Working Class Politics: An Interpretation of the Quebec Case*

L'echec repete des partis politiques de gauche au Quebec est generalement attri-bue au conservatisme et au nationalisme de la classe ouvriere canadienne-fran-caise. Cependant, quand on considere l'appui disproportions des ouvriers pour l'Union Nationale, il appert que cet appui ne peut s'expliquer par de telles attitudes. Nous suggerons plutot que la montee de l'Union Nationale durant les an-nees de 1935 a 1936 represente surtout la montee d'un mouvement politique de protestation economique, et que les ouvriers s'attacherent peu a evaluer son ideologic propre. De facon plus generate, nous pretendons que les valeurs et les inte-rets des elites sont plus importantes que ceux des classes inferieures pour ex-pliquer 1'orientation conservatrice et nationaliste de la politique au Quebec et l'echec des partis de gauche. The failure of leftist parties in Quebec is usually interpreted as a result of the conservatism and ethnic consciousness of the French Canadian working class. However, when the disproportionate support of the workers for the conservative Union Nationale party is considered, one finds that it cannot be explained by these and related attitudes. As an alternative interpretation, it is suggested that the Union Nationale rose during the 1930s as an economic protest movement and that the workers turned to it independently of its philosophy. More generally, we argue that the values and interests of the elites are more important than those of the lower classes to explain the conservative and nationalist character of Quebec politics and the failure of leftist parties.     

On optimal control and macroeconomic policy

Control theory has important contributions to make to the theory of macro-economic policy. These include a unified view of estimation, forecasting and control and a consequently clearer focus in identifying performance criteria. Further, the methods of control theory imply objectivity and a need for assumptions to be made explicit. By contrast, the UK lacks a research body for forecasting and policy evaluation detached from doctrinal or methodological commitment. Engineering control methods, however, diverge from those wholly acceptable to economic systems in that, in the latter, the controller is himself part of the system he controls and some of his controls operate only indirectly. A further difference is that economics cannot as yet furnish the controller with reliable models of system behaviour linking policy instruments to set targets.     

Is obesity stigmatizing? Body weight, perceived discrimination, and psychological well-being in the United States

We investigate the frequency and psychological correlates of institutional and interpersonal discrimination reported by underweight, normal weight, overweight, obese I, and obese II/III Americans. Analyses use data from the Midlife Development in the United States study, a national survey of more than 3,000 adults ages 25 to 74 in 1995. Compared to normal weight persons, obese II/III persons (body mass index of 35 or higher) are more likely to report institutional and day-to-day interpersonal discrimination. Among obese II/III persons, professional workers are more likely than nonprofessionals to report employment discrimination and interpersonal mistreatment. Obese II/III persons report lower levels of self-acceptance than normal weight persons, yet this relationship is fully mediated by the perception that one has been discriminated against due to body weight or physical appearance. Our findings offer further support for the pervasive stigma of obesity and the negative implications of stigmatized identities for life chances.     

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The Impact of Macro- and Micro-Economic Uncertainty on Family Formation in The Netherlands

In this paper, we study the impact of macro- and micro-economic uncertainty on family formation between 1970 and 2000 in The Netherlands. Using data of the Family Survey Dutch Population, we analysed the monthly hazard rates of experiencing the transition into first union, first marriage and parenthood after the start of the relationship of 365 male and 364 female partners by applying piecewise-constant exponential models. The results show that macro-economic uncertainties, i.e. high unemployment rates, lead to postponement of the first union and marriage, but not of the first child. In addition, we found that this relationship is not interpreted by individual-level employment insecurity, i.e. temporary employment or unemployment, which does not seem to prevent people from making long-term family commitments. Although hypothesized, we did not find that the negative effects of macro- and micro-level insecurities on family formation reinforce each other or that they vary between individuals with different educational qualifications.     

The use of client surrogates in determining the reliability of a standardized assessment instrument in multiple, diverse settings

Since its introduction in 1980, the widely-used Addiction Severity Index has been subjected to extensive validity and reliability studies. Reliability procedures have commonly entailed test–retest and multiple judge video reviews, all within controlled environments. The following study uses a method that differs substantially from conventional reliability assessment by employing trained, professional actors as client surrogates to examine the reliability of the instrument when administered in the field, in naturalistic, diverse agency settings. This article details this method, addressing the question, to what extent did this method produce consistent stimuli to enable the measurement of reliability?     

THE EURO AND THE GEOGRAPHY OF INTERNATIONAL DEBT FLOWS

Greater financial integration between core and peripheral European Monetary Union (EMU) members not only had an effect on both sets of countries but also spilled over beyond the euro area. Lower interest rates allowed peripheral countries to run bigger deficits, which inflated their economies by allowing credit booms. Core EMU countries took on extra foreign leverage to expose themselves to the peripherals. We present a stylized model that illustrates possible mechanisms for these developments. We then analyze the geography of international debt flows using multiple data sources and provide evidence that after the euro's introduction, core EMU countries increased their borrowing from outside of the EMU and their lending to the EMU periphery. Moreover, we present evidence that large core EMU banks' lending to periphery borrowers was linked to their borrowing from outside of the euro area.     

Book Review

Abstract

Kim Witte, Gary Meyer, and Dennis Martell. Effective Health Risk Messages: A Step-by-Step Guide: Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; 2000. 216 pps; paper, $24.95, cloth, $64.95.