The Strength of the Nuclear Family Within the Anglo-Saxon Economy Essay Example for Free

The Strength of the Nuclear Family Within the Anglo-Saxon Economy Essay This article is about England family set up and how this is related to the economy. This is an economy which is market oriented, and capitalistic in nature. England has unusually small families. Her family structure explains how family owned businesses are run in England. Family firms in England are managed by individuals. The writer claims that small families set up in England need civil society more as they need markets and commercial services. Additionally, small families are ideal for capitalistic economies as they are open and market facing. They are associated with high GDP. The writer asserts that economies with small families have GDP per capita of around â‚ ¬5,000 which is higher than that of regions with extended and egalitarian families. Family is one of the topics learnt in sociology. A small family is usually preferred due to economic advantages accompanied with it. It is easy to sustain and provide for. Most developed countries prefer small nuclear families. Usually as a country employs policy aimed at keeping population down through encouraging small family sizes. Small families are positively associated with good economic performance. They also affect business ownership and management. Borrowing from this article, encouraging small families will benefit the society at large. I never knew that the family structures in the society affect performance of the businesses and the economy. I thought it is through management and good governance economy will grow-family sizes plays a big role This article could have discussed the optimal family size and specify how many members should a small family constitute. It could have also discussed the negative effects of small families both in the social relationships and economic performance. There is a lively debate across Europe about what is happening to our families. And there is the endless argument about the relative strengths and weaknesses of the Anglo-Saxon economic model. In my new book I try to show the links between the structure of our families and the structure of our economies. Here is an account of England in the flat language of modern sociology: The majority of ordinary people in England†¦are rampant individuals, highly mobile both geographically and socially, economically rational, market-oriented and acquisitive, ego-centered in kinship and social life. But the quotation is from a description of England in 1250 by Alan Macfarlane, the historian who together with the great French thinker Emmanuel Todd has revealed the significance of family structures. England has had unusually small families, unusually weak local magnates, and unusually free peasants. It is not just different from Papua New Guinea or Pakistan, it is also quite different from France and Italy and most of continental Europe. This difference was recognized by Montesquieu that shrewd 18th-century French observer of human cultures, who observed: I too have been a traveller, and have seen the country in the world which is most worth of our curiosity—I mean England. Just as aerial photography can reveal the outlines of some long-lost medieval village so, if we know how to look, we can discern deep features of English society that endure to this day. So for example, we attribute the long-standing weaknesses in the productivity of the British economy to our lack of a Mittelstand, the strong medium-sized family businesses of the sort they have in Germany or France. We appear to be good at starting small businesses, and some of our big companies are very strong indeed. It is the high performance, solid, long-term, high-investment medium-sized companies in the middle that we seem to lack. It is not that we have fewer family owned firms—about 30% of mid-sized British firms are owned by a family, very similar to France and Germany. But we run them differently. Englands family structure helps to explain this. In France, unlike in England, land or a firm are not the freehold property of the individual; instead, they belong to the familys bloodline with an automatic right of inheritance within the family for all the children. In England, family firms are more likely to be run as the personal property of an individual who often manages the business himself or herself. In France and Germany, family firms are more likely to be held in common by whole family and seen as long-term property of a dynasty across several generations. As a result, they are more willing to bring in professional managers to run the business on behalf of the family. In France, 31% of family owned firms are run by an external manager as against only 23% in the U. K. (It is 60% in Germany. ) Of firms still owned by the founder, 44% in France are externally managed whereas it is only 14% in the U. K. (Again, it is 60% in Germany. ) This has a big effect on economic performance: If an inherited family firm brings in an outside manager it raises returns by six percentage points, a significant improvement in return on capital. There is no single right family structure. But the Anglo-Saxon model has its advantages, too. Small families need civil society more. But it was not just voluntary societies that provided mutual support. You need markets and commercial services as well. Instead of the mutual exchanges of the extended family, small families must buy services. If we need something we turn to yellow pages, not to an uncle. For example, insurance schemes, annuities, and savings help protect you when there is no wider family with any such obligation—one reason why England has a long history in financial services. Small nuclear families are open and market-facing, and that drives a particularly dynamic model of capitalism. Even now, when you control for country-level effects, areas of Europe with Anglosphere-style families have GDP per capita of around â‚ ¬5,000 a year higher than regions with extended and egalitarian families. Indeed, they are higher than all other family forms. Over the past 30 years, they have also outgrown them. These Anglosphere economies are outward-looking and flexible so they are good early adopters of new technologies. But they may not be so good at steady incremental improvements in performance with a given technology. And sometimes, as we have seen with new financial instruments, their sheer restless innovativeness can do catastrophic damage. Nevertheless, their flexibility can sustain them in the long run: It is very possible that in this coming decade, for the first time, more than half of the economic output of the developed world will be in English-speaking countries. We cannot easily change these fundamentals of our national identities. Indeed we specialize in different activities and structure our economies differently because of them. Vive la difference! —David Willetts is Member of Parliament for Havant. His book, The Pinch: How the baby boomers took their childrens future and why they should give it back is published by Atlantic

