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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Understanding The South China Sea: An Explorative Cultural Analysis, Hans-Dieter Evers
Understanding The South China Sea: An Explorative Cultural Analysis, Hans-Dieter Evers
Hans-Dieter Evers
The South China Sea has attracted considerable attention among politicians, journalists and scholars since it has become a contested maritime space. Most works concentrate on conflicts and negotiations to resolve the ensuing issues. In this paper, a cultural theory will be applied to stress the importance of conceptions of space found in different cultures. The South China Sea is defined as "Mediterranean." By comparing it to other maritime spaces, like the Baltic and the Mediterranean Sea, lessons will be drawn from the "longue durée" of history, as analysed by French historian Fernand Braudel and from concepts of the cultural theory …
The Cultural Sociology Of Human Rights, Mark D. Jacobs, Lester R. Kurtz
The Cultural Sociology Of Human Rights, Mark D. Jacobs, Lester R. Kurtz
Lester R. Kurtz
These cases of China, Occupy, and Gandhi suggest the value of the sociology of culture for understanding human rights. Since human rights is a cultural construct, human rights issues are in-flected by the same set of semantic tensions as the culture concept itself. The sociology of culture thus recommends a method for studying human rights: to explicate--indeed, to weave into an exegetical deep structure--those various tensions. This helps to see beneath the distortions that power and other forms of domination introduce into the discourse of human rights, and to recognize the full multiplicity of interests and voices.
Cultural Assimilation: The Political Economy Of Psychology As An Evolutionary Game Theoretic Dynamic, Atin Basu Choudhary, Dave Cotting
Cultural Assimilation: The Political Economy Of Psychology As An Evolutionary Game Theoretic Dynamic, Atin Basu Choudhary, Dave Cotting
Atin Basu Choudhary
In this paper, we model the interaction between idiocentric and allocentric immigrants in two settings – in a society that is predominantly collectivist and in a society that is predominantly individualist. Immigrants, either allocentric or idiocentric, can also be entity theorists (fixed mindset) or incremental theorists (growth mindset). We use evolutionary game theory to model how the host country cultural environment places selective pressure on the cultures of immigrant populations. This has implications for how well immigrants assimilate into their host country. Our results show: (a) depending on the initial ratio of allocentric and idiocentric immigrants, assimilation is either complete …
Mahatma Gandhi, Lester R. Kurtz
Mahatma Gandhi, Lester R. Kurtz
Lester R. Kurtz
Mahatma Gandhi, is widely cited by contemporary activists as a source of inspiration and strategies. Gandhi was arguably unparalleled at mobilizing resources, taking advantage of – and creating – political opportunities, and effectively framing such messages as justice, equality, and independence or freedom (Swaraj, self-reliance). His legacy has almost become a cliché among movement organizers worldwide.
Abdul Ghaffar Khan's Nonviolent Jihad, Lester R. Kurtz
Abdul Ghaffar Khan's Nonviolent Jihad, Lester R. Kurtz
Lester R. Kurtz
Examines Abdul Ghaffar Khan's nonviolent civil resistance rooted in Islam and growing out of a violent mountain culture in the Northwest Frontier Province of British India. The movement he mobilized counters the misunderstandings about Islam as fundamentally violent and the idea that nonviolent resistance cannot come out of a violent culture.
Is Reform Inevitable In Iran? An Evolutionary Analysis, Atin Basu Choudhary, Laura Razzolini, Dixon Josh
Is Reform Inevitable In Iran? An Evolutionary Analysis, Atin Basu Choudhary, Laura Razzolini, Dixon Josh
Atin Basu Choudhary
A persistent, if somewhat violent, reformist movement in Iran has many observers believing that reform is inevitable in Iran. We suggest that such optimism is misplaced. We use an evolutionary game theory approach to a standard assurance game to show that even when the gains to reform are obvious, the reformists may not succeed. We show further that as long as hardliners hold the levers of government they can stymie the success of reformists. Thus, from a policy perspective we believe that a gradual evolutionary path to reformist success is plausible but it depends crucially on the initial proportion of …
How Shall We Fight Imperialism? A Response To Stephen Gowans, Lester R. Kurtz
How Shall We Fight Imperialism? A Response To Stephen Gowans, Lester R. Kurtz
Lester R. Kurtz
No abstract provided.
