QED coupled to QEG

We discuss the non-perturbative renormalization group flow of Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) coupled to Quantum Einstein Gravity (QEG) and explore the possibilities for defining its continuum limit at a fixed point that would lead to a non-trivial, i.e. interacting field theory. We find two fixed points suitable for the Asymptotic Safety construction. In the first case, the fine-structure constant vanishes at the fixed point and its infrared ("renormalized") value is a free parameter not determined by the theory itself. In the second case, the fixed point value of the fine-structure constant is non-zero, and its infrared value is a computable prediction of the theory.Comment: 25 pages, 3 figure

Beyond the Fordist/Post-Fordist Dichotomy: Working Through The Second Industrial Divide

The publication of The Second Industrial Dividehelped to initiate a sustained inquiry into the transformation of work under industrial capitalism in the late twentieth century. The argument that the breakdown of Fordist mass production ushered in a new production paradigm in the shape of flexible systems of work organization is reexamined. The dominant role of high-volume mass production and its craft-based counterpart can continue to coexist well into the future. Nevertheless, current income and employment trends appear to disadvantage the traditional blue-collar Fordist worker and industrial unions. The cause of these trends may not, however, be directly linked to skills associated with computer technology. Finally, the type of flexibility most closely associated with the work of Piore and Sabel—flexible specialization—is discussed. It is argued that flexible specialization within industrial districts that (a) foster the development of socially informed economic action and (b) constrain competitive behavior may form the basis for the creation of different employment opportunities that challenge the dominant logic of capitalist development through which flexible employment strategies are used in tandem with corporate downsizing and increased managerial control.Fordism, flexible specialization, industrial district, work organization, employment, skill,

Knowledge and Power in Adult Education: Beyond Freire and Habermas

The incorporation of work by Freire and Habermas into adult education theory has contributed to the development of concepts such as "communicative competence" and "transformative education." This contribution has generated a lively and spirited debate within the field of adult education. My purpose is to extend the debate to include an analysis of the role of power and knowledge in educational theory. By examining the contribution of postmodern social and cultural theories to adult education, I argue that (a) adult educators not lose sight of the connection between knowledge and power, (b) all individuals in educational settings occupy multiple subject positions through which they construct a complex and often contradictory understanding of their life world, and (c) that adult educators be attuned to the various ways in which power is deployed through their own discourse about particular discipline-specific knowledge.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67482/2/10.1177_074171369604600203.pd