bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Policy Transfer in the European Union: Institutional Isomorphism as a Source of Legitimacy
Authors: Radaelli Claudio M.
Published: March 2003

This article examines public policy in the European Union (EU) by drawing upon the framework of policy transfer, which has been recently refined by comparativists, and the concept of isomorphism developed within organizational theory. Three case studies—namely, the single currency, tax policy and media ownership policy—are discussed and compared with the aim of assessing the potential of isomorphism for the analysis of policy dif‐fusion. The author argues that European institutions, which have a serious limitation in terms of legitimacy, stimulate policy transfer by catalyzing isomorphic processes. Policy transfer, however, is constrained when there are no national cases to be imitated. Yet European institutions, most notably the European Commission, can overcome the problem by “inseminating” solutions into national political systems.
Governance, the State, and the Market: What Is Going On?
Authors: Sbragia Alberta M.
Published: March 2003

Analyses of the ‘shrinking state’ tend to focus on the pressures being felt by the welfare state. The ‘state’ is viewed as a provider of social benefits and as redistributing wealth. To the extent these functions are being challenged the state is perceived as being ‘rolled back’ by the forces of the market. Yet the state is also involved in ‘building’ markets. This function, overshadowed in the past, has now become an important state activity. Such activity, however, is carried out by state actors different from those involved in the provision of social benefits and the evolution of the welfare state. Majoritarian institutions are largely responsible for the latter while non‐majoritarian institutions oversee theformer. Although the balance of power among different types of state actors has shifted, the power of public authority has not necessarily been ‘rolled back’ by the market.
The Dynamics of Inertia: Institutional Persistence and Change in Telecommunications and Health Care
Authors: Genschel Philipp
Published: March 2003

Important strands of the new institutionalism assume that the efficiency of institutions declines over time. Institutions, according to this view, are more stable than their environment, which supposedly results in an ever increasing misfit. This misfit, it is hypothesized, can only be corrected by the creative destruction of the institutions. The article takes issue with this view. Using case studies from the international telecommunications regime and the German health care system, it argues that institutional persistence does not necessarily prevent institutional adaptation. While it is an obstacle to creative destruction, it is compatible with other forms of institutional transformation, which have not received much attention from institutionalist scholars. Inert structures can be patched up with new structures or transposed to new functions. The article analyzes patching up and transposition as distinct modes of institutional change, and assesses their adaptive potential.
Motivation, Cognition, and Action: An Analysis of Studies of Task Goals and Knowledge
Authors: Locke Edwin
Published: March 2003

This paper begins by analysing the nature of cognition and of motivation, especially as they relate to the operation of the subconscious. The interdependence of cognition and motivation is demonstrated. This interdependence is then illustrated through an analysis of studies on goal setting and task strategies (task knowledge) in relation to task performance. Three types of relationships have been found: direct, separate effects of goals and strategies; interactions between goals and strategies (moderation); and the mediation of goal effects by strategies. It is argued that there is really one underlying model that accounts for all of these findings. There are two paths to performance, one motivated by goals and another motivated by other factors. Each is or can be associated with relevant task knowledge. ‘Direct’ goal effects occur when the subjects already possess relevant task knowledge, but that knowledge is not measured. (If it were measured, there would be mediation.) Direct strategy effects occur when subjects are motivated to discover or use relevant strategies by (unmeasured) motives that are not a product of the performance goal. Moderation occurs when there is no task knowledge tied to the goals but knowledge derives from other sources, which combines with goals to produce performance. Mediation occurs when goals produce measured task knowledge, which, when controlled, vitiates the goal effect. This model suggests ideas for further research.
Excellent Performance: The Role of Communication and Cooperation Processes
Authors: Sonnentag Sabine
Published: March 2003

This paper summarises recent research on excellent performance in the domains of software development and engineering. The paper focuses on differences between excellent and moderate performers with respect to communication and cooperation activities. When excellent performers’ peers were asked to describe an excellent performer, they frequently mentioned competencies referring to cooperation and communication. Compared to moderate performers, excellent performers more often regarded cooperation as a useful strategy. Excellent performers generally participated more in work‐related communication and cooperation processes than did moderate performers. Moreover, they were found to be more engaged in specific cooperation‐related activities, such as helping coworkers and asking them for feedback.
Vocational Preference and P–O Fit: Reflections on Holland’s Theory of Vocational Choice
Authors: Furnham Adrian
Published: March 2003

