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NONTHEMATIC / Vol. 16, No. 1 (Spring 1949)


The economist, surveying for the first time what is undoubtedly one of the world’s key economic problems, namely, that of underdeveloped countries, cannot fail to be struck by the extraordinary neglect of this field by his own science. There is no doubt that economic research and the literature have been deeply conditioned by a purely national approach, generally the approach of a major industrialized country. This concentration on the problems of industrialized countries, and particularly their short-term problems of economic stability, is perhaps most clearly epitomized in the often-quoted statement of Keynes, 'In the long run we are all dead.' But this statement has a peculiar poignancy if applied to underdeveloped countries and peoples. For them it is a physiological fact rather than a logical preference.

Recent Western European experience furnishes many examples of the problems confronting democratic government when seemingly irreconcilable ideologies threaten the very fundamentals of parliamentary structure. It is therefore desirable to investigate one case in recent political history in which opposing attitudes on important issues have not destroyed parliamentary procedure and thus led to the breakdown of democracy itself. The history of the British Conservative party since the general election of 1945 is of great significance, since it records not only the party’s adjustment to the role of a parliamentary minority, but also its adjustment to a program which for all practical purposes contravenes basic principles of the formal Conservative creed.

In considering trends in social insurance—that is, developments that have appeared in some countries and have a good chance of spreading to others and becoming a permanent feature of our society—it is important to make two reservations. First, trends may be modified and even reversed if experiments prove too costly or are handled inefficiently. Trends are not absolute. They are conditioned by "ifs." Second, social security is part of the total institutional pattern and varies from country to country according to the stage of economic development, government structure, and political and cultural traditions of the country in question. Thus, no scheme applied in any one country can be adopted by another without considerable change and adaptation

The following is an attempt to account for the issues in the conflict between the West and East. These issues are on three different planes: that of power politics, the ideological, and the institutional. Our discussion is prefaced by three observations, designed to suggest how we approach the analysis and how we construe the fundamental relationship between the points at issue.

A bibliography of works referencing Weber and his work.

It rarely happens that a doctoral dissertation deserves the attention of an audience larger than that of experts in the particular field. In the case of Jakob Taubes’ Abendlandische Eschatologie, however, both the topic and the name of the author will kindle the interest of scholars in many fields—theology, philosophy, the history of ideas, and the social sciences. Specifically, the philosopher who specializes in methodology and philosophy of history and the sociologist who is concerned with the problems of a sociology of knowledge and of religion will find the book rewarding in many respects.

Review of book by Richard Hofstadter. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 1948. 378 pp.

Review of book by Arthur Nussbaum. New York: Macmillan. 1947. 361 pp.

Review of book by Nathan A. Pelcovits. New York: King's Crown Press. 1948. 349 pp.

Review of book by Seymour Harris. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 1947. 686 pp.

Review of book by Carl S. Shoup. Boston: Houghton Mufflin. 1947. 405 pp.

Review of book by Frank Kinder. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. 1946. 131 pp.

Review of book by Leonard A. Slater Jr. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 1948. 258 pp.

Review of book by Julius Isaac. New York: Oxford University Press. 1947. 285 pp.

Review of book by Carle C. Zimmerman. New York and London: Harper. 1947. 829 pp.

Review of book by Francis E. Merril. New York: Harper. 1948. 258 pp.

Review of book by Samuel Kurland. New York: Sharon Books. 1947. 276 pp.

Review of book by Solomon Grayzel. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America. 1947. 835 pp.

Review of book by Jean-Paul Sartre. New York: Philosophical Library. 1947. 92 pp.

Review of book by Karl Lehmann. New York: Macmillan. 1947. 273 pp.

Review of books by Ernesto Grassi. Berne: A. Francke. 1946. 127 pp.

Review of edited volume celebrating Peter von der Muhll. Basel: Benno Schwabe. 1946. 288 pp.

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