Social change, political elections, and the middle class in Korea

The primary purpose of this study is to analyze the political orientations of the Korean middle classes as they were manifested in their voting behavior in the general and presidential elections. In addition, the present study examines the nature of the involvement of the middle classes in the context of each of the major historical events since the liberation from the Japanese colonial rule. The event-specific analysis of the middle class participation made it possible to test the fitness of different hypotheses about the political orientation of the Korean middle classes. With few notable exceptions, the middle classes had not been actively involved in protest movements. Rather, they rely on the democratic political systems to passively promote their own agenda and political transformation. Overall, the middle classes have remained a substantial and silent force, with the potential to be backbone of stability or the engine for change. Their force has been felt strongest in the general and presidential elections, where their support for or opposition to, the ruling party has consistently determined the outcomes. With the growth of voluntary associations representing a wide variety of causes, the middle classes' strength may be diluted somewhat by the number of issues for protest. A cause that finds support across the middle class An earlier version this article was presented at the Conference on “The Republic of Korea After 50 Years: Continuity and Convergence,” Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., October 2–3, 1998.     

Correspondence

Negotiation Journal -     

The future of copyright in India

Legal context: The copyright laws in India are set to be amended with the introductionof the provisions for anti-circumvention and Rights ManagementInformation in the Indian copyright regime although India isunder no obligation to introduce these changes as it is nota signatory to WCT or WPPT. Key points: The main purpose of these provisions and measures is to preventillegal commercial copying, a menace which hits the Indian movieand music industry significantly enough to ensure that the industryforms a strong lobby in such proposals. India has amended itscopyright legislation over the years to accommodate technologicalchanges and prevent piracy; however, the problem has only escalatedover the years. Technological measures impose restrictions onthe access to content and impose other restrictions on the useof the same. Practical significance: Who are the actual stakeholders behind advocating these changes?Is it Bollywood or the same Hollywood studios which lobbiedfor the same changes in international legislation? What maybe the cultural implications of adopting such changes in Indiancopyright laws? The paper would attempt to assess the culturaleffect of the combined legal and technical measures being proposedunder the copyright laws in India.     

What matters to citizens in crisis recovery? Being listened to,action, and confidence in government

Policy Sciences - The policy decision-making process in the aftermath of a crisis is a dynamic and iterative process involving circumstances that are emotionally convoluted rather than stable and...     

Farm tractorisation,productivity and labour employment: A case study of Indian Punjab

The objective of this paper is to determine the effects of farm tractorisation on output and human labour employment on Punjab farms in India. The residts seem to suggest that, this far, the use of tractors has resulted in higher output and more employment. The authors believe that the threat from farm tractorisation is not all that great; the use of tractors is likely to be confined to certain areas only, and there too, any displacement of labour should be possible to control through appropriate public policies.