bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Some Ethical Problems of Congress
Authors: Clark Joseph S.
Published: June 2007

A recent Gallup poll illustrates the fact that the profession of politics continues to be held in low esteem by the American public, an opinion probably reinforced by the Bobby Baker case. The President has issued an Executive Order set ting high standards for federal government employees, but Con gress lags behind the Executive branch. Among the ethical problems which confront the congressman are obligations in curred during the campaign; pressures from constituents, both as individuals and as groups; the conflicts which sometimes occur between the national interest and that of his district; low ethical conduct on the part of some colleagues; and occasional conflict between the real interests of his constituents and their expressed ideas as to what those interests are. There are four general areas where reform is needed to raise the ethical stand ards of Congress and its reputation with the public: legisla tion requiring comprehensive disclosure of the congressman's finances; legislation overhauling laws dealing with election campaign finances; diminution of the errand-boy aspects of the congressman's job; and elimination of political patronage at the federal level. Politics is a fundamental activity of our society, and if its ethical practice is not at as high a level as we might wish, the fault is in ourselves.—Ed.
Correctives for Dishonest and Unfair Public Administrators
Authors: Bolles Blair
Published: June 2007

After a period of blatant discriminatory practices during the postwar years, the federal government under Presi dents Kennedy and Johnson has initiated an attempt at reform. The principal administrative corrective being tried today in or der to prevent dishonesty and unfairness in public office is a body of regulations designed to safeguard the civil servant from temptation, for example, a sixteen-page letter of regula tions issued by the Civil Service Commission, as well as various similar rules issued by the individual departments of govern ment. This article suggests that in contrast to these methods the effective correctives are (1) vigor and clarity in setting forth the goals of government policy and day-to-day gov ernment activity, under the leadership of a forceful President; (2) persistent inspection within government agencies; and (3) swift legal action when an act of dishonesty is uncovered and swift administrative retribution when an act of unfairness is uncovered. Thus the public interest in equality before the government and in effective government is defended, and the dignity of the civil servant is preserved.—Ed.
Violence and Human Development
Authors: Mcneil Elton B.
Published: June 2007

For centuries, mankind has watched, helplessly, as his capacity for planetary destruction has outdistanced his ability to comprehend the reasons for human violence. In desperation, man has scoured the animal kingdom searching for a model of comportment, and he has returned, empty- handed, from his quest. Psychology has insisted that it has a clue to the crude recipe for the creation of violent individuals and that the analysis of violence at a personal, group, national, or international level must focus on the nature of the develop ing human being who will—by happenstance or cold design— succeed to a position of leadership. The psychological struc ture of the leader and of his lieutenants is a vital piece of the puzzle of violence both at the juvenile resort-riot level and in the game of cold war-hot war bluff. Without an increased understanding of the forces that shape the individual, we will forever fail to comprehend the direction that international violence may take.
Migration between Canada and the United States
Authors: Pankhurst K.V.
Published: June 2007

Some new estimates about movements of the population and of the labor force between Canada and the United States are presented and discussed. They indicate that migration between the two countries is larger than has been thought, and is growing. This increasing interchange is especially important among professional and skilled workers. The net loss from Canada to the United States appears much smaller than has been thought, mainly because the number of Canadian citizens returning to Canada has been underrecorded. While the net loss is relatively small in relation to the labor force, there are some indications that any assessment of the net effects upon Canada has to take account of a tendency, which may be diminishing, for the relatively more highly trained workers to remain in the United States. Conventional explanations of the movement to the United States appear unsatisfactory in view of the growth of migration to Canada. A more realistic view may be the emergence of an international labor market, especially among more highly trained people, which has developed because of the growing interdependence of the Canadian and United States economies and as a result of the increasing scarcity of high-level manpower.
Travel and Domestic Controls
Authors: Noto Mario T.
Published: June 2007

This article examines the inspection, adjudication, Border Patrol, and investigation functions of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which embody its major operational responsibilities. The first two may be grouped under "Travel" and the others, under "Domestic Control." Investigation's mission is, essentially, to examine a factual situation which may come within the Service's jurisdiction, in order to resolve applicability of the laws. The Border Patrol's responsibility is surveillance of the United States' land and coastal boundaries to prevent surreptitious entry of aliens and apprehension of those who may have succeeded in effecting illegal entry. The work of inspection encompasses the examination and control of persons entering the United States from foreign territory through ports of entry. The adjudication function is the making of legal decisions concerning the rights, privileges, and benefits of citizens and aliens which come within the statutory requirements deafing with immigration and naturalization. Many provisions of immigration law are mandatory in language, but the Service's humanitarian approach, which accompanies administration of the law, ensures that the law's provisions are carried out with due regard for the legislative intent of justice and regard for the human lives affected by the Service's decisions.—Ed.
Ameliorating Hardships under the Immigration Laws
Authors: Gordon Charles
Published: June 2007

