Controversial Political Issues Research Articles

Residential segregation of ethnic groups in West German cities

Research focused on immigrants in German cities has shown that ethnic minorities have a clear tendency towards segregation and spatial concentration in specific urban areas. Unlike the immigrant enclaves in North American cities these neighbourhoods cannot be termed ‘ghettos’. Yet today one of the most controversial political issues in West German cities is the likelihood of ethnic ghetto formation. There is general agreement amongst planners and politicians that such a development should be prevented as it will hinder future integration. This article will: consider the conditions of labour immigrants and their families in West German cities; review the development of these conditions, especially in the last 15 years; and explain, as far as possible, the geographical concentration and segregation of immigrants, examining policies for integration.

Chemical Wastes in our Atmosphere—An Ecological Crisis

A large variety of chemical wastes is added to our atmosphere from nu merous human activites. Some of these, such as sulfur and nitrogen oxides (which produce acid rain), ozone, metals, and hydrocarbons, have reached high concentrations in industrialized and urbanized regions of the globe and are causing an ecological crisis. Acid rain and snow have been falling on increasingly widespread areas of the world during the past several decades. Large areas of North America, Europe, and Asia now receive rain that is, on average, 10 to greater than 30 times more acidic than would be expected for unpolluted atmospheres. Fre quently, individual rainstorms or cloudwater events have pH values of less than 3. Dry deposition of acidic substances (gases and particles) to natural ecosystems may equal inputs from rain and snow. Effects of air pollution on surface waters, forests, and crops are very difficult to quantify because these natural systems are exceedingly variable and complex. Nevertheless, thousands of lakes and streams in North America and Europe have become so acidic that they cannot support viable populations of fish and other organisms. Highly acidic precipitation events coupled with high atmospheric concentrations of ozone and metals can cause plant damage. Crop loss from ozone damage in the United States is estimated at 6 to 7% annually. The environmental and economic conse quences of air pollution have yet to be evaluated fully, but atmospheric ozone and inputs of acids and metals to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems clearly represent a potential ecological crisis. Various historical and transboundary aspects of these air pollution problems have become controversial political and economic issues, particu larly between states within the United States, between the United States and Canada, and between various countries in Europe. The solution to this many-faceted environmental problem represents an enormous scientific and political challenge.

Environmental Negotiation: An Organizational Framework for Solving the Acid Deposition Puzzle

In spite of the considerable amount of research on acid deposition and its control in the fields of natural, social, and applied sciences, the problem of devising appropriate control solutions remains a highly controversial political issue. In this paper, the thesis advanced is that environmental dispute resolution procedures are needed in order to deal effectively with acid deposition control. In this way, science, economics, and technology are bound to be used more meaningfully and serve the social and political needs of the affected interests. An organizational framework to be used in conducting environmental negotiation is suggested and briefly discussed.

"Attorney for the Defense": Yamato Ichihashi and Japanese Immigration

Yamato Ichihashi (1878-1965) was one of first scholars of Japanese descent to teach at an American university. From 1913 to 1943 he was a professor of Japanese studies at Stanford University. Ichihashi is best known as author of Japanese in United States. Published in 1932, his book remains standard work on Japanese immigration history.1 When it first appeared, a few reviewers characterized Ichihashi as playing the role of attorney for defense.2 Japanese immigration had been a controversial political issue

The Dilemma of an Acidic Sky

A discussion of studies detailing the damaging effects of acid precipitation in North America and Europe is followed by a commentary on the controversial political and economic issues associated with forestalling deterioration of the environment. A comprehensive bibliography is included.

The nuclear power referendum in Austria

The Austrian political system was challenged by the nuclear referendum on 5 November 1978. Indirectly the campaign became a confrontation between government and opposition, with the neo-corporatist elements backing the government. The outcome overruled the policy intentions of the ruling SPO and the wishes of the ‘para-coalition’ of trade unions and employers' associations. The powerful party in government and the forces of private enterprise and organized labour were defeated. The referendum revealed the decline of the political elite's ability to handle a controversial political issue and signalled a new unpredictability in voting behaviour.

Tolerance and Moral Reasoning Among Adolescents in Ireland

Abstract This research was undertaken in order to investigate the relationship between tolerance and moral reasoning among adolescents in Northern Ireland and in the Irish Republic. A study of Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of moral development led to the expectation that individuals who understood the ‘principled’ level of moral reasoning would be more tolerant than those who reasoned predominantly at the ‘conventional’ level. The subjects of this research, all senior students, completed a questionnaire which furnished data on their level of moral reasoning, their tolerance of outgroups, and in addition, on selected personal, demographic and educational variables expected to be associated with moral reasoning and tolerance. The findings supported the hypothesis that students who reasoned at a ‘principled’ level of moral reasoning would be more tolerant than those who reasoned predominantly at the ‘conventional’ level. Also, as expected, students’ participation in discussion of controversial political, social and moral issues was related to both moral reasoning and tolerance. The results of the study underscore the importance of recognizing moral education as a precursor of tolerance, and of incorporating the discussion of controversial issues into schools’ curricula.

