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Presents news briefs concerning the field of sociology in Great Britain as of December 1952. Initiation of a conference by the British Sociological Association from March 27 to March 29, 1953 at King's College of Household and Social Science in London, England; Information on the Second World Congress of Sociology being organized by the International Sociological Association from August 24 to September 1, 1953; Appearance of the obituary of Professor T. Geiger in the March 1953 issue of the "British Journal of Sociology."

Butler and Stokes' Political Change in Britain is reviewed, and criticised for focussing on a notion of electoral change which is singularly restrictive and which, moreover, has been noticeably absent in post-war Britain compared with other Western democracies. Three other kinds of electoral change. although ignored in the book, are shown to have been peculiar to Britain since 1945. These are (i) a persistent decline in the combined major party share of the electorate; (ii) a gradual fall in turnout; and (iii) an accelerating volatility of support between the two main parties. A more disturbing weakness in the study is that its general model of electoral behaviour, largely borrowed from the earlier Michigan studies, cannot account for these three electoral trends. Indeed, the model leads to predictions of electoral behaviour which are the very opposite of what has in fact taken place. In the light of the model's failure, some of its key concepts such as party jdentification, political generation and the model of partisan development as a learning process are subjected to critical scrutiny. No alternative model is tested, but plausible explanations of British voting behaviour since 1945 are offered which place a much greater emphasis on sociological and historical factors and on changes at the macro and elite level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the definition of sociology in industrial relations in Great Britain. Industrial relations theorists and practitioners alike generally recognize that there is some need for sociological contributions to industrial relations questions. The term sociological or social are often attached to one common meaning which refers to those objectives or factors affecting behavior of individuals and groups which do not conform to what is supposed to be economic rationality. For many industrial relations writers, few of whom have received any formal sociological training, the term sociology therefore covers the analysis of factors which are seen as lying outside the logic of interest rationality which is at the root of collective bargaining. A more sophisticated interpretation of sociology, however, is reached when it is argued that the practice of industrial relations is at least partially determined by the type of norms accepted by actors in the work situation and the type of social structures which are derived from those norms.

In this article the author focuses on the sociological career in Great Britain. The author remarks that as a student he knew nothing of working-class life, and the great industrial north was a nightmare land of smoke and grime through which one had to travel to get from London to the Lake District. At Cambridge he read history, which was at that time, with a few exceptions, very badly taught. The experience was not, on the whole, either attractive or enlightening. Nevertheless his whole outlook on life changed very rapidly. Although, history was in general badly taught at Cambridge in the years just before the First World War, there were two teachers who not only taught the author a lot but also left their mark on his subsequent career. The author says that if only he had been a sociologist then, what an opportunity this would have given him to study, by participant observation and any other survey method not requiring a computer, the emergence of a structured society from a miscellaneous collection of individuals flung together by chance in a confined space and its subsequent fortunes.

The article comments on the present situation and development in the social sciences in Great Britain. The social sciences in general, and in specifically, had a long pre-history. An intelligent observer in the year 1800 would not have had a word for sociology, and would not have known the phrase social science. Economics, and to a lesser degree politics, were firmly established in the universities before 1939. The importance of politics in the conduct of administration and the making of policy was recognized. The experience of economic depression was productive of a diffuse belief in planning which resulted in a new readiness of mind to accept social research. In 1945 this resulted in a growth of demand for social science education and information. All the social sciences grew steadily in the following years. Partly through the encouragement of UNESCO, national associations came into existence in such fields as politics and sociology. They were no novelty in economics. Social administration as a subject of study advanced with the growth of a welfare state. But the real revolution was to follow, and it still continues.

