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The extent of the causal relation between interpersonal contact and racial prejudice is examined with emphasis on how this relation is intervened by the effects of family socioeconomic status. A cross-cultural, comparative study of American and Chinese students is attempted using a stereotype questionnaire adapted, with some modifications, from Katz and Braly's adjective list. The data indicate that (a) family socioeconomic status is significantly related to cross-national contact among both the Americans and Chinese, (b) increased contact does not linearly reduce prejudice for both the Americans and Chinese and (c) family socioeconomic status is, relatively speaking, more important than interpersonal contact in its relation to prejudice and significantly so in the American sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While a great deal of sociological attention has been given to phenomena identified as social problems, a general theory of social problems has yet to be presented. The describing and categorizing of social problems has dominated such inquiry, with little attention given to the process of problem creation and maintenance within the context of power, interests, and politics. We must look to the arena of political, social, and economic power, and identify those varying interests vying to define certain phenomena as problematic and those attempting to counter such recognition. The emergence of the "drug problem" in the early twentieth century provides an excellent example of the political nature of problem identification and definition. Early entrepreneurs and their organizations brought about the institutionalization of the problem through the passage of drug laws. While medical interests were victorious in protecting their practice in the Harrison Act of 1914, subsequent efforts by enforcement agencies, among others, brought about the criminalization of the user. The criminalization of the "drug problem" was aided by a change in the image of the user. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes trends and issues in Soviet Union's geography of population. Theoretical developments within Soviet geography of population is being studied because they represent an attempt to introduce a new kind of socio-economic discipline. The geography of population in Russia dates back to the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Soviet geography of population is the study of population distribution and productive relationships existing within various population groups, the settlement network and its fitness, usefulness, and effectiveness for productive goals of a society.

In the Italian Mezzogiorno with its overpopulation and its archaïc economic structure, modern economic and social life emphases the contrasts. The A. analyses these aspects and the processus of urbanisation which occurs there. He explains the dilemma of Italy divised between two socio-economic systems, and which has to choose between economical and sociological still insufficient models, these which can give the bases of a harmonious and accelerated regional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most enduring hypotheses concerning which aggregate of a population is likely to rebel was put forth by Kropotkin (1930). Simply stated, this hypothesis sees the "emerging groups," those not at the lowest socio-economic level but on some higher level as being the most likely for social disturbance or revolt. But this hypothesis by itself is not comprehensive enough to account for the fact that some emerging groups experience social disturbance and others do not. A dynamic or motivational component is necessary. Cantril (1965) provides such a mechanism with his aspirational theory and the self-anchoring scale to operationalize his concept. The dynamic component that accounts for social disturbance is the unsatisfied aspiration level. In various studies in foreign countries Cantril (1967) showed that revolt in the Dominican Republic or lack of support for any attempt to overthrow Castro could be predicted by measuring aspiration levels on the self-anchoring scale. His predictions were confirmed by subsequent events. The riot of April, 1968, in Kansas City, Missouri provides a definitive example to test Cantril's aspiration theory. This riot is especially instructive in that it shows how with the use of the self-anchoring scale and a very few socio-economic measures one can predict the areas of the city most likely to have social disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How important is the economic role of business executives in determining their degree of involvement in local community affairs? Studies of social class and social participation, of community decision-making processes, and more general analyses of the economic institution in modem society all have suggested that as one ascends the corporate pyramid he becomes more involved in the organizational life of the local community. Explanations for this association between economic position and community involvement have been of two general kinds. The first emphasizes the structural position of local economic dominants in community affairs and the second focuses upon the concept of "corporate social responsibility" and the attendant role conceptions of business executives. While there are many claims as to the primacy of the economic role in community involvement of executives, there have been few empirical attempts to ascertain the degree of local involvement actually explained by the economic role. Certainly businessmen are active in the local community. But how important is their economic role as compared to their other sociodemographic characteristics in accounting for variations in their activity? It is the purpose of this paper to discover the degree of local community participation explained by both the structural dimensions of the economic role and the executive-community role conception based on a national sample of business executives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]