The inclusion of the non‐European world in international society, 1870s–1920s: evidence from global networks

Abstract This article is envisaged as a contribution to the historical sociology of globalization. In it I investigate the idea that from the 1870s peoples beyond Europe were increasingly included into international society. The discussion explores theoretical issues around intercultural engagement, arguing against those who see inclusion in terms of simple co‐option into Western modernity, and in favour of a more subtle co‐production of modern processes and forms of difference. Attention then moves on to examine historical evidence drawn from some knowledge networks involving Africa and India. Inclusion is seen in terms of a very complex and shifting set of engagements, conflicts and modes of cooperation, circumscribed by both racial and elite forms of discourse under the shadow of the growing political instability of empire. The methodology of interpersonal network analysis is also commended as a way of opening up debates about the long‐term history of the dynamics and limits to the emergence of global public spheres.     

THE SUPPLY OF OCCUPATIONAL REGULATION

This paper examines the state's decision to supply monopoly rights to occupations. The two key aspects of the analysis are the degree of political competition and the proportion of market demand of the regulated service accounted for by government officials. An application of the analysis is developed to explain an episode of comparative occupational regulation in mercantile England and France. Other applications of the analysis are suggested.     

Effects of Filter Questions in Public Opinion Surveys

Extending previous work, the authors find that the wording ofa filter question can make a significant difference in the percentageof "don't know" (DK) responses elicited by an item, especiallywith topics that are more abstract or less familiar to surveyrespondents. They also find, however, that the content of anitem can have a substantial, independent effect on DK or "noopinion" responses, regardless of how the filter question isworded. In general, it appears that the less familiar the issueor topic, the greater the increase in DK responses producedby adding a filter. Even more important, the analysis showsthat filtering can in some instances dramatically affect theconclusions a pollster would draw about the distribution ofpublic opinion on an issue. Indeed, such effects may occur moreoften than has previously been suspected, though the circumstancesunder which they emerge remain elusive. The authors suggestthat such effects may become amenable to analysis by probingrespondents about "what they had in mind" as they answered thequestion.     

IS DISHONESTY CONTAGIOUS?

When an individual believes that peers are predominantly untruthful in a given situation, is he/she more likely to be untruthful in that situation? We study this question in deception experiments patterned after Gneezy [Gneezy U. “Deception: The Role of Consequences.” American Economic Review, 95, 2005, 384–94] and conducted in Arizona, California, and India. We find evidence that dishonesty is indeed contagious. (JEL D03)     

Early School Leaving among Immigrants in Toronto Secondary Schools

Les données du Conseil scolaire du district de Toronto sont utilisées pour déterminer quelles sont les répercussions de vivre sous le seuil de faible revenu (SFR) sur le décrochage à l'école secondaire, en tenant compte du statut de la génération d'immigrants ainsi que d'une diversité de facteurs de risques (par exemple, le pays d'origine, l'âge à l'entrée de l'école secondaire, la réussite scolaire). Les résultats ont indiqué que la mesure SFR du voisinage constituait un prédicteur significatif du décrochage scolaire, indépendamment du statut d'immigrant. L'explication du taux de décrochage des immigrants à partir du facteur de la génération n'a obtenu que peu de soutien. La région d'origine s'est avérée un prédicteur marquant du décrochage où l'on constatait des différences entre les groupes d'immigrants et entre les étudiants immigrants et les étudiants originaires du pays. While education statistics confirm that there is little difference in the dropout rates of native‐born and immigrant youth, analyses of Toronto District School Board (TDSB) data have revealed significant variation in school persistence within immigrant groups. Among newcomer youth, the decision to leave school early has been reported to be strongly influenced by socioeconomic status as well as such factors as country of origin, age at arrival, generational status, family structure, and academic performance. While living in low‐income conditions is thought to place both foreign‐ and Canadian‐born youth at risk of poor school performance and early school withdrawal, their substantially higher incidence of poverty suggests that today's immigrant youth are likely to face greater obstacles to academic success that may in turn have detrimental, long‐term consequences. This paper uses TDSB data to investigate the extent to which living below the low‐income cutoff affects the likelihood of dropping out of secondary school, while taking into account generational status as well as a variety risk factors, noted above. Policy implications are discussed.     

HOW DOES HEALTH INSURANCE AFFECT WORKERS’ COMPENSATION FILING?

About half of injured workers choose not to file workers' compensation claims. This is thought to result from their use of health insurance instead of workers' compensation. However, the data suggest that insured workers are actually less likely to file than their more vulnerable uninsured counterparts. We found that this relationship emerges as the result of employer characteristics and, in particular, that employers who offer health insurance to employees are more likely to have workers who file claims; this is much more important than the insurance status of workers themselves or fixed worker characteristics. ( JEL I1, J3)