The article provides information about various documents related to sociology. "Programme of Concerted Practical Action in the Social Field of the United Nations and Specialized Agencies" released by the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and one of equal size on "The World Social Situation," are two United Nations publications which better than any others present materials of broad interest to social scientists. Resolution 535 (VI) of the General Assembly, which initiated this report, "Calls upon the Economic and Social Council to examine in detail... the social activities undertaken by the United Nations, together with the pertinent activities of the specialized agencies, in order to fulfill the various social tasks assigned to it by the Charter, and to take the necessary action to assure that efforts and resources are effectively concentrated upon those social problems the early solution of which can be promoted through international action, especially in the under-developed countries, both self-governing and non-self- governing. "Young Farmers' Clubs: Report of a Survey," by G. P. Hirsch, is a study of Young Farmers' Clubs in England and Wales and brings to the reader's attention the lusty spirit of enterprise and struggle for independence from national and county government which appears to characterize this youth movement in socialist Great Britain.

For the great majority of British citizens electoral behavior consists almost entirely of voting for a party candidate or not voting at all at a Parliamentary General Election, and it is with this form of behavior that this study is mainly concerned. Official statistics show the total turnout for all contested constituencies, but for anything more revealing than this one is dependent upon the findings of sample surveys. From these, however, the turnout rate for various sections of the electorate is established with a fair degree of reliability. It is seen that within the total figures there are considerable and politically important variations. Both political parties have been slow to see and to accept these changes, although one party has been much slower than the other. Their procrastination has been encouraged by the fact that voting behavior, based as it is largely on early socialization and a sense of duty, has not, so far, been affected sharply by changing political attitudes. However, the gap between political attitudes and voting behavior is steadily hardening and even politicians are coming to realize that complex changes in the class structure of post-war British society threatens in the not too distant future to end the old ideological simplifications about politics.

In Great Britain today, more married women are going out to work, first of all because of earlier marriage and, secondly, because of smaller families. Assuming that these trends continue, managers will find that more of their women workers will be married, and probably that their average age will be higher. Married women owe their first duty to their home and family. They therefore constitute a risk from managements point of view since they are liable to go absent or to leave altogether at very short notice in response to their family needs. However, the study presented in the article shows that in a factory which has become mainly dependent on such workers, latitude is allowed. If it were not, the firm would not survive. In a world in which more married women are ready to work and more employers need them, this is likely to be the principal lesson which managers will have to learn.

In a much discussed book, sociologist R. Pedley puts forward the view that the sixth forms of maintained grammar schools are the weakest link in the English education system. Their inefficiency is a result of their small size. Sociologist R.C. Oldfield has produced statistical evidence to show that small schools actually do significantly better than big ones. He shows that, although large schools naturally tend to get more awards than small, when the size of school is taken into account there is a significant tendency for small schools to obtain more awards per 1,000 boys than large schools. This article presents a study to examine the relation between educational achievement and school size. Findings of he study seem to show that Pedley is right in his view that the small schools are not producing such good results as the large. They show also that this tendency becomes more marked with higher levels of academic attainment. The better achievements of large schools are most evident in university awards and are markedly present in distinctions at advanced level. In passes and failures at advanced and ordinary levels the differences are less striking. However, it is not at all obvious from the results that Pedley is right in attributing the superiority of the big school to its large sixth form as such.

This article discusses matters related to the British Sociological Association as of December 1954. The Executive Committee was impressed by the variety of interesting subjects for study groups suggested in reply to the referendum circulated some time ago. An analysis shows that the predominating topics are Town Planning and Housing, and Industrial Sociology. The Executive Committee will sponsor such a group or groups, provided that the initiative is forthcoming from members. Any members who would be willing to join a study group in London on one of the above subjects should get into touch with me. Accommodation would be made available in the evenings at Skepper House and the distribution of notices, etc., would be undertaken by the Association. In certain areas outside London it appears that members are already effectively organized. Members in Bristol or Oxford may care to be put into touch with existing groups in their areas. Those living elsewhere who are prepared to take the initiative should let me know, and if there is adequate local support will receive similar help from the Association. Professor Simey has tendered his resignation from the office of Honorary Treasurer. Professor Simey has been Honorary Treasurer of the Association since its inauguration in 1951 and his departure from office will he keenly felt. Professor W. J. H. Sprott, of the University of Nottingham, has been invited to fill the office and has kindly accepted.