It is 40 years since Holland first proposed his theory of vocational choice. In that period it is probably true to say that it has attracted more research than any other vocational guidance measure. This paper looks at the central concept in his theory (congruence) and other areas of vocational guidance, namely “fit”. It also looks at current research issues relating to Holland’s theory. Particular attention is paid to the research papers that examine the overlap between the six (RAISEC) personality types of Holland and the consensually accepted “Big Five” factor view of personality theorists. Finally a summary of the major theoretical, empirical, and methodological problems in the area is discussed.
Organizational Attractiveness for Prospective Applicants: A Person–Organisation Fit Perspective
Authors: Lievens Filip , Decaesteker Christoph , Coetsier Pol , Geirnaert Jo
Published: March 2003

This study investigates which of four objective organisational characteristics determine the attractiveness of organisations for prospective applicants and the degree to which the Big Five personality factors moderate the effects of some of these organisational attributes. To this end, 359 final‐year students (engineering and business majors, 71% men, mean age = 22.4 years) read short descriptions of organisations. These descriptions varied on four organisational characteristics (i.e. organisation size, level of internationalisation, pay mix, and level of centralisation). The students had to indicate their attraction to the organisation. Additionally, they provided self‐ratings on a personality inventory. The results show that prospective applicants are more attracted to large‐sized, medium‐sized, decentralised, and multinational organisations. Next, the results indicate that several personality characteristics moderate the effects of organisational characteristics on attractiveness. For instance, the factor conscientiousness moderates the effect of organisational size, with subjects high on conscientiousness being more attracted to large‐sized organisations. The factor openness/intellect moderates the effect of internationalisation, with subjects high on openness/intellect being more attracted to multinational organisations.
The Reciprocal Transfer of Learning from Journals to Practice
Authors: Latham Gary
Published: March 2003

A strong case can be made for the reciprocal transfer of learning between the journals and practice, as well as for blurring the distinction between the science and practice of I/O psychology. This is because journals consistently provide answers for practice, and the implementation of the answers provides a basis for publication and subsequent research. The author’s research and practice in the areas of employee motivation, performance appraisal, training, and personnel selection are used in support of these arguments.
Russian Entrepreneurial Motive Patterns: A Validation of the Miner Sentence Completion Scale in Russia
Authors: Tullar William L.
Published: March 2003

This study utilises the Miner Sentence Completion Scale Form T, translated into Russian, to compare the entrepreneurial motivation of 120 Russian managers interested in entrepreneurial activity with an American sample found in Miner (1986). This contrast shows very substantial differences between the two groups. After four years a follow‐up study was conducted on the Russian sample. Of the 120 managers who originally took the MSCS, 58 men and women were found actually engaged in running their own businesses. Comparing this follow‐up sample with a similar one provided by Miner, Smith, & Bracker (1994) shows very little difference between American and Russian active entrepreneurs. Correlations of MSCS Form T with two criteria of entrepreneurial success show similar positive results for both samples. Implications for use of the test by Russian authorities are discussed.
Dichotomous Issues in Psychology: Intransigency or Developmental Phase?
Authors: Nair Elizabeth
Published: March 2003

Cet article est une étude de cas de la psychologie en tant que discipline et profession dans un jeune pays asiatique, Singapour. Il y est décrit les aspects les plus importants de sa courte histoire et de son actuel statut. On met en évidence l’apparence dichotomique de la psychologie, vu que les membres de cette discipline adoptent souvent des positions apparemment intransigeantes. Des points communs apparaissent avec le cycle de développement de la psychologie aux Etats‐Unis. Il s’agit de la scission entre les approches pratique et scientiﬁque (art ou science?), l’intérêt pour la recherche fondamentale ou appliquée, et une préférence tranchée pour la recherche de laboratoire ou de terrain. On conclut en réﬂéchissant sur l’avenir de la psychologie internationale et sur les conséquences d’une approche sceptique de cette discipline.

This is a case study of psychology as a discipline and a profession in a young Asian country, Singapore. Salient aspects of its brief history and present status are presented. The paper highlights what appear to be dichotomous issues in psychology, where members of the discipline often adopt seemingly intransigent positions. Parallels are drawn with similarities in the developmental cycle for psychology in the United States. These include divisions with regard to practitioner versus scientist approaches to the discipline (art or science?), commitment to basic versus applied research, and an entrenched preference for laboratory versus ﬁeld research. The paper concludes by examining the future in international psychology, and the implications of a prevalent skeptical approach within the discipline.
Perceived Self‐efficacy, Personal Goals, Social Comparison, and Scientific Productivity
Authors: Vrugt Anneke , Koenis Simone
Published: March 2003