Different Types of Digital Libraries Essay example -- Computer Technol

Digital libraries are libraries in which collections are stored in a digital format. A digital library has also been known as a virtual or electronic library. In this essay, different types of digital libraries will be compared. This essay will provide an in depth look at the many different digital library programs that have had a profound impact on the field of digital libraries. Archival formats will be explored. Techniques for the conversion of textbased formats into digital formats will be analyzed and compared. This essay will also uncover the pros and cons of a digital library compared to a traditional library. Suggestions for the future of digital libraries will also be considered. In 1945, Vannevar Bush had a vision. In his article, "As We May Think," he describes a technical fix for the information explosion that begun after World War II. Vannevar named this technical fix the Memex. The Memex was descibed as "a device in which an individual stores all his books, records and communications which is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility" (Bush, 1945). Vannevar was most certainly a visionary. His ideas were well before his time. His idea of the Memex can be considered the basis for digital libraries and maybe even the world wide web. In the 1980s, libraries card catalogs were being replaced by Online Public Access Catalogs (OPACs). These were usually closed systems that could contain little more than bibliographic data. Most OPACs were are done in Machine Readable Cataloging (MARC) format. It generally represents an individually published item or "information product," and describes the physical characteristics of the item itself (Brenner et al, 20... ... Materials. A Case for Full Information Capture. Digital Library Magazine. Digital Library Foundation (1995). America's Heritage: Mission and Goals for a Digital Library Federation. Retrieved April 25, 2007, from http://www.diglib.org/about/dlfcharter.htm American Memory, The Library of Congress. Mission and History. Retrieved April 24, 2007, from http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/about/index.html Morgan, E (2007). Alex Catalogue of Electronic Texts. Retrieved April 26, 2007, from http://www.infomotions.com/alex/ Alexandria Digital Library Project (2007). About ADL. Retrieved April 26, 2007, from http://www.alexandria.ucsb.edu/research/about/history.htm CSDL (2007). The Center for the Study of Digital Libraries. Texas A&M. Retrieved April 25, 2007, from http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/csdl/center/center.html

