Comparative Sociology

Krutova, Oxana

doi: 10.1163/15691330-BJA10001pmid: N/A

AbstractThis research deals with the old, but unsettled, question of the extent to which different European welfare regimes and household strategies minimize the risk of unemployment. The author statistically processed the EU Labour Force Survey microdata for 29 European countries, covering the period from 2006 to 2016. Utilizing representative data and multilevel analysis, this research redresses the lack of understanding of how different household types buffer and mediate the risks of unemployment. The evidence suggests that choosing the strategy of breadwinning, familization of care or decommodification of labour, male-breadwinner households are more liable to increasing risks of unemployment than other types of households. However, male-breadwinner households remain more resilient against the influence of macro-economic shocks.

Rindermann, Heiner; Carl, Noah

doi: 10.1163/15691330-12341521pmid: N/A

AbstractThe Good Country Index (GCI) measures countries’ contributions to global prosperity in domains such as peace, climate and health. It is known that political institutions and wealth can enhance a country’s ability to be ‘good’. However, past research has shown that the cognitive ability of a society – and of its intellectual classes in particular – as well as education and background factors such as culture and evolutionary history, may be particularly important for socio-economic development. Using correlations, cross-sectional path analyses and longitudinal path analyses, we examined the GCI’s relationships with the following variables: average cognitive ability, cognitive level of intellectual classes, evolutionary history, culture (indicated by religion), consanguinity, education, politics (rule of law, freedom, democracy) and wealth (GDP per capita). There was considerable overlap between measures of politics and the GCI (e.g., freedom; empirically r = .76 to .84). The most important variable for explaining international differences in the GCI was the cognitive level of intellectual classes (around r = .72), followed by indicators of culture (r = .64 to .69). Benefits and limitations of the intellectual class approach are discussed.

Sade, Yael; Lewin, Eyal

doi: 10.1163/15691330-BJA10002pmid: N/A

AbstractThe kibbutzim were established over a century ago, obtaining their power from communist and socialist ideologies. In spite of enormous changes, all over the world as well as in Israel, particularly the collapse of Communism and the rise of a capitalistic liberal Western lifestyle, the kibbutzim have maintained their basic social structure. Consequently, the question this research examines is what exactly are the social mechanisms that have enabled this continuity over the years. The answer that this article presents focuses on internal governance as a democratic apparatus. Given that the study of internal governance is an accepted method, the authors surveyed internal governance documents that relate to education and that are openly presented to the general public on the renewal kibbutzim sites. The authors fostered a holistic model developed by Rosenthal (1980), in order to indicate the exact roles of internal governance. Their findings establish the concept that internal governance proves to be a good option for community development and preservation. However, there seems to be a lack of awareness of the possibility of using internal governance more widely as a factor that contributes to the development and preservation of the kibbutz.

Moskovich, Yaffa

doi: 10.1163/15691330-BJA10003pmid: N/A

AbstractResearch was conducted in a non-privatized community at T Kibbutz Industries. Its aim was to analyze the unique T factory culture and to understand its covert source. The study develops a typology of cultural features observed at kibbutz industries (based on four previous case studies, with focus on T Industries) that can also be applied to other businesses. Research was conducted using qualitative methods, namely a case study including ethnographic interviews and document analysis. The findings identified an organizational culture embodying two contradicting traditions: socialistic and capitalistic values and norms. The former comprised collective principles, transparent information, teamwork, egalitarian and amicable human relationships and future management orientation, while the latter upheld professionalism, innovation, creativity and global aspirations. The managers’ ability to overcome the conflictual culture yielded an open and innovative organization that responded well to competitive environmental markets. The case study was analyzed through development of the typology first devised by Cameron and Quinn (1999, reprinted 2010), perceiving T Industries according to its clanlike, bureaucratic and competitive market attributes, whereas other kibbutz industries studied are more compatible with the combination of bureaucratic and competitive market features.

Masoom, Muhammad Rehan

doi: 10.1163/15691330-12341520pmid: N/A

AbstractThe present study formulates a scale consisting of items that have valid and reliable psychometric properties to measure Muslim religiosity, and to see whether any variations exist by gender and age. In a sample of people aged 10 and older with at least primary education, the study found that four factors (Religious Involvement, Religious Commitment, Religious Beliefs, and General Optimism) can measure Muslim religiosity with a high level of validity and reliability. Muslim females are more religious than males and religiosity increases steadily with age.

Fuhr, Harald

doi: 10.1163/15691330-12341522pmid: N/A