Provides a directory of the rapidly expanding philanthropic foundations in Latin America, identifying over 750 foundations and presenting detailed information on 364 of them. In addition, the directory contains an introduction that analyzes historical data on Latin American foundations, a country-by-country summary of legal processes regarding foundations and pertinent tax laws, two essays by North and South American foundation presidents discussing the organization and management of private foundations, and an appendix with models of bylaws and financial statements of Latin American foundations.

ANN STROMBERG has participated in various community development projects in Latin America, taught in Latin American schools, and engaged in other sociological research projects. She is at the Pan American Development Foundation.

"All modern nations-even Norway, even Japan-contradict themselves: they contain multitudes. How are such contradictions to be dealt with, such multitudes managed? This series of vivid and circumstantial case studies of everything from group rights in India and religious conflicts in France to customary marriages in South Africa and cultural defenses in American courts reveals the depth of the problems posed to democratic governments by cultural difference, how they are being approached, and what the results have been. A searching discussion of an urgent issue."
-CLIFFORD GEERTZ, INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY

"A lively, deeply insightful discussion of the profound ethical dilemmas posed by the unexpected collision of two of liberalism's favored assumptions."
-JEROME KAGAN, PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY, HARVARD UNIVERSITY

"Engaging Cultural Differences provides a fresh analysis on aspects of the challenges facing liberal pluralistic societies as they attempt to accommodate the cultural values and preferences of their new citizens. It includes penetrating perspectives that call for a reevaluation of the dominant theories on the subject. A must read for scholars and policy makers reflecting on the impact of emigration on Western societies and the dynamics of integration and assimilation in the age of globalization."
-YVONNE YABECK HADDAD, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY OF ISLAM AND CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM RELATIONS, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

"The question of cultural difference has long been a double- pronged thorn in the side of liberalism. It has dented confident assertions of universal individual rights with allegations of discrimination. And it has punctured claims of broadly based tolerance with accusations of indifference to oppression. This remarkably powerful volume, rich in both empirical detail and theoretical sophistication, confronts these issues head on from a range of different perspectives-legal, psychological, anthropological, historical. It will change the way many people think and become indispensable reading for scholars interested in liberalism, practitioners working within multicultural institutions, and activists involved in human rights."
-JACQUELINE BHABHA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS STUDIES, HARVARD UNIVERSITY

"When a society professes commitment to equal liberties, and also to tolerance of cultural difference, the resulting paradoxes are not merely intellectual. In Engaging Cultural Differences, some two dozen distinguished scholars in law and the social sciences consider the law's confrontations with deep cultural difference in six liberal nations. Some subjects are broad (international human rights, cultural models of identity and equality), and some particular (individual claims to asylum, or to the 'cultural defense' in criminal law). Both general readers and specialists in many disciplines have much to learn from these essays-even readers who find some cultural differences more engaging than others."
-KENNETH L. KARST, DAVID G. PRICE AND DALLAS P. PRICE PROFESSOR OF LAW EMERITUS, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES

Liberal democracies are based on principles of inclusion and tolerance. But how does the principle of tolerance work in practice in countries such as Germany, France, India, South Africa, and the United States, where an increasingly wide range of cultural groups holds often contradictory beliefs about appropriate social and family life practices? As these democracies expand to include peoples of vastly different cultural backgrounds, the limits of tolerance are being tested as never before. Engaging Cultural Differences explores how liberal democracies respond socially and legally to differences in the cultural and religious practices of their minority groups.

Building on such examples, the contributors examine the role of tolerance in practical encounters between state officials and immigrants, and between members of longstanding majority groups and increasing numbers of minority groups. The volume also considers the theoretical implications of expanding the realm of tolerance. Some contributors are reluctant to broaden the scope of tolerance, while others insist that the notion of "tolerance" is itself potentially confining and demeaning and that modern nations should aspire to celebrate cultural differences.

Coming to terms with ethnic diversity and cultural differences has become a major public policy concern in contemporary liberal democracies, as they struggle to adjust to burgeoning immigrant populations. Engaging Cultural Differences provides a compelling examination of the challenges of multiculturalism and reveals a deep understanding of the challenges democracies face as they seek to accommodate their citizens' diverse beliefs and practices.

RICHARD A. SHWEDER, an anthropologist, is professor of human development at the University of Chicago.