Conflict Resolution, Provocation Or Transformation? Ask Gandhi, Lester R. Kurtz, Daniel Ritter
Conflict Resolution, Provocation Or Transformation? Ask Gandhi, Lester R. Kurtz, Daniel Ritter
Lester R. Kurtz
No abstract provided.
Predicting State Failure: A Classification Tree Approach, Atin Basu Choudhary, Jim T. Bang, William F. Shughart Ii
Predicting State Failure: A Classification Tree Approach, Atin Basu Choudhary, Jim T. Bang, William F. Shughart Ii
Atin Basu Choudhary
We deviate from standard practice in the literature on state failure to use classification tree methods to predict state failure. We argue that the rarity of state failure and simplicity of use and interpretation makes this approach more attractive. We determine simple decision rules, based on observable and measurable variables, to determine whether a country is likely to fail or not.
Reducing The Impact Of Ethnic Tensions On Economic Growth – Economic Or Political Institutions?, Atin Basu Choudhary, Jim Bang, Michael Reksulak
Reducing The Impact Of Ethnic Tensions On Economic Growth – Economic Or Political Institutions?, Atin Basu Choudhary, Jim Bang, Michael Reksulak
Atin Basu Choudhary
We use a standard growth regression model and show that ethnic tensions reduce per capita growth rates. We also find evidence that “good” economic and political institutions improve per capita growth rates. More importantly, good economic institutions mitigate the effect of ethnic tensions on per capita growth while good political institutions do not. Consequently, it is foremost capitalist freedom that promotes peace and development.
The Politics Of Partnerships. A Critical Examination Of Nonprofit-Business Partnerships, Maria May Seitanidi
The Politics Of Partnerships. A Critical Examination Of Nonprofit-Business Partnerships, Maria May Seitanidi
Maria May Seitanidi
The widespread partnering phenomenon in the US and the UK spurred a significant amount of literature focusing on its strategic use. The Politics of Partnerships diverges by examining if partnerships can deliver benefits that extend beyond the organisational to the societal level resulting from the intentional combined efforts of the partners. The book offers under the chronological stages of formation, implementation, outcomes a critical examination and proposes a holistic framework for the study of partnerships allowing for observations beyond any single stage.
Peaceful Relationships, Lester R. Kurtz
Peaceful Relationships, Lester R. Kurtz
Lester R. Kurtz
Peaceful relationships are sustained interactions characterized by the absence or low levels of violence. Easier to theorize or write about than to sustain in practice, from interpersonal interactions to relations at the global level and among states, institutions, and social groups, peaceful relationships are the building blocks of a more peaceful world. Interwoven with a web of violence in human affairs is a web of peaceful relations, from the micro level to the macro level, that probably shape most human behavior.
Resources On Partnerships & Groups, Maria May Seitanidi
Resources On Partnerships & Groups, Maria May Seitanidi
Maria May Seitanidi
This is a list of Groups on Partnerships
Sustainable Development, Anita Komandari, Lester R. Kurtz
Sustainable Development, Anita Komandari, Lester R. Kurtz
Lester R. Kurtz
The dominant model of development, characterized by large-scale industrialization and neoliberal policies, is unsustainable in terms of its role in the marginalization of many segments of human society and the exploitation of nature. This article presents the imperative need for a development model that is sustainable, arguing that it is important to break out of the unilateral ideology of devel- opment and incorporate democratic pluralism. It discusses some important aspects of a community-centric development model that form the foundations of sustain- ability, namely, community control and management of resources, community self-rule, and self-reliance.
Dalai Lama Darshan, Lester R. Kurtz
From Heresies To Holy Wars: Toward A Theory Of Religious Conflict, Lester R. Kurtz
From Heresies To Holy Wars: Toward A Theory Of Religious Conflict, Lester R. Kurtz
Lester R. Kurtz
Explores the elements of a theory of religious conflict, starting with Simmel's understanding of conflict as a form of human sociation and religion as content of a conflict (religious rhetoric and framing are used to carry or explain the conflict) vs. the form of religious conflict, in which the conflict itself takes on a sacred nature. I also examine the ritualization of conflict and the nature of conflict symbols, that is highly-charged symbols that become lightning rods for conflict.
Untangling The Web Of Violence, Lester R. Kurtz, Jennifer Turpin
Untangling The Web Of Violence, Lester R. Kurtz, Jennifer Turpin
Lester R. Kurtz
No abstract provided.
The Politics Of Heresy, Lester R. Kurtz
Freedom And Domination, Lester R. Kurtz