Because the immigration laws of the United States traditionally have been inflexible, many situations of hardship have arisen. Until recently, the laws made little provision for the alleviation of such hardships. However, many remedial measures are now permitted. Persons seeking entry may be granted parole or waivers of certain grounds of excludability. Persons in the United States may be granted permanent residence through processes known as suspension of deportation, adjustment of status, registry, and waiver, and their deportation may be withheld on a claim that they would be subject to persecution. All of these dispensations are allowable in the discretion of the Attorney General and his subordinates. These remedies are numerous and to some extent overlap, but they do allow wide room for amelioration.
The American Community and the Immigrant
Authors: Murphy Ruth Z. , Blumenthal Sonia Grodka
Published: June 2007

The social environment in the United States is conducive to the adjustment of the immigrant. The social attitudes, the laws, and the services that are present in our society account for this fact. There is little distinction made between the native-born and the naturalized citizen. While there are certain important limitations on the immigrant as long as he remains an alien, naturalization is available to him after a period of residence. Four government departments: Justice; State; Health, Education, and Welfare; and Labor play major roles in immigration matters. In addition, the public schools supply vital services. There has developed a close partnership between governmental and voluntary agencies. The voluntary agencies themselves have developed special skills in working with immigrants, helping them in migration, preliminary adjustment, and integration. Throughout the country agencies are found which are concerned in assisting with these processes. This assistance, however, is much more concentrated in certain areas than others. Unique roles are also played by the nationality organizations. Specialized services, although widespread, reach only a limited number of immigrants. The attitude of the American community toward the immigrant who is here is more understanding and accepting than probably at any other time in American history. Still, the two-way process of integration continues to involve the responsibility of the American community.
The Character of Modern Fertility
Authors: Ryder Norman B.
Published: June 2007

One characteristic shared by all modern indus trialized and urbanized nations is low fertility. From different initial levels, beginning at different times, the birth rates have declined slowly in some industrialized and urbanized countries and rapidly in others, but have now settled down on a common low plateau a little above what is required for replacement. The regulation of fertility has been achieved by widely variant strategies, involving different combinations of nuptiality control, contraception, and abortion. In every case the small family size has represented the intent of the individual couple and not the guidance of government or church. The explanation of fertility decline advanced here places stress on a normative change in the relationship between parents and children under conditions of declining mortality and urban economic development. Although the fertility of modern industrialized and urbanized nations is not expected to change much in the long run, these societies will probably have difficulty in avoiding costly fertility fluctuations and in keeping the reproductive goals of individual couples from eventuating in too little or too much population growth.
Estimating China's Population
Authors: Aird John S.
Published: June 2007

The population of Mainland China is of critical importance in the study of world population, but it remains an unknown quantity. There are serious doubts about the mean ing of historical population figures and the reliability of those collected by the Chinese Communists. The basic problem is that the actual process by which the figures were produced is, in most instances, obscure. Though the 1953 census was probably closer to an actual count of the population than any previous effort, it was evidently defective, and the registration system based on it even more so. Since 1957 there have been no official population totals. If estimates are substituted for missing or unreliable data, they must allow for consider able margins of error in representing the base total and trends in fertility and mortality. Estimates and projections which take account of the particularities of China's situation, past, present, and future, and of the appropriate degree of uncer tainty regarding all aspects of China's demographic develop ment will show a wide range of totals for any given year. Yet these estimates may encourage a proper caution in drawing conclusions, greater precision in making demographic assess ments, and greater ingenuity in the pursuit of new lines of enquiry.
The Sociology of National Character
Authors: Martindale Don
Published: June 2007

