bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Building Societies' Behaviour, 1955-70
Authors: Oherlihy C. St J. , Spencer J. E.
Published: March 2007

Building societies play an important part in the collection of savings in the personal sector and dominate lending for private house purchase. Quite apart from its intrinsic interest as a description of the operation of a major group of financial intermediaries, an account of building society behaviour should therefore be of some interest to those concerned with forecasting private dwelling investment or the allocation of the personal sector's flow of funds.
Medium-Term Planning in UK Nationalised Industries: An Enquiry
Authors: Sheriff T.D.
Published: March 2007

There is now, of course, no official medium-term National Plan. The Government in recent years has published very little about possible medium-term developments. In the Public Expenditure White Paper, from December 1972 up to February 1976, there was a single table outlining the possible evolution of the economy over the four-year period which the public expenditure forward estimates cover. In the last two public expenditure white papers, even this single table has been dropped. In the latest paper there is the highly tentative suggestion that gross domestic product might rise at 3½ per cent a year up to 1979-80—but nothing is said about the macro-economic assumptions for later years. There is now no table showing the distribution of resources which might accompany this growth-rate—merely a text reference which says that ‘a rise in the proportion of national income devoted to industrial investment is essential…’
Incomes Policies and Differentials∗
Authors: Dean A.J.H.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the extent to which differentials have been influenced by successive periods of incomes policies. The reason for interest in this subject is that one of the major supposed disadvantages of incomes policies is that they ‘distort differentials’. However we rarely get an explanation either of what these differentials are or in what way they are distorted. In this article we use various statistics on wages and earnings and attempt to find out whether incomes policies have had any noticeable impact on differences in pay between groups of workers.
Monetary Targets and the Control of the Money Supply
Authors: Savage David
Published: March 2007

This article discusses the experience to date with monetary targets. The first section briefly surveys the historical background to the adoption of monetary targets and gives a résumé of monetary policy during the last three years. Without delving deeply into the subtleties of the complicated art of central banking, the next section gives an inter pretation of what the Bank of England actually does when it attempts to control the money supply, which does not correspond at all closely to the simple representation of the techniques of money supply control contained in some of the standard economics textbooks. Attention is also drawn to the problems of the present approach to monetary policy making. Finally an assessment of the performance of recent policy is offered.
Some Issues of Monetary Policy
Authors: Savage David
Published: March 2007

The policy debate which preceded the introduction of monetary targets by and large avoided the practical problems of controlling the money supply. Frequently, the impression was given that the money supply is an exogenous policy instrument, subject to exact measurement and precise control. In reality, the money supply is not a label for a rigorously defined single statistic, but a term describing a concept, or rather several distinct concepts, for which numerous different statistical representations have been proposed. The authorities cannot simply exogenise the money supply (on some definition or other); they can only affect it indirectly by influencing the actions of banks and depositors through, for example, the raising of Minimum Lending Rate or the imposition of the corset. In other words, the money supply is not an instrument but an intermediate target, a target which, given existing instruments and the existing institutional setting, is not at all easy to hit.
Alternative Strategies for the UK
Authors: Allsopp Christopher , Joshi Vijay
Published: March 2007

The major controversies over alternative strategies for the UK economy are surveyed and evaluated in a non-technical manner, concentrating on the positions of three groups prominent in economic forecasting and policy analysis—the National Institute, the London Business School Centre for Economic Forecasting and the Cambridge Economic Policy Group.
Chapter II. The World Economy
Authors: Barrell R.J. , Gurney Andrew , Dulake Stephen
Published: March 2007

Our last forecast, which was published in August, was moderately optimistic about prospects for the world economy, and especially for the United States. Since the summer the Yen has risen strongly, the US has begun to look like it is facing a recession, and it is now clear that the united Germany will face a very large Government budget deficit after monetary and political union. Meanwhile prospects for war in the Gulf remain high, and although EC farm ministers have managed to agree amongst themselves about cuts in agricultural subsidies it is not clear that these cuts are large enough either to prevent the GATT round stalling or stop the US erecting trade barriers in retaliation. As a result of all these factors our forecast is hedged around with rather more uncertainties than usual. Table 1 sets out our short-term forecast. We assume that oil prices will peak at $35 pb in the last quarter of 1990, and will then fall to $28 pb by the end of 1991.
US Views on 1992
Authors: Woolcock Stephen
Published: March 2007

North American, and in particular US views of 1992 must be seen in the broad political context of transatlantic relations. The US has shown consistent support for the idea of European integration. Initially this took the form of linking Marshall aid to greater European economic cooperation, then organised by the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC). There was also strong political support for Monnet's supranational approach to European integration as a means of helping to bring about Franco-German reconciliation and to stabilise Europe. In the early days of European integration there were strategic and political reasons for American concerns to see a stronger (Western) Europe. The possible adverse effects of economic integration for the US were seen as more than manageable, given the strength of the US economy in relation to those of the European countries. With the promise of enhanced markets for US exports and US production the creation of the EEC was seen as being trade creating rather than trade diverting.
Intermediate Skills in the Workplace: Deployment, Standards and Supply in Britain, France and Germany∗
Authors: Steedman Hilary , Mason Geoff , Wagner Karin
Published: March 2007