Cette recherche examine le sentiment d’efficacité personnelle, les buts personnels poursuivis et la comparaison avec autrui comme prédicteurs de la productivité scientifique d’employés occupant des postes académiques. Les participants (n= 123), tous à l’emploi de diverses universités européennes, ont répondu à un questionnaire portant sur leur sentiment d’efficacité personnelle dans le domaine de la recherche, la comparaison avec leurs collègues (vers le haut, latérale, ou vers le bas), et les buts personnels poursuivis. La productivité scientifique a été déterminée selon des rapports scientifiques où les publications scientifiques des trois années précédant l’administration du questionnaire ont été comptabilisées comme une mesure des publications passées alors que les publications dans la seconde année après l’administration du questionnaire ont été considérées comme les publications futures. Les résultats démontrent que les publications passées ont contribué au sentiment d’efficacité et aux buts personnels poursuivis. Les résultats indiquent également que le sentiment d’efficacité personnelle et la comparaison vers le haut ont contribué aux buts personnels poursuivis et que ces derniers étaient des prédicteurs significatifs des publications futures.

The present study investigates the extent to which perceived self‐efficacy, personal goals, and upward comparison predict the scientific productivity of academic staff members. Academic staff employed at different Dutch universities (n= 123) answered written questions about their judgment of self‐efficacy in the area of research, about the direction of comparison with colleagues (upward, lateral, or downward), and the goals that were pursued. The scientific productivity was determined using the scientific reports. The scientific publications in the three years preceding the answering of the questions functioned as a measure for prior publications, and those in the second year after answering the questions functioned as a measure for future publications. We found that prior publications contributed to self‐efficacy and the goals that are pursued. Moreover, the results showed that percepts of self‐efficacy and upward comparison contributed to personal goals and that these goals predicted future publications. The results are related to the theories of perceived self‐efficacy, upward comparison, and abstract modeling.
Cross‐cultural Differences in Perceived Effectiveness of Influence Tactics for Initiating or Resisting Change
Authors: Yukl Gary , Ping Fu Ping , McDonald Robert
Published: March 2003

Deux recherches exploratoires ont été initiées pour étudier les différences interculturelles dans l’efficacité perçue de diverses stratégies destinées à obtenir de la part d’un supérieur l’approbation d’un changement qui lui est soumis, ou à résister à un changement envisagé par un patron. La première étude a comparé des managers des Etats‐Unis, de Suisse et de Chine continentale, et la deuxiéme a remplacé la Suisse par Hong Kong. On a retrouvé dans la seconde étude l’essentiel des résultats de la première (91%) concernant les cadres américains et chinois. Les différences interculturelles dans l’évaluation de l’efficacité des stratégies étaient en phase avec les traditions et les valeurs culturelles. Les managers occidentaux jugeaient plus efficaces que les Chinois les stratégies directes, orientées vers la tâche, et moins efficaces celles mettant en jeu les relations personnelles, l’évitement ou une approche informelle.

Two exploratory studies were conducted to investigate cross‐cultural differences in the perceived effectiveness of various influence tactics for gaining approval from a boss for a proposed change, or for resisting a change initiated by a boss. The first study compared managers in the United States, Switzerland, and mainland China. The second study compared managers in the United States, Hong Kong, and mainland China. Most results (91%) for the American and Chinese managers in Study 1 were replicated in Study 2. The cross‐cultural differences in rated effectiveness of tactics were consistent with cultural values and traditions. Direct, task‐oriented tactics were rated more effective by western managers than by Chinese managers, whereas tactics involving personal relations, avoidance, or an informal approach were rated less effective.
Hegemonic Power Processes in Team‐based Work
Authors: Doorewaard Hans , Brouns Birgit
Published: March 2003

Cet article a pour objectif de montrer que les “processus de pouvoir hégémonique” implicites ont des retombées sur le traitement des problèmes organisationnels par les èquipes autonomes. Les processus de pouvoir hégémonique dans le travail d’équipe sont des processus en grande partie occultes de construction de l’identité et d’élaboration du sens. Ces processus incitent les membres de l’équipe à se soumettre an point de vue organisationnel dominant. Ils poussent aussi les membres de l’équipe à adopter certaines pratiques organisationnelles en dépit des inconvénients que ces pratiques peuvent présenter pour le groupe. Lors du processus de construction de l’identité et d’élaboration du sens, certaines représentations de la réalité et des attitudes spécifiques sont imposées, alors que les représentations et attitudes alternatives sont rejetées par l’organisation (Mumby & Stohl, 1991). Notre conception de ces processus est illustrée par l’analyse d’une décision prise par une équipe de soins d’un hôpital de proximité confrontée à un problème de pénurie de personnel.

