In international comparisons it was found that manufacturing productivity growth slowed after 1973 and unit labor costs accelerated in most industrial countries including the United States. Aggregate hours rose only in the U.S. (CT)

A highly competitive environment has spawned an unsanctioned system of private preparatory schools that attracts 60 percent of Japan's junior high students. (Author/IRT)

Responds to Alan Davies's review article "Ironising the Myth of Linguicism," summarizing principles for the analysis of linguistic imperialism and demonstrating that the phenomenon is far from mythical. The article responds to some of the points raised by Davies to show that his generalizations are not justified. (41 references)…

The paper looks at part-time higher educational services for students in the educational systems of Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. A comparative examination of the nature and importance of part-time higher education is then presented. (DB)

Presents an overview of the political economy approach to information studies. Political economy is defined, and its use in information research is described. Guidance is then provided for rethinking and renewing the assumptions and issues that the approach raises. Challenges from cultural studies and policy science are also discussed. (MES)

This study identifies and evaluates some of the most important and useful resources currently available in the fields of statistics and demography on the Web. Concludes that statistics is better documented than demography, and that large industrialized countries are better represented than smaller developing countries. (Author/LRW)

The increase in burglary crimes, along with the rise in the citizens' worry about burglary crimes, has brought new challenges to the criminal justice systems in developed nations over the last decade. Crime surveys often point to a substantial dissonance between the actual likelihood of burglary and the perceived likelihood of victimization. This…

Declining tobacco use in high-income nations and rising tobacco use in low- and middle-income nations raises questions about the sources of worldwide patterns of smoking. Theories posit a curvilinear influence of national income based on the balance of affordability and health-cost effects. In addition, however, economic inequality, gender…

This paper considers recurrent alarms in England, Wales and other developed countries concerning shortages of teachers. It summarises the conclusions from a mixed-methods international study of teacher supply, quality and retention. The research used large-scale secondary data sets from a variety of sources, at both the individual and aggregate…

Against a background of declining employment in agriculture, a mobile workforce plays a crucial role in meeting seasonal labour demand in Australia. The dynamics of this labour force have received surprisingly little attention. We situate seasonal migration within the rising diversity of present-day mobility, and capture images of its early…

Education is a fundamental right for all children which must be guaranteed in every nation. Unfortunately, children with disabilities have been marginalized in many countries preventing them from accessing an appropriate education. Although some countries have legislation that guarantees educational rights to children with disabilities, some of…

This report assesses the changes in language use, based on political and cultural uses, around the world and specifically in Thailand. Early global theories divided the nations of the world into central, semiperipheral, and peripheral. Later, this classification was changed to developed nations, developing nations, and the Third World. Then came…

This document reports the proceedings of a United Nations World Assembly on Aging follow-up conference. Presented are the following: "International Exchange Center on Gerontology: The Organization and Its Mission"; "Preface" (Sheppard); "Welcoming Telegram" (Shuman); "Overview of the World Assembly on Aging"…

This overview of mass media and media education in Austria begins by briefly describing the geography, population, government, and economy of the country. The current status of press, radio, and television in Austria is then presented, followed by a discussion of the potential benefits and problems of new communication technologies. The objectives…

Two lectures on the development of Berlin's adult education centers after World War II are included. The lecture by Werner Korthaase begins by describing the situation prior to 1920, when Berlin was divided into independent districts, each with its own administrative authorities. It then describes the reestablishment of the local adult education…