What Is Happening to Caste? A View from Some North Indian Villages

2003 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 1171-1193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anirudh Krishna

The role of caste in indian politics is undergoing considerable change. Caste and patron-client links have been regarded traditionally as the building blocks of political organization in India (Brass 1994; Manor 1997; Migdal 1988; Kothari 1988; Weiner 1967), and vertical and horizontal mobilizations by patrons and caste leaders, respectively, have been important influences on political outcomes (Rudolph and Rudolph 1967). There are indications, however, that the influence of patronage and caste might have declined considerably in recent years:[National-level] survey data reveal some important facts that run counter to the conventional wisdom on voter behavior. … In 1996, 75 percent of the sample said they were not guided by anyone in their voting decision. … Of the 25 percent who sought advice, only 7 percent sought it from caste and community leaders … that is, less than 2 percent of the electorate got direct advice on how to vote from caste and community leaders. … The most important survey data show the change over time. In 1971, 51 percent of the respondents agreed that it was “important to vote the way your caste/community does” (30 percent disagreed), but in 1996 the percentages were reversed: 51 percent disagreed with that statement (29 percent agreed). … In 1998, “caste and community” was seen as an issue by only 5.5 percent of the respondents in one poll … and [it] ranked last of nine issues in another. All the evidence points to the fact that these respondents are correct: members of particular castes … can be found voting for every party. … It is less and less true that knowing the caste of a voter lets you reliably predict the party he or she will vote for.(Oldenburg 1999, 13–15, emphasis in original)

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 262-278
Author(s):  
Brendon C Benz

The present study presents an alternative model of pre-monarchic Israel’s political organization in tandem with an investigation into the role of place in the preservation of memory that explains how and why the tradition of Hazor’s demise was included in the Bible. Corresponding to the type of decentralized political organization attested in the Amarna letters, the core narratives in Judges depict Israel as a confederation of independent entities whose concerns revolved around local affairs. As the identity of Israel evolved over time, the memories of the most significant of these affairs were retained, often with the aid of material remains in the familiar landscape. The apparent injunction against building over Hazor’s 13th century palace ruins during Israel’s subsequent occupation and the inclusion of Hazor’s destruction from competing perspectives in the Bible suggest that it was an important event in Israel’s history, even if the entirety of Israel was not involved.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 4048
Author(s):  
Jennifer Johnson Jorgensen ◽  
Diane Masuo ◽  
Linda Manikowske ◽  
Yoon Lee

It is believed that highly involved business owners and community members will yield benefits to ensure business and community sustainability over time. However, little research has delved into understanding the role of business owners’ involvement and the community’s involvement in business outcomes. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the reciprocal involvement of family business owners and the community. To investigate this phenomenon, this study utilized survey data from a rare group of business owners who currently operate long-standing businesses. Results indicate that more involved business owners perceived higher levels of business success. When seeking a profit, business owners also tended to be more involved in the community than owners not seeking a profit. However, family-owned businesses felt that the community did not contribute to their businesses and did not stay involved over time. Overall, business owners felt that they contributed more than the community provided in return. Recommendation is made to stress in entrepreneurship curricula the importance of reciprocal involvement between businesses and their communities and vice versa to promote business and community sustainability over time.


2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 236-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Downer ◽  
Chrissie Wells ◽  
Charlotte Crichton

Automated analysis of open-ended text survey data is an appealing prospect. It eliminates human error and human variability and can be used to create models that are easier to update over time than a manual approach to coding generally yields. Today, text analytics is a huge business and is among the most popular innovations within the current research landscape. However, within the research industry, there has been little change in usage in recent years, and awareness of the options available appears to be limited. We wished to look more closely at the true strengths of different approaches, the main barriers to their adoption, and how these might be overcome. Using text responses from a short survey about work and play in two markets, we contrasted two tools in analyzing the output: Q’s text analysis component and Google Cloud Natural Language. We chose these tools as they can each be easily applied to survey data but are based on different analytic principles. We found some surprising differences between the output of the two tools and between the text analysis metrics and scalar data. We conclude by discussing some of the key contemporary themes in text analytics and the likely future role of this method within market research and insight.


