Biopower,racialization and new security technology

From fingerprinting in colonial contexts to scientific racism, and from face recognition pioneers to contemporary multi-modal surveillance, biometric security has long been connected to processes of racialization. Using both contemporary and historical examples, this article explores the rollout of biometric security, paying especial attention to how biometrics makes use of and relies upon racialized configurations of population. The article explores these connections and teases out the precise ways in which ‘race’ and racialization connect to the securitization of individual identities. This article also opens a space for a discussion of biopower, the most popular theoretical frame through which biometric security is currently being viewed.     

Simultaneous estimation of quantile curves using quantile sheets

The results of quantile smoothing often show crossing curves, in particular, for small data sets. We define a surface, called a quantile sheet, on the domain of the independent variable and the probability. Any desired quantile curve is obtained by evaluating the sheet for a fixed probability. This sheet is modeled by $P$ -splines in form of tensor products of $B$ -splines with difference penalties on the array of coefficients. The amount of smoothing is optimized by cross-validation. An application for reference growth curves for children is presented.     

Participation in Decision-making at the Plant Level: Reflections on the German Experience

Plant level participation because of its location offers larger opportunities to influence decisions than participation on the job but falls short of providing access to company decision arenas. Legal institutional regulations become important because of the specific characteristics of this kind of involvement in decision-making of dependent labor. Therefore the German Framework is described and discussed with democratic conceptual, social science and new institutional economics perspectives in mind. The findings show the restrictions of plant level participation but—at least for the German case—indicate that differences in interest tend to be expressed and modify decisions. An evaluation of effects on business activities nevertheless does not indicate systematic disadvantageous economic consequences, there might even be positive results in terms of efficiency and effectiveness.     

Dimensions of work–home culture and their relations with the use of work–home arrangements and work–home interaction

Abstract

This study examined the associations of work–home culture with (a) demographic and organizational characteristics, (b) the use of work–home arrangements, and (c) negative and positive work–home interaction, among 1,179 employees from one public and two private organizations. Substantial support was found for a 2-factor structure of a work–home culture measure differentiating between “support” (employees’ perceptions of organization's, supervisors’, and colleagues’ responsiveness to work–family issues and to the use of work–home arrangements) and “hindrance” (employees’ perceptions of career consequences and time demands that may prevent them from using work–home arrangements). This 2-factor structure appeared to be invariant across organizations, gender, and parental status. Significant relationships with organizational characteristics, the use of work–home arrangements, and work–home interaction supported the validity of these two cultural dimensions. It is concluded that if employers want to minimize work–home interference, to optimize positive work–home interaction, and to boost the use of work–home arrangements, they should create a work–home culture that is characterized by high support and low hindrance.