Two decades of change in cultural values and economic development in eight East Asian and Pacific Island nations

In a 1982 publication, Ng et al. surveyed the cultural values of select East Asian and Pacific Island nations. In 2002, this study repeated their work, using the same sampling frame, questionnaire, and collaborators, where possible. The authors also reclassified the 1982 and 2002 survey results using Schwartz's cultural-level value dimensions. Submission versus Dionysian values that differentiated the nations in 1982 continued to do so in 2002. Furthermore, nations that endorsed Mastery (and rejected Harmony) in 1982 experienced greater subsequent economic growth than did the other countries. Moreover, economic development in 1982 predicted ensuing changes in Submission versus Dionysian and Hierarchy versus Egalitarianism values. Richer nations tended to endorse Dionysian, Autonomy, and Egalitarianism, whereas poorer nations tended toward Submission, Embeddedness, and Hierarchy values. Overall, the results support both economic and cultural determinism and imply two opposing directions of cultural change

Warm and Dense Molecular Gas in the N159 Region: 12CO J=4-3 and 13CO J=3-2 Observations with NANTEN2 and ASTE

New 12CO J=4-3 and 13CO J=3-2 observations of the N159 region in the Large Magellanic Cloud have been made. The 12CO J=4-3 distribution is separated into three clumps. These new measurements toward the three clumps are used in coupled calculations of molecular rotational excitation and line radiation transfer, along with other transitions of the 12CO as well as the isotope transitions of 13CO. The temperatures and densities are determined to be ~70-80K and ~3x10^3 cm-3 in N159W and N159E and ~30K and ~1.6x10^3 cm-3 in N159S. These results are compared with the star formation activity. The N159E clump is associated with embedded cluster(s) as observed at 24 micron and the derived high temperature is explained as due to the heating by these sources. The N159E clump is likely responsible for a dark lane in a large HII region by the dust extinction. The N159W clump is associated with embedded clusters mainly toward the eastern edge of the clump only. These clusters show offsets of 20"-40" from the 12CO J=4-3 peak and are probably responsible for heating indicated by the derived high temperature. The N159W clump exhibits no sign of star formation toward the 12CO J=4-3 peak position and its western region. We suggest that the N159W peak represents a pre-star-cluster core of ~105M_sol which deserves further detailed studies. Note that recent star formation took place between N159W and N159E as indicated by several star clusters and HII regions, while the natal molecular gas toward the stars have already been dissipated by the ionization and stellar winds of the OB stars. The N159S clump shows little sign of star formation as is consistent with the lower temperature and somewhat lower density. The N159S clump is also a candidate for future star formation

Social Capital and Social Communication in Japan: Political Participation and Tolerance

Using a Japanese national-sample panel survey in 2000 that includes snowball-sampled data, this paper attempts to examine the extended hypotheses on social capital. One focus of the extension is on the role of social networks, a low-cost device for obtaining political information that also operates as a portal to the society. The other focus includes the role of tolerance, which is as important as political participation in an open democracy. By positing a hypothesis that the reverse logic of social capital is applicable to the problem of intolerance, an attempt is made to elucidate the dark side of social capital. The result of multivariate analyses clearly indicates a positive correlation between social capital and political participation, both of voluntary organization and social networks, on the individual and the dyadic levels. On the other hand, political tolerance is not clearly related with social capital at any level

Institutional Incentives and Trust: Marginalized Groups and the Creation of Trust in Local Government

There is an important theoretical debate concerning whether institutional trust can be created. Since very few governments actually try to promote trust directly, it has been difficult to test this debate empirically. To investigate this debate, we examine an innovative new program in Japan that is specifically designed to promote trust in institutions-community currencies. Copyright (c) 2009 by the Southwestern Social Science Association.