When pluralities interact in national collectivities they develop common suppositions, pursue conjoint objectives, and measure performance against similar ideas: they form, in short, national characters. Interest in national character de veloped among Enlightenment thinkers prior to the great na tional revolutions. Montesquieu even speculated about the role of various physical and social factors in their formation. Following the national revolutions, national character acquired metaphysical status. It was used to promote nationalism in areas still largely outside the emerging complex and to consoli date and buttress the national communities already formed. Conceived as the inherent spirit or genius of a people, national character was often speculated to be biological in origin and conceived as the primary agency of historical change as in Hegel's theory of social-historical development. Despite soci ology's origin as a collectivistic social philosophy, its founders were too concerned with progress and the regeneration of hu manity to pay much attention to national character. Later schools, particularly conflict theory and social behaviorism, proved more receptive to the idea. Since national character refers to properties that pluralities display in national com munities, the sociology of national character has potential sig nificance for anyone dealing with the conflict situations of our age: national uprisings, the formation of international blocs, and cold and hot wars in which nation-states are the ultimate antagonists.
Canadian Character in the Twentieth Century
Authors: Porter John
Published: June 2007

Canadian character is difficult to analyze. There are two main cultural groups, French and English, who could well be considered as two separate "nations." As other Euro pean ethnic groups have come into Canada, they have been en couraged to retain their sense of identity with their country of origin. This strong emphasis on ethnic pluralism has reduced the urge to build a new Canadian nation. Canada's unstable population growth and high rates of emigration also create difficulties. The slow development of the social sciences has entailed a paucity of data from which to draw a profile of Ca nadian character or values. Canadians are heavy consumers of United States culture. Moreover, the small output of in digenous symbolic and expressive material does not circulate widely, nor does it have significance for very large numbers. Despite the inadequacy of the data, there is considerable agree ment among those who have written about it that Canadians are more conservative and authoritarian and less egalitarian in values than are the people of the United States. Conservatism and lack of commitment is traced briefly in the Canadian po litical system. Finally, it is suggested that the French and English in their conservatism have more in common than is generally thought.
The Essential Characteristics of the Russian Nation in the Twentieth Century
Authors: Sorokin Pitirim A.
Published: June 2007

The Russian nation emerged as a distinct socio cultural system with the establishment of the Kievan or Va rangian state in the middle of the ninth century. This nation from that time to the present has remained the main group whose activities have largely determined the nature of the sub sequent character of the Russian state, culture, and historical destiny. Among the essential characteristics of the Russian nation are: its comparatively long life, enormous vitality, re markable pertinacity, outstanding willingness to sacrifice for its survival on the part of its members, and extraordinary ter ritorial, populational, political, social, and cultural growth. To these essential features, a number of additional peculiarities may be noted: racial and ethnic diversity, unity in diversity, placement of non-Russian persons at highest political and so cial positions, comparative peaceful expansion and growth, the fighting of primarily defensive wars, comparative orderliness, and high dedication of members. Like other Western nations, Russia has experienced the rise and decline of Christian phi losophy and its replacement by agnostic, materialistic, and atheistic philosophy. Since the end of the 1920's, Russia has begun to display other traits: the supplanting of rude force by the rule of law, the modification of totalitarianism in favor of economic and social democracy, the establishment of non-Rus sian nationalities as autonomous groups, the restoration of the monogamic family, gains in material well-being, cultural growth, and the moral renaissance of the Soviet people.
Indian National Character in the Twentieth Century
Authors: Narain Dhirendra
Published: June 2007

Indian national character in the twentieth cen tury is here examined in the historical context of long political subjugation, the value system, the social structure, and the so cialization process. Of particular importance was the experi ence of conquest first under the Muslims, then under the Brit ish. The collective "inferiority complex" generated in these historical circumstances is confirmed and reinforced by some features of family and caste. Salient traits of Indian character which have resulted have included absence of commitment, a peculiar identification with the mother, a peculiar attitude to ward authority, and various contradictions in the Indian per sonality.
The Australasian Character
Authors: Forster John
Published: June 2007

The nature of the settlement of Australia and New Zealand created, in the first half of this century, a society marked by its homogeneity. In the last quarter-century the range of alternatives has been widened and both countries have taken on the attributes of all modern economically developed nations. As a result, the images of the past have become de creasingly relevant to the contemporary way of life. However, the national identity of both countries is strongly developed and the institutional structure well established. Although many strains are likely to be apparent in the social structure over the next decades, it is difficult to foresee any fundamental shift in the character of the two countries.
Urban Conditions: New York City
Authors: Gottehrer Barry
Published: June 2007

