A question of values: Conservatives and the culture of poverty

Every society has within it some individuals and groups who are successful and some who are less successful. Explanations for these differences range from the political to the economic and from the cultural to the religious. For American conservatives, the differences in individual levels of achievement can be explained primarily in cultural terms. The conservative mythology argues that there are clearly superior and clearly inferior cultural values and that good values produce successful individuals. This article deals with the fundamentally tautological nature of this argument: Why is so-and-so successful? Because he or she has better values. How do we know he or she has better values? Because he or she is successful. After elaborating this intellectual problem, an empirical test is made of the existence of different values among America's social groups. Using census data and national survey data, the personal goals and attitudes of various societal groups and their relative economic accomplishments are presented and compared. This analysis demonstrates that few of the culture-based differences which are asserted by conservatives can be validated empirically.     

Responses to Gender Inequality in the Division of Family Work: The Status Quo Effect

This study addresses responses to gender inequality in the division of family work as well as the outcomes of those responses. Ninety-eight husbands and 95 wives responded to stimulus information manipulated by means of scenarios. Participants reported more wife-demand/husband-withdraw interaction than husband-demand/wife-withdraw interaction when the wife was discontent with her spouse's contribution to family work, but the demand/withdraw interaction patterns were reported equally when the husband was discontent. The data showed support for the Status Quo Effect Hypothesis: The likelihood that the spouse's contribution to family work remained unchanged (i.e., status quo maintenance) was rated higher than the likelihood that the spouse would increase his/her contribution to family work. In line with this, when the wife was discontent, wife-demand/husband-withdraw interaction was negatively related to the likelihood that the spouse would do more family work. Finally, participants reported a greater likelihood for discontent spouses than for content spouses to increase their own contribution, but discontent husbands were more likely to do so than discontent wives.     

国有垄断性企业收入分配问题的思考

由于体制性因素，政策性因素等原因，导致国有垄断性企业员工收入水平普遍较高，企业内部收入分配平均主义比较突出。为了规范国有垄断性企业的收入分配秩序，体现公平与效率的原则，必须引入竞争机制，降低垄断水平；清理整顿工资外收入，规范收入来源；降低人工成本，逐步拉开企业内分配差距。实徒工资总额管理，健全工资水平管理体制，加大宏观调控力度，理顺收入分配秩序。     

Reassessing the Cross-National Relationship Between Income Inequality and Homicide Rates: Implications of Data Quality Control in the Measurement of Income Distribution

A significant positive relationship between income inequality and homicide rates has been found in a large number of cross-sectional studies and a few longitudinal analyses; a theoretically interesting interaction effect between income inequality and social welfare has also been found. For the most part researchers have been willing to use generous quality criteria in collecting income-distribution data, to maximize sample size and thereby enhance statistical power and representativeness. In the present paper we use a recently developed data set with explicit quality ratings for the income-distribution data, which permits systematic assessment of the consequences of relying on income-distribution measures of varying quality in examining the inequality-homicide relationship. Our analyses reveal that the income inequality-homicide relationship is remarkably robust in cross-sectional analyses. Regardless of the quality of income-distribution data, we observe significant positive effects of the Gini coefficient on homicide rates in cross-sectional multivariate models. Consistent results are also observed when an interaction term for income inequality and decommodification is examined. The results of longitudinal analyses differ; we observe a significant positive effect of changes in inequality on changes in homicide rates only when income-distribution measures of low quality are used.     

New directions in social stratification and income distribution: Introduction

The contributors to this special issue address important problems in the area of social stratification and income distribution. More specifically, Van der Sar and Van Praag offer a solution to the problem of measuring the relative importance of a social position by referring to the individual utility function. Hermkens and Boerman test hypotheses derived from functionalist and marxist theory concerning the degree of value consensus associated with the differential allotment of income and prestige to social positions. Shepelak points to the effects of a prevailing system of norms and values — beliefs about meritocracy, fair shares and opportunity — on the equalization of incomes. Arts and Van Wijck study social constraints to income equalization and focus on the inadequacy of decision-making processes and imperfect implementation of decisions. In the final contribution to this issue, Jasso examines the behavioral and social consequences of the simultaneous operation of two distinct considerations on courses of action: the individual's own well-being and the societal common good.     

Sentiments of justice

In empirical research on social inequality one question remains largely open: Why are certain types of social inequalities legitimate or not? Three theoretical approaches to this question are discussed: the universalist, the cultural, and the interactionist approach. The interactionist approach is defended: Sentiments of justice can be predicted or deduced from the system in which the actors are located. It is important to know whether actors have reasons to be interested in the system of interaction in question, including reasons for approving the rules and the mode of its functioning. At the same time, the existence of an unrestricted residue must also be recognized: With good reasons one group of individuals can find that a certain state of affairs is just, another group that it is unjust. Because divergences of opinion are inescapable, certain questions pertaining to the issue of social justice can only be resolved by the method of regulated political debate. Questions of social justice can in no way be resolved a priori.     

Rawlsian difference principles and economic utilitarianism

John Rawls's theory, justice as fairness, constitutes an important alternative to a utilitarian theory of social justice. This essay addresses the relationship between utilitarian choice and the difference principle that is central to Rawls's theory. It argues that the difference principle, if applied to utility, is not supportable in the economic utilitarian framework. The Rawlsian result could be consistent with this framework if expressed with respect to income rather than utility. However, the argument in a utilitarian framework is ad hoc and not compelling. The paper presents conditions under which a utilitarian in an initial position, with some similarity to Rawls's original position, would choose the Rawlsian difference principle. The choices coincide only under the unrealistic assumption that redistribution entails no efficiency loss.     

破解农业相对萎缩与农民持续增收二律背反的途径

随着产业结构的转换 ,农业在国民经济中的位置将相对下降 ,这就与农民要持续增收产生矛盾。文章认为解决这一矛盾的根本途径就是推进城市化战略。     

劳动力市场分割:收入分配差距扩大的一个新解

劳动力市场分割是我国当前收入分配差距扩大的一个重要原因:主要劳动力市场的"垄断"以及"高教育程度"等因素导致高工资向上"刚性";次要劳动力市场"劳动力供给长期相对过剩"决定了工资的市场定价,必然导致低工资持续"粘性"。缩小收入分配差距,既要打破主要劳动力市场所属垄断行业的"垄断"地位,又要制定工资增长指导线政策,以确保次要劳动力市场工资增长。     

我国转轨经济中垄断性行业收入分配制度改革研究

我国改革开放以来,对电力、电信、铁路等垄断性行业进行了一定程度的改革并取得了一定成效。但是,上述行业垄断经营的基本格局并未根本改变,而垄断行业与其它行业的收入差距却在不断扩大。这类垄断性行业往往具有自然垄断的性质,即便是在引入竞争后仍有较高的垄断程度,而且上述行业普遍受到政府规制,规制政策直接影响到行业的经济效率以及收入分配问题。本文在综述国内外已有相关文献的基础上提出了将规制经济学分析框架以及"X非效率"理论引入到该问题的研究当中,构建了我国垄断性行业垄断形成的经济学模型以及"X非效率"的测量模型,提出了我国转轨经济中垄断性行业收入分配制度改革研究的整体研究思路。