Review Articles

EQUALITY AND AUTHORITY: A Study of Class, Status and Power in Australia. By S. Encel, Melbourne, Cheshire, 1970 AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY: A Sociological Introduction. Edited by A. F. Davies and S. Encel, Second Edition. Melbourne, Cheshire, 1970 KRIEG DER ILLUSIONEN: Die deutsche Politik von 1911 bis 1914. By Fritz Fischer. Düsseldorf, Droste verlag     

The Silent Reform of Swiss Federalism: The New Constitutional Articles on Education

This article examines the decision‐making process leading to the new constitutional articles on education in Switzerland. It analyzes how actors from both state levels (Confederation and cantons) could reach consensus in a process that was prone to a “joint‐decision trap”. To that end, we hypothesize which factors may be conducive to a “problem‐solving” style of policy‐making in a compulsory negotiation system. Rich empirical material from various sources supports our theoretical arguments: We show that shared beliefs and a common frame of reference, the procedural separation between constitutional and distributional issues, neutral brokers, and informal structures were all beneficial to the success of the reform project.     

Voting Attitudes and Behaviour Among Aboriginal Peoples: Reports from Anangu Women*

At state and particularly in federal (or national) elections, Aboriginal Peoples in remote regions turn out to vote in low numbers. A number of hypotheses have been offered to explain the low voting participation of such constituencies. Some have asserted that Aboriginal Peoples do not wish to vote; others have suggested that “first order” elections have low salience for Aboriginal Peoples, thereby depressing turnout. The low political efficacy thesis has also been proposed, as well as cultural and mechanical factors. We consider whether any of these hypotheses are plausible using data obtained in group interviews with twenty‐nine Anangu Women in remote South Australia. On the basis of this fieldwork we consider means for stimulating turnout within this, and in similar, constituencies.     

A. Article

OCCUPATION: ISRAEL OVER PALESTINE. Edited by NASSER ARURI. London, Zed Press, 1984. £24.95 (hardback); £9.95 (paperback)

DOCUMENTS ON THE ISRAELI‐PALESTINIAN CONFLICT 1967–1983. Edited by YEHUDA LUCAKS. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1984. £19.50.

PEACEMAKING IN THE MIDDLE EAST. Edited by PAUL MARANTZ and JANICE GROSS STEIN. London, Croom Helm, 1985. £17.95.

THE IMPACT OF GUSH EMUNIM: POLITICS AND SETTLEMENT IN THE WEST BANK. Edited by DAVID NEWMAN. London, Croom Helm, 1985.£17.95.