‘A Little Crow in the Tree’: Growing Inequality and White Working-Class Politics in the U.S.

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-145
Author(s):  
Lawrence Eppard ◽  
Arlie Hochschild ◽  
Richard Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Political Polarization ◽  
Class Politics ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
Social Fabric ◽  
White Working Class ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The U.S

There have been troubling trends in economic inequality, deprivation, and insecurity in the U.S. since the 1970s. This inequality and insecurity has left the American social fabric ‘fraying at the edges,’ in the words of Joseph Stiglitz. Scholars have recently begun focusing their attention on phenomena which are reflective of and associated with this fraying social fabric: the increasing economic insecurity and emerging ‘politics of resentment’ of the White working class in the U.S. This piece contains excerpts from interviews that Lawrence Eppard conducted with two important scholars, Arlie Hochschild and Richard Wilkinson, who have explored these issues in their work in different ways. The interviews touch on a variety of topics, including growing inequality and its social consequences, the role of government in addressing inequality, White working-class resentment, the impact of racism and sexism on White working-class attitudes and politics, the 2016 U.S. presidential election, political polarization, and dominant American notions of freedom. Much of the discussion focuses on Hochschild’s work in Strangers in Their Own Land and Wilkinson’s work with Kate Pickett in The Spirit Level.

scholarly journals Revisiting White Labourism: New Debates on Working-Class Whiteness in Twentieth-Century Southern Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Duncan Money ◽  
Danelle van Zyl-Hermann
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Working Class ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Racial Segregation ◽  
Transnational Migration ◽  
Class Politics ◽  
Early Twentieth Century ◽  
White Working Class ◽  
White Workers

Abstract This article is a contribution to and reassessment of the debate about the concept of ‘white labourism’ hosted in this journal in 2010. White labourism is a concept formulated by Jonathan Hyslop to describe an ideology combining an anti-capitalist critique with racial segregation that he argued was dominant in a transnational white working class in the British Empire in the early twentieth century. The debate about this concept has focused on the appeal and extent of this ideology in South Africa during the early twentieth century. In light of recent scholarship on Southern Africa, we take a longer-term perspective to critically examine the concept and the debate. Specifically, we make three interventions into this debate: we consider the role of white workers outside British imperial networks; we examine how radical and revolutionary ideas disappeared from white-working class politics in the mid-twentieth century; and we reassess the connection between transnational flows of people and ideas. Racial divisions in the working class and labour movement in Southern Africa were persistent and enduring. We argue that racial segregation had an enduring appeal to white workers in Southern Africa, and the sources of this appeal were more varied and locally rooted than simply transnational migration to the region.

UNDERSTANDING THE GREY ENTREPRENEUR

2004 ◽  
Vol 12 (02) ◽  
pp. 147-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
PAULL WEBER ◽  
MICHAEL SCHAPER
Keyword(s):  
Female Entrepreneurs ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
Related Data ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Individual Enterprise ◽  
Management Experience ◽  
Productive Ageing ◽  
Developed World ◽  
The Impact

Demographic trends in the developed world indicate that older entrepreneurs will play an increasingly important part of economic activity as populations age, yet this cohort has been largely ignored in entrepreneurship research. This paper provides an overview of current research about the so-called "grey entrepreneur" (also known as senior, older, third age or elderly entrepreneurs), drawing on research from a number of nations. The extant literature indicates that a majority of older entrepreneurs are male, although the number of older female entrepreneurs is increasing; they are also less likely to possess formal educational qualifications than younger entrepreneurs. Some of the advantages that such entrepreneurs possess include greater levels of technical, industrial and management experience; superior personal networks; and a stronger financial asset base. Some of the disadvantages or potential barriers faced by older entrepreneurs can include lower levels of health, energy and productivity; ageism; and the value that his or her society places on active ("productive") ageing. Numerous issues still remain to be investigated in this field of research. These include the differences between younger and older entrepreneurs; their motives and success criteria; the impact of financial, knowledge and other resources on venturing behaviour; the role of government policies in fostering or hampering individual enterprise; and the significance of cultural differences amongst older entrepreneurs. Research in this field is currently also hampered by a multiplicity of terms and definitions, a lack of age-related data about different entrepreneurial cohorts, and the problems inherent in operationalising the concept of the "grey entrepreneur."

scholarly journals Impact of National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) on the Private Sector: A Case Study of Power Sector

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 144
Author(s):  
Modinat Olaitan Olusoji ◽  
Olusegun O. Oloba
Keyword(s):  
Private Sector ◽  
Development Strategy ◽  
Power Supply ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Economic Empowerment ◽  
Power Sector ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
National Economic ◽  
The Impact

The paper examines the impact of the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) on the private sector by looking at the contribution the power sector had made in realizing the goal of making private enterprise the engine of growth in Nigeria. NEEDS reform is to  transform the power sector into one led by the private sector, with the role of government  restricted primarily in policy formulation and establishment of an appropriate legal and regulatory framework.  The paper discusses among many things: an overview of power supply in Nigeria; the effect of power sector on private sectors; challenges of the sector; as well as the ways forward. The paper concludes that there is   need to put concerted effort to generate adequate power supply to enable the private sector thrives and serves as engine of growth in Nigeria.

