What are Relevant Work Incentive Models? Shirking Model, Gift Exchange Model, or Reciprocity Model

This empirical study examines the relevance of different work incentive models by distinguishing reciprocity induced by pecuniary and non-pecuniary factors. Although the literature does not present an examination of different models all together but rather specifically examines each model mainly through experimental laboratory games, we study which models are suitable to explain work incentives in real labor markets. Our analyses reveal that overall reciprocity induced by non-pecuniary factors motivates employees well. The shirking model induces effort only if employees face a high level of vulnerability to firing. However, the high level of vulnerability to dismissal invalidates the gift exchange and reciprocity models. These results can complement controlled laboratory experiments, whose results are often restricted in applying to the reality.     

Contemporary Youth and Youth Culture in Japan

Abstract  This paper begins with a profile of Japanese youth which compares them statistically and sociologically with those of other nations. Next, I attempt to differentiate between "adolescent" and "youth," and explain the adolescent as a consequence of industrial society. I also try to divide youth culture into three types: partial culture, sub-culture. and counter- culture. Finally, I discuss the history of Japanese youth culture, primarily since the coming of the industrial age after World War 11. As examples of adolescent cultures, I refer to "Taiyo-zoku." "Zenkyoto," "Hippie," "New Young," and "Shin-jinrui." Among these, "Zenkyoto" and "Hippie" are important as counter-cultures; they reject the prevailing society and actively seek a new post-industrial society. Adolescent sub-culture. on the other hand, has dwindled since the decline of the "Zen- kyoto" around 1970. Since 1980, Japanese youth can be grouped into three main categories. The majority enjoy affluence and consumer goods, like the "Crystal-zoku," who are obsessed with famous brands. They are in the partial culture, and are oriented to super-industrial society. The second group is made up of those who have unique adolescent cultures. like the "Shin-jinrui," who are sensuous and highly responsive to information. They are in the sub-culture, and are oriented to the modified industrial society. Minority groups who take action to protect their interests and human rights, like ecological groups derived from the counter-culture movement, comprise the third category. They are in the counter-culture, and are oriented to post-industrial society.     

Neuropathology in Alzheimer's disease: awaking from a hundred-year-old dream

For one hundred years after Alois Alzheimer's first report of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in 1906, the pathological hallmarks of the disease, senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), have been attractive targets for researchers. Therefore, not surprisingly, efforts to understand disease mechanisms have concentrated on the cell biology of amyloid-beta (Abeta) deposition as senile plaques or on the phosphorylation and aggregation of tau as NFTs. However, it now appears that this focus on pathology as a central contributor to disease may be misguided. Indeed, neurons associated with Abeta and NFTs in AD brain show a decrease in oxidative damage relative to those in vulnerable but morphologically intact areas of the brain, suggesting that neurodegenerative lesions are compensatory phenomena, and thus manifestations of cellular adaptation. That Abeta and tau accumulations indicate an age-related physiological reaction to chronic stress calls into question the rationale of current therapeutic efforts targeted toward lesion removal. Moreover, if this concept holds true for pathology in other neurodegenerative diseases, we may need to restructure our thinking and undergo a paradigm shift before substantial progress can be made in therapeutic intervention.     

作为“去安全保障化”的日本宪法

将某一问题归类并宣示为安全保障问题为“安全保障化”,不将某一问题作为安全保障问题为“去安全保障化”。“去安全保障化”是有益和有效的思考方式,因为它意味着以通常的政治轨道（民主主义＋人权的程序）处理该问题,这是对立宪主义统制和法治的贯彻：《日本宪法》第9条第2项作为“去安全保障化”规定,不应当被修改。     

The Invisible Unattended: Low‐wage Chinese Immigrant Workers,Health Care,and Social Capital in Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley*

This study investigates the factors affecting the availability of health insurance, the accessibility of health care, and the dissemination of the relevant information among low‐wage Chinese immigrants in Southern California by relying on the concepts of social and cultural capital. Using community‐based research and in‐depth interviews, our study suggests that a severe shortage in health care coverage among low‐wage Chinese immigrants is influenced by the lack of employment with employer‐provided health insurance within the Chinese “ethnoburb” community. Although the valuable social capital generated by Chinese immigrant networks seems to be sufficient enough to provide them with certain practical resources, the lack of cultural capital renders the social network rather ineffective in providing critical health care information from mainstream American society.     

The Mechanisms of Social Exclusion in Modern Society: The Dilemma of Active Labor Market Policy*

In this article, I examine the social exclusion approach that has influenced social policy in Europe, and demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach in explaining the emergence of new forms of inequality in modern society. First, I consider recent studies of social exclusion to show two important points: the paradigm shift from poverty to social exclusion and the introduction of a new policy framework of social inclusion. At the same time, I examine the inherent dilemma of social exclusion in response to radical critics of the social exclusion approach. Next, I point out an internal dilemma in the active labor market policies prioritized today by European Union member states. This dilemma is that these policies make the unemployed more vulnerable by forcing them into paid work. I then show how the enhancement of social networks in local communities and the provision of assistance to support cultural identity can serve as a buffer to compensate for the destructive influence of the economic dimension of social inclusion. In addition, I point out that citizenship as rights claiming is indispensable to social inclusion for all. Finally, drawing on the analysis outlined above, I conclude that a multi-tiered mechanism of social inclusion can reasonably be considered the most effective framework in a precarious society where people bear various risks in the era of globalization.     

东渡扶桑的鉴真和上

佛教传至日本后的200年中,一直未出现拥有正式授戒资格的＂三师七证＂共十个僧人齐备的现象。当时的政府担心因逃避租税、课役而私自剃度的僧人增多,会动摇律令国家的基础,故欲确立和管理尼僧的制度。聘请授戒师僧,对于弘扬佛教和维护国家稳定来说,无疑是最好的妙方。为了推动日本佛教的兴隆,鉴真和上于天平十五年（743）十二月,与弟子们一同从大明寺出发,踏上了艰辛困苦的传法旅程。