The purpose of this paper is to portray how implicit “hegemonic power processes” channel the way in which self‐managing teams deal with organisational dilemmas. Hegemonic power processes in team‐based work are, to a great extent concealed, processes of meaning and identity formation. These processes induce the team members to consent to the dominant organisational views. They also impel the team members to accept their insertion into organisational practices, despite the possible disadvantages these practices might pose for the team. During processes of meaning and identity formation, certain conceptions of reality and particular employee attitudes are “organised in”, while alternative conceptions and attitudes are “organised out” (Mumby & Stohl, 1991). We illustrate our elaboration of these processes by analysing a decision making process, which a nursing team in a local hospital has employed, when dealing with problems of understaffing.
HRM Practices in a Process of Organisational Change: A Contextualist Perspective
Authors: Pichault François , Schoenaers Frédéric
Published: March 2003

Cet article explore les interactions entre politiques de GRH et facteurs de contexte dans un processus de changement organisationnel. Nous présentons d’abord une typologie de modèles de GRH, dans la lignée des écrits de Mintzberg sur les configurations organisationnelles. Nous développons ensuite une vision contingente des questions de GRH—mettant en évidence l’influence de certains facteurs de contexte, suivie d’une vision plus politique qui reflète les jeux de pouvoir entre les différents protagonistes, mobilisant chacun des éléments spécifiques du contexte. Enfin, nous offrons une appréhension plus concrète du cadre d’analyse contextualiste en en discutant l’application à une étude de cas dans le secteur agro‐alimentaire.

This paper explores the interactions between HRM practices and contextual factors in a process of organisational change. We first present a typology of HRM models, in line with Mintzberg's organisational configurations. We then develop a contingent view on HRM issues—highlighting the influence of some contextual factors—followed by a more political view which reveals the power games between the different stakeholders, each of them enacting specific contextual factors. Finally, we give a more concrete understanding of the contextualist framework discussing its application to a case study in the alimentary sector.
Psychology and Human Competence Development
Authors: Kagitcibasi Cigdem
Published: March 2003

Il importe de signaler, au début de ce millénaire, que les connaissances accumulées en psychologie peuvent contribuer au bien‐être de l’humanité et plus particulièrement amèliorer ses capacités. Or, il se trouve que l’apport de la psychologie au développement humain n’est pas bien perçu. Pour illustrer le rôle que la psychologie appliquée peut jouer dans la promotion des compétences, on présente trois études de cas. La première est un bref projet non réalisé de plaidoyer reposant sur des données relevant de la recherche en psychologie; elle montre comment la recherche peut fournir des éléments de décision à la politique sociale et comment les psychologues peuvent assumer un rôle de soutien en faveur de l’éducation. Les deux autres sont des exemples tirés de programmes de recherche et de travaux d’intervention en Turquie, l’un en faveur du développement de l’enfant grâce à une approche contextuelle/écologique contrée sur l’environnement familial et l’autre en faveur de la promotion des femmes grâce à un programme d’alphabètisation fonctionnelle pour adultes. Elles montrent combien la psychologie peut contribuer au développement des compétences au cours de la vie.

At the turn of the millennium it is important to recognise that accumulated psychological knowledge has the potential for contributing to human well‐being and particularly to enhancing human competence. However, the relevance of psychology to such global “human development” issues is not well understood. To demonstrate the role applied psychology can play in promoting human competence, three examples of psychological endeavors are examined as case studies. The first is a brief treatment of a proposed, but not realised, case of advocacy based on psychological research evidence. It refers to how research can inform social policy and how psychologists can assume an advocacy role regarding education for all. The other two are examples from programs of research and intervention work in Turkey, one promoting early childhood development with an ecological/contextual approach focusing on the family environment and the other empowering women through an adult functional literacy program. They demonstrate how psychology can contribute to human competence development through the life span.
My Paradigm or Yours? Alternative Development, Post‐Development, Reflexive Development
Authors: Pieterse Jan Nederveen
Published: March 2003

Alternative development has been concerned with alternative practices of development—participatory and people‐centred—and with redefining the goals of development. Mainstream development has gradually been moving away from the preoccupation with economic growth toward a people‐centred definition of development, for instance in human development. This raises the question in what way alternative development remains distinguishable from mainstream development—as a roving criticism, a development style, a profile of alternative positions regarding development agency, methodology, epistemology? Increasingly the claim is that alternative development represents an alternative paradigm. This is a problematic idea for four reasons: because whether paradigms apply to social science is questionable; because in development the concern is with policy frameworks rather than explanatory frameworks; because there are different views on whether a paradigm break with conventional development is desirable; and finally because the actual divergence in approaches to development is in some respects narrowing. There is a meaningful alternative development profile or package but there is no alternative development paradigm—nor should there be. Mainstream development is not what it used to be and it may be argued that the key question is rather whether growth and production are considered within or outside the people‐centred development approach and whether this can rhyme with the structural adjustment programmes followed by the international financial institutions. Post‐development may be interpreted as a neo‐traditionalist reaction against modernity. More enabling as a perspective is reflexive development, in which a critique of science is viewed as part of development politics.
The Aral Sea Basin Crisis: Transition and Environment in Former Soviet Central Asia
Authors: Spoor Max
Published: March 2003

