Income inequality and participation: A comparison of 24 European countries

Previous research suggests that when there is a high level of inequality, there is a low rate of participation. Two arguments are generally offered: First, inequality depresses participation because people from different status groups have fewer opportunities to share common goals. Second, people may participate more in civic and social life when they have more resources. However, until now, these explanations have not been separated empirically. Using EU-SILC data for 24 European countries, we analyze how income inequality is related to civic and social participation. Our results indicate that the main effects of inequality manifest via resources at the individual and societal level. However, independent of these resources, higher inequality is associated with lower civic participation. Furthermore, inequality magnifies the relationship between income and participation. This finding is in line with the view that inter-individual processes explain why inequality diminishes participation.     

In Search of the Optimum Harvey Wallbanger Recipe via Mixture Experiment Techniques

A Harvey Wallbanger is an alcoholic drink composed of three ingredients: orange juice, vodka, and Galliano. One of the authors (Sahrmann), a connoisseur of the libation, was perplexed upon discovering that different bartender handbooks listed different recipes for the drink. Determined to shed some light on this irksome problem, he issued invitations for an evening workshop session (party) to former and current attendees of an experimental-design training course taught within his company. A mixture experiment was designed and data collected using the class participants. This article describes the experimental design and the analysis of the data. The results of the experiment indicate that reducing the proportion of vodka produces better-flavored drinks. The results of the experiment were not entirely conclusive, however, so recommendations are made for future experimentation.     

Skill and education effects on earnings in 18 Countries: The role of national educational institutions

This study investigates whether the mechanisms why education is rewarded vary across countries. Do educational institutions affect the likelihood that support for a particular mechanism is found? Combining IALS survey data and OECD statistics on educational institutions, it was shown that the effect of measured skill on earnings - controlled for educational attainment - is lower in countries where educational institutions produce skills relevant for work through the vocational system. This indicates that the human capital perspective on education works particularly well in vocationally oriented educational systems, as the skills generated in education are strongly overlapping with the skills that are rewarded. An alternative mechanism sees education as a means for social closure through credentialization. Under the credentialization model, education is not primarily rewarded for the productivity-enhancing skills it entails, but rather for reasons unrelated to productivity. Following this theory education is used for selection into the organization, after which directly observable skills are determining wages. Assuming that a strongly differentiated educational system creates boundaries between social groups, it is hypothesized that strongly differentiated systems lead to stronger measured skill effects. We do not find support for this hypothesis.     

超越帝国主义和恐怖主义的新文明:生态纪研究和过程思想的作用

在长达 5 0年的“冷战”期间 ,由于西方资本主义和东方共产主义两大力量在世界戏剧舞台上扮演着主导的角色 ,世界保持着一种“不稳定”的稳定状态。今天 ,很多力量在竞争全球或地区霸权 ,而美国是世界的超级大国 ,它通过军事力量、经济影响和文化 ,对世界事务实施一种帝国统治。但这种统治决不意味着全部。在很多地方 ,宗教的、地区的和民族的运动大胆并热情 ,然而也带着莽撞 ,它们毫不理睬创造一个全球的、现代化社会的努力。在帝国主义和恐怖主义所造成的混乱的世界秩序里 ,远古的甚至是原始的理解正与现代性信条相竞争。文章提出生态纪研究和过程思想 ,它为建设性的后现代的未来文明提供充满希望的、奠基性的哲学要素