Globalization Of The Market Economy Essay

Much has been said how globalization has internationalize the market economy and how this system was able to integrate and create international partnerships between and among nations. Globalization is not just a phenomenon – it is a system, a new world system that has replaced the Cold War. Globalization has transcended economic and political borders without so much undermining the national sovereignty of any nation. This essay will document how the key players and catalysts accomplished the integration of a very complex world market economy, allowing the creation of the so-called global village. Specifically, this essay will look into the following: ? the creation of international bodies collectively known as The Bretton Woods institutions; ? the largest regional trade organizations: how they come into being, its membership, and how they are being seen sometimes as stumbling blocs, instead of building blocs; ? multi- or transnational corporations; and ? technological revolution (information and communication technology, or ICT, and the Internet). The list above will help us see globalization, an intangible system, as an observable, concrete, and measurable concept. This essay will also attempt to explain the future of globalization so as to prepare other areas that it has not penetrated yet, and at the same time, to allow those who are experiencing it already to take advantage of the strengths and opportunities in the system and be prepared with the threats that come with it. Understanding globalization There are two very interesting books on globalization that can serve as a starting point of this essay – MacGillivray’s A brief history of globalization: The Untold story of our incredible shrinking planet and Friedman’s The Lexus and the olive tree: Understanding globalization. MacGillivray argues that the term â€Å"globalization† has rapidly become one of the most overused words in the field of international relations. Unfortunately, its being overused does not guarantee understanding of the concept. In fact, this is one of the least understood or at least broadly construed concepts in the same field. It clearly covers connections between and among political, economic, cultural, and even environmental issues or concerns. And with the recent advance in information technology, we also know that globalization also concerns itself about technology and even war. MacGillivray described globalization as the interaction and integration between and among people, corporations, and governments across national boundaries. Such web of interaction and integration is motivated by international trade and investment with the help of technology, particularly, information technology (MacGillivray 2006). The importance of technology in the era of globalization was further elaborated and described by Friedman in his book The Lexus and the olive tree: Understanding globalization through this passage: â€Å"In the Cold War, the most frequently asked question was ‘How big is your missile? ’ In globalization, the most frequently asked question is ‘How fast is your modem? ’† As compared to other writers who believe that globalization is a phase of human evolution, or maybe a trend, Friedman believes that it is more of an international system which existence was significantly felt after the Cold War period. He argued that the movement of globalization in this contemporary period is just an extension of the previous period which has marked the end of the First World War (Friedman 1999). Whereas the Cold War has changed the whole world into a bipolar one, globalization has changed this into a global village with shared or integrated resources in terms of capital, technology, political and market sentiments, and information across and, even more interesting, through national borders. Establishing new grounds: The collapse of economic and market frontiers Globalization’s effects are very much visible in some aspects of international relations. In this essay, the effect on economic sovereignty would be the focus. It should be noted though that as far as these effects are concerned, globalization does not destabilize the sovereignty and legitimacy of a nation in any one way or another. With globalization, we could say that the economic borders of any sovereign nation has somewhat been transcended, i. e. , protectionist policies are either challenged if not eliminated completely. The Bretton Woods system: The first attempt to international openness One of the best ways of seeing globalization’s effect to international relations is by looking at international financial institutions having direct or indirect effect to sovereign nations. While they do not exactly dictate what the economic policies of countries should be, these bodies without a doubt influence the making of such policies. In the early 1930s, currency exchange rates, even those of the major economies, are unstable. A number of countries are protectionists and had very restrictive trade policies. A decade after that, Great Britain and the United States, the only two super powers then, proposed the establishment of international financial or monetary institutions that would aim to stabilize exchange rates and, more importantly, improve international trade. In 1944, 44 nations through their representatives convened at the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. The participants of the conference met to plan the recovery and eventual development of post-war Europe and to discuss the monetary and prevailing economic issues of that period – protectionist trade policies and unstable exchange rates of a number of countries (Bretton Woods Project 2007; Canadian Economy Online 2007). This has given birth to the Bretton Woods Agreement. The agreement aims to create a post-war international monetary system of convertible currencies, fixed and stable exchange rates, and free trade across geographical regions. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (which was later on referred to as the World Bank) were established to facilitate the objectives of the agreement. The resulting bodies from this Bretton Woods convention have definitely affected the economic sovereignty of countries. Taking the case of International Monetary Fund, its main areas of concern are surveillance (advice and appraisal on the policies of its member economies), financial or monetary assistance for members experiencing short- to medium-term economic problems and difficulties, and technical assistance as well as training in monetary and fiscal policies (Ibid). The Bretton Woods agreement prevented currency and exchange rates competition and promoted monetary cooperation among its member economies. Under this system, member nations and economies agreed to have a system of currency exchange rates that could be adjusted or computed within defined parities with the US dollar. This currency exchange rate could also be adjusted to correct a basic disequilibrium in balance of payments as approved by IMF. Advocates of the Bretton Woods system argued that establishment of a stable exchange rate would discourage the â€Å"beggar thy neighbour† policies, which would eventually benefit several, if not all, member economies by the promotion and expansion of international market and trade. The competitiveness of currency exchange rates decreased overtime due to infrequent changes in parities. Some expressed concerns that a fixed currency exchange rate system may prohibit countries enough liberty for them to actually pursue and implement their own monetary and fiscal policies. IMF uses both its surveillance as well as technical assistance work or functions in developing codes and standards of good practice in its areas of responsibility (Articles of Agreement of the International Monetary Fund 2007). The World Bank, which is officially named International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, is actually a development institution. Its mandate is to build a climate of healthy investment, sufficient jobs, and sustainable growth. It also invests in poor people and empowers them to participate in development projects. Its efforts on poverty reduction can be observed in national as well as global levels (Schiff and Winters 2003, 15–16). The World Bank gives emphasis on extending aids to poor and developing nations. But more than just these financial aids or loans, the bank gives advice on policymaking and training to countries needing them. Now, in return for IMF’s and World Bank’s financial support or any other kind of advice, recipients of these financial aids should implement necessary structural adjustment policies that will encourage healthy public spending, especially on social services delivery systems. These policies usually decrease government’s participation in the economy (or market, to be specific). Currently, the World Bank is the largest international lending institution dealing with least developed to developing countries (Ibid, 25–26). The World Trade Organization is probably the most â€Å"intrusive† of the three bodies established by the Bretton Woods convention. The convention created a provision for an International Trade Organization. However, such plan lay dormant until the actual establishment of the World Trade Organization in early 1990s. This original plan did not materialize in the form it was originally conceptualized because of the refusal of the US Congress to endorse it. (The refusal of the US Congress is primarily anchored on the idea that had the International Trade Organization been approved then, this body would have the power of a supranational body that can implement sanctions, penalties, or disciplines to any member economies that the ITO deem violating the principles and agreements reached at the Bretton Woods. ) In lieu of this, an international organization, so to speak, in the form of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade or GATT was created. As an international body, it has the primary responsibility of reducing trade barriers through multilateral and multinational negotiations. ITO, however, does not have the power to effect any policies, i. e. , its agreements are non-binding (Timeline: World Trade Organization – A chronology of key events 2007). The World Trade Organization came into existence on 1995. It replaced GATT as an international body overseeing the multilateral trading system. One hundred and twenty-eight (128) countries had signed GATT by 1994. And as of the year 2007, there are 151 full-fledged members and 30 economies/countries having observer status. Every member country of the WTO has the right to challenge or simply question other countries’ local, state, or federal laws granted that such laws may impede efficient and effective international trade. In such cases, if the WTO judges the law to contain violations of WTO ideals, it [WTO] may order the government to overturn or modify the law or else, the country can experience or suffer from trade sanctions. This is exactly why the US Congress did not approve the ratification of the treaty for the creation or establishment of the WTO (Ibid). These three international bodies have clearly penetrated the economic barriers, even political to some extent, of any of its member economies. For this purpose, however, it is clear that these effects are for the benefit of the member economy. While it is clear that these Bretton Woods bodies do not directly dictate economic policies, it has the power to influence its members to act towards its direction. Again, this is not to emphasize that economic sovereignty is being taken away from the country itself, but clearly, the economic barriers have been breached. Regional trade associations or blocs Regional trade associations are â€Å"offshoots†, so to speak, of the globalization phenomenon where inter-nation or inter-state agreement is established. These associations are actually the ones that manage, promote, and direct all the trade activities of the concerned group of countries or regions of the world (UC Atlas of Global Inequality, 2007). This is a case where instead of an institution penetrating the borders of a country, the sovereign country itself initiates the â€Å"surrender† of their economic, or more particularly, trading, policies. Regional trade associations, in general terms, are groupings of economies or nations at a governmental level that aims to promote, manage, and encourage trade within and among their own region and defend its member countries or member economies against a larger global competition. Protection against this larger global competition is done by most countries by establishing tariffs on commodities produced by its members economies, import quotas, onerous bureaucratic import processes, government subsidies, and technical and other non-tariff barriers. Trade is not an isolated activity and other areas of relations between countries or economies involved are also affected: political, security, and other issues affecting the region (Ibid). A good example of a regional trade bloc affecting other aspects of inter-national relations is the case of the European Union or EU. This group is the world’s largest trade association, and by far, the most effective in terms of certain aspects. EU has harbored not just economic but also political ambitions extending way beyond the free trading arrangements entered into by the participating economies (Gibb and Michalak, 1994, 75). The ideological foundations of EU were actually focused on ensuring development and maintaining international or even inter-regional stability, specifically, encapsulating communist or socialist expansion in the post-WWII Europe. EU’s plan actually involves possible joint policies on military security and citizenship. Some researchers believe that trade associations complement globalized trade. There are those, on the other hand, who believe that regionalism is a threat to free trade due to its protectionist nature having conservative policies being implemented by these blocs that shield the member- countries from outside competition of global trade. Such debates contain sharp disagreements. In the same work by Gibb and Michalak (1994, 1), they noted, â€Å"the multilateral trading system is in decline and regionalism is on the ascendancy. † They emphasized that regional trade blocs are an alternative form of trade that â€Å"attempts to counter more aggressive policies of trade, especially as espoused by the WTO. †