Many people believe that the future direction of modern cities will be considerably determined by the success or failure of New York City's present experimentations. When Mayor Lindsay's administration took office (1966), the city's fiscal affairs were in serious disorder, and the govern mental structure was chaotic and wasteful. For years, founda tions and special committees had been issuing reports calling for reform of the proliferation and duplication of agencies. Mayor Lindsay's administration has initiated fiscal reform and a sweeping governmental reorganization. Integrated with these programs is the Mayor's new program-planning-budget system which defines governmental programs actively in terms of evaluating alternative ways to reach program objectives. Fiscal experts agree that New York must receive substantially increased federal and state aid, and Mayor Lindsay is join ing with other city mayors to press for additional federal funds. The Mayor is also advocating greater regional ties for solving regional problems; increased home-rule powers; and Neigh borhood Mayors' Offices throughout the city. Improving the quality of and co-operation between the cities' agencies and setting up task forces independent of the bureaucracy will also be major goals. In the long run, however, the success of these reforms will depend on the judgment of the man at the top.—Ed.
The Changing Nature of Soviet and American Relations with Western Europe
Authors: McLellan David S.
Published: June 2007

A condition of American hegemony acceptable when Europe was too weak to provide for its own security became less acceptable as the European states regained their strength, confidence, and nationalist elan. American policy- makers adopted an ideology of European unity and North Atlantic community in which the principle of partnership was effectively negated by failure to extend a genuine consultative role to Europe. Excessive influence of strategic analysis and political insensitivity in the State Department lost America the chance to associate an outward-looking Europe with it in the co-operative development of policies toward the Soviet Union and the Third World. Instead, the continental European states look askance upon the détente and nuclear agreements as an attempt to freeze them in a state of permanent inferiority. Russia has taken advantage of the détente to improve its relations with western Europe. Unable to dominate Europe politically, Russia has adopted a traditional divide-and-rule strategy, using the fear of a reunified and revanchist Germany to maintain influence and control. If the United States is not to lose entirely its ability to influence Europe, it must restore Europe's confidence in its policies by taking as great pains with European-American relations as have recently gone into Soviet-American relations.
Significance of the Rift between the Chinese Communist Regime and the Soviet Union
Authors: Shu-Kai Chow
Published: June 2007

China and Russia have had a difficult relationship for three centuries. Russia's objective is to attain a commun ized China subservient to her. Chinese Communists were di rected by her to incorporate themselves into the Chinese Na tionalist movement in the 1920's, and the first coalition be tween them failed. Following Japan's aggression against China in the 1930's, the Communists joined the National Government again. When Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek rejected Stalin's demands, the latter aided the Communists to seize the main land and gave them substantial assistance afterwards. The rift between Peiping and Moscow began in 1958 when Khrushchev adopted a "peaceful coexistence" policy vis-à-vis the West and also denied support to Mao for the latter's economic and mili tary adventures. Relations continue to deteriorate following the termination of Soviet aid. The fundamental cause of the split is ideological. Other issues are the struggle for leadership, territorial claims against Russia, and Peiping's dissatisfaction with Moscow's partiality towards neutralist countries. The implications of the rift are (1) the absence of Soviet influence on the mainland; (2) the ultimate downfall of the Peiping regime; (3) no likelihood of reconciliation between Moscow and Peiping; (4) Russia should welcome the Chinese people's efforts to restore their freedom; and (5) the United States should encourage the Chinese people to hasten the passing of the Peiping regime.
The Revival of Trade between the "Communist Bloc" and the West
Authors: Solomon Anthony M.
Published: June 2007

Since the death of Stalin, trade between the Western democracies and East European Communist countries has been on the increase. The economies of the Communist countries are evolving in a direction of lessened rigidity and greater diversity. The countries of West Europe, with a greater dependence on trade than the United States, have pursued trade with the Communist countries more than has the United States. The policy of the United States government is to expand East-West trade in peaceful goods. There are political as well as economic advantages to be gained by such trade. The President needs legislative authority to be able best to use trade relations with East Europe most effectively in the na tional interest. Such legislation would permit the United States to negotiate a removal of tariff discrimination in return for benefits from the Communist countries, such as nondiscriminatory treatment for United States businessmen, with respect to market and trading access, and agreement on settlement of disputes. Meaningful agreements between a free market system and state trading systems will not be easy to reach. However, the free market countries of West Europe have worked out agreements that have been mutually profitable. There is no reason why the United States cannot do the same, to our economic and political advantage.
Poverty, Inequality, and Conflict
Authors: Miller S.M. , Rein Martin , Roby Pamela , Gross Bertram M.
Published: June 2007

