Examines the declining rolls of organized labor in America, discussing possible reasons for this decline and assessing the possibility of regaining membership in the future.
675 words (approx. 2.7 pages), 4 sources, 1993, $ 23.95
From the Paper "Labor unions have been losing power in American society for some time, and a smaller and smaller percentage of workers are members of labor unions today than has been true in many decades. Some analysts see these changes as temporary, part of the ongoing back-and-forth shifts in power in the workplace, while others see them as permanent and as indicating a major change in the workplace of the future. If unions are going to be less and less important, what might replace them?
There are many reasons for the lessening of union power, but economic changes are considered the most important reason. The economic structures of the past created a certain antagonism between management and labor even as each needed the other. In the current climate, increased cooperation is the rule, with workers and managers alike finding ways of empowering the ..."
The subject of this review is Robert Keohane's book, After Hegemony. The review will discuss some of the points made by Keohane in his book and the strengths and weaknesses of the book. It will also take into account some of the criticisms of the book by other reviewers and place the ideas proposed in the book in the context of events which have occurred since its publication.
Published in 1984, After Hegemony attempts to explain the influence of the United States in world affairs after 1945, particularly focusing upon the reasons for the decline in American influence since the 1970s and the state of international cooperation in the post-hegemonic era. In doing so, Robert Keohane connects international political influence with economic ..."
From the Paper "This study will examine the 1946 novel Mine Boy, by Peter Abrahams, first giving some information on the author and the background of the book and its historical context, and then exploring the elements of the novel itself, including plot, characterization, style, intended audience, and the contribution the book makes to an understanding of African life and history.
As we read in Charles Larson's Introduction to the novel,
the book was published "two years before the Nationalists gained control of South African politics" and "just before apartheid became entrenched into the South African legal system and racialism became a sanctified governmental policy (Abrahams 5)."
The book was published in South Africa, as Shava writes, precisely because its publication preceded what was to shortly be the beginning of official and legal crackdowns against such..."
From the Paper "Edmund Burke v. Thomas Paine
This paper will discuss the philosophical conflict between Edmund Burke and Thomas Paine concerning the French Revolution at the end of the Eighteenth Century. The first part of the paper will present a brief overview of the dispute. The second and third parts of the paper will present the main arguments of each man. The last part of the paper will briefly explain why Thomas Paine's views eventually gained more adherents than those of Edmund Burke.
Burke and Paine came from two opposite ends of the political spectrum. Burke was basically conservative, valuing tradition and the status quo. Paine was a firebrand of the left, advocating revolution and popular democracy. Ironically, Burke had sympathized with the colonists in North America during the period of troubles.."
From the Paper "The elderly population in the United States is growing in number as people live longer and as the baby-boom generation reaches old age. Yet this older generation may have a more precarious existence than has been true in recent decades for that population. There has been much rightful concern about the elderly in America in an era in which the extended family no longer holds sway so that the elderly are more often completely on their own. Another concern has been related to the so-called entitlements in the federal budget--Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and welfare--and the impact a reduction, either by design or because the system is not secure, will have on the elderly.
Medicare is a federal health insurance program for people 65 and older and for certain disabled people. Medicare was enacted in ..."
Abstract This paper examines the issue of gun control and whether or not federal legislation will help curb the availability of guns that have lead to an explosion of violence across the country. The author argues that the lack effective legislation that oversees the distribution and monitoring of guns has lead to an explosion in the crime rates over the past two decades. The author presents some of the arguments on both sides of the issue with the help of crime rate statistics and political testimony given on Capitol Hill from the period after September 11. The paper also examines Second Amendment rights regarding the right to bear arms and analyzes some of the different arguments that have been presented that can be transferred to the issue of gun control. The paper also presents some discussion of the NRA, including a short history, its policy goals and record of increased involvement in the shaping of any and all policy regarding guns in the United States. The author sharpens their argument against gun control through a discussion of the fact that terrorist handbooks often note how easy it is to acquire weapons in the United States.
From the Paper "It would use a Canadian technology called IBIS (Integrated Ballistics Identification System), currently used by 233 local law?enforcement sites around the United States, to produce a 360"degree photographic image of the bullet or shell casing. The software then would translate the picture into a digital signature, which could then be compared with other crime"scene evidence. If a national database were created, bullets or casings recovered from a crime scene could then be traced to the point of purchase, which would give detectives new leads. The databases that exist are quite small because only two states?"Maryland and New York"?require handgun manufacturers to fire the weapons and record the signature. When critics point out that the current database has solved no crimes and so such a system should not be implemented any more widely, they are obfuscating the issue just as they do when they say gun control in one or two states has not stopped crime. What is needed is a national solution so such arguments would be sown up for the falsehoods they are (Alter 41)."