2017 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Ricardo Borges da Cunha ◽  
César Augusto Ávila Martins

A afirmação dos processos eleitorais como uma das formas de organização política é objeto de investigação de várias ciências. No concerto das ciências, o Direito, a Sociologia e as Ciências Políticas destacam-se nas análises das eleições. As eleições como resultado de disputas entre determinados projetos, tem a função de eleger representantes para conduzir as instituições políticas. A perspectiva esta coadunada com o entendimento que as eleições são um dos momentos de manifestação de poder com diferentes graus de visibilidade, numa dada formação social com determinados regramentos e em cada conjuntura. O processo que articula determinados agentes pode ser compreendido em etapas e em seu conjunto. O artigo busca trilhar alguns dos caminhos da Geografia Eleitoral compreendida na Geografia Política, como um campo de análise geográfica das eleições, conhecendo sua evolução, apontando possibilidades e desafios. Metodologicamente, o texto realiza uma revisão de algumas das diferentes metodologias da Geografia Eleitoral, que são baseadas sobretudo na apresentação dos resultados eleitorais ao longo tempo e que tendem encerrar sua abordagem ao final de cada pleito. O texto advoga que a adoção de um modelo sistêmico, como uma alternativa para a compreensão de um pleito, integra os resultados das urnas e as suas consequências para vida política.ABSTRACTThis paper aims at introducing not only some of the directions of Electoral Geography in the light of Political Geography, as a field of geographical analysis of elections, but also its evolution, possibilities and challenges. Meaning is found in electoral processes as one of the forms of political organization which has become the object of investigation of sciences, such as Law, Sociology and Political Sciences. Elections, as the result of dispute among certain projects, play the role of choosing representatives to lead political institutions. This perspective agrees with the fact that elections represent a moment of power manifestation at different levels of visibility, with certain rules in each situation. Regarding methodology, this text reviews some proposals of Electoral Geography which are mostly based on the presentation of electoral results over time and tend to end their process at the end of each dispute. Among the selected authors, it is clear the growth of the geographical field with the quantitative methods, but the approaches did not connect the electoral process with the politics practiced in the perimeter involved leaving a gap to be completed. The text defends the use of the systemic model so as to understand the dispute as a moment of political life with integration among the phase that precedes elections, its results and its consequences for democracy.


2014 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
pp. 337-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAVID STASAVAGE

Do strong property rights institutions always help, or might they sometimes actually hinder development? Since Max Weber and before, scholars have claimed that the presence of politically autonomous cities, controlled by merchant oligarchies guaranteeing property rights, helped lead to Europe's rise. Yet others suggest that autonomous cities were a hindrance to growth because rule by merchant guilds resulted in restrictions that stifled innovation and trade. I present new evidence and a new interpretation that reconcile the two views of city autonomy. I show that politically autonomous cities initially had higher population growth rates than nonautonomous cities, but over time this situation reversed itself. My evidence also suggests why autonomous cities eventually disappeared as a form of political organization. Instead of military weakness, it may have been their political institutions that condemned them to become obsolete.


2007 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. CAMERON MONROE

ABSTRACTThe Kingdom of Dahomey has played a central role in our understanding of political organization in West Africa in the era of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Research has focused on two major questions: whether or not Dahomey possessed revolutionary qualities that allowed it to maintain order in this turbulent era, and the role of militarism in fostering stability. Mounting archaeological evidence from the Republic of Bénin can contribute to our understanding of Dahomean political dynamics over time. Spatial patterns in royal palace construction, materialized regionally and architecturally, are examined in this essay. These data suggest that Dahomey achieved real administrative advances in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, including the expansion of regional control and the successful integration of a complex administrative hierarchy.1


2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aire Mill ◽  
Anu Realo ◽  
Jüri Allik

Abstract. Intraindividual variability, along with the more frequently studied between-person variability, has been argued to be one of the basic building blocks of emotional experience. The aim of the current study is to examine whether intraindividual variability in affect predicts tiredness in daily life. Intraindividual variability in affect was studied with the experience sampling method in a group of 110 participants (aged between 19 and 84 years) during 14 consecutive days on seven randomly determined occasions per day. The results suggest that affect variability is a stable construct over time and situations. Our findings also demonstrate that intraindividual variability in affect has a unique role in predicting increased levels of tiredness at the momentary level as well at the level of individuals.


2019 ◽  
Vol 60 ◽  
pp. 40-48
Author(s):  
Galina V. Talina

The article analyzes V.V. Rozanov’s conceptions of antiquity, Middle Ages and new history. Rozanov singles out three periods of Russian history – Kiev, Vladimir-Moscow and Petersburg ones. The essence of each of those periods the philosopher consecutively correlates with adoption of Christianity, political organization formation and the beginning of individual creative work dominance. While interpreting his contemporary events as a public person and a journalist, Rozanov regards earlier epochs from the position of a myth-creator. The diverse historical process gives way to the literary and static image of the epoch. The author of the article pays special attention to how Rozanov characterizes historical personalities, to his views on the role of religion, state, bureaucracy and parliamentarism.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-149
Author(s):  
Aurelia Teodora Drăghici

SummaryTheme conflicts of interest is one of the major reasons for concern local government, regional and central administrative and criminal legal implications aiming to uphold the integrity and decisions objectively. Also, most obviously, conflicts of interest occur at the national level where political stakes are usually highest, one of the determining factors of this segment being the changing role of the state itself, which creates opportunities for individual gain through its transformations.


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