Previous international comparisons of workforce skills by the National Institute have focussed on the relative shortage of craft skills in Britain. The present study is concerned with the next higher level of supervisory and technician skills; on the basis of visits to factories and technical colleges in Britain, France and Germany, and analysis of labour force statistics, it compares and contrasts the provision and deployment of these intermediate skills in manufacturing industry in the three countries. At supervisory level only Germany undertakes a significant amount of training and to standards adequate to the increased complexity and technical demands of modern manufacturing. At technician (Higher National) level, the numbers acquiring comparable qualifications in Britain and France are substantially higher than in Germany: in part this reflects the allocation of a large proportion of technical support functions in German industry to craft-trained personnel. After examining the relative distribution of training costs between employers, individuals and the public authorities in the three countries, the paper makes proposals for a more cost-effective mix of craft- and technician-level skills in British manufacturing which might, in the process, reduce the need for over-qualified personnel to ‘plug the gaps’ in skills among shopfloor workers and supervisors.
Financing Training in Britain(1)
Authors: Hart P.E. , Shipman A.
Published: March 2007

While the need for a greater volume of vocational training is widely recognised, it is unlikely to be achieved entirely by labour-market forces. This article, drawing on an investigation of British and German firms with skill shortages, considers the ways in which government can promote transferable training. Attention is given to coverage, likely costs, and the scope for sharing those costs with the private sector. Programmes already operating in the UK are identified and assessed, and some future approaches suggested.
Chapter II. The World Economy
Authors: Barrell Ray , Anderton Bob , In't Veld Jan Willem
Published: March 2007

Business cycle developments in the major seven economies have not been particularly well synchronised in the last two years. The US, Canada and the UK have been in recession, whilst Germany and Japan have been growing strongly. We are predicting that this asynchronicity will continue over the next eighteen months, with growth slowing in Japan and Germany whilst a mild recovery takes place in the English speaking world. However there are some signs that the recovery, at least in the US, is likely to be rather slower than we had anticipated in our August forecast. The Federal Reserve in the US has clearly been concerned about the most recent signals from the American economy, and it encouraged a cut in interest rates on 6th November. The Japanese authorities have also cut interest rates in this quarter, and we anticipate that there will be no substantial increases in German interest rates.
Transformation of the Soviet Economy: Economic Reforms and Structural Crisis
Authors: Glaziev Sergei
Published: March 2007

This article analyses the current problems of the Soviet economy's reform process. The process of transition to a market economy in the Soviet Union, where an extreme degree of monopoly prevails, has been characterised by declining production and accelerating inflation. The rapid growth of the market sector in the situation of highly distorted and heavily regulated prices, dominance of state enterprises, and unclear property rights, leads to the concentration of entrepreneurial activity mainly in speculative operations involving the redistribution of state property, to the deterioration of the macroeco nomic situation and to the deepening of the structural crisis in the economy. In fact, the growth of the market sector is based mainly on hidden subsidies from the state enterprises.

The failure of four years of economic reforms is due to inappropriate economic policy based on mythical ideas about the market economy. Rapid, radical reforms, including large-scale privatisation on the basis of development of financial intermediates, are of crucial importance in overcoming the further deterioration of the economic situation and in preventing the collapse of the Soviet economy.
The World Economy
Authors: Morgan Julian , Pain Nigel
Published: March 2007

There are now widespread signs that activity in the world economy has slowed sharply. This slowdown has been particularly marked within Europe, where our estimates suggest that the European Union economies may have expanded by only some 0.6 per cent in the second half of last year. Elsewhere, the Japanese economy has still to emerge from recession and growth has possibly declined in the United States to a little below trend levels (Chart 1). The perception of recent growth in the US has also changed significantly as a result of the recent rebasing of their national accounts, with the growth of real GDP in 1995 now projected to be between 2–2 1/4 per cent rather than 3 1/4 per cent as shown in our previous forecast. We discuss this issue in more detail below. Overall growth in the OECD region is now projected at 2 per cent in 1995, after 2.6 per cent in 1994. This slowdown has been reflected elsewhere within the world economy, with total world trade growth estimated to have declined to around 6 3/4 per cent last year, and the prices of many industrial raw materials having begun to weaken. For 1996, we presently expect growth of 2 1/4 per cent in the OECD region and growth of 2 per cent in both Europe and the United States.
Real National Income
Authors: Sefton James , Weale Martin
Published: March 2007

