Eventful Subjectivity: The Experiential Sources of Solidarity

Scholarship on events has been devoted primarily to large‐scale occurrences that transform macro structures. Here we put forward a perspective that we term eventful subjectivity which moves the analysis of events in two related directions. First, we shift the arena of eventful analysis from rare world historical occurrences to smaller, more frequent events. Second, we direct attention away from macro‐structural outcomes to micro‐level changes in understanding. We employ the framework of eventful subjectivity to examine a living wage campaign in Chicago, demonstrating how the multi‐faceted diversity of the campaign – in the context of collective action – engendered solidarity rather than fragmentation.     

The Migration of Westerners to Thailand: An Unusual Flow From Developed to Developing World

Thousands of Westerners migrate to Thailand; some go to expatriate jobs and some are self‐funded retirees but many are former tourists who live precariously for years on small local salaries with insecure visa status. The present study examined demographics, reasons for migration, well‐being, perceived assimilation and experiences of Westerners living in or who had lived in Thailand for at least one year. Westerners were studied in‐country and 1003 current and former migrants completed an online survey. Common migration motives were a preference for Thai lifestyle and culture, low living costs, a warm climate, and readily‐available, attractive sexual partners. Most Westerners in‐country reported feeling well‐assimilated; half had Thai partners, and most planned to stay for life. Their major reported problems were the difficult Thai language, visa policies, and official corruption. Common reasons for leaving Thailand were financial or disillusionment, occasioned in some cases by perceived poor assimilation. The move apparently works out well for many but assimilation often may be illusory and there are signs of a local backlash against the influx of Westerners.     

UNEMPLOYMENT RISK AND COMPENSATING DIFFERENTIALS IN NEW JERSEY MANUFACTURING

We present evidence that low-skill workers received larger compensating differentials than more skilled workers when facing unanticipated unemployment in an era without unemployment insurance. Using information from surveys of New Jersey workers conducted during the 1880s, we test the theory of compensating wage differentials. We find that workers who faced a higher probability of predictable unemployment received compensating differentials and that the size of the differential differed across industries and skill levels. With few firm- or industry-specific skills, unskilled workers were less subject to "informational capture" than skilled workers who had more but less easily transferable human capital. (JEL N31 )     

A modelling system for local government resource planning

A major problem in local government is how to maximise the effectiveness of resource allocation. Senior officers and members concerned with corporate and strategic issues must take account of contemporary information of considerable variety and combine this with estimates of the future in their attempts to achieve rational resource allocation. This article describes the development of an experimental computer based corporate modelling system at Clwyd County Council which was designed to support allocation decisions pertaining to a 5 year planning period. It is concluded that a firm basis was achieved for progress towards a comprehensive operational system.     

Modeling Interdependent Risks

In an interdependent world the risks faced by any one agent depend not only on its choices but also on those of all others. Expectations about others' choices will influence investments in risk management and the outcome can be suboptimal for everyone. We model this as the Nash equilibrium of a game and give conditions for such a suboptimal equilibrium to be tipped to an optimal one. We also characterize the smallest coalition to tip an equilibrium, the minimum critical coalition, and show that this is also the cheapest critical coalition, so that there is no less expensive way to move the system from the suboptimal to the optimal equilibrium. We illustrate these results by reference to airline security and the control of infectious diseases via vaccination.