Corporatism and Regional Economic Policies in the Federal Republic of Germany: The "Meso" Politics of Industrial Adjustment

This article examines corporatist theory (business, labor, governmentinteraction) in the context of regional governments and economicpolicy in the Federal Republic of Germany. West German regionalgovernments, far more than the federal government, have actedto shape industrial adjustment and enhance international competitiveness.Corporatist theory is analyzed in the context of its evolutionfrom a macro to a meso variant, which attempts to address sector-andregion-specific forms of economic dislocation. The new meso-corporatistapproach is found insufficient because it looks only at privateinterests and neglects the regional politics of industrial adjustment.The very different "meso-political" patterns of adjustment areexamined here in a synthetic review of recent research on economicpolicymaking in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and North-RhineWestphalia. Meso-corporatism may still prove useful theoretically,but only if it includes the role of regional governments.     

Constitutional Fidelity and Extra-Legal Discretion: Justifying Executive Prerogative and Disobedient Disclosure

In this article, I defend the justifiability of both concealed uses of executive prerogative as consistent with the end of self-preservation for which government is constituted by the people and its disobedient disclosure as consistent with the rational interest of the citizens of the constitutional state in non-subordination. Indeed, I argue both prerogative and disclosure are justifiable, despite the latter clearly operating at cross-purposes with the former. I also contend that disobedient disclosure aligns more closely with the justificatory conditions of executive prerogative than more traditions forms of civil disobedience. My discussion is limited to the question of justification, highlighting the normative stakes of delegitimizing either mode of extra-legal discretionary judgment by executive or disclosers respectively.     

The Duel of Honor: Screening For Unobservable Social Capital

The duel of honor was a highly ritualized violent activity practiced(mostly) by aristocrats from about 1500 to 1900. The duel ofhonor was held in private, was attended by seconds and othermembers of society, was illegal, and often resulted from trivialincidents. Duels were fought according to strict codes, theirlethality fell over time, and certain members of society werenot allowed to duel. We argue dueling functioned as a screenfor unobservable investments in social capital. Social capitalwas used during this period to support political transactionsin an age when high civil service appointments were made throughpatronage. The screening hypothesis explains the puzzling featuresof the duel of honor, its rise and fall over time and locations,and the differences between European and American duels. In a state of highly polished society, an affront is held tobe a serious injury. It must, therefore, be resented, or rathera duel must be fought upon it; as men have agreed to banishfrom their society one who puts up with an affront without fightinga duel.

—Samuel Johnson, quoted in James Boswell

     

A grounded theory analysis of sexual sadism in females

Abstract

Although there has been a great deal of research conducted on sex offenders, a majority of studies have focused on male perpetrators. The general consensus is that very little is known about female sexual perpetrators due primarily to the small number of identified offenders and sociocultural factors. These issues are even more prominent for subtypes of female perpetrators such as those whose offences involve sexual sadism. The following paper examined five incarcerated female offenders, diagnosed with sexual sadism. Grounded theory analysis was used to identify psychological characteristics and behavioural patterns related to the sadistic behaviours that are not currently included in diagnostic criteria.