What do we mean by a country's real income? There are in fact two different approaches here. One, which we address here, is the question of interpreting the existing definition of income. The other is the widespread view that income ought to measure ‘sustainable consumption’. The origin of the idea that income should be a measure of sustainable consumption can be traced back to Hicks (1939).
Forecast Error Bounds By Stochastic Simulation
Authors: Blake Andrew P.
Published: March 2007

What can the National Institute model tell us about the accuracy of forecasting inflation and growth? We make ‘point’ forecasts over the short to medium term, and assess the accuracy of those forecasts by examining past forecast errors (see Poulizac, Weale and Young, 1996). But the model itself can be used for the same purpose and can inform us better than historical exercises if a new policy regime has been adopted which is a major departure from past experience. In that case, the behaviour of the economy would be expected to be considerably different and so using a model which captures the structural effects of the changes may give a more accurate view of the likely behaviour of policy targets, policy instruments and other variables.
The World Economy
Authors: Barrell Ray , Morgan Julian , Pain Nigel , Hubert Florence
Published: March 2007

It is increasingly clear that the world economy has been recovering relatively strongly from a pause in activity at the end of 1995. The recovery has also been relatively well spread around the globe, with Japan displaying the strongest growth amongst the larger economies, in part because of the effects of the depreciation of the yen, but also because government policy was expansionary throughout last year. Although growth rates in Europe appear low in 1996, with Germany and France both recording growth of less than 1½ per cent, growth through the year has generally been strong. It appears there is still some spare capacity in Europe, and hence growth can be expected to strengthen further into 1998, at least within continental Europe. The US economy has been growing at or above capacity for several years; in the fourth quarter of last year output rose by a further 1 per cent, with growth through the year of over 3 per cent. Domestic demand also rose strongly in Canada and Mexico in the latter half of last year. Growth in the NAFTA economies is expected to strengthen in 1997, but to slow into 1998 in the aftermath of moves to tighten monetary policy. Overall, as can be seen from Table 1, we expect a period of above trend growth and low inflation in the majority of the OECD countries.
The Growth of Foreign Direct Investment in Europe
Authors: Barrell Ray , Pain Nigel
Published: March 2007

Increasing attention has been paid in Europe in recent years to the question of why firms invest abroad. This reflects both the rapid growth in foreign direct investment within Europe, along with recent improvements in the quality and availability of data. At the heart of the debate is a focus on the costs and benefits of foreign investment, such as whether inward investment affects employment and economic growth and whether outward investment is simply ‘job exporting‘, with firms moving to low-cost, labour-abundant locations. An understanding of the motives behind firms’ decisions to invest overseas is of particular importance for the UK, whose aggregate stocks of outward and inward foreign direct investment reached 30 per cent and 21 per cent of GDP respectively at the end of 1995.
Regional Economic Integration and Foreign Direct Investment: The Case of German Investment in Europe
Authors: Pain Nigel , Lansbury Melanie
Published: March 2007

The European Economic Community originally came into existence following the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Member states planned to harmonise their tariffs, pursue a common trade policy and liberalise intra-Community trade. All internal customs duties and quantitative restrictions on trade were successfully removed by 1968. However it subsequently became clear that this had not resulted in the full integration of product markets in Europe, with capital movements and trade continuing to be restricted by capital controls and non-tariff barriers. In the mid-1980s the European Commission identified around 300 areas in which legislative action could be taken to help the free flow of goods, services, capital and labour within the community. This led to the Single European Act in 1986 which aimed to complete the internal market by the end of 1992.
The World Economy
Authors: Morgan Julian , Pain Nigel , Hubert Florence
Published: March 2007

Global activity continued to gain momentum in the early months of this year, helped by above trend growth in the North American economies. There was also a temporary acceleration in the growth of consumers' expenditure in Japan prior to a rise in indirect taxes in April. Total output in the OECD economies is estimated to have risen by 0.9 per cent in the first quarter of the year to a level 2.9 per cent higher than a year earlier. Output in the NAFTA member states rose by 1.4 per cent, and was over 4 per cent higher than in the first quarter of 1996. Conditions appear to remain favourable for steady growth through the remainder of this year, with OECD GDP projected to rise by 2¾ per cent in 1997 and 2½ per cent in 1998.
The UK Economy
Authors: Sheldon Marie , Young Garry
Published: March 2007

After rapid growth throughout the first three quarters of 1997, the UK economy is now expected to slow to the more sedate rate of growth of about 2 per cent per annum. This would be consistent with the maintenance of rough balance between demand and supply thus preventing the build up of inflationary pressure.
The World Economy
Authors: Barrell Ray , Morgan Julian , Pain Nigel , Hubert Florence
Published: March 2007