Abstract Almost three decades after the landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade case legalizing abortion in America, the issue remains the greatest moral flashpoint facing America today. This paper examines the underlying ethical arguments of both sides of the abortion debate, using Ronald Dworkin's "sanctity of life" principles. By ?abortion,? this paper includes all forms of abortion, from early fetal abortion through the RU46 drug to late-term abortions, from abortions out of "convenience" to abortions in cases of rape and incest. It evaluates how the anti-abortion crusade has framed their campaign on the personhood and the rights of the fetus. The second part looks at the pro-abortion movement, which has framed their issue as a campaign for women's reproductive rights. Finally, the paper examines the approach of a minority of women, activists from both camps who are working to bridge the gap between pro- and anti-abortion factions.
By presenting both sides, this paper argues that because of current societal structures that make unwanted pregnancy more likely to happen and its consequences more difficult to assume, abortion must remain an option, a ?necessary evil.? Both pro- and anti-abortion factions, however, must work towards their common ground ? a society where abortions are no longer necessary.
From the Paper "Despite the legality of abortion and its importance to women's rights, anti-abortion activists have successfully curtailed several pro-choice gains. More important, the "pro-life" camp's appeals to a higher moral law have successfully placed pro-choice advocates on the defensive.
However, pro-choice advocates also frame their stand on morality. Forcing a woman to continue and unwelcome pregnancy is ultimately harmful to the mother and the child. The creation of unwanted and uncared-for children has a two-fold effect of limiting a woman's potential for both the present and future motherhood. As Roiphe states, becoming a mother is a crucial choice and its imposition makes women into "slaves of their biology" (142)."
Tags: fetus, bible, christian, feminists, morality, birth, control
Abstract A paper focusing on the book "Ain't No Makin' It: Aspirations and Attainment in a Low-Income Neighborhood" by Jay MacLeod and how it pertains to the ideology of the American Dream. The paper shows how MacLeod's book questions the validity of the American Dream and discusses how this theory is seen by social thinkers such as political scientist and author Jennifer L. Hochschild.
From the Paper "Ain't No Makin' It: Aspirations and Attainment in a Low-Income Neighborhood is an ethnological study focusing on two sets of teenage boys living in housing projects in Clarendon Heights. Through observation and interviews, author and sociologist Jay MacLeod attempted to determine why the socioeconomic status of these young men remained stagnant, despite the mobility inherent to the ideology known as the "American Dream." Struck by the seemingly low level of aspirations expressed by the young adolescent boys, MacLeod researched the hopes and dreams of these young men, focusing on two groups: the "Hallway Hangers" and the ?Brothers.?"
Abstract This paper applies the identity theory to the case of immigration in the United States. It asks if the United States should continue to allow Immigrants to enter the U.S. seeking refuge and citizenship, when the nations states are already overly populated? It questions whether immigrants should be allowed to enter the U.S. and work when there are hundreds of citizens and native-born Americans already unemployed and desperately searching for work. It uses these questions as example of the conflicting messages immigrants and their children face in modern day society, and explains how they add to the increasingly complex problem of finding identity in a torn nation.
From the Paper "The United States is world known for its ethnic diversity, due in part to the immigration allowed over several years. Many people however, fail to find a means to foster inter-racial and ethnic identities, thus causing much conflict and a lack of a uniform sense of identity. The social issue relates to finding a common identity in a nation of multi-ethnicities. Children of immigrants are now coming of age, and from a social psychological stand will make the most lasting impression on society. The character of society will be shaped by their experiences."
Tags: ethnic, diversity, america, racial, employment, population
Abstract While in the 1960s and 1970s, child sexual abuse and child abuse in general was almost invisible, in recent year the issue is constantly in the pages of newspapers and magazines, and in portrayals on television and in movies. It sometimes appears that there has been a radical increase in the abuse of children, although experts believe most of this is the result of better reporting and changes in the perception of abuse. Still, there is a need for response; often that response leads to an intervention by human service agencies, including the possibility of removing the child from the home. The paper questions the effectiveness of these agencies in protecting children and improving their situation. The paper looks at the evolution of child welfare concepts, explores the current state of human service agency activity regarding children and comes to a conclusion about the effectiveness of human service agencies in protecting children.