U.N. Technology Meeting Lacked Clear Direction

Participants in the September 1979 United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development (UNCSTD) were disappointed in the results, which they had counted on to help diminish some of the gap between the industrialized and the developing worlds. The conference developed a plan of action in broad terms of developing an intergovernmental committee to oversee R and D projects and calling for equal opportunities for men and women in science careers. Little room for agreement was found on some of the controversial legal and political issues, however. Pressures to develop a new economic order were countered as impractical by the industrialized countries. Positive signs are noted in the participants' willingness to minimize nationalism and the large contingent of scientists present. US delegates, although they were excluded from some of the decision making, are hopeful that Congress will approve funds for the international committee and that the mechanism for technology transfer can be improved.

"Equal Opportunities" and "Fairness" in Broadcast Coverage of Politics

Government regulation of political broadcasting is grounded in the laudable goals of providing candidates for office with "equal opportunities" to inform the citizenry via the public airwaves and of promoting general "fair ness" in broadcast coverage of controversial political issues. Congress has mandated these principles, and the courts have played some role in interpreting them. But day-to-day problems of implementation and clarification fall on the Federal Communications Commission. A review of FCC de cisions suggests that enforcement and interpretation of the "equal opportunities" requirements has created uncertainty among candidates and broadcasters alike and has discouraged bold and controversial political broadcasting. In attempts to apply the "fairness" principle to broadcast coverage of poli tics, the FCC's piecemeal approach has resulted in charges of partisan decision making, of over-deference to broad casters, and of interfering with broadcast journalism.

Interest Groups in Sweden

Sweden has perhaps the strongest system of interest groups in the world. All important groups belong to a few peak organizations with a very high membership percentage. This system, developed continuously from the end of the nineteenth century, is characterized by bargain ing among organizations and the institutionalization of their political influence. The peak associations are highly central ized with a hierarchical power structure, which has caused problems of internal democracy. Their political influence is based mainly on economic and personal resources and on their position in the decision-making process. Influence is exerted through various channels, ranging from informal contacts with decision makers to public propaganda campaigns. The latter, however, seem less effective than information based upon facts. Group influence is expressed mainly in the preparatory stages—through representation on investigative commis sions and so-called remiss comments on commission reports—and at the executive stage in the agencies. The least significant target is Parliament, although contacts are maintained with the parliamentary groups of the parties. The only association having intimate organizational and ideological links with a party is the Swedish Federation of Trade Unions (LO), which has the strongest influence of all groups, because of its large membership and ties with the ruling Social-Democratic Party. The other associations have all declared their political neutrality, but this is not to say that they do not take a position on controversial political issues. Thus, the Central Association of Salaried Employees (TCO) has increased its influence considerably since World War II by taking an active part in such issues.

Education of the Non-Russian Peoples in the USSR, 1917—1967: An Essay

In Any Multinational State the language and content of elementary and secondary education are liable to become controversial political issues. The dedicated nationalist will be concerned about safeguarding the purity of his people's heritage. On the other hand, many parents want their children to achieve responsible positions that call for higher education. Equal access to universities and technical institutes by students of all nationalities then becomes the touchstone of equitable educational policy. This essay seeks to evaluate briefly Soviet educational policy toward the non-Russian peoples that together make up nearly one half of the total population of the USSR (454 percent in 1959).The problem of educating constituent peoples and ethnic, cultural, or racial minorities equitably is, of course, not limited to the Soviet Union. The classic example of a genuinely multilingual state, with four official languages, is Switzerland. But even in that country, higher education is available only in French and German. Nonetheless, despite their linguistic differences the Swiss remain exceptionally attached to their little country, which was founded in 1291. Not so united is Belgium, a creation of the nineteenth century. In February 1968, for the first time in that country's history, the long-smoldering language dispute brought down a government: the division of the country into Wallonia and Flanders, with a theoretically bilingual Brussels enclave, has not worked out smoothly, nor has the division of Louvain University into French- and Dutch-speaking sections.

Mirror of Discontent: the March of Time and Its Politically Controversial Film Issues

URING THE LAST FEW YEARS consumers of the popular arts have seen the appearance of several television documentary features designed to explore controversial political issues. Some of these programs have assumed a position fully as controversial as the political issues they treat because of their producers' noticeable disposition to editorialize. The appearance of such television news features brings to mind the spectacularly successful March of Time film series, theatrically ubiquitous from 1935 to 1951. Fully seven years have passed now since Time, with its cinematic bag of tricks, marched off the world's motion picture screens to the oblivion of the film vault. To date, there have been no signs of its

Science in Social Services

IN his farewell address on June 24 to the London School of Economics, Sir William Beveridge emphasized the need for both observation and detachment in the social sciences. Failure to be scientific in method and detachment on the part of both economists and statesmen, he said, had largely been responsible for the tardy development or recognition of the social sciences, alike in the neglect of observation of facts as the basis of theories and as the control of theories, and in the lack of detachment from partisan actions and the giving of judgment on controversial political issues. The social services of Great Britain might well have been cited by Sir William Beveridge to illustrate his point. They continue to grow piecemeal, and every session Parliament adds something to the imposing structure ; but it is nearly thirty years since the last comprehensive inquiry into public social provision in Great Britain was made. Continually, however, we witness particular aspects of the social services criticized strongly to prove or disprove some political tenet or preconceived idea, and it is rare indeed to find them considered in relation to a comprehensive and well-defined social policy.