Groping concern with poverty has ushered in the much more controversial issue of inequalities within the af fluent society. In America, relative deprivation is a more im portant aspect of "poverty" than poor physical conditions. Income alone is an inadequate indicator of level of living. This paper proposes six dimensions for the measurement of well- being : income, assets, basic services, social mobility and edu cation, political position, and status and satisfaction. Ques tions of "who does and should get what" within each of these dimensions are issues arousing acrimonious debate. Social indicators are suggested which would create greater awareness of the extent of inequalities and make discussions of inequali ties more useful. These indicators will not tell us what choices to make in inequality-reduction, but they can pre vent us from complacently ignoring the fact that choices are being made.
The Art of Measuring the Arts
Authors: Toffler Alvin
Published: June 2007

The transition to postindustrialism is marked by increasing political concern for the quality of life. The arts, an important determinant of the quality of life, are af fected by this transition in the following ways: growth of mass participation in cultural activities; elaboration of the institu tional framework of the arts; formation of a "culture lobby"; and politicalization. Decision-makers in government, busi ness, research, and education must begin to take into account, as one entry in their cost-benefit ledgers, the cultural conse quences of their actions. A cultural data system is needed to provide information for rational policy-making in the cultural field and to assist those outside the field in under standing their impact on it. A tentative model is constructed to facilitate the monitoring of qualitative, as well as quantita tive, changes in the arts in contemporary society. Fifteen variables are suggested, which, taken together, comprise an index of the state of health of a nation's culture. Ways are proposed by which changes in these variables can be statisti cally measured.
The Status of Women in Modern Patterns of Culture
Authors: Bernard Jessie
Published: June 2007

Modern industrialism makes equality of the sexes possible, but such equality is not likely to be achieved. Two roadblocks, according to W. J. Goode, stand in the way: the domestic and maternal obligations assigned to women and the lack of interest of women in assuming equal responsibilities. Care of the house need not be serious. Nor need motherhood be a serious obstacle if the number of children is small and if aids are supplied by community agencies. The lack of inter est in high-level positions suggests that women are settling for jobs rather than careers. As contrasted with the past, the issues which concern the modern generation have to do with personal, private, even sexual, rights rather than legal, politi cal, and economic rights. Whereas some women seem to have succumbed to the glamour ideal, others move toward the de emphasis of sex. There is beginning to be recognition of the fact that the change in the status of women may have a deleterious effect on men.
Political Activity of Women in Eastern Europe
Authors: Chylinska Kamila
Published: June 2007

There are significant differences in the tradi tions of the countries of eastern Europe. While political rights for women have been included in the constitutions of each of these countries, this does not mean they have been implemented fully. In the professional and political fields, the progress of women has been very important since World War II. But their professional activities are ahead of the political. The experience gained in the course of the rapid industrializa tion which provided new tasks for women has made them con sider anew the problems of equal rights of women: not as women's assimilation in the world of men, but as a re-evaluation of their potentialities.
Women in the Middle East And North Africa and Universal Suffrage
Authors: Üngör Beraët Zeki
Published: June 2007

Emancipation of women and equalization of their political rights have been successful only in part in the coun tries of the Middle East and North Africa. The condition of women depends on the behavior of the man in the family and on the family's geographic location and cultural and economic level. Variations in these factors result in two basic types of differentially structured collectivities. Positive factors are current political regimes abiding by egalitarian and reform principles, cultural progress, women's organizations, and the struggle against illiteracy. Negative factors are customs or tra ditions, obscurantism, and ignorance. Governmental measures taken vary according to whether the states are secular or Moslem and whether Moslem states follow the traditional or reformed version of Islam. Agrarian reform, industrialization, and changes in mores will contribute to the growth of women's equality, socially and economically as well as politically. There is a clear trend toward a universal civilization in which women will be called upon to play an effective role.

A supplementary note on the situation of women in Israel is found at the end of the article. It has been prepared by the Special Editor of this volume.—Ed.
The Political Role of Southeast Asian Women
Authors: Raksasataya Amara
Published: June 2007

Women's political roles in six Southeast Asian countries are surveyed. It is found that women have equal legal privileges in running for offices or voting, but that their actual role in these activities is minor, except in the Philip pines. However, quantitative indicators such as the number of women voters may underestimate the political role of South east Asian women. Using Thailand as a case study, it is shown that women can influence the political processes impor tantly in ways outside the legislative process. For example, Thai women are a highly important force in Thai education and in professional associations. They also have a significant role in higher levels of the Thai bureaucracy. Nevertheless, the political role of women in Southeast Asia is limited, not legally, but by other factors such as substantial domestic duties limiting the time available to participate actively in politics. Significant changes in the political role of women in Southeast Asia are not foreseen. Their direct influence in the legislative process will continue to be secondary, but they will increase their influence in other phases of political processes, perhaps behind the scenes.
The UNESCO Long-Range Program for the Advancement of Women
Authors: Chaton Jeanne Henriette
Published: June 2007

