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doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.esr.a036575pmid: N/A
AbstractIn social justice research, evidence shows that—in western societies—a majority of the population considers their shares of material goods as just. A number of largely psychologically oriented models have been proposed to explain this astonishing finding. This paper goes beyond these statements, first, by asking why a minority of individuals are convinced of being treated unjustly and, second, by reflecting on structural antecedent conditions for judgments of injustice. Considering that occupational careers are shaped by institutional distribution systems to varying degrees, it is proposed that patterns of social mobility determine feelings of injustice. Based on a theory of rational investments and expected returns, four different types of mobility patterns are distinguished, and predictions are made as to how these patterns affect justice evaluations. Data from a life history study are used to test these predictions. It is concluded that feelings of injustice are not so much a matter of personal values but rather reactions to structural facts.
doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.esr.a036574pmid: N/A
AbstractBoth income distribution and wage determination studies often take for granted that a person's position in the distribution of earnings remains largely unaltered in the distributional process even though the ‘final’ distribution may be more compressed. However, with the growth of the welfare state and the increased female labour market participation, the relation between market rewards—mainly earnings—and a more comprehensive measure of economic well—being, such as equivalent disposable income, is in most countries less straightforward than earlier. The extent of reranking when comparing the distribution of market rewards and economic well-being is taken here as an indication of degree of market dependence. The hypotheses tested, with cross-national co-ordinated micro-data from the Luxembourg Income Study, are (i) that countries differ in their degree of market dependence but also (ii) that different clusters can be distinguished based on different types of welfare state models. The findings give strong support for the first hypothesis. The support for the second hypothesis is more partial. Thus there are large cross-national variations in degree of market dependence. This finding indicates that in order properly to analyze and understand societal distribution in modern societies we must incorporate both family structure and welfare state politics.
HIGLEY, JOHN; HOFFMANN-LANGE, URSULA; KADUSHIN, CHARLES; MOORE, GWEN
doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.esr.a036576pmid: N/A
AbstractEfforts to reconceptualize elite structure and functioning in stable democracies, together with data from surveys of elite interaction networks in three democratic societies, suggest that the conventional power elite, ruling class and pluralist perspectives are only partly accurate and that fusing them in a more realistic model makes much sense. Using data from comparable surveys of national elites in the US, Australia and West Germany, we argue that the configurations of elite circles in these societies reveal tight integration, as in the power elite and ruling class models, together with representation of numerous, diverse groups, as in the pluralist model. We find comprehensive integration in each of the three national elites, with a funnel-like structure of communication networks that is inclusive of all sectors and heterogeneous in the social origins, attitudes and party affiliations of the several hundred most centrally located persons. We contend that an informal interaction structure providing all major elite groups access to decisionmaking is a precondition of any stable democracy.
GIERVELD, JENNY DE JONG; LIEFBROER, AART C.; BEEKINK, ERIK
doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.esr.a036577pmid: N/A
AbstractIn this paper the process of leaving the parental home among young adults is studied. After a brief historical overview, three main reasons for leaving home are distinguished, viz. leaving home to complete an education, leaving home to start living with a partner, and leaving home to gain more autonomy and independence. Both the timing and the main reason for leaving the parental home is expected to depend on the resources of the young adults' parents. Four classes of parental resources are distinguished, viz. material and non-material resources that can be transferred to young adults, and material and non-material resources that cannot be transferred to young adults. It is hypothesized that high levels of transferable parental resources facilitate the process of leaving home, whereas high levels of non-transferable resources slow down this process. The hypotheses are tested using data from a survey among 583 young adults born in 1961 in the Netherlands. Discrete-time hazard models are used to test the effect of parental resources on the process of leaving home. Most hypotheses, though not all, are supported by the data. High levels of transferable parental resources speed up the process of leaving home for educational and independence reasons, though not for reasons of starting a partner relationship. High levels of non-transferable parental resources slow down the process of leaving home, though only with regard to leaving home in order to gain autonomy and independence.
doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.esr.a036578pmid: N/A
AbstractScheepers, Felling and Peters have rediscovered the amazing fact that the California F scale predicts racism. They essentially accept the explanation for this given by Adorno, Frenkel-Brunswik, Levinson & Sanford (1950). They seem totally oblivious to the vast amount of research and writing over nearly 40 years that has questioned this explanation. The present paper attempts to point out briefly what these authors have ignored.
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