Collaborative Federalism

Famously, federalism combines self-rule with shared rule or unity with diversity. Typically, the mix is achieved by creating or preserving two levels of government, each with a direct relationship with the people, and by dividing power between them. Traditionally, unity is achieved through the exercise of power by the central government, in relation to the polity as a whole. Diversity is the consequence of the exercise of power by sub-national governments over a portion of the population, generally territorially identified. The boundaries of power between the two spheres are secured by entrenching them in a written Constitution established as fundamental law, which is interpreted and applied by a court or courts.     

Managing conflict in divided societies: Lessons from Tajikistan

This article presents a new approach to managing conflict in divided societies and describes how it is being implemented in Tajikistan. This approach involves two interrelated strategies: (1) a five-stage unofficial dialogue process aimed at probing the dynamics of the conflictual relationships among the parties and designing a sequence of interactive steps to changing the relationships; and (2) a civil society strategy aimed at building institutions of civil society that transcend the traditional divisions in the society. Randa M. Slim is a program officer in charge of the international civil society programs at the Kettering Foundation, 200 Commons Road, Dayton, Ohio 45459.Harold H. Saunders, former member of the National Security Council Staff and Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, is Director of International Affairs at the Kettering Foundation, 444 North Capitol Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001. They co-direct the Tajikistani dialogue program.     

Reviews

Neil Harding, Lenin's Political Thought, Vol. 2 Theory and Practice in the Socialist Revolution. London: Macmillan, 1981. ix + 387 pp. £15.00.

David Lane, Leninism, A Sociological Interpretation. Cambridge: C.U.P., 1981. x + 150 pp. £13.50 and £4.50.

Christel Lane, The Rites of Rulers. Ritual in Industrial Society—The Soviet Case. Cambridge University Press, 1981. 308 pp. £20.00, £6.95 paperback.

Alastair McAuley, Women's Work and Wages in the USSR. London: George Allen and Unwin, 1981. xi + 228 pp. £18.00, $37.50.

Marie Lavigne (ed.), Travail et Monnaie en systemesocialiste. Paris: Economica, 1981. 310 pp.

Robert Campbell, Soviet Energy Technologies. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1980. x + 268 pp. $22.50, £13.50.

Alfred Zauberman, Topics in Trade Coordination of Planned Economies. London and Basingstoke; The Macmillan Press Ltd., 1980. 108 pp. £15.00.

Helen Desfosses (ed.), Soviet Population Policy: Conflicts and Constraints. New York: Pergamon Press, 1981. xx + 210 pp. $24.50

Judith Pallot and Denis J. B. Shaw, Planning in the Soviet Union. London: Croom Helm, 1981. 303 pp. £16.95 (boards).

Peter Hruby, Fools and Heroes: The Changing Role of Communist Intellectuals in Czechoslovakia. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1980. xx + 265 pp. $32.00 & $18.75, £14.00 & £8.50.

Jiri Musil, Urbanization in Socialist Countries. White Plains, New York: M. E. Sharpe, Inc., 1980 and London: Croom Helm, 1981. xii + 188 pp. £10.50.

Timothy J. Colton, Commisars, Commanders, and Civilian Authority: The Structure of Soviet Military Politics. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1979. viii + 365 pp. £15.00.     

Mental health correlates of the victim-perpetrator relationship among interpersonally victimized adolescents

This research examines mental health correlates of different victim-perpetrator relationships among adolescent victims of interpersonal violence. A large and nationally representative sample of adolescents (N = 4,023) responded to structured telephone interviews concerning mental health functioning (posttraumatic stress disorder-PTSD, major depressive disorder, substance abuse/dependence, and delinquency). Those reporting histories of sexual (n = 321) and/or physical (n = 688) assault were queried about specific aspects of their assaults, including their relationship with the perpetrator. After controlling for demographic and assault-related risk factors, the victim-perpetrator relationship remained a significant risk factor for mental health problems. Adolescents sexually assaulted by nonstrangers were at increased risk for PTSD; those sexually assaulted by acquaintances or people they did not know well were at increased risk for delinquency. Adolescents who were physically assaulted by a family member were at increased risk for PTSD. Explanations for the findings and the need for consistent assessment methods across related studies are discussed.     

We need a larger theory of negotiation: The importance of pre-negotiating phases

Negotiation Journal -     

The history of African history

Historians and Africanist History: A Critique — Post‐Colonial Historiography Examined by Arnold Temu and Bonaventure Swai Zed Press, London, 1981. xiv plus 187 pp. including bibliography and index. R20, 75 paperback.     

Talking up China: An analysis of China’s rising cultural power and global promotion of the Chinese language

This essay focuses on the remarkable rise of China from a veritable hermit state in the 1960s to a cultural lodestone in the early 21st century. We explore the country's growing cultural power and the implications of the PRC's increasing promotion of the Chinese language as a global idiom. Our findings suggest that while China faces significant internal and external barriers to fully achieving its potential as a global cultural power, recent efforts by Beijing to promote the Chinese language and Mandarin's increasing utility as a lingua franca for trade have significantly increased the resonance of Chinese culture abroad, especially in the Pacific rim. With this increase in cultural influence beyond its borders, we argue that China's “soft power” is also in ascendancy.