In 1966, the United Nations Educational, Scien tific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proposed to member states a long-range program for the advancement of women. Even if it was a new priority activity in the general plan of the Organization, it corresponded to the ethical position of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and it had been prepared through normative dispositions and recommendations endorsed by an ever growing number of member states. The importance of the economic and social role of women in the development of states which are indus trialized, or on the way to becoming industrialized, is gen erally recognized. Such development will take place with their full and complete participation or it will not take place at all. Women constitute a valuable reservoir of talent and energy, and UNESCO, by teaching adults to read and write, by educating children of both sexes, and by providing adoles cents with a varied scientific and technological knowledge, is attempting to give women the possibility of playing in their society the very role which is considered their birthright in the Charter of the United Nations. This activity was begun in a biennial program by UNESCO; it is an integral part of the Decade of Development; it is stimulating enthusiasm; and it calls upon the good will of the responsible organs of the states and of nongovernmental organizations.
Taking Stock of Studies of Sex
Authors: Sagarin Edward
Published: June 2007

Scientific studies of sexual behavior have pro liferated during recent decades. One period of research was ushered in by Freud; a second, by Kinsey; and perhaps a third is being innovated by Masters and Johnson. Four major problems, that demand solutions at this stage of research, are cited. They include the ethical problem of the effect of research on the subject, the ideological one of researchers' biases, the social one of the effects of the sexual revolution on behavior and on human fulfillment, and the normative one of the establishment of guideposts for sexual activity in a world in which sex and procreation are but slightly related.
The Beige Epoch: Depolarization of Sex Roles in America
Authors: Winick Charles
Published: June 2007

One of the most pervasive features of our cultural landscape is the depolarization of sex roles and a concomitant blurring of many other differences. The appearance, given names, and play of boys and girls have become less gender- specific since World War II. Young girls appear to be demonstrating the sexual precocity and aggressiveness once associated with boys. Clothing and appearance are steadily becoming increasingly ambisexual, along with recreational activities, work, and family roles. Extremes of taste in food and drink are less common. Blandness also characterizes the color and shape of home interiors and the exteriors of many buildings. Opera, theatre, musical theatre, and movies have been dominated by women in recent decades although male stars once were the major audience attractions. Our rapid industrialization and World War II are among the contributors to depolarization, and the trend may have some ominous implications for the future.
Attitudes toward Sex in American "High Culture"
Authors: Boyers Robert
Published: June 2007

An analysis is presented of particular themes and attitudes in several works of fiction published in the United States in the last decade. There is a special emphasis on varieties of apocalyptic sexuality, with an attempt to relate this focus to broader questions of a political and social nature. Problems of literary style and characterization connected with the presentation of sexual styles and orientations are also dis cussed, and there is comparison of typical American and European literary customs with regard to the presentation of sex.
Sex Behavior and the American Class Structure: A Mosaic
Authors: Ferdinand Theodore N.
Published: June 2007

Close parallels in ancient Rome and present-day America suggest that the sexual revolutions in both societies were significantly influenced by the existential conditions that they confronted at the height of their powers. At the same time, each was constrained in its sociocultural responses by the nature of its social-class structure. In America we must examine the ethos of each of six broad strata to comprehend in detail the nature of the American sexual revolution. When we do, we see that many of the changes in our sexual mores and behav ior can be traced to recent changes in the social-class structure. The spread of higher education among the middle class has meant that a substantial portion of American adolescents are regularly exposed to a social setting in which their sexual behavior is governed essentially by the adolescents themselves. Such a situation could not help but be more permissive than that which prevailed before the modern period. Moreover, since a substantial portion of the population is now embraced by the middle classes, a growing portion of the population is exposed to this permissive sexual environment. The sexual revolution in America, therefore, is largely a blend of existential and structural pressures impinging upon only a segment of the total population.
Sexual Manifestations of Emotionally Disturbed Behavior
Authors: Ellis Albert
Published: June 2007

