Unbalanced Power Relations Research Articles

A feminist political economic understanding of the relations between state, market and civil society from Beijing to Tunis

By focusing on the area of women/gender, telecommunications and new ICTs, this article examines the complex interplay between the state, the market and civil society from the Fourth UN World Conference on Women to the World Summit on Information Society. By adopting a feminist political economic perspective, it is asserted that the mainstream approach to civil society falls short of acknowledging unbalanced power relations between the three parties. The UN and the state both endorse a version of the information society that is conducive to neoliberal capitalism. This article argues that civil society should be given more power in future UN international conventions.

Inter-company Conflicts and Conflict Resolution Methods. Results of a Qualitative Research

This article reveals the possible connections between the forms of cooperation and the conflict resolution methods in the case of the Hungarian suppliers' - manufacturers' relations. These connections are presented in the light of the results of a research made via interviews. The results showed that in these inter-company connections the companies try to prevent the conflicts by the establishment of long- term partnerships and the connections are coordinated not mostly by the contractual relationship but by the mutually negotiated common rules and trust. Keeping this partnership is a very important intent in the solution of conflicts, however, the unbalanced power relations, the internal organization structure of companies do not always make possible to apply a way of conflict management that could deepen the partnership. In spite of this, the institution of partnership and the type of the supplied products can cause a kind of interdependence that makes possible the co-operative conflict resolution methods. In economic sociology, many researches have been carried out about the connection between the economic performance and the social embeddedness of the market relationships (Granovetter 1990). In contradiction with the neoclassical economics, these state that the market behavior is directed not only by the market rules, but the level of trust, reputation and the level of interdependence are also very important elements in the coordination of a transaction. This embeddedness coordinates the connections of the companies and gives a definite explanation what keeps the exchange connections together and how they influence economic performance. Based on these sociological results, the aim of the research was to analyze the inherent connections between the type of the inter-companies' relations and their conflict resolution methods, by the sociological and market (environmental) factors. This research goes beyond the above facts, as its aim was to find an answer to what circumstances force the parties to brake the connection (they replace each other), or to maintain the relation (whether it is spoilt or not). First, I introduce the conflict- and sociological theories and research results that explain the elements of the maintainability of inter-company connection and the elements of its limits. Then the hypotheses and the results are going to be presented, and finally, the study is closed with the conclusions.

"Ethnic" Assimilates "Indigenous": A Study in Intellectual Neocolonialism

n 1994 various faculty members at the University of British Columbia considered establishing an Ethnic Studies department. As part of their study they invited academics representing four minority groups to make public addresses on the pros and cons of this prospect. As a current faculty member of a Native Studies department and a recent Ph.D. student in the Ethnic Studies Department at the University of California at Berkeley, I was invited to present a paper on the relations between Ethnic Studies and Native Studies on university campuses. ' In accepting the invitation I let the organizer, Professor Margery s Fee, know that I was not a proponent of Ethnic Studies-Native Ameri; can Studies collaboration and that she might want to rethink the invitation. The invitation held, and this essay is the result. As the title suggests, experience convinces me that Native Studo ies does not belong under the rubric of Ethnic Studies, that when Native Studies is housed under Ethnic Studies, there is always the poten5 33 tial for unbalanced power relations to develop between the dominant ethnic majority and Native People. These unbalanced power relations result in the marginalization, silencing, and exploitation of issues unique to Indigenous peoples. The marginalization of Native American Studies in Ethnic Studies departments was never intended when these departments were first established-it evolved, over time, out of a combination of political

Indigenous NGOs and refugee assistance

Although well placed to render assistance to refugees, indigenous NGOs usually play only a marginal role, compared with the Northern NGOs which dominate most humanitarian aid programmes. The unbalanced power relations between Northern agencies and donors and Southern NGOs in the delivery of refugee assistance are reviewed. Using data from the assistance programmes for Mozambican refugees in Malawi and Zimbabwe, the strategies and conditions by which some indigenous NGOs successfully challenged this prevailing situation are examined. Factors considered to be significant are institution building; diversifying the donor-base; project design and development; and the skills and expertise of field directors. The broader applicability of these experiences is considered.