The basel chemical multinationals: Corporate action within structures of corporatism in Switzerland

This study is part of a developing corpus on the political economy of the multinational enterprise. It considers the embeddedness of the three Basel‐headquartered chemical multinationals in the ‘private and decentralised’ corporatism of the Swiss political economy. These companies enjoy privileged positions in a policy network weighted towards large business. Such corporate power is evident in the ‘self‐regulation’ of genetic engineering, which has nevertheless been politicised by interest group opposition. Indeed the agitation of ‘outsider’ groups has served to weaken the edifice of Swiss corporatism, the legitimacy of which has been called into question by the Swiss rejection of the European Economic Area. The article concludes with a criticism of corporate inactivity in the EEA referendum campaign, and points to the negative implications of the Swiss ‘No’ for the Basel MNEs.     

The German solidarity pact: A case study in the politics of the Unified Germany

The political process in the old Federal Republic was distinguished by all‐pervasive negotiations and an orientation towards consensus, as indicated by the concepts of ‘co‐operative federalism’, ‘co‐operative opposition’ and ‘neo‐corporatism’ frequently used to describe relations between the federation and the state governments, between the federal government and opposition, and between the federal government and organised economic interests. Some observers expected German unification to lead to fundamental changes in these traits. This study of the negotiations which took place over a ‘Solidarity Pact’ between September 1992 and March 1993 concludes that, far from the political process of the old Federal Republic having been transformed by unification, its distinguishing traits appear rather to have been reinforced. It argues that, whilst there will be no second Solidarity Pact, cooperation and compromise will remain more pervasive in the politics of the unified Germany than confrontation and polarisation.     

The connection of police strategies for coping with workplace problems to stress in two countries

This research examined the direct effects of coping strategies on stress and the moderating effects of coping strategies on the associations between workplace problems experienced by police and stress in South Korea and the United States. Data revealed that coping strategies did not change the strength of connections between workplace problems and stress. Especially in the United States, the use of escape as a coping strategy was related to high stress. Findings were most consistent with the use of organizational-level interventions to increase police officers' job control and advancement opportunities, and pointed to the need to consider support as a way to limit stress.     

Powerlessness,isolation, and future expectations: A gender‐based analysis of Korean inmates

This study explored gender differences in perceptions of powerlessness, isolation, and postprison expectation among inmates in the Republic of Korea. Korean women and girls occupy a social location that is characterized by marginalization from the labor force, emphasis on a restrictive gender ideology through family and school socialization, and dependence on the position of their family of origin or, after marriage, their husband for social standing. Given their social location and the socialization that supports and reproduces the social structure, the researchers hypothesized that compared to men in prison, women inmates would express lower levels of control over their own lives, greater feelings of isolation, and be more cynical about their life chances upon release from prison. Each of these hypotheses were supported at both the aggregate‐ and inmate‐level of analysis. The findings suggest the need for gender specific programming within the prison for women.     

Historical and contemporary views of social control,race, crime,and justice

This volume is a special issue commemorating Black History Month in the United States. The five papers contained in the volume address a wide variety of issues in the area of race, crime, and justice.