It is difficult to define sexual disturbance today because concepts about emotional disturbance in general and sexual disorder in particular have recently undergone signifi cant changes. Sexual disorders may be seen in terms of (a) specific aberrant acts or (b) the psychological and philo sophic causes that underlie such acts. It would appear to be more meaningful to define them largely in relation to the self- defeating ways in which and reasons for which an individual behaves sexually rather than in terms of the concrete behav iors he performs. When so viewed, the basic causes of sexual disorders seem to be quite the same as those of most general emotional difficulties. Societal reaction to disturbed indi viduals with sexual problems has improved in recent years but is still much too condemnatory and punitive. At the same time, some social thinkers, in a misguided effort to pre vent the persecution of sexually troubled and deviant indi viduals unrealistically refuse to face the facts of their intrinsic neurosis or psychosis and trace all their upsets to social persecution. Sexually disturbed persons are not easy to treat successfully for a variety of reasons, especially by conven tional psychoanalytic methods. But if a hard-headed thera pist actively-directively intervenes in their lives and induces them to challenge and work against their irrational value systems, he may achieve effective results in a relatively brief period of time.
Prostitution in the United States
Authors: Esselstyn T.C.
Published: June 2007

Currently, the demand for suppressing prostitu tion is far less insistent than it used to be. Some cities have experienced an apparent revival in prostitution, but this appearance is due chiefly to the visibility of the young, aggressive, attractive streetwalker. The prostitute now moves freely through all layers and areas of the community. While there is no census of prostitutes in the United States, it is believed that their numbers have not changed recently. About the same proportion of men patronize prostitutes as three decades ago, but their contacts are less frequent. The slack is taken up by nonprostitutes, in keeping with the greater sexual accessibility of women of all classes. Women become prostitutes for a complex of reasons, most of them quite rational. Men seek out prostitutes from a variety of long-recognized motives. The male prostitute is a youth who has sex relations with men. Much less is known about him, but he has been sufficiently studied to permit a rough profile. Currently, he is a potent source of venereal infection. Future public policy toward the female prostitute might include her under Social Security. Policy toward the male prostitute should start with educational measures and heightened concern for youth generally.
American Homes and Neighborhoods, City and Country
Authors: Bacon Edmund N.
Published: June 2007

The future of our country and of the world depends on the quality of our leaders during the next thirty years. Competent leadership cannot develop from children whose experience of life is exposure to upper-middle-class white children like themselves. Increased depth and awareness result if the developing child is given free choice of companions from among a wide variety of kinds of children. The child must live close enough to such other children that they can meet on common grounds and go to each other's homes on their own. At present, this kind of situation is found only in the centers of great cities. The resulting trend for families to return to urban living should be fostered, but its occurrence in such floods as to create upper-middle-class white ghettos should be prevented. A related problem is preservation of nature from inroads of urban population expansion. Fragmenting the countryside in the typical two-acre minimum lots permitted by present zoning laws will, if carried out on a large scale, destroy nature's ecological balance and eliminate the large natural areas close to urban populations which are necessary for recreational purposes. A solution might be maximum-minimum lot-size zoning. Those wishing to possess nature must demonstrate responsibility by purchasing and preserving at least ten acres of land. Those not caring for this responsibility would occupy close-knit smaller properties, size of which would be limited to the minimum area necessary for family functions; they would have easy access to the large natural areas ensured by the ten-acre-minimum provision of the more sparsely settled communities. This plan would ensure effective health-sanitation provisions and a rich social environment for children. Americans need to reorient themselves to space as a precious commodity to be wisely allocated toward a good life for all. Government and social scientists must meet the need for new methods of testing social programs so that information feedback can occur quickly enough for programs to be reformulated while still going on.—Ed.
The Cost of Democracy
Authors: Buehler Alfred G.
Published: June 2007

Our concern in this volume is the financing of democratic government and coping with the problems arising therefrom. The widening influence of government programs and finances is everywhere apparent. Wars and vast social changes have plunged the nations into heavy government spend ing on both the domestic and the international fronts. Pres ently, we are living in an era of social, political, economic, and financial crises. As a result of long-continued and recent pres sures, American governments will spend approximately $260 billion this year on numerous programs. Of this huge sum, the federal government will spend $185 billion, of which over $76 billion may be devoted to national defense. Total tax payments this year are estimated at $218 billion. Taxes in this country and in other countries have long been rising in relation to gross national product (GNP), as government ex penditures have increased faster than population, income, and prices. Inflation has spread over the world. Government defi cits have been an important contributing factor. Now prices are rising at a faster rate in this country. We have not yet found a way to control inflation. The central problem of gov ernment finances is control of government programs, and of expenditures upon them, to make certain that our resources are utilized to best advantage in their allocation to public and private uses. Social progress and economic growth should be promoted without causing mass unemployment and depression and also without incurring fiscal debilitation through inflation.
An Appraisal of Federal Fiscal Policies: 1961-1967
Authors: Saulnier Raymond J.
Published: June 2007

