At the Eve of Convergence? Transformations of Social Service Provision in Denmark, Germany, and the United States

Increasing societal heterogeneity, changing demographics, and increasing public debt and fiscal constraints have recently challenged traditional “regime” approaches to welfare state development. Some scholars argue, against this background, that welfare states might plausibly move out of their “regime container” by opting in favor of similar solutions and responses. This potential trend toward “convergence” might, furthermore, be facilitated by the widespread use of new public management ideas and techniques for “reinventing government” by adopting market solutions to public problems. This article investigates whether such trends of convergence can be identified by comparing three different countries each traditionally looked upon as belonging to different welfare state regimes: Denmark, Germany, and the United States. More specifically the article looks at one important segment of welfare state activity, namely social services and related health care. To further focus the analysis, special attention is devoted to the changing role played by the third sector in delivering services. The research design, thus, differs from most comparative welfare state research. Instead of analyzing a broad set of quantitative indicators in a large number of countries, it is scrutinized how some of the same problem pressures and policy ideas are being interpreted and implemented in a small number of countries within one policy area. The analysis reveals that trends of convergence—conceptualized along four dimensions: ideas, regulation, mix of providers, and revenue mix—can be identified across the three cases, though this does not mean that the market share of nonprofit providers becomes the same. The study also reveals that fundamental aspects of state–nonprofit relations persist despite trends of convergence.     

Perceptions and Practices in Independent Management: Blurring the Boundaries Between “Mine,” “Yours” and “Ours”

Research suggests that couples categorized as practicing independent management (IM) have a high level of independence and separateness regarding financial matters. However, this interview study showed that the boundaries between “yours” and “mine” regarding money, finances and consumption are blurred in couples categorized as IM. The blurring of boundaries reflected participants’ understandings of what it means to be in a committed couple relationship and the difficulties associated with having joint expenses and consumption while lacking a "common purse." The study indicated that couples might be less individualistic and private than the label IM suggests and that the practices of those categorized as using IM are varied and complex.     

Competing allocation principles: time for compromise?

A small set of allocation principles is said to be behind several theories of distributive justice. However, disagreement about the appropriate relationship between these notions remains, so that compromises between principles may generate more agreement. Truncated utilitarianism is a prominent candidate. It demands maximising total wealth subject to a floor level of individual wealth for all people. Based on some well-known distributive notions, we developed a questionnaire setting and confronted student respondents with corresponding allocation problems, where an exogenously given poverty line served as a floor. However, support for allocations resulting from this specific interpretation of truncated utilitarianism remained rather low. This is surprising because the respective solution was close to an equal split of resources, and aspects of efficiency and responsibility were explicitly introduced to promote more general acceptance. We argue that people may either wish to see higher floor levels or are more inequality averse than probably expected. Moreover, high support for an unconditional consideration of the poverty line can be witnessed, even though aspects of responsibility, but not efficiency arguments, display an influence. In general, attitudes with respect to the equality?Cefficiency trade-off are found to remain heterogeneous, although different equality concerns are prominent. Furthermore, trade-offs are moderated by the responsibility principle.     

Unscharfe Konturen – kritische Standortbestimmung eines Beratungsnetzwerks

In our article, we discuss the field of network consultancy—from the perspective of a consultancy network. In the beginning, we focus on the phenomenon “network”: What is a network, what is its function? Which challenge do we have to deal with? We talk about our own experiences as a network organisation und discuss relevant topics, which also refer to ourselves. We debate whether it is always and basically possible to counsel organisational networks and talk about requirements, factors for success, and structural roadblocks in a consultancy process—also about charm and risks involved when a network of consultants counsels an organisational network. Furthermore, we are opening our toolbox: Which instruments and interventions are particularly helpful and useful in the process of organisation network consultancy? And how do we take care of our own network? In our conclusion, we finally emphasize why it is so important to deal with organisational network consultancy—because networks are the most relevant form of organisation in the future.     

The integrator’s new advantage – The reassessment of outsourcing and production competence in a global telecom firm

For a long time, the telecom equipment industry has been at the forefront of outsourcing and relocating production operations to contract manufacturing firms located in Asia and Eastern Europe. Recently, however, leading firms have begun to revise this strategy, based on their recognition of the continual importance of technological leadership and integration capabilities. Using a case study of a key company, this paper explores the dynamics of outsourcing and production strategies in the telecom equipment industry. One of the central aspects under study is the interaction of product development with industrialisation and production. The paper analyses issues such as component standardisation versus differentiation and technological integration, the value of deep integration capabilities for cost reductions, and why production competence and the rapid industrialisation of products incorporating new technologies have acquired renewed importance, despite the global trend towards lowest-cost locations.     

Quality of the intimate and sexual relationship in first‐time parents six months after delivery

This study aimed to describe the quality of the intimate relationship among parents six months after the birth of their first child. The Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) has been modified and used on 820 responding first‐time parents, of which 768 were couples. The results reveal that most parents were happy in their relationship, but both mothers and fathers were discontented with the dyadic sexuality. “Being too tired for sexual activity “ was a problem, especially for the mothers, and the most common frequency of intercourse was once or twice per month. The result does not support the assumption that the couples compensate the lacking sexuality with sensuality. Good communication within the couple was associated with higher levels of several dimensions of the intimate relationship, especially dyadic consensus and satisfaction. Thus, one way to stabilize and strengthen a relationship when dyadic sexual activity is low would be to emphasize dyadic communication and sensual activity.     

Remembering the impossible possibility: Kierkegaard and human capital

Kierkegaard is classified as an existentialist. The irony of course is if he were authentically existential, then he would escape any categorisation. Rather than reading Kierkegaard as yet one more item on the shelves of the history of philosophy, why not read him as though he were relevant to our lives? Our argument is that modern capitalism has taken a subjective turn, and therefore reading Kierkegaard is as timely as ever. This isn’t a matter of constructing a politics out his texts but applying it to our lives. The modern subjective form of capital is human capital as was already diagnosed by Foucault in his prophetic lectures on bio-politics. At the heart of human capital is the ideology of the subject as a form of investment. We want to show how Kierkegaard’s own account of subjectivity resists this appropriation of the self by capital through a new ontology of subjectivity. At the heart of this ontology is a reversal of Aristotle. It is not the actual that determines the possible, but the possible the actual.     

The diffusion of modern contraception in norway and its consequences for the fertility pattern

The Norwegian Fertility Survey of 1977 shows that most of the population make adequate use of contraception. Only 7 per cent of those who did not desire to become pregnant dit not use birth control. The reduction in fertility and changes in the age-specific fertility pattern have not been as great as one would expect. The younger cohorts have not had changes in fertility as great as the changes in contraception would imply, whereas the older ones have had even greater changes. We conclude that changes in the age-specific fertility pattern have not been causally dependent on the contraceptive pattern