New Frontiers in Comparative Sociology (International Studies in Sociology and Social Anthropology)

This book is a collection of notable papers from the first six volumes of the journal Comparative Sociology. Its content represents leading-edge and contemporarily astute analyses in the burgeoning science of comparative sociology, especially relevant to a globalizing world in transition. Given that not everyone is acquainted with comparative sociology, this book offers an opportunity to enlighten readers unfamiliar with the discipline about the importance of comparative sociology to the new world order. Taken together, the articles illuminate various aspects of comparative sociology—theoretical, methodological, substantive. Some compare social entities in subjective, case-study fashion, while others report on rigorous social research. All contribute in one form or another to describing the many and varied facets of the exciting “new” science of comparative sociology.Contributors are Margit Bussmann, Cristina Corduneanu-Huci, Mattei Dogan, Janet Harkness, Kristen R. Heimdal, Sharon K. Houseknecht, Ho-fung Hung, Ronald Inglehart, Valeriy Khmelko, Melvin L. Kohn, Robert M. Marsh, Peter Ph. Mohler, Pippa Norris, John R. Oneal, Noriko Onodera, Maryjane Osa, Vladimir I. Paniotto, Masamichi Sasaki, Shalom H. Schwartz, Tom W. Smith, Indra de Soysa, Tatsuzo Suzuki, Erich Weede, Brigitte Weiffen, and Masato Yoneda.The content of this volume has previously been published in Comparative Sociology volumes 1 – 6.3. Contents ......Page 6 Introduction (Masamichi Sasaki)......Page 8 PART ONE METHODS IN COMPARATIVE SOCIOLOGY......Page 18 Strategies in Comparative Sociology (Mattei Dogan)......Page 20 Methods for Assessing and Calibrating Response Scales across Countries and Languages (Tom W. Smith, Peter Ph. Mohler, Janet Harkness, and Noriko Onodera)......Page 52 PART TWO RADICAL SOCIAL CHANGE......Page 102 The Transition to Capitalism in China and Russia (Erich Weede)......Page 104 Social Structure and Personality during the Process of Radical Social Change: A Study of Ukraine in Transition (Melvin L. Kohn, Valeriy Khmelko, Vladimir I. Paniotto, and Ho-fung Hung)......Page 126 PART THREE VALUES, CULTURE AND DEMOCRACY......Page 178 A Theory of Cultural Value Orientations: Explication and Applications (Shalom H. Schwartz)......Page 180 Islamic Culture and Democracy: Testing the 'Clash of Civilizations' Thesis (Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart)......Page 228 The Cultural-Economic Syndrome: Impediments to Democracy in the Middle East (Brigitte Weiffen)......Page 258 PART FOUR INSTITUTIONS IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE......Page 282 Running Uphill: Political Opportunity in Non-Democracies (Maryjane Osa and Cristina Corduneanu-Huci)......Page 284 Does a Strong Institution of Religion Require a Strong Family Institution? (Kristen R. Heimdal and Sharon K. Houseknecht)......Page 320 PART FIVE SOCIAL PROCESSES......Page 358 Globalization and Income Inequality in the Developing World (Margit Bussmann, Indra de Soysa, and John R. Oneal)......Page 360 English as an International Language in Non-Native Settings in an Era of Globalization (Masamichi Sasaki, Tatsuzo Suzuki and Masato Yoneda)......Page 386 A New Test of Convergence Theory (Robert M. Marsh)......Page 412 Notes on Contributors......Page 456 Index......Page 464 "This book is a collection of notable papers from the first six volumes of the journal Comparative Sociology. Its content represents leading-edge and contemporarily astute analyses in the burgeoning science of comparative sociology, especially relevant to a globalizing world in transition. Given that not everyone is acquainted with comparative sociology, this book offers an opportunity to enlighten readers unfamiliar with the discipline about the importance of comparative sociology to the new world order. Taken together, the articles illuminate various aspects of comparative sociology - theoretical, methodological, substantive. Some compare social entities in subjective, case-study fashion, while others report on rigorous social research. All contribute in one form or another to describing the many and varied facets of the exciting 'new' science of comparative sociology."--Jacket

this Book Is A Collection Of Notable Papers From The First Six Volumes Of The Journal Comparative Sociology. Its Content Represents Leading-edge And Contemporarily Astute Analyses In The Burgeoning Science Of Comparative Sociology, Especially Relevant To A Globalizing World In Transition.