Global growth appears to have been relatively strong during the last year. In the Anglo-Saxon world the economic expansion has now lasted six years. Growth in continental Europe also now appears to be relatively robust, after a significant slowdown in the first half of last year. The OECD economies are projected to grow by around 3 per cent this year. Despite this, there continues to be little evidence of emerging inflationary pressures. We anticipate that OECD inflation will average around 2 per cent in 1997, some 2–2½ percentage points lower than in the equivalent upswing in the late 1980s.
Fiscal Report
Authors: Young Garry
Published: March 2007

There has been a substantial improvement in the financial position of the public sector over the past year. The PSBR is expected to fall from 3 per cent of GDP in 1996/97 to about 1¼ per cent of GDP in the current fiscal year. The restrictive policy promised over a number of years, together with the effects of the economic cycle, is now having the desired effect. Further action by the new government to raise the tax burden has also improved the outlook for the public finances. Public borrowing is expected to continue to fall and the public sector balance sheet should begin to improve from the start of this year.
The Implications of Switching from Unfunded to Funded Pension Systems
Authors: Miles David
Published: March 2007

This article analyses the implications of switching from unfunded to funded pension systems. It is plausible that inthe long runand onaveragepeople would be better off if pensions were funded. But in the transition from an unfunded to a funded scheme funds need to be accumulated and that requires national saving to be higher. While deficit financing can, under certain circumstances, help spread the burden of the transition across generations the scale of extra debt that might be needed in many European countries is problematic in the context of Monetary Union. Ultimately, it is likely to prove hard to make significant headway towards greater funding of pensions in Europe without some people being worse off. The task is harder the more generous are existing state pensions, the more rapid is the ageing of the population and the more constrained is the government in using deficit financing. Given all this the UK is in a relatively good position (vis a vis rest of Europe) to complete a transition which, arguably, began almost twenty years ago. Things are much tougher on the Continent.

But there are more than transitional issues. Unfunded pension schemes can help people insure against shocks that affect particular generations and because such schemes often involve intra-generational redistribution (because linkage between contributions made and pensions subsequently received is often quite low), as well as inter-generational transfers, they can help compensate for missing insurance markets. A key question for those who advocate a complete move to funded schemes is how the redistributive and insurance roles that are played, to varying extents, by state-run, unfunded pension schemes could be achieved by other means.
Section III. Prospects for Europe
Authors: Morgan Julian , Hubert Florence , Holland Dawn , te Velde Dirk
Published: March 2007

Aggregate EU growth was estimated to have been 2.6 per cent last year, markedly higher than the 1.8 per cent recorded in 1996. Ireland remained the fastest growing EU economy with the most recent estimates putting growth at over 10 per cent last year. Finland also recorded rapid growth of nearly 6 per cent. A large group of countries, comprising the UK, Denmark, Greece, Spain, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Portugal also enjoyed growth rates of 3 per cent or above. Italy and Sweden recorded growth rates below 2 per cent for the second year running.
Large-scale EMU: the May Council decisions and implications for monetary policy
Authors: Arrowsmith John
Published: March 2007

The decision by the EU Council of Heads of State or of Government at the beginning of May, that eleven Member States would form an Economic and Monetary Union on 1 January 1999, occasioned little surprise: financial markets and economic commentators had become increasingly convinced over the preceding months that EMU would start on time with a membership extending beyond the six ‘core’ countries—France, Germany, the Benelux countries and Austria—to include also Finland, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. What was not widely expected was that the ECOFIN and HoSoG Councils on 1–2 May appear to have spent little time debating the economic case for including each of the eleven countries but to have been preoccupied instead with a heated political row about who should be appointed President of the European Central Bank.

This note assesses the possible consequences that this cavalier approach to the vital question of membership of monetary union might have for the conduct of policy in Stage 3 and the future viability of EMU. It examines the economic evidence that had been presented to the Councils to see whether their judgement that the economies of all eleven countries are sufficiently convergent is warranted. It also considers whether the unseemly compromise through which the dispute about the ECB Presidency was resolved will prejudice the political independence of the ECB in its conduct of monetary policy.
Section III. Prospects for Europe
Authors: Pain Nigel , Hubert Florence , te Velde Dirk , Holland Dawn , Genre Véronique
Published: March 2007

Economic growth in the EU area rose markedly last year. Output expanded by more than 3 per cent in over half of the member countries, although growth was notably slower in the larger economies. The outlook continued to improve in the first half of this year. Growth in the first quarter was particularly buoyant. Eurostat figures indicate that output in the EU was some 3.3 per cent higher in the first quarter of 1998 than a year earlier. Although output rose by only 0.2 per cent in the second quarter, this was partly due to statistical distortions arising from the different number of working days in the quarter. Italy is the sole economy where growth has proved to be weaker than initially expected. The global financial crisis and slowdown in worldwide demand is expected to dampen EU growth somewhat next year, and we continue to be less optimistic than the European Commission about future prospects. Growth in the EU economies is projected to slow from 2¾ per cent this year to around 2¼ per cent in 1999.
The world economy
Authors: Pain Nigel
Published: March 2007