The haunting picture of a disappearing Aral Sea is just part of an overall environmental crisis in the Aral Sea Basin, where millions of people are dependent on agricultural production around the flows of two main rivers, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya. Forced cotton cultivation in the former Soviet Union, in the context of inefficient agricultural organization and production, caused water mismanagement, salinization, water and soil contamination, erosion and the desiccation of the Aral Sea. In the post‐Soviet era of ‘transition’, the governments of the Central Asian states and international donors have tried to mitigate the impact of the crisis and contain its scope. Resource‐based tensions in the region reflect national (and sometimes ethnic) interests vested in the crucial agricultural sectors that provide foreign exchange and food. Although the Central Asian governments are gradually formulating regional water, land and salt management strategies, the room for manoeuvre that exists to implement policies which would immediately improve the environment, such as efficient water management and sustainable land use, is not being sufficiently utilized.
Small Product, Big Issues: Value Contestations and Cultural Identities in Cross‐border Commodity Networks
Authors: Long Norman , Villarreal Magdalena
Published: March 2003

This article follows the trajectory of maize husks from their production sites in rural Western Mexico to diverse consumption and commercialization locales both within the country and in the United States, showing how the uses and meanings of specific products are continuously reassembled and transformed within the livelihoods and social networks of Mexicans living in a transnational world. By highlighting the multiplicities and ambiguities of social value and cultural identities implicit in the workings of commodity chains and globalization processes, the study leads to a questioning of commodity‐chain analysis. It also challenges theories of cultural production and circulation based on a unified and hierarchical system of value.
Displacement, Risks and Resistance: Local Perceptions and Actions in the Sardar Sarovar
Authors: Dwivedi Ranjit
Published: March 2003

This article looks at the problems of displacement and resettlement in the Sardar Sarovar, the reservoir of the Navagam dam on the river Narmada. In his analysis, the author considers three major variables—resettlement policies and their implementation, action‐group mediation, and internal differentiation among people—to argue that people will have different perceptions and reactions to displacement: while some will risk resistance, others may risk resettlement. Given the importance of these variables, the article highlights the need to conceptualize displacement and resettlement as components in a dynamic environment, and argues that in the specific context of the Sardar Sarovar, a reworking of the displacement–resettlement problem is possible and perhaps desirable.
NGOs, Civil Society, and the State in Bangladesh: The Politics of Representing the Poor
Authors: White Sarah C.
Published: March 2003

The established rhetoric of opposition between state and NGOs as development agents has shifted to one of complementarity and common interest. Along with this, the ‘comparative advantage’ claimed for NGOs has expanded from economic and welfare benefits to encompass also the political goods of civil society and popular participation. This paper reviews these developments in the context of Bangladesh. It argues that they need to be assessed critically in ways which are both theoretically informed and locally contextualized. While recognizing that there are, indeed, areas of common experience and interest between the state and NGOs in Bangladesh, it questions whether these necessarily coincide with the interests of those they all invoke: the poor.
Global Imperatives and Economic Reform in the Pacific Island States
Authors: Sutherland William
Published: March 2003

Since the mid‐1990s, a series of economic reform programmes has been underway in the Pacific Island states. This article links the origins, pace and scope of the reforms to the development of a regional reform agenda, the key site for which was the leading regional organization, the South Pacific Forum. The author details some of the measures and reforms undertaken, and argues that the fashioning and elaboration of the regional reform agenda was driven primarily by external forces, particularly donors, in an attempt to compel the island states to respond to the imperatives of globalization.
Pro‐Poor Modes of Technical Integration into the Global Econom
Authors: James Jeffrey
Published: March 2003

Recent evidence indicates that globalization based on technical advances in information technology is creating a dualistic situation in the world economy, whereby the benefits tend to accrue to a narrow group of relatively affluent countries, while the majority lag behind. The purpose of this article is to suggest a framework within which to assess an alternative, pro‐poor form of technical integration into the global economy — in other words, a form of globalization that benefits the poor as well as the rich. The article focuses particularly on the role that can be played by NGOs, aid donors and national governments in this endeavour.
The Political Ecology of Transition in Cambodia 1989–1999: War, Peace and Forest Exploitation
Authors: Le Billon Philippe
Published: March 2003

