Regulating digital broadcasting in Europe: The limits of policy convergence

In 1996–67 France, Germany and Britain overhauled their broadcasting legislation, at least in part in response to the impact of digital technology. The fact that these countries felt it necessary to reform their broadcasting systems at the same time, that they were all facing the common challenge of digital broadcasting, and that they had all recently liberalised their telecommunications industries in the face of technological change and EU policy leadership, led to the expectation that their broadcasting policies might also converge in a similar direction; an expectation supported by much of the literature on policy convergence. This article examines the broadcasting reforms that were undertaken and finds that there was very little evidence of policy convergence and attributes this largely to the strong, national institutional structures and intense politicisation that characterise the broadcasting sector.     

The Gautreaux Legacy: What Might Mixed‐Income and Dispersal Strategies Mean for the Poorest Public Housing Tenants?

Abstract

The current transformation of public and assisted housing reflects the legacy of the Gautreaux case, which created the first mobility and scattered‐site programs. Mixed‐income and dispersal strategies now dominate federal housing policy, although their focus has shifted. Drawing on evidence from two preliminary studies of public housing transformation in Chicago, we argue that these new strategies seem to offer benefits for distressed public housing communities but also involve risks for the most vulnerable current tenants. Increased screening and/or the need to compete with private market tenants may force these families out of the assisted housing market.

Addressing the complex needs of the most troubled public housing tenants will call for a more comprehensive solution. The intent of the Gautreaux case was to increase opportunity and enhance quality of life for public housing tenants; policy makers should take steps to ensure that current programs reflect these fundamental goals.     

Do economic conditions influence how theorists view adolescents?

Eighty-nine articles in thePedagogical Seminary and theJournal of Genetic Psychology appearing during two economic depressions and the two world wars were analyzed for their adolescent ideologies. A systematic, ideological bias in the content of these articles was found to be statistically significant. In times of economic depression theories of adolescence emerge that portray teenagers as immature, psychologically unstable, and in need of prolonged participation in the educational system. During wartime, the psychological competence of youth is emphasized and the duration of education is recommended to be more retracted than in depression. The objective, scientific nature of theory building is questioned and discussed.Received Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota. Research interests: adolescent social development, moral development.Received M.S. in Educational Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Research interests: adolescent development, cognitive development.Received Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Research interests: quantitative methods.Research interests: adolescent social development, cognitive development.