Linking Moralisation and Class Identity: The Role of Ressentiment and Respectability in the Social Reaction to ‘Chavs’

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 18-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elias Le Grand
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
Moral Panic ◽  
Class Identity ◽  
Moral Self ◽  
Social Reaction ◽  
The Social ◽  
Dialectical Process ◽  
White Working Class

This paper aims to link two fields of research which have come to form separate lines of inquiry: the sociology of moralisation and studies on class identity. Expanding on recent papers by Young (2009 , 2011 ) and others, the paper argues that the concepts of ressentiment and respectability can be used to connect moralisation processes and the formation of class identities. This is explored through a case study of the social reaction in Britain to white working-class youths labelled ‘chavs’. It is demonstrated that chavs are constructed through moralising discourses and practices, which have some elements of a moral panic. Moreover, moralisation is performative in constructing class identities: chavs have been cast as a ‘non-respectable’ white working-class ‘folk devil’ against whom ‘respectable’ middle-class and working-class people distinguish and identify themselves as morally righteous. Moralising social reactions are here to an important extent triggered by feelings of ressentiment. This is a dialectical process where respectability and ressentiment are tied, not only to the social control of certain non-respectable working-class others, but also to the moral self-governance of the moralisers.

scholarly journals Interlinkages between Urbanization and Climate Change: Identifying and Understanding the Challenges and the Prospects

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-300
Author(s):  
Abhinav Alakshendra ◽  
Arjun Kumar ◽  
Simi Mehta
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Urban Governance ◽  
Institutional Reforms ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
Government Organizations ◽  
Urban Service ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

India is urbanizing at an alarming rate and the impact of climate change is becoming more visible each passing day. The rapid urbanization and climate change have severe direct and indirect consequences, such as increasing poverty, inequality, massive displacement, public health concerns, and challenges of urban governance, among others. This paper identifies some of the most pressing issues faced by urban India in the context of climate change. It also details the interventions undertaken at the local, national, and international levels to counter the effect of the climate change. In addition, it critically evaluates the role of government organizations, especially in terms of undertaking regulatory and planning functions. The paper argues that the implementation of institutional reforms would enable the government to reach out to the private sector to improve urban service delivery. It also provides examples of best practices from India and the world in combating climate change through adaptation and mitigation approaches.Abstrak. India mengalami urbanisasi pada tingkat yang mengkhawatirkan dan dampak perubahan iklim menjadi terlihat setiap hari. Urbanisasi yang cepat dan perubahan iklim memiliki konsekuensi langsung dan tidak langsung yang parah, seperti antara lain meningkatnya kemiskinan, ketimpangan, pengungsian besar-besaran, masalah kesehatan masyarakat, dan tantangan tata kelola kota. Makalah ini mengidentifikasi beberapa masalah paling mendesak yang dihadapi oleh perkotaan India dalam konteks perubahan iklim. Makalah ini juga merinci intervensi yang dilakukan di tingkat lokal, nasional, dan internasional untuk melawan dampak perubahan iklim. Selain itu, secara kritis makalah ini mengevaluasi peran organisasi pemerintah, terutama dalam menjalankan fungsi pengaturan dan perencanaan. Makalah ini berpendapat bahwa pelaksanaan reformasi kelembagaan akan memungkinkan pemerintah menjangkau sektor swasta untuk membantu meningkatkan pelayanan perkotaan. Makalah ini juga memberikan contoh praktik terbaik dari India dan dunia dalam memerangi perubahan iklim melalui pendekatan adaptasi dan mitigasi.Kata kunci. Urbanisasi, perubahan iklim, keterkaitan, tata kelola kota, mitigasi.

Upward mobility and Consumption Pattern: An Analysis from Central and Southern Punjab, Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 665-678
Author(s):  
Samra Khalid ◽  
Nabila Asghar ◽  
Hafeez Ur Rehman
Keyword(s):  
Upward Mobility ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Consumption Pattern ◽  
Cultural Goods ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
Consumption Behavior ◽  
Rapid Changes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

During the past couple of decades the rapid changes in socio economic structure of Punjab, Pakistan have been observed. The present study is an attempt to analyze the impact of socio economic mobility on the changes in consumption pattern of households in Central and Southern Punjab, Pakistan using primary data. In the first part, the study identifies the socio economic factors which are responsible for upward mobility while, the second part deals with the impact of upward mobility on the changes in consumption pattern of households. The results of logistic model reveal that income and occupation progression have emerged important factors which cause changes in consumption pattern of households from basic goods to cultural goods. However, the impact of education on the changes in consumption pattern has come up low as compared to occupation progression and income. The study concludes that the role of government is highly important in shaping the consumption behavior of mobile households through providing appropriate incentives regarding higher education and occupation progression.

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