The world economy continues to face strong deflationary pressures at the present time. Whilst growth has remained above trend levels in North America, the Japanese economy has sunk further into recession, and there are increasing signs of an economic slowdown in Europe. Overall we expect GDP growth in the OECD economies to slow to around 1.8 per cent this year, from an estimated 2.4 per cent in 1998. Global demand as a whole remains relatively weak, with the growth in the volume of world merchandise trade estimated to have halved last year to around 5 per cent and projected to fall further to between 4-4½ per cent this year. Trade in Asia is estimated to have declined by 7½ per cent last year, with potentially serious consequences for growth prospects in economies such as China, Hong Kong and Singapore that have become increasingly affected by the regional economic downturn.
Asymmetric density forecasts of inflation and the Bank of England's fan chart
Authors: Wallis Kenneth F.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the statistical issues surrounding the Bank of England's density forecast of inflation and its presentation as a ‘fan chart’. The Bank's preferred central projection is the mode of the density but this underestimates ‘average inflation over a number of years’ in terms of which monetary stability is defined. An alternative fan chart based on central prediction intervals is presented, better reflecting the extent to which the overall balance of risks is on the upside of the inflation target. An ‘all-or-nothing’ loss function is seen to be implicit in the Bank's choices of statistical measures, but is unrealistic.
Within-class grouping: evidence versus conjecture
Authors: Abrami Philip C. , Lou Yiping , Chambers Bette , Poulsen Catherine , Spence John C.
Published: March 2007

Lou, Abrami, Spence, Poulsen, Chambers, and d'Apollonia (1996) reported the findings from a quantitative review showing generally positive but variable effects of within-class grouping on pupil achievement and other outcomes. Replying in the National Institute Economic Review (July 1998), Prais argued for whole-class teaching claiming that we mis-summarised our findings. In this abbreviated rejoinder, we argue that our findings are: useful; not so variable as to be meaningless; provide evidence of beneficial effects for pupils of all relative abilities; are thorough and detailed; and provide a rather complete picture of the available evidence. In contrast, we believe that Prais (1998) has relied too heavily on conjecture and selective citation to offer a view of within-class grouping which is a serious mis-summarisation of the findings.
Section III. Prospects for the European Union
Authors: Pain Nigel , Ashworth Paul , Genre Véronique , Holland Dawn , Hubert Florence
Published: March 2007

Economic growth in the EU slowed in the first half of 1999, with net trade in many countries having been adversely affected by the slowdown in global demand. Output was just 1.6 per cent above that in the same period in 1998, following growth of 2.7 per cent for 1998 as a whole. Growth was especially subdued in Germany, Italy, Belgium and Denmark. In contrast, growth in Sweden actually accelerated into 1999. A looser fiscal stance, with reductions in direct taxes, will help to keep Swedish domestic demand strong this year and next.
City size, diversification, and income smoothing
Authors: Lamorgese Andrea
Published: March 2007

This article investigates the mechanisms by which the cities of the United States smooth out fluctuations in their income. Contributions for social security and government transfers (the government channel) take the bulk of smoothing (17 per cent), and intercity mobility ranks high: about 6 per cent of income shocks are smoothed via the choice of working in a city different from the place of residence. The empirical analysis also shows that the various channels of income smoothing operate differently according to the size and the degree of diversification of the city.
The Great Trough in Unemployment: a Long-term View of Unemployment, Inflation, Strikes, and the Profit/Wage Ratio
Authors: KORPI WALTER
Published: March 2007

The third quarter of the twentieth century with full employment in most Western countries is a historically unique period, forming The Great Trough in unemployment. This article analyses the beginning, continuation, and demise of The Great Trough, contrasting a supply-and-demand framework derived from economic theory with a power-sensitive approach focusing on long-term positive-sum conflicts involving major interest and reflected in unemployment, inflation, industrial disputes, and the functional distribution of national income. Comparative empirical data from eighteen countries are used in analyses of hypotheses implied by the different theoretical perspectives.
Understanding and Implementtng the Clt (Communicative Language Teaching) Paradigm
Authors: Jacobs George M. , Farrell Thomas S. C.
Published: March 2007

The call to change seems to be a constant in education. In second language education, a constellation of changes have been proposed and, to some ex tent, implemented. This constellation of interconnected changes can perhaps best be termed a paradigm shift, with this paradigm fitting under the general umbrella of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). The concept of para digm shift usefully offers one means of making such connections between the changes linked to CLT. The article attempts to put the CLT paradigm shift into perspective as an element of larger shifts from positivism to post- positivism and from behaviorism to cognitivism. This article describes eight changes that fit with the CLT paradigm shift in second language education. These eight changes are: learner autonomy, the social nature of learning, curricular integration, focus on meaning, diversity, thinking skills, alternative assessment, and teachers as co-learners. The authors argue that in second language education, although the CLT paradigm shift was initiated many years ago, it still has been only partially implemented. Two reasons for this partial implementation are: (1) by trying to understand each change sepa rately, second language educators have weakened their understanding by missing the larger picture; and (2) by trying to implement each change separately, second language educators have made the difficult task of change even more challenging.
The Pedagogy of a Secondary School Teacher of English in the People's Republic of China: Challenginh the Stereotypes
Authors: Zheng Xinmin  , Adamson Bob
Published: March 2007

