Book reviews

Vernon Hewitt, The New International Politics of South Asia (Manchester University Press, Manchester and New York, 1997), xxxvi +305 pp., ISBN 0–7190–5121–5 (hb), 0–7190–5122–3 (pb)

Ruth Lister, Citizenship: Feminist Perspectives (Macmillan, London, 1997), 284 pp., ISBN 0–333–53488–3

Martin Bull and Martin Rhodes (eds), Crisis and Transition in Italian Politics (Frank Cass, London, 1997), 253 pp., ISBN 0–7146–4816–7 (hb), 0–7146–4366–1 (pb)

Linda McDougall, Westminster Women (Vintage, London, 1998), 215 pp., ISBN 0–09–927405–1     

Between a rock and a hard place: The Swedish social democratic party into Europe

Goran Therborn, European Modernity and Beyond: The Trajectory of European Societies, (Sage, London 1995). 403pp. ISBN 8039 8934 2.

John McGany and Brendan O'Leary, Explaining Northern Ireland, (Blackwell, Oxford 1995). 535pp. ISBN 0–631–18349–3.     

The Society'S 2004 Tour Of Central Asia

Kelantan. Religion, Society and Politics in a Malay State. Edited by William R. Roff. Kuala Lumpur, Oxford University Press, 1974. Pp. 371. Maps. Glossary. Bibliog. Index. £11.85.     

The Role of Social Support in Students’ Perceived Abilities and Attitudes Toward Math and Science

Social cognitive models examining academic and career outcomes emphasize constructs such as attitude, interest, and self-efficacy as key factors affecting students’ pursuit of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) courses and careers. The current research examines another under-researched component of social cognitive models: social support, and the relationship between this component and attitude and self-efficacy in math and science. A large cross-sectional design was used gathering data from 1,552 participants in four adolescent school settings from 5th grade to early college (41 % female, 80 % white). Students completed measures of perceived social support from parents, teachers and friends as well as their perceived ability and attitudes toward math and science. Fifth grade and college students reported higher levels of support from teachers and friends when compared to students at other grade levels. In addition, students who perceived greater social support for math and science from parents, teachers, and friends reported better attitudes and had higher perceptions of their abilities in math and science. Lastly, structural equation modeling revealed that social support had both a direct effect on math and science perceived abilities and an indirect effect mediated through math and science attitudes. Findings suggest that students who perceive greater social support for math and science from parents, teachers, and friends have more positive attitudes toward math and science and a higher sense of their own competence in these subjects.     

Eve Drewelowe: feminist identity in American art

Eve Drewelowe (1899–1988) was an American artist who attended the University of Iowa, where she received a BA in Graphic and Plastic Arts in 1923. During these early years when university art programs were being established, Drewelowe became the first person to receive an MA in art from the University of Iowa; one of the first people to receive such a degree in the United States. Drewelowe reinvented herself throughout her life and her artwork reflects a current knowledge of modern styles that emerged in the twentieth century. Drewelowe exhibited under the name Eve Drewelowe Van Ek shortly after her marriage in 1924 until the early 1950s, when she chose to resume using only her own surname. During the three intervening decades, her signature varies from one artwork to the next. In some instances, the artist later rubbed out or painted over the ‘Van Ek’ with little attempt to conceal the change, leaving a visual indicator of the artist's identity struggles. Her personal papers also reflect the challenges she faced reconciling public expectations of her role as the wife of a university dean with her profession as an artist. This essay considers the ways Drewelowe performed her identity as an artist in order to maintain her personal autonomy against the backdrop of the male dominated social and artistic world.     

Resolving Socioeconomic Disparities through Fiscal Decentralisation in the Republic of Macedonia

This article examines whether fiscal decentralisation in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia between 2005 and 2012 has been achieved at the expense of economic and territorial cohesion. It examines the presence of longstanding socioeconomic disparities and rural under-development, before considering whether fiscal decentralisation has: facilitated a more equitable distribution of public resources; created the optimal conditions for expanding citizens’ access to basic services; and reduced socioeconomic disparities between urban and rural areas. The article argues that unless carefully designed and implemented, fiscal decentralisation reforms can have unintended consequences and may actually exacerbate socioeconomic disparities rather than reduce them.