Over the last decade, forests have played an important role in the transition from war to peace in Cambodia. Forest exploitation financed the continuation of war beyond the Cold War and regional dynamics, yet it also stimulated co‐operation between conflicting parties. Timber represented a key stake in the rapacious transition from the (benign) socialism of the post‐Khmer Rouge period to (exclusionary) capitalism, thereby becoming the most politicized resource of a reconstruction process that has failed to be either as green or as democratic as the international community had hoped. This article explores the social networks and power politics shaping forest exploitation, with the aim of casting light on the politics of transition. It also scrutinizes the unintended consequences of the international community’s discourse of democracy, good governance, and sustainable development on forest access rights. The commodification of Cambodian forests is interpreted as a process of transforming nature into money through a political ecology of transition that legitimates an exclusionary form of capitalism.
Environmental Narratives on Protection and Production: Nature‐based Conflicts in R7iacute;o San Juan, Nicaragua
Authors: Nygren Anja
Published: March 2003

This article focuses on local processes and global forces in the struggle over the fate of forests and over the contested claims of protection and production in a protected area buffer zone of Río San Juan, Nicaragua. The struggle over control of local natural resources is seen as a multifaceted process of development and power involving diverse social actors, from agrarian politicians and development agents to a heterogeneous group of local settlers, absentee cattle raisers, timber dealers, transnational corporations, and non‐governmental organizations. The initial interest is in the local resource‐related discourses and actions; the analysis then broadens to include the larger political‐economic processes and environment‐development discourses that affect the local systems of production and systems of signification. The article underlines environmental resource conflicts as one of the major challenges in subjecting structures of social power to critical analysis.
Stating the Difference: State, Discourse and Class Reproduction in Uttar Pradesh, India
Authors: Jeffrey Craig , Lerche Jens
Published: March 2003

Much development literature concerned with state–society relations operates with a simplistic state–people dichotomy. In contrast, this article focuses on the intersection between state and society and argues that this plays an important part in class reproduction in ‘civil society’. This issue is explored with reference to the role of the local state in class reproduction in the Indian countryside. The focus is on the means by which rural social groups negotiate access to the local state and discourses surrounding the state. The balance of colonization, co‐option and opposition that characterizes the relationship between dominant rural classes and local state officials/institutions is examined against the impact of the rise of a populist low class party. It is argued that the intersection between ‘class’ and ‘state’ is closer than even critical studies of state–society relations have posited. Moreover, the state can, within certain limits, be brought to serve interests other than those of the dominant classes.
Reconceptualizing Participation for Sustainable Rural Development: Towards a Negotiation Approach
Authors: Leeuwis Cees
Published: March 2003

In many popular intervention methodologies aimed at stimulating sustainable rural development (in the widest possible sense) the idea of ‘participation’ is a leading principle. This article will demonstrate that the process in which actors are supposed to participate is often thought of as being a process of planning, decision‐making and/or social learning. It will be argued that such an operationalization of development processes is based on inconsistent theoretical assumptions, and can easily lead to unproductive development interventions due to an inability to handle conflicts. As an alternative it is proposed to use negotiation theory as a basis for organizing participatory development efforts. The implications of such a shift in thinking about participation are far‐reaching: it requires new modes of analysis, and different roles, tasks and skills for facilitators of participatory processes.
A Strategic Approach to Multistakeholder Negotiations
Authors: Edmunds David , Wollenberg Eva
Published: March 2003

Environment and development practitioners increasingly are interested in identifying methods, institutional arrangements and policy environments that promote negotiations among natural resource stakeholders leading to collective action and, it is hoped, sustainable resource management. Yet the implications of negotiations for disadvantaged groups of people are seldom critically examined. We draw attention to such implications by examining different theoretical foundations for multistakeholder negotiations and linking these to practical problems for disadvantaged groups. We argue that negotiations based on an unhealthy combination of communicative rationality and liberal pluralism, which underplays or seeks to neutralize differences among stakeholders, poses considerable risks for disadvantaged groups. We suggest that negotiations influenced by radical pluralist and feminist post‐structuralist thought, which emphasize strategic behaviour and selective alliance‐building, promise better outcomes for disadvantaged groups in most cases, particularly on the scale and in the historical contexts in which negotiations over forest management usually take place.
Advancing a Political Ecology of Global Environmental Discourses
Authors: Adger W. Neil , Benjaminsen Tor A. , Brown Katrina , Svarstad Hanne
Published: March 2003

