The Progressive Dilemma Revisited

In his book of the same title, David Marquand identified the progressive dilemma faced by many intellectuals since the beginning of the twentieth century as a question of whether it was better to work through a political party or through civil society to achieve reform. This dilemma was sharpened by the emergence of the Labour party as the main challenger to the Conservatives, because the party was so closely identified with the defence of a particular interest. This hindered the creation of the kind of broad electoral coalition that could win general elections. Throughout most of its history, Labour has failed to realise its promise and sustain reforming governments. In this article, the history of the Labour party over the past hundred years is outlined, in particular the three cycles 1931–51, 1951–79 and 1979–2010 and the divisions and recriminations that have followed each period in government. The current predicament of the party is then briefly assessed.     

Political Memoirs

Political memoirs form an accessible primary source for the political scientist, but there is considerable disagreement about their usefulness and reliability. Memoirs can be classified firstly according to whether their chief focus is the ethos, the doctrines, or the policy making of political parties, and secondly according to the principal means employed in their compilation - such as diaries, private and official papers, or personal reminiscences. Examples of these different types of memoir written by members of the Thatcher Government are analysed to demonstrate their uses and limitations.     

Perceptions of controllability and other stressor event characteristics as determinants of coping among young adolescents and young adults

Young adolescents (N=146, mean age=11.35, 54% female, 81% Anglo) and young adults (N=166, mean age=20.73, 68% female, 82% Anglo) completed questionnaires assessing appraisals of and efforts to cope with three common stressful events, conflicts with mother, a friend, and a failure. For each event, participants rated appraisals of event controllability, including control over event outcomes, event predictability, and perceptions of causal locus (self-culpable, other culpable, and unknown). Additional appraisals rated included event meaningfulness, duration, frequency of occurrence, and stakes/concerns (concerns about one's or another person's well-being). Employment of five coping strategies was rated for each event. Analyses revealed significant correlations among the appraisal and coping variables across the three events. Aggregate variables were computed and significant age differences emerged from analyses of variance. Results of hierarchical multiple regressions suggest that coping is multiply determined. Perceptions of control may be significant predictors for young adolescents, and concerns about other people may be predictive of young adults' responses.Obtained Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University in Individual and Family Studies. Major research interest is social and emotional development in children and adolescents.