HERBERT BLUMER'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO TWENTIETH-CENTURY SOCIOLOGY

Herbert Blumer's work has had considerable impact on the growth of twentieth-century sociology. He kept alive an interest in George Mead at a time when Pragmatism floundered. Although it is unlikely that Mead's work would have been overlooked, there can be no question that Blumer's forceful advocacy helped bring it to the forefront of modern social thought. Park first organized the subfield of collective behavior, but it was Blumer who kept it going in the face of opposition from structural-functionalism. Whether or not collective behavior endures as a separate area of specialization, sociologists will have to concern themselves with the manner in which human beings adapt to problematic situations. Although his views on methodology have been controversial, some of his positions will probably prevail. His insistence on the direct observation of people in their indigenous settings and his contention that human agency must be taken into account in explanations of social processes are difficult to counter.     

Postmetamorphic growth, survival, and age at first reproduction of the salamander,hynobius nebulosus tokyoensis Tago in relation to a consideration on the optimal timing of first reproduction

Summary The postmetamorphic growth and survival of the salamanderHynobius nebulosus tokyoentis Tago were surveyed in the study site located in Habu village of Hinodemachi, a suburb of Tokyo City, during 1975–1981. A laboratory experiment on the growth rate of juveniles was conducted in parallel with the field survey. The result indicated that this salamander grew at the rate of 8,mm in s.v.l. per year during the juvenile stage, but its growth rate decreased markedly as low as 1.8 mm for males and 1.1 mm for females, once it had attained sexual maturity. According to the “capture-recapture” procedure the annual survival rate after metamorphosis was found to be quite high; that is, approximately 0.7. By using the growth rate of juveniles and the difference between the sizes at metamorphosis and sexual maturity, the age at first reproduction was estimated to be 4 year for males and 5 year for females. From the data obtained in this study, the intrinsic rates of increase (r) were calculated for various values of age at first reproduction under different survival schedules, and the relationship between the age at first reproduction and fitness as measured byr was examined. The result indicated that an optimal age maximizing fitness always existed under respective survival schedules, and the observed age at first reproduction of this salamandei was found to coincide well with the predicted optimal age.     

Between- and within-group wage inequalities, and the advent of new technology

We present a simple model that explains two features of the dynamics of wage inequalities: between-group and within-group. Individuals are assumed to be heterogeneous in their innate abilities. With the advent of a new technology, each individual decides whether or not to acquire the skill for the new high-tech sector. The heterogeneity explains not only the between-group wage inequality but also the within-group wage inequality, which are observed in advanced countries such as the US and UK.