In the past decade international and national environmental policy and action have been dominated by issues generally defined as global environmental problems. In this article, we identify the major discourses associated with four global environmental issues: deforestation, desertification, biodiversity use and climate change. These discourses are analysed in terms of their messages, narrative structures and policy prescriptions. We find striking parallels in the nature and structure of the discourses and in their illegibility at the local scale. In each of the four areas there is a global environmental management discourse representing a technocentric worldview by which blueprints based on external policy interventions can solve global environmental dilemmas. Each issue also has a contrasting populist discourse that portrays local actors as victims of external interventions bringing about degradation and exploitation. The managerial discourses dominate in all four issues, but important inputs are also supplied to political decisions from populist discourses. There are, in addition, heterodox ideas and denial claims in each of these areas, to a greater or lesser extent, in which the existence or severity of the environmental problem are questioned. We present evidence from location‐specific research which does not fit easily with the dominant managerialist nor with the populist discourses. The research shows that policy‐making institutions are distanced from the resource users and that local scale environmental management moves with a distinct dynamic and experiences alternative manifestations of environmental change and livelihood imperatives.
Greening Without Conflict? Environmentalism, NGOs and Civil Society in China
Authors: Ho Peter
Published: March 2003

This article argues that the specific features and dynamics of China’s environmentalism can be attributed to two factors: the ‘greening’ of the Chinese state at the time when environmentalism emerged, and the alternating politics of toleration and strict control of social organizations. As a result, environmentalism has developed in a gradual way, encompassing the various forms of ‘green’ NGOs that we see in the West and the ex–socialist states of Eastern and Central Europe. Yet, on the other hand, environmentalism was also robbed of the opportunity, as well as the immediate urgency, to openly confront the government. This is where it deviates from environmentalism in the West and the former Eastern–bloc countries.
Poverty Reduction with Growth and Redistribution
Authors: Dagdeviren Hulya , Van Der Hoeven Rolph , Weeks John
Published: March 2003

In the late 1990s the bilateral and multilateral development agencies placed increasing emphasis on poverty reduction in developing countries. This led to the establishment by the United Nations of the ‘International Development Targets’ for poverty reduction. The target of poverty reduction might be achieved through faster economic growth alone, through redistribution, or through a combination of the two. This article presents an analytical framework to assess the effectiveness of growth and redistribution for poverty reduction. It concludes that redistribution, either of current income or the growth increment of income, is more effective in reducing poverty for a majority of countries than growth alone.
Models and Methods in Development–Induced Displacement (Review Article)
Authors: Dwivedi Ranjit
Published: March 2003

Books reviewed in this article:

S. Parasuraman, The Development Dilemma: Displacement in India

Michael Cernea, (ed.) Economics of Involuntary Resettlement: Questions and Challenges

Michael Cernea and Chris McDowell, (eds) Risks and Reconstruction: Experiences of Resettlers and Refugees

World Commission on Dams, Dams and Development, A New Framework for Decision–Making, Report of the World Commission on Dams

Robert Picciotto, Warren van Wicklin and Edward Rice, (eds) Involuntary Resettlement: Comparative Perspectives
Capital Account Liberalisation: The Ugandan Experience
Authors: Kasekende Louis A.
Published: March 2003

Following full liberalisation of the capital account in 1997, Uganda realised increasing private capital flows. However, this has posed enormous challenges and risks. Macroeconomic management has been complicated because of the limited range and potency of available instruments. Moreover, not only are the financial institutions exposed to more risk and hence need stronger regulation and supervision, but the private sector also needs to develop instruments to hedge and manage the increasing risks in an open economy. This article argues that policy‐makers should strengthen regulations, reporting requirements and data collection systems, and design market‐friendly instruments to facilitate more appropriate management of a liberalised economy, while reducing volatility.
Impact of the Rapid Rise of Supermarkets on Dairy Products Systems in Argentina
Authors: Gutman Graciela E.
Published: March 2003

The reconfiguration and consolidation of food retailing in Argentina during the 1990s profoundly changed the marketing system for food and agricultural products. The new commercial requirements and ‘rules of the game’ imposed by supermarkets on their suppliers have caused a substantial restructuring of supply chains — a process in which some suppliers fail. This article describes the changes in the past decade in the Argentine retail sector, and then focuses on the effects of those changes (and related changes in processing) on milk products supply chains. Its conclusions focus on the challenges specific to small farms and firms in the face of this transformation.
Consumer Behaviour and Supermarkets in Argentina
Authors: Rodríguez Elsa , Berges Miriam , Casellas Karina , Paola Rosángela Di , Lupín Beatriz , Garrido Laura , Gentile Natacha
Published: March 2003