This paper challenges the stereotypical portrayal of English Language teachers in China by analysing the pedagogy of a 'traditional' secondary school teacher, Mr Yang. The paper starts by distinguishing between 'pedagogy'-the teacher's personal construction of beliefs and practices about teaching and learning-and `methodology'-a generalized set of procedures underpinned by a theoretical rationale. The study then examines what happens to Mr Yang's pedagogy when the state promotes a new methodology that seems to be in conflict with aspects of his pedagogy. Analysis of curriculum documents and interviews with key participants establish the promoted methodology, while interviews, documentary analysis and lesson observations are used to study Mr Yang's pedagogy. The paper then describes how Mr Yang reconciles his pedagogy with the innovative methodology in a context constrained by examination requirements and the pressure of time. The paper shows that the portrayal of English Language teachers in the literature as transmitters of grammatical knowledge, bound by textbooks, fails to capture the dynamic nature of pedagogy as a personal construct forged by the interplay of beliefs, experiences and practice, and contextual factors operating at the micro-level (the chalkface) and at the macro-level (state policy).
Learning Vocabulary Through Underlying Meanings: An Investigation of an Interactive Technique
Authors: Visser Annette
Published: March 2007

This study investigated the effects of a task-based vocabulary learn ing technique which focuses learners' attention on the underlying meaning of a word. The words selected for the study came from Xue and Nation's University Word List (1984). The subjects were a class of adult second language learners preparing for English-medium uni versity study.

In the experimental treatment, learners were exposed to different meanings of a polysemous word and were required to perform a task relating to each meaning. A further task required them to state the underlying meaning of the word. In the comparison treatment, learners were exposed to a single meaning of a word and they per formed three tasks relating to that meaning. The subjects were then tested to see if they could select the correct meaning of further uses of the polysemous word. It was predicted that the experimental exer cises would lead to good quality of discussion of underlying meaning and also to superior test performance by the experimental group.

The results showed that the experimental exercises encouraged high quality of discussion. Although the experimental group did not out- perform the comparison group, subjects in the experimental group were significantly more likely to utilise context clues to determine word meaning.
Language Learning Strategies Used By Japanese University Students
Authors: Mochizuki Akihiko
Published: March 2007

This study examines (1) the kinds of strategies Japanese university students use, (2) the kinds of factors that affect the learner's choice of strategies, and (3) the reliability of the learner's self-evaluation of English proficiency . The Second Grade Test of the Society of Testing English Proficiency (STEP) and an 80-item Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) were conducted on 44 second-year students and 113 first-year students at a state-run university in Central Japan in May,1996. Results indicate the following things: First, Japanese university students use compensation strategies the most often and affective ones the least. Second, the more proficient students use cognitive and metacognitive strategies more frequently than the less proficient students. Third, the factors which influence the choice of strategies are major, motivation, enjoyment of English learning and gender. Fourth, self- evaluation seems not very reliable.
The Integration of Indian Immigrants to Temples Run by North Americans
Authors: ZAIDMAN Nurit
Published: March 2007

The author of this article analyses the integration of Indian immigrants in an ISKCON temple in the USA. Perceptions of Indian immigrants and temple residents, as well as attempts to negotiate new definitions, are discussed within the context of three major areas of temple life: ideology, religion and social structure. Data for this paper were gathered between 1990 and 1994, when the author was a participant observer in the ISKCON Philadelphia temple.
The Faith-healers of the Assemblies of God in Burkina Faso: Taking Responsibility for Diseases Related to “Living Together”
Authors: LAURENT Pierre-Joseph
Published: March 2007

The author shows that curing and healing services which are offered by the Assemblies of God Church (Pentecostal church) in Burkina Faso—a church which recruits mostly low-income urban dwellers and rural peasants—are based primarily on a therapeutic procedure that has two parts, which together are able to treat various ailments that are in turn connected to transformations occurring in the nature of the relations between people and their families, friends and neighbours, or between individuals and the various groups they belong to. The problem is to show that prayers for deliverance from demons, far from being reducible to a miraculous event, actually form part of a long conversion process. Through collaboration between pastors and certain faith-healers, a new therapeutic attitude arises, which is coherent, effective and well adapted to the current transformations of everyday life—and more doctrinally mixed in its representations than the official Pentecostal position could admit.
Pour une sociologie des ordres religieux
Authors: Moulin L.
Published: March 2007

Prompted by researches made into religious movements in French Canada, the author puts questions that have occurred to him on the sociological significance of the divergence noted between the official definitions of the religious movements and their effective function.
New knowledges about the Family: A review of Family research in Europe and America
Authors: Hill Reuben
Published: March 2007

Après avoir exposé un type de classement susceptible d'ordonner l'entièreté des travaux en sociologie de la famille, l'auteur fait le point des recherches sur les facteurs en jeu dans les réactions des familles devant les crises, et leurs processus de réajustement. Les facteurs relevés sont: (A) l'événement, (B) la cohésion et la faculté d'adaptation de la famille et (C) la définition subjective de l'événe ment par la famille, par rapport aux définitions objectives ou cultu relles du même fait.