With few exceptions, 1961-1967 was marked by heavy and continuous expansionism in fiscal and monetary policies. Because expansionism was continued and intensified after the economy reached practical full employment in mid- 1965, the result has been cost and price inflation; interest rates at century-high levels despite money-supply increases permit ting 4 per cent a year inflation; a reduced foreign-trade bal ance; and a weakened international monetary system. More over, despite uninterrupted expansionism and the addition of a half-million men to the Armed Forces since 1965, there has been little reduction in unemployment rates since early 1966 and near-recession in 1966-1967. Two aspects of these devel opments are particularly unfortunate: one is that they leave the United States, as it faces the inevitably difficult problems of the 1970's, with an economy seriously unbalanced, domesti cally and internationally; the other is that hard-to-answer questions have been raised concerning the practicability of us ing fiscal policy, particularly tax policy, as an economic stabi lizing device. Although a good part of the fiscal record may be regarded as misadventure, the expenditure explosion that began in 1965, and which was at the root of the trouble, was consistent with executive-branch recommendations for sharp increases in spending authorizations—for nondefense as well as for defense purposes.
Labor Looks at Government Finances
Authors: Meany George
Published: June 2007

Our age is one of rapid and radical changes in technology, urban growth, and race relations. Vast social needs have been accumulating. Public apathy has kept down the government expansion and increased appropriations re quired to meet these needs. No quick and easy solutions are available to cope with our national needs. Social investments are needed in a wide range of activities, such as education, pub lic facilities and low-rent housing for the poor, which cannot bring in businesslike profits. The key to the national complex of social and economic problems is federal government policy. The government must be the employer of the last resort for the unemployed and underemployed in providing needed public services. The government must also be the landlord of last resort—to build and rehabilitate housing that poor families can afford. To meet the national social and economic chal lenge confronting us, increased funds, primarily from taxes, must be found. To avoid unnecessary taxes, continuing ef forts should be made to eliminate the types of wasteful ex penditures that develop in all large enterprises, both private and government. But essential domestic programs must be maintained and expanded. As our economy grows, tax reve nues will increase. Much of the increased revenue should go for social investment purposes. Public support is required for necessary appropriations. Such support, in turn, hinges on the development of a fair and adequate tax system. More emphasis should be placed upon the ability to pay taxes.
The Canadian Tax Report and the American Tax System
Authors: Groves Harold M.
Published: June 2007

A Canadian report comprehensively surveying the Canadian tax system and recommending a radically new model should receive substantial attention in the United States. It submits a fresh view of all the major problems that have vexed our law: capital gains, corporation income tax, es tate tax, income-splitting, and percentage depletion. While the recommendations, here outlined, will not please all American critics, they go to the heart of irrationalities, anomalies, and inequities abounding in the American law. Wholesale reform of the tax system based on disinterested nonpartisan or bi partisan study is less congenial to our legislative system than to the Canadian parliamentary one. But a search for con sensus and a package-deal approach have enough potential to warrant a place on a postwar legislative agenda.
Government Finances and Citizen Responsibility
Authors: Parker Alfred
Published: June 2007

In our political system of representative govern ment, ultimate responsibility for government finances rests with the people. In exercising this responsibility the citizen faces problems of performance, control, and, particularly, choice of programs. Gradually, over the past century, he has evolved organized ways to exercise these functions. But the Depression of the 1930's and World War II released many new forces and created new situations which tend to baffle the citi zen in the exercise of his responsibility. These new problems arise from the shift in power and influence from state and local governments to the federal government. They include com plexity and centralization, the weakening of state and local governments, and the emergence of new forces such as the "new economics," collective bargaining with public employees, and a general blunting of the traditional yardstick of measuring expenditures against taxes to be paid. These problems have severe implications for the role of the citizen in the future. More and more, he needs help to understand the issues. This help can be supplied by citizen organizations. But even more, he needs to be stimulated to an active interest in government problems, that now loom so large and threaten to frustrate his ability to cope with them.