundamentally feminine. The feminine function of Bion’s concept of container is one that has been discussed especially in the theorization of the roles performed by the mother and the analyst. This article aims to investigate the importance of the bodily and the feminine aspects of the container as part of a psychoanalytic conceptualization of psychical growth as they present themselves in this film.     

Women,work, and family in the Czech Republic—and comparisons with the West

What are the work-family experiences of Czech women, and to what extent are there similarities and differences with women in the West? Drawing on a cross-national survey and other findings, this paper points out that unlike the extensive part-time employment of many Western European women, most Czech women in the post-Communist era have continued to combine full-time employment with family roles. Maternity and parental leaves, kindergartens, and other policies have been important supports. It is argued that employment and economic independence remain important to Czech women, and although gender differentiation in women's domestic activities and men's preponderance in upper-level jobs in the economy and government is recognized, Western attributions of patriarchy have been resisted. Since family life is highly valued, many have seen women as advantaged in their greater family involvement and integration of both family and employment roles. Rather than opposition between men and women, Czechs generally point to partnership and overall social equality. During Communism Czechs learned that ‘time at work’ does not equal productivity, and women practiced an informal flextime to aid work-family integration. This ‘self-management’ of work time and of work and family activities is cited as a component of Czech women‘s sense of efficacy and gender equality. An interesting question for the post-Communist success of Czech women and work organizations is whether women's interest in self-management will be met by the support of managers and of workplace cultures and structures.     

Lost in the System? Disabled Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Britain

This short paper calls for greater awareness of disabled refugees and asylum seekers living in Britain. Currently, policy makers, many refugee communities and the disability movement fail to consider disabled refugees and asylum seekers, perhaps because they constitute a minority about whom data are rarely available. Focussing on the particular combination of circumstances affecting disabled refugees and asylum seekers, this paper presents recent changes in support arrangements for refugees and asylum seekers. The paper also calls for greater involvement in refugee issues by the disability movement.     

What I Saw and Heard in the Qiang Village

The Qiang nationqlity has a population of 198,2,52 (according to the 1991 census statistics), who mainly inhabit Maowen, Wenchuan, Lixian and Beichuan counties in Aba Tibet and Qiang Nationalities Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province. The Qiang is one of the oldest nationalities in China. It is said that the Qiang nationality was a main tribal race of the Xia Dynasty. The ancient Qiang nationality was an important part of the Huaxia nationality, the predecessor of the Han nationality. In a long historical process, they moved from areas in the northwest and the     

Are pregnant women happier? Racial and ethnic differences in the relationship between pregnancy and life satisfaction in the United States

This paper examines the relationship between pregnancy and life satisfaction for US women of childbearing age using a large sample from the 2005 to 2009 waves of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The results show strong differences by race and ethnicity. Pregnancy has a significant positive correlation with happiness for Whites and Hispanics, but no relationship for Blacks. This differential in the marginal effect of pregnancy is in addition to a general decrease in satisfaction for Black women, independent of being pregnant. The results cannot be explained by differences in other demographics such age, income, education, or physical health status. Within each racial/ethnic group, the results are consistent across different categories for all these characteristics. Racial and ethnic differences in the effects of pregnancy on support from others can partly explain this result. For Whites and Hispanic women, pregnancy increases their feelings of social and emotional support from others, while pregnant Black women report lower levels of social and emotional support than non-pregnant Black women.     

Where is the border? Current issues in the diagnosis and treatment of the borderline

Differential diagnosis of subtypes of individuals meeting criteria for borderline personality disorder has received only limited attention in the recent social work literature on the borderline. Whether the borderline disturbance is moderate or severe, the condition may overlap with several borders, suggesting that borderline personality disorders are a heterogeneous group of conditions. Discrimination between different subtypes is necessary in order to help clients obtain the optimum combination of treatments.     

Did socioeconomic inequalities in morbidity and mortality change in the United States over the course of the twentieth century?

In this article we present two sets of empirical analyses that consider the extent to which socioeconomic gradients in self-assessed health and child mortality changed since the beginning of the twentieth century in the United States. This empirical issue has important and wide-ranging research and policy implications. In particular, our results speak to the value of considering the role of broader social, economic, and political inequalities in generating and maintaining socioeconomic disparities in morbidity and mortality. Despite dramatic declines in morbidity and mortality rates in the United States across the twentieth century, we find that socioeconomic-status gradients in morbidity and mortality declined only modestly (if at all) during that period.     

Who are the active and central actors in the ‘rising civil society’ in Mexico?

The debate about the rise of civil society in Mexico suggests that the processes of political and economic liberalization are multiple and uneven and, thus, have different and contradictory effects on different social groups. This study takes such arguments into account and examines the nature of collective identities and social networks that are more likely to be mobilized in the rising civil society. Who, with what types of social networks and identities, are the active actors in this rising civil society in Mexico? This study also attempts to identify the central actors who take an active part in multi-sector coalitions. As such a broad coalition often leaves profound effects on politics and society, it is vital to ask which actors are likely to take an important step toward multi-sector coalition making. Using a catalog of 1797 protest campaigns collected from three Mexican newspapers between 1964 and 2000, event frequency analysis is employed to find active actors and social network analysis – blockmodel method and degree centrality measure – is applied to uncover central actors. The analyses reveal that while workers, peasants, or students continue to be very active, the centrality of these actors in contentious networks and coalitions has not increased. New central actors in the rising civil society turn out to be civic associations and NGOs formed around single issues, such as environment, retirement, and human rights. When a multi-sector coalition occurs in contemporary Mexico, NGOs and civic associations are likely to play a crucial role in it.