EQUILIBRIUM STRUCTURE IN AN ECONOMIC MODEL OF CONFLICT

Four different types of equilibrium are possible within a two-player model of society where only armed self-enforcement of property rights is possible. The main underlying parameters are the total resource endowment and the initial distribution of this endowment between the players. The parameter space is partitioned into regions in which the respective types of equilibrium occur The equilibrium types involve positive arms expenditure by, respectively, neither player the richer player, and both players; the latter case involves a sub-type in which the poorer player's entire endowment is expended on arms. (JEL D30, D72, D74)     

Academic stratification and education plans: a reassessment*

On a suggéré que le système interne de stratification dans les écoles joue un plus grand rôle dans les projets scolaires des étudiants que ne fait le milieu social d'où ils sortent. Dans cette étude, on propose que cette interprétation est fausse; l'erreur résulterait, au niveau conceptuel, d'une importance excessive donnée à l'autonomie des structures pédagogiques, et, au niveau analytique, de l'utilisation d'une technique empirique qui aggrave l'erreur. On présente ici et une autre orientation théorique et une autre technique méthodique, lesquelles permettent de préciser avec plus d'exactitude la corrélation entre les variables significatifs. It has been suggested that the internal school stratification system has more to do with the educational plans of students than does the class background of the student. In this paper it is suggested that this is an incorrect interpretation resulting from, at the conceptual level, an overemphasis on the autonomy of educational structures and from, at the analysis level, the use of an empirical technique which exacerbates the error. An alternative theoretical orientation and methodological technique which more clearly specifies the interrelationship among the salient variables is presented.     

Psychological Conflict and Human Nature: The Case of Behaviourism and Cognition*

A reasonable choice between Skinner's and Chomsky's theories requires reference to a conception of human nature. It is explained in detail why this is so, in the context of an analysis of what it is to ‘choose’ a theory. This account helps to explain the unity and coherence of the science, methodology, conception of science, object of scientific inquiry and views towards control of each of Skinner and Chomsky, and thereby explains the chasm which separates the parties to their respective programs. The analysis given implies that, in a precise sense, the theory-choice is implicated in value-judgments.     

New Zealand's turbulent waters: the use of forced labour in the fishing industry

In this article, we make an empirical and conceptual contribution to the emerging debate on unfree labour in the context of labour chains and global value chains. We recast an historical view of poor labour practices aboard some foreign charter vessels fishing in New Zealand's waters as something more nefarious. Applying the International Labour Organization (ILO) and European Commission (EC) operational indicators of human trafficking for forced labour to 293 interviews, we evaluate the extent to which we can consider migrant fishing crew aboard South Korean vessels as victims of forced labour. We find that they are indeed victims of forced labour and that there is a need to extend the ILO/EC operational indicators to take into account exit strategies. Specifically, there is insufficient recognition of deception, exploitation and coercion at the point of exit, which can prevent a trafficked victim from exiting the employment relationship. Thus, it is crucial to take account of all stages, from recruitment to exit, to understand fully unfree labour in labour and global value chains.     

Adolescents in Crisis: on Hypothesizing with Minimal Information

Summary This paper suggests some of the questions that practitionersshould ask themselves when faced with an adolescent in crisis.It is important that professionals have available a number oflevels for conceptualizing behaviour if they are to make senseof complex information. Minimal information from a referralis given to demonstrate our approach. We consider some issuesconnected with change in systems; symptomatic behaviour in alife cycle context; agency contexts as they affect professionalhelp; and adolescent development in the context of marital breakdown.The practitioner is encouraged to develop hypotheses, whilehaving very few facts which in the light of further contactmay be developed, or discarded in favour of hypotheses morerelevant to the particular family. We warn against the equal,but different dangers of approaching each new family eitherwith a totally open mind, or with fixed ideas concerning whatit ‘must be about’. We do not argue that it is betterto have little or no previous history (although too much historycan become part of ‘the problem’), but that workersalways have more information, from the very start, than theymay realise.