Betty A. Dobratz

The Role of Religion in the Collective Identity of the White Racialist Movement

This paper applies the concept of identity to the white racialist or separatist movement, typically referred to as the white supremacist movement in many mainstream publications. While similar racial identity and shared perceptions of the meaning of racialism bind the movement together, there are other important concerns that potentially divide the movement but also have served to attract members to it. One of these potentially divisive areas, the differences in religious views, is explored here through an analysis of the white separatist literature and interviews with movement members. Three belief systems of movement members-Christian or Israel Identity, Church of the Creator, and Odinism-are examined. All three contribute to strengthening the racial identity of white racialists, but are at the same time potentially antagonistic to each other. It is suggested that this religious divide will be a key issue in influencing the future development of the movement.

Blindness Rehabilitation Agencies and Organizational Environments

Previous research has suggested that the extent to which rehabilitation agencies must compete over clientele affects the structure and behavior of organizations. Institutional theory suggests, however, that increased competition is unlikely to affect the rehabilitation process and client outcomes. In this paper, multiple regression analysis on survey data from 135 agencies in 22 states suggested that organizational structure and behavior were not affected. However, increased competition did appear to lead to a greater retention of clientele while personnel constraints appeared to increase the referral of clients to other agencies. Since agencies have less control over funding and other related scarce resources, clientele appear to be the manipulable resource which can be referred or retained to meet organizational needs.

Introduction: Theoretical directions in political sociology for the 21st century

Introduction: theoretical directions for the 21st century, T. Buzzell et al class and elites - a new look reflections on class power and wealth, M. Parenti class, race, and gender and theorizing welfare states, J. Misra elites and politics - the corporate elite and the capitalist class in the United States, B. Mintz world systems and nation states world-systems analysis and globalization directions for the 21st century, T.D. Hall states, nations, and European nationalism - a challenge for political sociology, V. Vujacic the post-modern turn politics in postmodernity - the diaspora of politics and the homelessness of political and social theory, B. Agger, T. Luke Marxist models of the capitalist state and politics, C.Y.H. Lo.

Party Preferences and ‘Erratic’ Issues in Greece

The recent theoretical emphasis in the voting literature has shifted from sociological and psychological perspectives which characterize voting as a form of quasi-deterministic behaviour to perspectives focusing on the electorate’s rationality.’ The traditional school of thought on rationality viewed voters’ competence negatively but a revisionist approach maintained that when parties take positions on the major issues, voters’ decisions may well be rational. They vote for the candidate closest to them on the issues because they perceive greater benefits from such a vote.2 Budge and Farlie provide an important issue-based theory of explaining elections which modified rational-choice theory.3 Political parties do not compete with each other by debating directly on focused issues; rather each party tries to make its own areas of concern most prominent. This is different from the rational-choice notion of parties confronting each other with different policies on the same issues. Most types of issues were generally perceived as belonging to a particular party; for example, the expansion of welfare is associated with socialist parties and law-and-order issues with bourgeois parties. The political parties are perceived as devoting most of their attention to the types of issues that favour themselves. Budge and Farlie argue that in order to achieve a maximum overall vote, major parties should attempt to make foreign relationships, candidate evaluations and government record favourable to themselves. These three issue groupings are ‘erratic’ because no one party can claim them; rather each issue may favour one party at a particular time but later favour a different party.