Une liste de facteurs favorables à un bon ajustement de la famille, est établie en conséquence.

L'auteur précise ensuite les tendances actuelles en sociologie de la famille, les éléments controversés, et formule des vues pour les recherches futures II insiste en particulier sur les avantages qu'il y aurait à retirer d'études plus complémentaires et mieux ajustées de la part des chercheurs vivant de chaque côté de l'Atlantique.
Trend report of the state of the sociology of religion: 1965-1966
Authors: Dobbelaere K.
Published: March 2007

L'auteur commence par souligner l'intérêt grandissant que suscite la sociologie de la religion: ceci ressort tant de l'accroissement du nombre de travaux en cette matière que de l'intérêt de plus en plus marqué que lui accordent les pays d'Europe de l'Est. Dans un second point, il met en évidence le fait que, principalement en Europe, on semble réserver une place plus importante à la recherche socio-religieuse qu'à la recherche fondamentale. Il analyse ensuite la contribution des différents pays sous l'angle numérique et tâche de voir quels sont leurs centres d'intérêt. Dans une quatrième partie, il compare les tendances méthodologiques et théoriques de la sociologie de la religion avec celles de la sociologie en général telles que les a esquissées E. Shils à l'occasion du 6e Congrès Mondial de Sociologie, Il ressort clairement de cette comparaison que la sociologie de la religion n'atteint pas sur le plan théorique et méthodo logique, loin s'en faut, les normes qui sont en vigueur en sociologie. L'auteur aborde ensuite le contenu des publications; il les analyse en les regroupant sous divers thèmes: la religiosité et ses différents aspects; les problèmes soulevés par les concepts 'église et secte'; la hiérarchie; les rapports religion-société et plus spécialement l'aspect religion-poli tique ; il aborde ensuite les études qui traitent et approfondissent les thèses de Weber à propos du lien existant entre religion et économie; puis viennent les thèmes religion et famille; religion et enseignement et 'religion, race et préjugés'.

Il signale enfin quelques sujets qu'il n'a pas développés, mais qui figu rent dans la littérature sociologique, de même que certains autres qui lui semblent utile d'aborder de manière urgente. Il termine en soulignant la nécessité de développer une sociologie de la religion qui soit saine sur le plan théorique et méthodologique.

Car, la Conférence Internationale se veut de remplir en même temps une fonction informative. Or, l'augmentation prévue des travaux exigerait que le rapport soit composé par plusieurs personnes. C'est ainsi que des études partielles pourraient être faites pour les Etats-Unis, et le Canada, pour les pays d'Europe de langue romane — Amérique du Sud y compris — et de langue germanique. De pareils surveys pourraient, si l'on veut, être complétés par un rapport distinct sur la sociologie des religions non-occidentales et non-chrétiennes. Pour garantir la comparabilité — surtout là ou il faut quantifier — et pour faire une synthèse entre les études partielles, il faudrait indiquer des normes fixes que les divers collaborateurs seraient tenus d'observer dans le rassemblement, la classi fication et la discussion des publications'.1
Conflicts of authority in the Roman Catholic Church
Authors: Houtart F.
Published: March 2007

La période de changement social dans laquelle nous vivons dans la société et dans l'Eglise affecte évidemment le système d'autorité dans les insti tutions. Il serait cependant erronné d'adopter une attitude trop simpliste. Il ne s'agit pas d'un processus absolument identique dans les diverses institutions, politique, fanailiale, économique ou religieuse. Il est par conséquent nécessaire de déterminer d'abord la spéciticité de l'Eglise comme institution.

Si l'on détinit une institution par la combinaison entre un élément valeur et un élément organisation, l'Eglise apparaît comme centrée sur un système de valeurs exprimant les valeurs ultimes de l'existence humaine traduites concrètement dans la vie individuelle et sociale. L'organisation de l'Eglise se caractérise par 3 fonctions: transmission de ces valeurs ultimes, ce qui implique à la fois continuité et socialisation possible dans toutes les cultures; assurer un mouvement social, ce qui suppose une cer taine flexibilité des structures et enfin fournir des moyens d'expression collective au groupe. Il faut ajouter que le système de légitimation se base sur la révélation divine.

