Book Reviews

Abstract

African Social Studies: A Radical Reader. Edited by Peter C. W. Gutkind and Peter Waterman. New York and London: Monthly Review Press, 1977. Pp. xii, 481. $17.50. Reviewed by R. Hunt Davis, Jr.

From Our Immigrants With Love, Created and Compiled by Joan S. Follendore. Oxnard, California: Racz Publishing Co., 1977, Pp. 313. $14.00. Reviewed by Norman Lederer.     

Book Reviews

Abstract

Deflated Democracy: The Phantom Public. By Walter Lippmann. Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York. 1925. $2.05. $2.00. Reviewed by: Read Bain

Deflated Democracy: British Politics in Transition. By Edward M. Sait and David P. Barrows. The World Book Company, Yon-kers, New York. 1925. XVI, 319 pp. $1.80. Reviewed by: A. Gordon Dewey

Deflated Democracy: New Aspects of Politics. By Charles E. Merriam. The Chicago University Press, Chicago, 1925. pp. 247. $2.50. Reviewed by: R. C. Atkinson

Deflated Democracy: The Character of Races. By Ellsworth Huntington. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1924. pp. v, 393. $5.00. Reviewed by: S. C. GilFillan

Deflated Democracy: Our Rural Heritage. By James Mickel Williams. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1925. pp. xi, 246. Bruce L. Melvin     

The History of Social Thought and the History of Sociology

Abstract

Just as sociologists in the past have been insistent upon making a distinction between the history of social thought and sociological theory, so is it argued here than an equally important distinction be made between the history of social thought and the history of sociology. It is suggested that the history of social thought is no more useful to the advance of sociological theory than any other contiguously related field of study. Since the history of social thought is not directly concerned with the discipline of sociology, it is suggested that it be eliminated from the curricula of sociology. Not only is this area of study unlikely to contribute to the development of sociological theory but also such a study can have unanticipated consequences that hinder such a contribution. The genetic fallacy is less likely to be committed when the distinction between the history of social thought and the history of sociology is kept clearly in mind.     

Transportation between Globalization and Localization

This paper positions transport at the edge of localization and globalization forces. Drastic changes in industrial organization, transportation systems, trade patterns and environmental quality conditions make the transport and communication sector an internally contrasting and disputed activity with many pros and cons, which are reflected in serious dilemmas and policy uncertainties, at different levels of governance. In order to cope with long-range uncertainties the use of scenarios analysis is advocated. The paper then develops three scenarios and analyses them by using the recently developed spider model. The paper is concluded with some policy lessons.     

Psychological perspectives on the future

In this article the author comments on two preliminary points (i) that psychologists are interested in second order effects in the field of forecasting and (ii) the links between Society and the development of a discipline. Taking these points of interaction as a base, the author then considers a selection of well attested trends and developments in society and outlines what he believes will be their repercussions upon the community.     

Wie die Mutter, so die Tochter?

In analyses that deal with occupational mobility the question as to how the mother’s occupational status influences the process of occupational status attainment usually is passed over. Here we formulate hypotheses on over-time and life course dynamics of her influence: mothers’ (and fathers’) status transfer for cohorts of daughters born between 1927 and 1965 and additionally for labour market careers. Sons are excluded in the analytical model because the mother’s job appears not to be important for their job status locations. The hypotheses are tested in a cluster adjusted regression analysis. The German database contains 4043 job spells of 1760 women and the two pooled Dutch sets of data include 4513 job spells of 1623 female respondents. Our results show that in recent decennia the influence of the occupational status of both parents on their daughter’s job status has decreased in a similar fashion. We conclude that a continuing trend towards a decrease of social inequality in the process of occupational status attainment is applicable to the influence of the father and the mother. Over the course of the daughter’s career, however, her occupational status becomes increasingly related to that of her mother. This result indicates that the occupational role model of the mother seems to be important for understanding patterns of female occupational immobility.     

Four case studies to highlight some opportunities and challenges in developing anti‐bacterial and anti‐fungal agents

Since the first properly randomized control trial of streptomycin for pulmonary tuberculosis in the late 1940s, society has made great advances in combating bacterial infections and in developing vaccines to prevent such infections. One constant challenge that anti‐bacterial clinical development must grapple with is to determine the potential benefit of newer agents over existing agents, in an era when anti‐bacterial resistance is a constantly shifting target. By contrast, the development of anti‐fungal agents went into high gear only in the late 1980s and early 1990s in an effort to manage fungal infections in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, especially in patients with haematologic malignancies, bone marrow transplantation, or lymphoma. The pursuit of anti‐fungal agents intensified with the AIDS epidemic. The evaluation of anti‐fungal agents often faces complications brought on by competing risks in situations where the underlying infections are associated with a high chance of mortality or severe morbidity. In this paper, we use four case studies to illustrate some of the challenges and opportunities in developing anti‐bacterial and anti‐fungal agents. The illustrations touch on not only statistical issues, but also issues related to the availability of new anti‐bacterials in the future. Some suggestions on how statisticians could take advantage of the opportunities and answer to the challenges are also included. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.