Nature Of Class Conflict Research Articles

Social issues in knowledge management and intellectual capital

In recent years, Knowledge Management (KM) practices and Intellectual Capital (IC) as an asset became more and more important in the global economy. The aim of this paper is to analyse if, and how, KM and IC have contributed to the evolution of some old and well known social questions. These include class conflict and social policies. The paper is divided into five main sections: (1) Introduction; (2) Main concepts; (3) History and present situation; (4) Analysis; and (5) Conclusion. The two main ideas that will be put forward are the following: (1) IC dissemination and KM practices extension have drastically changed the nature of class conflict; (2) in order to became widely used, KM and IC need the backup of a strong and vast welfare state, which in turn is a characteristic of peaceful, developed and democratic societies wherein class conflict is somehow controlled.

Du Pont-State Relations

This paper examines the historical relations between the Du Pont Company and the U.S. federal government. Relations between the Du Pont Company and various segments of the state apparatus were varied and complex. I indicate how these historically contingent relations were affected by the strategies of capital accumulation adopted by the firm, the immediate organizational interests of the State, and the nature of class conflict in the society as a whole. These factors represent a combination of principles derived from neo-Marxian and neoWeberian theories of political economy. Corporations and governments are the most powerful organizations in advanced capitalist societies. Decisions regarding the most crucial issues that confront society as a whole are largely made within the context of these spheres of influence. Despite the importance of corporate and governmental organizations, relatively few theoretically-informed analyses regarding the specific content of relations between them exist in the literature. Most analyses of corporate-state relations begin at the institutional level of analysis and generalize to the level of the organization. As a result, these analyses tend to rely on rather sweeping, impressionistic, and often anecdotal evidence. What is required is a more detailed understanding of how specific relations are created, modified, and sustained over time. In this paper, I examine the historical interplay of relations between the E.I. du Pont de Nemours Company and the U.S. federal government.' The purpose of this paper is to identify the most historically significant aspects of these relations. First, I give a brief overview of the position of the Du Pont Company in the U.S. economy as a whole. Next, I describe the key factors which have influenced the development of Du Pont-state relationships. I then present a narrative summary of the history of these relations. Finally, I discuss these findings in light of more general theories of political economy.

Chile's Poor in the Struggle for Democracy

In response to the drastic socioeconomic transformations executed by the military regime over the last decade, new forms of social resistance have appeared in Chile. As a result, the shantytown has eclipsed the factory and neighborhood organizations have displaced trade unions as the locus of action. Along with similar social movements unfolding in South Africa and more recently in Haiti, the mass struggles of Chile's unemployed and urban poor raise important questions about the nature of class conflict and the forms of social organization most relevant for understanding social transformation. As social and activity becomes increasingly rooted in the place of residence (thereby bridging the distance between family and political life), a new dramatis personae-shantytown women and youth-have taken center stage in the social struggles now taking place in Chile. Both as organizers and participants in the social mobilizations of the poor, shantytown women and youth are breathing a new life into social movements and, in the process, are profoundly affecting the direction of contemporary struggles in Chile. Through their ability to develop new types of organizations, actions, and mobilizations, the chronically unemployed and urban poorwomen, men and youth-have been at the forefront of the popular struggle challenging authoritarian rule, transforming themselves from victims to protagonists, from social outcasts to social actors. Given their specific weight in the overall social mobilizations against military rule, the actions of the urban poor and the unemployed are emerging as an important factor shaping the conditions under which the military dictatorship will come to an end.

On Class Conflict in the Indian Society

The Argument of Prof. V. M. Dandekar in his paper on the 'Nature of Class Conflict in the Indian Society, divides itself into two parts. The first part consists of a critical review of the doctrine of class struggle expounded by Marx (and Engels), particularly in the Manifesto of the Communist Party. In the second part of his argument Prof. Dandekar examines the relevance of this particular view relating to class conflict, to present-day Indian society. In the whole of his analysis what is under review is the 'Marxian' doctrine as distinct from the 'Marxist' doctrine, the distinction between the two terms being on the lines of that made by M. Rubel. I shall address myself below to each of the two parts of Prof. Dandekar's argument separately one after another.

Nature of Class Conflict in the Indian Society: A Comment

Professor Dandekar's paper raises a series of questions regarding the interpretation of the Marxian concept of class, analysis of the Indian data and his general approach to the study of Marxian theory. First, I shall take Professor Dandekar's interpretation of the Marxian concept of class and the application of this concept to paint a picture of the class composition in India.

Nature of Class Conflict in the Indian Society

I have been asked to speak on a difficult subject. I accepted the invitation not because I feel equal to the task but because I believe that, for a proper appreciation of the several problems that the Indian society is presently facing, we must understand the nature of the underlying class conflict. This sounds very Marxian.

Is Organized Labour Exploiting or Exploited?

Professor Dandekar's "Nature of class conflict in the Indian Society" is highly provoking. The main thesis of the paper is that class conflict exists between organized labour plus capitalists on the one hand and the unorganized sector on the other and that the former are exploiting the latter. Though mercifully capitalists are included in the exploiting category the tenor of the paper is that the main villian is the organized working class.