Stability and change 1300–1700: The socio‐economic context of the self‐perpetuating family farm in England

The article examines the not inconsiderable role played by alteration in the pattern of inheritance custom in bringing about the transformation of the medieval peasantry into a self‐respecting group of small‐holders. Where child‐portions in the form of cash or education were accepted as legitimate equivalents to land and stock, sixteenth‐century holdings remained large, 30–100 acres. Where the principle was not accepted, the medieval pattern of overcrowded twelve‐acre holdings either persisted or reappeared.

The very considerable differences, in cultural and economic terms, between the small‐holder of the thirteenth‐century in England and the small‐holder of the eighteenth century has been largely obscured and overlooked by the use of the term ’peasant’ to designate both groups. Thus the medievalists discuss the disappearance of the peasantry in the fifteenth century and modern historians and sociologists probe the causes of the disappearance of the peasantry in the eighteenth. Both have in mind the self‐perpetuating family farm but they are discussing two very different types of rural economy. Such confusion is surely an indicator of the need for a closer definition of terms among those concerned with rural studies.     

Paternalism,National Citizenship,and Religiosity in Chinese State Legitimation Discourse

Journal of Chinese Political Science - Recent discussions on the nature and problems of Chinese state legitimacy have drawn attention to the multidimensionality of contributing factors and threats...     

Living up to the normative ideal of the human right to adequate housing in urban Ghana

This article constructs a holistic narrative on the right to adequate housing in Ghana by piecing together the fragmented literature on the various dimensions of the right using the traditional “qualitative” approach to literature review. Results of the thematically synthesized literature reveal that housing rights in urban Ghana pale empirically in comparison to its normative tenets. The right is violated in all its dimensions, ranging from high insecurity of tenure to the cultural unsuitability of many high-rise dwellings. Major causes identified include the normative framing of slums as illegitimate, defunct and unenforced rental legislation, poor integration of modern and vernacular housing designs, and poor justiciability of the right within the domestic legal system. The situation in Ghana mirrors those in other countries across the globe—however, with local peculiarities—and points to why empirical work on the right within diverse sociopolitical contexts is necessary.     

Reconsidering strain theory: Operationalization,rival theories,and adult criminality

Recently a revisionist view of strain theory's empirical adequacy has emerged which holds that the theory's explanatory power depends on how it is operationalized. With an adult community sample, we empirically assess three separate measures of strain to explain self-reported crime: the gap between aspirations and expectations, blocked opportunities, and relative deprivation. The findings reveal that the aspirations-expectations measure is not related to criminal involvement, while perceived blocked opportunities and feelings of relative deprivation significantly affect adult offending. These relationships, however, fail to persist after measures from competing theories (i.e., low self-control, differential association, and social bond) are introduced as controls in the regression equations. Thus, measures from rival theories offer a more fruitful approach to explaining self-reported adult offending.A version of this paper was presented at the 1993 American Society of Criminology meetings, Phoenix, Arizona.     

Drug testing in the criminal justice work place

This article investigates the use of drug testing to combat drug use and abuse by criminal justice personnel. Arguments for and against drug testing are discussed, as well as the current legal status of employees. The implications and future legal trends of drug testing of criminal justice personnel are analyzed.     

Liability and criminal justice management: Resolving dilemmas and meeting future challenges

To reduce liability, police executives rely heavily on hierarchically imposed rule adherence to control subordinates’ discretion. This management approach runs counter to current advice on how to “best manage” a public entity. This article develops an innovative approach to police management that reduces liability exposure while improving the management of the organization in keeping with contemporary notions of human resource development.