A majorization comparison of apportionment methods in proportional representation

From the inception of the proportional representation movement it has been an issue whether larger parties are favored at the expense of smaller parties in one apportionment of seats as compared to another apportionment. A number of methods have been proposed and are used in countries with a proportional representation system. These apportionment methods exhibit a regularity of order, as discussed in the present paper, that captures the preferential treatment of larger versus smaller parties. This order, namely majorization, permits the comparison of seat allocations in two apportionments. For divisor methods, we show that one method is majorized by another method if and only if their signpost ratios are increasing. This criterion is satisfied for the divisor methods with power-mean rounding, and for the divisor methods with stationary rounding. Majorization places the five traditional apportionment methods in the order as they are known to favor larger parties over smaller parties: Adams, Dean, Hill, Webster, and Jefferson. Received: 5 August 2000/Accepted: 24 October 2001     

Worlds come apart: Systems theory versus critical theory. Drama in the history of sociology in the twentieth century

This article places an episode in the history of sociological theory into intellectual history in the twentieth century. The perspective is chronological as well as contextual. The themes are two theoretical approaches, both embedded in both American and German history, Parsonian Systems Theory and “Frankfurt School” Critical Theory. The chronology shown spanned mainly from the 1940s to the 1960s. The context of the two theories is a period that is crucial in twentieth century history. The protagonists of the two approaches were, in the 1940s, Americans and Germans exiled in the United States. In the 1950s, both approaches were affected by McCarthyism in different ways. The 1960s, however, were the culmination. The dynamics of the two approaches led into a schism which came into the open on the occasion of the 1964 German Sociology Conference in Heidelberg celebrating Max Weber. The article shows the stages in the evolution of the schism, emulating three acts in a drama. The final split was over whether Weber or Marx should be the classic whose oeuvre was to influence sociological thinking today. My aim is to exemplify how these two authoritative approaches in sociological theory, far from escaping the vagaries and vicissitudes of their times, were embedded in twentieth-century history.     

Partial strikes under the railway labor act: The need for a doctrine of unprotected concerted activity

In light of use by airline unions of partial-strike tactics, such as concerted refusals to bid for overtime work and so-called ” CHAOS” tactics involving unannounced refusals to fly after passengers have been ticketed and are ready to board, the authors examine whether the Railway Labor Act (RLA) should be interpreted to permit employers to discipline employees for engaging in such tactics, or whether these are a protected form of economic pressure. Although in many respects bargaining duties and economic weapons under the RLA are read consonant with precedents under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) (which governs all industries other than rail and air transport), there are a few decisions suggesting that during the period when self-help may be resorted to, employees can engage in partial strike activities as long as they violate no court order but are subject to permanent replacement in limited circumstances. These decisions, the authors submit, fail to take account of Supreme Court decsions since the 1930s that some economic pressures by unions, such as slowdowns and sitins, may not violate the labor laws but nor are they protected by those laws so as to immunize partial strikers from employer discipline. These decisions are not based on unique features of the NLRA. Rather, they give recognition to the background assumptions of Congress that employers may act to protect their property interests as long as they do not run afoul of NLRA or RLA protections and that employees who engage in partial-strike activities are subject to employer discipline even where not strictly necessary to maintain operations. Moreover, these tactics skew the bargaining process by giving employees an essentially risk-free gambit to pressure their economic position through planned disruption of carrier operations. Professor Estreicher is also labor and employment counsel to O’Melveny & Myers, LLP. The views expressed herein are the authors’ and should not be attributed to any organization. Hannah Breshin and Tom Jerman of O’Melveny & Myers, assisted the authors with this article. We also thank Professor Herbert Northrup for his helpful comments.     

扩招后广东高等教育发展的策略研究

文章分析了 1997年到 2 0 0 1年广东高等教育的相关数据 ,认为广东高等教育主要通过内涵式发展来扩大其教育规模 ,扩招后已经达到其现有教育条件的承载极限。今后应放缓发展速度 ,转变高等教育发展方式 ,由内涵式发展为主转为重视外延式发展 ,以达到高等教育的可持续发展     

宫词和宫怨之辨析

宫词和宫怨是中国古代诗歌关系密切的两个专题，不应混淆。宫怨出现较早，可以追溯到汉诗；而宫词却始于唐人顾况，集成于王建。宫词出现在唐代的主要原因是：唐代后宫庞大，宫女制度的弊端，成为社会关注的问题；唐代政治开明，诗人可以畅所欲言；后宫生活题材，是唐诗受众的一大看点。宫词与宫怨的主要区别：宫怨多用古体，而宫词倾向于七绝；宫怨多为单篇，而宫词多为组诗；宫怨主情景，宫词多叙事；宫怨多含蓄，宫词多白描。     

Netzwerken: Reflexionen und Erfahrungen am Beispiel eines TrainerInnen und BeraterInnen-Netzwerkes

How are social networks organized and how much structure and openess do they have? The ambiguity of networking and the grade of organization are discussed and described theoretically and with an authentic example.     

20世纪六七十年代泰国经济开发中的民族矛盾

2 0世纪六七十年代 ,随着经济开发活动的展开 ,泰国的民族矛盾也呈激化趋势。之所以如此 ,原因在于政府在对少数民族地区的经济开发过程中实行了一些不妥甚至是错误的政策和措施。文章对此进行了深入探讨     

高校德育低效的内因分析

高校德育低效除社会大环境的负面影响外,高校德育自身的问题也不可忽视。智德分离;不尊重学生的主体地位;忽视培育和发展学生的情感、忽视学生的差异和个性;德育与学生的生活和需要脱节;育德者的人格不适应德育的要求等德育自身的缺陷是德育低效的内在原因。     

从专家复审论高校文科学报的审稿制度

专家复审长期得不到文科学报编辑部应有的重视 ,是制约文科学报的学术水平及其影响力的重要因素。文章通过社会科学研究发展情况及编辑素质要求等因素对编辑部审稿能力进行分析 ,并对审稿各环节的职责范围及审稿标准进行重新界定和阐释 ,从而使审稿各环节真正发挥作用     

抒情个体的民族精神皈依--西南地区少数民族诗歌创作的文化解析

作为民族众多 ,并且相对封闭和独立的中国西南区域 ,其少数民族诗歌创作 ,有其独特的文化生存背景。本文分析了这一区域的诗人们在种种具有隐喻、具有象征和寓意色彩的民俗风情以及古老文化的历史积淀中 ,以诗的意象舒展着个性生命 ,从整体上体现了诗人对自然、人生、历史、伦理、情欲等基本主题 ,从而完成了他们诗作文化寓言设置的精神指归