The Theory Of Sexual Liberation - 1644 Words

Contemporary British society claims to be sexually liberated, in that there is more open attitudes to diverse sexualities and certain sexual acts are no longer seen as taboo/perverse. It is seen that we are now free to choose and explore these sexualities. However monogamous heterosexual relationships are still seen as what is â€Å"normal† in society therefore if British society claims to be sexually liberated why is what is seen as traditional still the most common type of relationship? This theory of sexual liberation is favoured by Giddens (1992) who sees that in sexually liberated Britain relationships now exist solely on whatever rewards that said relationship has to offer. Commitment in these relationships is negotiated which has†¦show more content†¦Hence Giddens (1992) sees this process of sexual liberation as a move from sexual perversion to sexual pluralism. This has resulted in â€Å"plastic sexuality†. (p2) Consequently Giddens perceives a move from the romantic love of the 19th-20th century to â€Å"Confluent love† (p2) which is active and presumes equality. This is reflected in statistics as in 2012 it is estimated that 42% of marriages ended in divorce. (ONS 2013) This suggests a move to a more liberated society as divorce previously had stigma attached to it whereas now it is seen as a common practice. Similarly Beck and Beck-Gernsheim (1995) comprehend that this sexual liberation has brought an emergence of young people seekin g relationships based on emotional commitment rather than traditional relationships based on aspects such as practicality. Therefore it can be seen that sexual behaviour in British society is now based on personal choice rather than being socially prescribed. (Weeks 1995) This liberation can be seen in college students and the trend of constructing collegiate sexuality which is exempt from the rules of adult sexual behaviour. Wilkins and Dalessandro (2013) examined this trend of â€Å"monogamy lite.† Though it was seen that after graduating students were expected to fall into monogamous heterosexual relationships. As a result it can be argued that this sexual liberation is only available for certain periods of the life course and perhaps only for those