Le problème des fonctions de l'autorité dans le groupe est ensuite étudié, de même que celui de son exercice et de son origine dans l'Eglise. Suit alors un essai d'interprétation des conflits actuels. La contestation de l'autorité se situe au niveau des valeurs, tout comme à celui du système social. Les réactions de l'autorité sont diverses, depuis le refus de la con testation jusqu'à sa légitimation. Les conflits d'autorité manifestent un conflit latent plus profond, qui oppose finalement deux systèmes de valeur. Ces deux systèmes partent d'une conception dittérente de l'action divine se reflétant dans deux conceptions ditférentes de la société et de l'Eglise comme institution. Le Concile a légitimé la deuxième conception, mais la première est encore celle qui dans la majeure partie des cas légi time la pensée et l'action de ceux qui contrôlent le système social. Le conflit apparaît particulièrement manifeste sur la question de l'autorité parce que dans la première conception cette dernière est une valeur, tandis que pour la seconde elle se situe surtout au niveau des normes de fonc tionnement du groupe.

A court terme ces conflits pourraient trouver une solution par l'accepta tion d'un pluralisme dans les valeurs, les normes et même au niveau de certains aspects du système de legitimation, mais à long terme les deux conceptions apparaissent comme incompatibles.
Catechesls and anti-semitism
Authors: Hickey John
Published: March 2007

Cet article présente deux recherches réalisées par le Centre de Recherches Socio-Religieuses de Louvain sur les racines de l'antisémitisme dans l'enseignement catéchétique.

Après avoir exposé la manière dont le champ d'analyse a été circonscrit, l'article présente les options méthodologiques qui ont déterminé l'analyse de contenu d'un échantillon de manuels de catéchèse utilisés dans les pays francophones, puis, ensuite, l'étude d'opinion sur un échantillon d' élèves et d'anciens élèves de l'enseignement catholique de Bruxelles.

L'analyse de contenu a été l'occasion de mettre au point un instrument de mesure et d'analyse. Si les anciennes re présentations les plus péjoratives et agressives pour les juifs et le judaïsme n'ont plus cours dans la catéchèse, le langage de celle-ci conserve des traces très nettes des modes d'exposés et des rationalisations qui visent à donner au groupe chrétien l'évidence de la supériorité de ses croyances et de ses normes.

L'étude d'opinion met en évidence la déstructuration des codes antijudaïques et l'incidence sur cette transformation de la situation de l'institution dans la société.

En conclusion sont présentées les grandes lignes du schéma théorique mis en place pour rendre compte des observations. L'ensemble des deux études doit faire prochainement l'objet d'une publication en langue française.
La religiosité populaire en Italie : deux recherches sur la magie et la politique dans le sud du pays
Authors: Cipriani Roberto
Published: March 2007

This article presents a study of two typical cases of popular religiosity in the south of Italy. The first case is a magico sacral phenomenon and the second comes from the area of politico-religious prophecy.
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement in the United States : A Reconsideration
Authors: Lane Ralph
Published: March 2007

En se référant au concept de «routinisation», l'Auteur de cet article met en question le caractère absolu et automatique de ce processus selon lequel le mouvement du renouveau charismatique serait appelé à s'institutionnaliser de la même manière que les autres mouvements religieux.

C'est au départ d'une étude de cas que l'Auteur reconsidère le problème: les processus de changement qui ont affecté l'équipe centrale d'une communauté charismatique ont amené celle-ci à décider la scission de la communauté initiale ; c'est donc en termes structurels que le mouvement s'avère capable de faire face au phénomène de la routinisation du charisme.
The Church and the Process of Democratization in Latin America
Authors: Villela G. Hugo
Published: March 2007

Quelle est la nature de la pratique actuelle de l'Eglise Catho lique chilienne face au régime militaire autoritaire et comment se répercute-t-elle sur ses projets de démocratisation ?
Religion et mode de production lignager
Authors: Houtart François , Lemercinier Geneviève
Published: March 2007

The main concern of this article is the specificity of the social functions of religion in societies dominated by kinship relations. These dominate the entire social reality, because they organise the relations of production, and thereby con stitute also the infrastructure. Such social organisation is in response to a double constraint : production and reproduction. The first is related to the day-to-day organisation of material life, and the second to the exchange of women which becomes necessary for the survival of the group. At the level of representations one notes three sequences. The relationships with nature are represented by forces that are personified. The kinship relations which assure the unity of all the lineages inside the clan are represented by the totem. By itself, how ever, this has no religious overtone, because it represents a structure of exchange and not of domination. The last se quences refers to the global sense of the universe and of man. It is related to religious representation. In the lineage societies, linked with a weak development of productive forces, religion has an important function of protection. Because differen ciation is weak in this type of societies, elements of social symbolism (e.g. totem) have plurifunctional dimensions, which tend to introduce them also into the religious sphere (i.e. in relation to supernatural realities).