From the Paper "This seems to echo the assertion by Wells and Tracy (1996) that there needs to be a new emphasis on out-placement of children in order to provide true child welfare services. They noted that recent practice has emphasized family preservation programs, rather than splitting-up families. However, they indicated that evidence has accumulated which shows that the intensive family preservation model has failed to protect children. Actually, that was not really its primary goal, since the initiative for the model developed in response to criticisms of Child Protective Services and their removal of children from the homes. The focus of the model, then, was to keep families together, while helping with family crises and protecting the children."
Tags: Elizabethan, Poor, Law, Social, Security, Act, foster, care, welfare
Abstract This paper questions whether the anti-war sentiment in the US shortened the Vietnam War. The author contends that protesters succeeded in creating a certain consciousness of war activities within the American public. It is argued that the public had only begun to question the war once it was apparent that it had continued for many years, and that there was some feeling that once committed, America could not withdraw without achieving victory. By analyzing the government's reaction to several anti-war incidences in US, the paper argues the government did not have a deep understanding of the anti-war sentiment. Therefore, the anti-war movement could not have impacted the war to such an extent as to shorten it.
From the Paper "Vietnam was a situation that seemed to develop slowly in the consciousness of the American public so that much of the country seemed to discover rather suddenly that the nation was enmeshed in a growing war to which there seemed no end. In truth, America had been involved in Vietnam for many years before the issue became the catalyst for social protest and political reprisals in the U.S., and for much of that time the public ignored what was taking place. American involvement actually started in 1954, and at that time it was the French who had been caught in the Vietnamese quagmire (Chafe 259). Full American involvement was contemplated prior to 1954 and rejected, in part because Eisenhower did not believe that a military victory was possible because of the political situation in the region, since the people supported the Viet Minh and identified Ho Chi Minh as the leader of their independence movement (Scheer 274-275)."
Abstract This paper provides a brief summary of this famous work written in 1848 by Marx and Engels. It explains how the authors describe the process by which humanity has become divided into two distinct and opposing social classes: the proletariat (the property-less working class) and the bourgeoisie(the property-owning class). It shows that Marx and Engels argue that the relationship between the classes has become agitated beyond repair, laying the foundation for an inevitable proletarian revolution.
From the Paper ""The Communist Manifesto" opens with the assertion that "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles"(p. 57). From this, the essence of the Manifesto is derived. Marx and Engels present humanity as divided most distinctly along lines of social class. As the world has traversed into modernity, the nature of this distinction has simplified. By the mid-19th century, Marx and Engels believed that the breakdown of society between the oppressed and the oppressors was bi-polar, symbolized in the antagonistic existence of "two great classes directly facing each other: bourgeoisie and proletariat"(p. 59). "
Abstract This paper discusses the controversial policy of the U.S. government regarding Taliban prisoners kept in the Guantanamo Bay camps without trial. This paper explores the conditions under which the prisoners are kept, their rights under international and U.S. law, the possibility that some of them may be innocent, the U.S. administration's view point about the issue and what options are being considered for their future.
From the Paper "These prisoners have not been granted the status of prisoners of war, despite criticism by various governments as well as the Amnesty International (AI). ("the Wire" Amnesty International) The AI believes that prisoners captured during the conflict in Afghanistan should be considered prisoners of war. If there is any dispute about their status, the US authorities must allow a "competent tribunal" to decide, as required by the Third Geneva Convention. (Ibid.)"
Abstract The emphasis of this paper will be on Marx's position on property and labor, illustrating the similarities to the thoughts of his predecessor John Locke, known as the father of modern socialism in England. But while showing that the two theories have a great deal in common descriptively and analytically, there is also a great deal that separates them; such as their perspectives on private property.
Abstract An analysis of the current budget deficit and its causes--a slow economy, tremendous spending on the Iraq war and tax cuts. The paper also addresses the economic effect of a deficit on the economy and the desirable and adverse effects caused by a deficit. This essay concludes that spending would be more productive if directed to structural elements of the economy.
From the Paper "Budget deficits occur when government expenditure is greater than revenue, forcing the government to borrow to meet its requirements. There are many potential economic effects of a deficit; the most apparent is an expansionary effect on the economy caused by injections of money being greater than withdrawals. Fiscal policy, among many other mechanisms is used to manipulate the economy. However, budget deficits should be used as to not adversely affect the economy. The federal budget deficit set the new record of $374 billion in 2003, doubling last year's efforts (Fram). The record deficit has been caused by the slow economy, tremendous spending on the Iraq war and tax cuts for the rich. This indicates that the great America does not know how to balance the checkbook, and certainly does not know how to spend wisely."
