行为同伴选择的社会文化效应研究——中国北京与荷兰乌特勒支的比较

从活动-移动行为的角度,基于中国北京和荷兰乌特勒支在2007年进行的活动日志调查,通过研究居民非工作活动的同伴选择机制,分析东西方文化价值观的差异而引起的行为方式差异。研究表明,北京居民倾向与家庭成员一起活动,而乌特勒支居民倾向单独或与朋友一起,一定程度表明中国社会倾向集体主义的价值观,而荷兰社会则偏向个人主义。此外,性别和年龄仅对北京居民有显著影响,女性进行较多的联合活动,年长者更倾向选择朋友作为同伴;家庭结构对两城市居民影响均显著,结婚和生子等生命事件会促进居民产生核心家庭成员陪伴的活动;以休闲为目的活动更多的是联合活动。此外,收入、驾照拥有、私家车拥有、居住空间密度等变量也对同伴选择具有一定影响。最后对从行为角度的文化差异分析的未来以及对中荷社会发展的指导意义进行了讨论,提出社会现代化进程中,个人主义可能是追求公平与效率的潜在趋势,但中国社会的良性发展应当充分考虑到儒家思想的传承以及中国人喜爱热闹、需要集体归属感的民族性格,这是建立“和谐社会”的重要方面。同时,从活动-移动行为所表现的社会文化效应分析看,城市规划与管理者需要提供较为完善的公共休闲空间及提供个性化的交往空间与平台。     

SIGNS AS YARD ART IN AMARILLO,TEXAS

ABSTRACT. The city of Amarillo, Texas, is unusual in that more than 5,000 art objects in the form of signs are displayed on individual properties. These signs represent a unique partnership between the public and a wealthy individual, Stanley Marsh 3, who subsidizes them. Through a field survey of 723 signs and a questionnaire mailed to 98 residents with signs in their yards, we explored use of the signs for communal and individual expression. The field survey found a higher concentration of signs in low‐ and moderate‐income neighborhoods and in Hispanic areas than in high‐income and non‐Hispanic neighborhoods. The questionnaire revealed that residents used signs for both individual and communal expression and that most residents with signs liked them. Dissatisfaction among a small percentage of residents with signs suggested that the vast number of signs may have compromised their initial uniqueness.     

Institutional individualism and the pricing metric: Epistemological arguments against neoliberal policies

This paper aims to support arguments that Parr and Knox-Hayes developed in two recent articles published in Geoforum against neoliberal market-oriented policies in the environmental realm. We advocate for distinguishing between epistemological, ethical and political arguments in order to tackle the political economy, which the neoliberal pricing metric relies on. We suggest that North’s institutional individualism and Sen’s capabilities approach offer consistent and relevant theoretical frameworks for overcoming the failures of mainstream economics.     

A political cultural map of Europe. A survey approach

The existence of culture is far less contested than the ways in which one can conceptualize, theorize and measure it. Grid-group theory is a typological contribution to the field of political culture. It identifies one dimension of individuality (grid) and one dimension of social incorporation (group). Combined, these dimensions demarcate four omnipresent and interdependent cultures - hierarchy, egalitarianism, individualism and fatalism - each of which interlocks a social pattern with a type of cultural bias. The overall political cultural configuration of a country is determined by the given combination of the four cultures, each of whose size can be measured by the number of adherents. The estimated configurations of twelve European countries are obtained by analyzing two waves of the World Values Study in 1981 and 1990 (N=34,858). The results show that egalitarianism is dominant in the Nordic countries and the Netherlands, whereas fatalism is dominant in Great Britain, Ireland and southern Europe. Further analysis confirms the hypothesized correspondance between egalitarianism and Inglehart's concept of postmaterialism, both of which, in turn, are related to proenvironmental concern. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Badass geomorphology

The archetypal badass is individualistic, non‐conformist, and able to produce disproportionate results. The badass concept is applied here to geomorphology. The individualistic concept of landscape evolution (ICLE) is introduced, based on three propositions: excess evolution space, capacity of all landforms to change, and variable selection pressure from environmental factors within and encompassing landscapes. ICLE indicates that geomorphic systems are idiosyncratic to some extent, and that even where two systems are similar, this is a happenstance of similar environmental selection, not an attractor state. As geomorphic systems are all individualistic, those that are also non‐conformist with respect to conventional wisdoms and have amplifier effects are considered badass. Development of meander bends on a section of the Kentucky River illustrates these ideas. The divergence of karst and fluvial forms on the inner and outer bends represents unstable amplifying effects. The divergence is also individualistic, as it can be explained only by combining general laws governing surface and subsurface flow partitioning with a specific geographical and environmental setting and the history of Quaternary downcutting of the Kentucky River. Landscape evolution there does not conform to any conventional theories or conceptual frameworks of geomorphology. The badass traits of many geomorphic systems have implications for the systems themselves, attitudes toward geomorphic practice, and appreciation of landforms. Badass geomorphology and the ICLE reflect a view, and approach to the study of, landforms as the outcome of the interplay of general laws, place‐specific controls, and history. Badass geomorphology also implies a research style receptive to contraventional wisdoms. Aesthetically, amplifier effects and individualism guarantee an essentially infinite variety of landforms and landscapes that geoscientists can appreciate both artistically and scientifically. Non‐conformity makes the interpretation and understanding of this variety more challenging – and while that increases the degree of difficulty, it also makes for more interesting and compelling professional challenges. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.