The metaphorical constraints to pay equity: Why so many economists are outraged by comparable worth

The doctrine of comparable worth is frequently denounced by economists as inefficient, unnecessary, unworkable, incredibly costly, and replete with unfortunate consequences for the same low-wage workers it alleges to be helping. This paper attempts to identify an explanation for both the vigor and content of economists' common antipathy toward comparable worth. The methodology of the paper is taken from Donald McCloskey's recent The Rhetoric of Economics and Feyerabend's epistemology of conversation.A content analysis of economists' criticisms of comparable worth reveals a much different methodology from that deified in the beginning chapters of Principles of Economics texts. Facts and empirical validation are not the primary bases responsible for their conclusions. The theoretical and empirical support for current relative wages is not solid enough to explain either the near-unanimity of economists' arguments or their vitriolic tone.This paper analyzes the fundamental role played by metaphor in guiding economists' analysis of comparable worth. Metaphor is treated in this paper as a pre-rational image that, much like Kuhn's paradigms, provides insight and establishes blind spots.     

Really not god: Secularization and pragmatism in Gamblers Anonymous

The paper argues that despite maintaining the image of a twelve-step organization, the central theme of the history of Gamblers Anonymous (GA) in the United States is the increasing secularization of the program of the recovery. The paper documents the increasing secularization and pragmatism of Gamblers Anonymous, as reflected in key documents, despite the spiritual vision of its founding member. The author speculates on why Gamblers Anonymous took a secularized development path. Further research is called for.This research was supported in part by NIAAA post-doctoral grant, 2 T32 AA07240-11, at the Alcohol Research Group (ARG), Berkeley, California. I would like to thank ARG, Mary Phillips, the anonymous reviewers and editor of theJournal of Gambling Studies, Kathy Deierlein, Bob Yamashita, and anonymous members of Gamblers Anonymous. This paper is a revision of one presented at the Fifth National Conference on Gambling Behavior in Duluth, Minnesota during July, 1991.     

Sexual needs, control, and refusal: how "doing" class and gender influences sexual risk taking

The poor are disproportionately affected by unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We know relatively little, however, about the sexual processes behind these disparities. Despite studies of gender enactment's influence on sexual behaviors, few analyses examine the sexual "doing" of social class. We conducted sexual history interviews with 36 women and men, half middle class and half poor and working class. Most respondents reported that men have greater sexual appetites than women, but the middle class were more likely to cite social influences while the poor and working-class respondents primarily ascribed biological origins. The social construction of sexual controllability among the middle class contributed to perceptions that sex was a containable force. Poor and working-class women described men's sexual needs as physiologically irrepressible, which shaped sexual refusal. Our findings move beyond socioeconomic status (SES) as a "risk factor" and explore two examples of how gender and social class mediate people's sexual selves and health.     

The influence of family environment on mental health need and service use among vulnerable children

Children in child welfare are especially likely to have unmet mental health needs. The role of family factors in children's use of mental health services was examined in a longitudinal sample of 1075 maltreated or at-risk children. Vulnerable family environment (poor family functioning, low social support, and caregiver psychological distress) is an important predictor of children's mental health needs. It also predicts them not having these needs met.     

社会与主体性：中国情节剧的政治经济学

学界对于中国电影创作的研究,常常不可避免地会以片中人物（“自我”）与其所处社会空间之间的关系分析作为逻辑起点。学者们认为电影情节中的戏剧性关联从本质上能够反映出意识形态现实,这种例证在中国当代电影中比比皆是。而中国电影创作中常常贯穿、延续着新中国成立前儒家传统与新中国成立后社会主义意识形态之间的矛盾性问题,也恰恰是这种连续性和矛盾性开启了影片中自我、家庭、工作岗位以及国家——这些关涉社会整体性想像的各个基本方面之间的关系。从这些理论前提入手,本文试图讨论中国电影中最为错综复杂且激动人心的流行叙事样式,这一样式体现出传统的社会道德体系与新兴国家意识形态之间的相互妥协,进而清楚有力地阐明处在两者夹缝之间的故事中的人物情感矛盾与情节冲突所能企及的范围与表现力度。这一叙事样式正是在西方早已广为人知的“情节剧”。由于这一分类不同于传统的中国类型电影体系,所以在使用这一概念的时候,有必要进行一些理论观念的跨文化平移。①