This article examines supermarket development from the perspective of differences over regions and categories of consumers. It shows that, controlling for region, the more the education, income, durable assets (car, refrigerator) and consumer credit (credit card) of the consumer, the greater the probability that he/she will shop at a supermarket. Controlling for personal characteristics, living in a northern region (poorer, more rural, poorer infrastructure) reduces the probability of shopping at a supermarket. Finally, Argentinian consumers are less likely to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, red meat, and bread at a supermarket, as they would rather buy these from shops offering personal attention and service for those products.
Supermarkets in Mexico: Impacts on Horticulture Systems
Authors: Schwentesius Rita , Gómez Manuel Ángel
Published: March 2003

This article examines the very rapid rise, consolidation, and multinationalisation of the supermarket sector in Mexico over the past decade. This development had profound impacts on fruit and vegetables supply chains. Supermarkets created their own distribution centres and contractual arrangements with growers, giving rise to supermarket supply operations by agroexport and agroindustry firms and a shift away from traditional wholesalers. The challenging requirements of selling to these new actors pose problems for small farms and firms. This article examines the case of a co–operative of small farmers that tried — and failed — to become a lime supplier to supermarket chains. It concludes with recommendations on ways to help small farmers meet the challenge of the rise of supermarkets.
Nets, Ropes, Ladders and Trampolines: The Place of Social Protection within Current Debates on Poverty Reduction
Authors: Conway Tim , Norton Andy
Published: March 2003

In recent years, development policy–makers have paid increasing attention to social protection issues. Despite growing consensus around key points, there remains considerable diversity on what exactly social protection means. Individuals and institutions differ on the relative importance of managing vulnerability as opposed to assisting the chronically poor; whether social protection should be based in rights; and whether actions to protect basic welfare can or should also aim to promote economic opportunities. While public policy needs to understand and value existing informal practices of risk management and assistance, it must also moderate the costs these impose on households. The focus of work should now be at the country level, where Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers provide a good opportunity to recast social protection in a holistic context.
Uniquely primate, uniquely human
Authors: Tomasello Michael
Published: March 2003

Two hypotheses about primate cognition are proposed. First, it is proposed that primates, but not other mammals, understand categories of relations among external entities. In the physical domain primates have special skills in tasks such as oddity, transitivity, and relation matching that require facility with relational categories; in the social domain primates have special skills in understanding the third‐party social relationships that hold among other individuals in their groups. Second, it is proposed that humans, but not other primates, understand the causal and intentional relations that hold among external entities. In the physical domain only humans understand causal forces as mediating the connection between sequentially ordered events; in the social domain only humans understand the behavior of others as intentionally directed and controlled by desired outcomes. Both these uniquely primate and these uniquely human cognitive skills are hypothesized to have their origins in adaptations for negotiating complex social interactions.
Development of precision grips in chimpanzees
Authors: Butterworth George , Itakura Shoji
Published: March 2003

Although chimpanzees generally grasp small objects imprecisely between the knuckle joint of the index finger and thumb, they are capable of a true precision grip, which resembles the human pincer grip. They also grip small objects between the index and middle finger. The development of these precision grips takes place over several years into adulthood and they are not frequent before 8 years of age. Precision grips and imprecise grips are equally likely to be selected for objects of small size. Thus, not only is precise prehension relatively delayed in chimpanzees but also there is lack of consistency in selecting the distal parts of the index finger for thumb opposition. This is a qualitatively different developmental pattern than occurs in human infants who systematically select precision grips for small objects by 15 months.
Infant perseveration and implications for object permanence theories: A PDP model of the AB task
Authors: Munakata Yuko
Published: March 2003

From the earliest ages at which infants search for hidden objects, they make the AB error, searching perseveratively at previous rather than current hiding locations (Piaget, 1954). This paper presents a parallel distributed processing (PDP) model that instantiates an explicit set of processing mechanisms to account for a large and diverse set of data on infants’ AB errors. The model demonstrates how basic processes–the formation of latent memory traces and their interaction with developing active memory traces–can provide a unifying framework for understanding why and when infants perseverate. Novel predictions from the model are discussed, together with its challenges for theories that posit a concept of object permanence in the first year of life.
Object‐centered attention in 8‐month‐old infants
Authors: Johnson Mark H. , Gilmore Rick O.
Published: March 2003

We examined the extent to which visual orienting in 8‐month‐old infants shows evidence of being guided by object‐based representations. Infants’ preferences to look at conspicuous targets presented on one of two stationary objects were measured following an event (cue) which directed their covert attention to one of the objects. The results indicate that by 8 months of age a cue presented on one part of an object directs attention to the whole object (object‐centered attention). This then affects responses to targets that appear elsewhere on the cued object.