From cathedral to supermarket: mourning, silence and solidarity1

Where do mobile, individualistic members of modem Britain spontaneously congregate, eg, for public mourning, atid what does this tell us about the construction of solidarity and a sense of society? Where flowers were laid atid books of condoletice provided after the death of Princess Diana in 1997 provides a case study. A survey of 147 cities, towns and villages found that churches were important in cities and villages, but elsewhere, town halls, war memorials, shops and public buildings provided the magnets to bring people together. The role of war memorials and supermarkets is then examined in an analysis of the 1995 revival of the 11th November silence for the war dead. This indicates a) the payoff for companies in showing that they care, b) the impori;ance of practical logistics of space and time. In a plural and secular society, ritual ‘words against death’ become ‘silences against death.’ These congregations of contemporary nomads may not be full‐blown Durkheimian rites, but they are a representation of existing society at the same time as representing popular hope for a better society.     

The Role of Empathy in Improving Intergroup Relations

This article analyzes the role that empathy can play in improving intergroup relations. Three types of empathy are defined: cognitive empathy and twotypes of emotional empathy, reactive and parallel. Research indicating that empathy causes prosocial behavior is reviewed, along with studies indicating that training can be used to increase levels of empathic skills. Intergroup relations programs that employ empathy are also reviewed. Studies of the effects of empathizing with outgroup members on prejudice are discussed, andseveral processes by which empathy may mediate changes in prejudice are presented (e.g., reducing perceived dissimilarity and anxiety concerning the outgroup) and cognitive dissonance. The ways in which empathy can be introduced into intergroup relations programs are discussed, along with a series of recommendations for its implementation.     

A two-sample test for threshold crossing latent variables with application to valuation studies

Summary.  Contingent valuation researchers are often interested in a comparison of the underlying willingness-to-pay distributions in two independent studies. Since willingness to pay is not observable, traditional testing procedures for comparing distributions cannot be applied directly. The paper proposes a permutation test for this sort of comparison. The main distinguishing characteristic of the test proposed is that it does not rely on asymptotic approximations and facilitates the introduction of covariates. The permutation test is illustrated with the case of projects of investment for the improvement of two important Brazilian river basins.     

Book Review: A Question of Intent: A Great American Battle with a Deadly Industry,David Kessler,Public Affairs,New York, 2001

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations -     

Stewardship as process: A paradox perspective

Long-term stewardship is usually represented as a stable structural condition and portrayed as a source of competitive advantage to firms (including family businesses) that use it as a mode of governance. Less is known about how organizations engage with stewardship as a process. We embrace a process approach to report a case study about the unfolding of stewardship in a multi-business family group. We conclude that stewardship is a process marked by critical tensions and paradoxes; by exploring the nature of these we uncover further dimensions and responses to the paradoxes of stewardship.