Against agency: a positional critique

Abstract

This paper uses the changing historical and theoretical frames within which management pay and investor claims are considered to provide a critique of the functionalist approach of agency and to develop an alternative, positional explanation of rewards. The first part of the paper draws on the contrast between the pre-1940 critique of the rentier and the post-1980 discursive construction of the shareholder to raise important contemporary questions about position and reward. The second part develops the idea of positional rewards to challenge agency assumptions by arguing that both giant firm managers and the less visible, though larger, group of intermediaries use their position to skim value. In contrast, the experience of position is more mixed for shareholders, who are generally passive value surfers. The final section of the paper argues that a renewed emphasis on position will enable a problem shift from value creation to value capture.     

Reconciling questions about dichotomizing variables in criminal justice research

Purpose

Despite accumulating evidence against the practice of artificial dichotomization, its continued use among criminal justice researchers indicates that there are still unresolved questions about its appropriateness. Farrington and Loeber (2000) provided a discussion of how these issues impact research on delinquency, and many researchers have cited their article as a justification for dichotomization within the field of criminal justice. In the current study, we examine the reasons why researchers have cited Farrington and Loeber as a mechanism for answering some unresolved questions about whether and when dichotomization may be justified.

Methods

We used a forward citation search in PsycInfo to locate all articles citing Farrington and Loeber (2000) in support of dichotomization.

Results

This search identified 126 articles which provided a total of 191 reasons supporting dichotomization. We explore these reasons, discussing whether they are consistent with evidence from simulation-based analyses and whether they are supported by existing statistical and methodological theory.

Conclusions

Despite the large number of reasons for dichotomization provided by authors, we found very few that had empirical or theoretical support.     

The Effect of Conjugal Visitation on Sexual Violence in Prison

Using yearly state-level data drawn from a variety of different sources and a pooled cross-sectional time-series research design, we examine whether conjugal visitation attenuates sexual violence in prison. The determination of whether sexual violence in prison is less apt to transpire in states that allow conjugal visitation is theoretically relevant. Feminist theory argues that conjugal visitation has little if any influence on the occurrence of rape and other sexual offenses in prison, notwithstanding the gender of the offender and victim, because such offenses are crimes of power that are employed by the offender as an instrument to dominate and humiliate the victim. On the other hand, sexual gratification theory postulates that conjugal visitation provides inmates with a means of sexual release. Therefore, conjugal visitation should reduce sexual offending in prison. Results support sexual gratification theory by showing that states permitting conjugal visitation have significantly fewer instances of reported rape and other sexual offenses in their prisons. The policy implications of these findings are discussed.     

The Terminal Crisis of the “Participatory Government” and the Election of Lee Myung Bak

This paper examines the election of Lee Myung Bak through the terminal crisis of the Roh Moo Hyun government that preceded it. I start with an analysis of the election of Lee Myung Bak and the electoral strategies of the liberal-progressive bloc in the December 2007 election and then move on to detail how these strategies shed light on tensions within Korean progressive politics since the transition to democracy in 1987. These tensions inform what I shall call the “terminal crisis” of Roh's “participatory government.” I argue that this crisis involves a problem of articulation within progressive politics between a politics of reunification and one grounded in egalitarian economic reform, including the lack of an alternative to the different forms of neo-liberalism embraced by both the Roh government and the conservative government of Lee Myung Bak. My hope is that thorough examination of these tensions that have informed the liberal-progressive bloc during the long decade since 1987 can spur reflection on the role of social movements in Korean democratisation and the dilemmas they face in crafting strategies for political and economic reform.     

A qualitative investigation of treatment components for families of youth who have sexually offended

ABSTRACT

Traditional treatment approaches for youth who commit sexual crimes are generally understudied and lack consideration for youths’ evolving context and development. A holistic model is important in service delivery, whereby multiple socio-ecological risk and protective factors are targeted in treatment. Family treatment, a key component of holistic practices, has not been well-defined for families of youth who have committed sexual crimes. Better understanding of the practical techniques used in service agencies can inform family services for youth. Using an inductive grounded theory approach, this qualitative study interviews service providers (N?=?19) to understand components of family treatment. Findings suggest components including problem solving, communication skills, and working through the pain meet certain goals of restructuring and uniting families. The therapeutic relationship was a component that meets all goals of family treatment and helps families and youth overcome stigma of sexual offending. Findings have implications for developing and testing models of family treatment for sexually abusive youth.     

Will we work in twenty-first century capitalism? A critique of the fourth industrial revolution literature

Abstract

The fourth industrial revolution has become a prominent concept and imminent technological change a major issue. Facets are everyone’s concern but currently no one’s ultimate responsibility (perhaps a little like financial stability before the global financial crisis). In this paper, we argue that the future is being shaped now by the way the fourth industrial revolution is being positioned. Whilst no one has set out to argue for or defend technological determinism, anxiety combined with passivity and complacency are being produced in the context of a quasi-determinism. The contingent quantification of the future with regard to the potential for job displacement provides an influential source of authority for this position. A background narrative of ‘the future is coming, so you better get used to it’ is being disseminated. This favours a capitalism that may ‘deny work to the many’ perspective rather than a more fundamental rethink that encompasses change that may liberate the many from work. This, in turn, positions workers and responsibility for future employment, reducing the urgency of calls for wider societal preparation. Public understanding and policy are thus affected and along with them the future of work.     

Occupational hazard: Predictors of stress among jail correctional officers

The plethora of literature on correctional officers and the work environment, more specifically occupational stress, has focused almost exclusively on officers working in prison facilities. The primary purpose of the current study was to examine the predictors of occupational stress and general stress among 373 jail correctional officers in one state in the Northeast, using the Stressors identified in the previous literature on prison correctional officers and occupational stress. The results indicated that organizational strengths, perceived danger, role problems, and job satisfaction were significant predictors of both occupational and general stress. In addition, gender and salary predicted occupational stress while correctional experience and training predicted general stress. Suggestions are made for administrators, as well as future research on the workplace experiences of correctional officers.