MARTHA MINOW is professor of law at Harvard University.

HAZEL R. MARKUS is professor of psychology at Stanford University.

CONTRIBUTORS: Richard A. Shweder, Martha Minow, Hazel Rose Markus, Caroline Bledsoe, David L. Chambers, Jane Maslow Cohen, Joanna Davidson, Arthur N. Eisenberg, Karen Engle, Katherine Pratt Ewing, Heejung S. Kim, Corinne A. Kratz, Maivân Clech Lâm, Usha Menon, Victoria C. Plaut, Alison Dundes Renteln, Lloyd I. Rudolph, Susanne Hoeber Rudolph, Lawrence G. Sager, Austin Sarat, Claude M. Steele, Dorothy M. Steele, Nomi Stolzenberg, Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco, and Unni Wikan.
 

Capital of the American Century investigates the remarkable influence that New York City has exercised over the economy, politics, and culture of the nation throughout much of the twentieth century. New York's power base of corporations, banks, law firms, labor unions, artists and intellectuals has played a critical role in shaping areas as varied as American popular culture, the nation's political doctrines, and the international capitalist economy. If the city has lost its unique prominence in recent decades, the decline has been largely—and ironically—a result of the successful dispersion of its cosmopolitan values.

The original essays in Capital of the American Century offer objective and intriguing analyses of New York City as a source of innovation in many domains of American life. Postwar liberalism and modernism were advanced by a Jewish and WASP coalition centered in New York's charitable foundations, communications media, and political organizations, while Wall Street lawyers and bankers played a central role in fashioning national security policies. New York's preeminence as a cultural capital was embodied in literary and social criticism by the "New York intellectuals," in the fine arts by the school of Abstract Expressionism, and in popular culture by Broadway musicals. American business was dominated by New York, where the nation's major banks and financial markets and its largest corporations were headquartered.

In exploring New York's influence, the contributors also assess the larger social and economic conditions that made it possible for a single city to exert such power. New York's decline in recent decades stems not only from its own fiscal crisis, but also from the increased diffusion of industrial, cultural, and political hubs throughout the nation. Yet the city has taken on vital new roles that, on the eve of the twenty-first century, reflect an increasingly global era: it is the center of U.S. foreign trade and the international art market: The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have emerged as international newspapers; and the city retains a crucial influence in information-intensive sectors such as corporate law, accounting, management consulting, and advertising.

Capital of the American Century provides a fresh link between the study of cities and the analysis of national and international affairs. It is a book that enriches our historical sense of contemporary urban issues and our understanding of modern culture, economy, and politics.

MARTIN SHEFTER is professor of government at Cornell University.

CONTRIBUTORS: James L. Baughman, Paul DiMaggio, Nathan Glazer, Miles Kahler, James R. Kurth, Martin Shefter, David Vogel, and Vera L. Zolberg.

A Volume in the American Sociological Association’s Rose Series in Sociology

"Excellent for anyone studying social change and social movements, as well as for business leaders."
-CHOICE

"Beyond the Boycott draws on careful analysis of cases ranging across time and space from the operation of the Sullivan Principles in South Africa in the apartheid era to monitoring apparel sub-contractors in contemporary Guatemala to generate a provocative and original proposition on the effectiveness of transnational labor rights campaigns. Gay Seidman's well-argued thesis that transnational activists should focus less on corporations and 'workers' rights as human rights' and more on states and 'workers' rights as citizenship rights' is a fresh and stimulating addition to debates on transnational activism that is sure to have a lasting impact."
-PETER B. EVANS, University of California, Berkeley

"In this imaginative study, Gay Seidman explores the implications of the pivotal shift among labor advocates in the anti-globalizaiton movement from a traditional 'labor rights' discourse targeting the national state to a focus on human rights at the global level that relies on 'stateless regulation.' The three case studies reveal the potential of this new form of transnational labor activism, but also expose its limitations-most importantly the ways in which it constructs workers as victims rather than as agents of social transformation. No one else has examined the anti-sweatshop movement and corporate 'codes of conduct' with such a subtle comparative touch. Beyond the Boycott is a must read for anyone concerned about labor and globalization, for scholars and advocates alike."
-RUTH MILKMAN, UCLA

"In Beyond the Boycott, the eminent labor sociologist Gay Seidman provides an indispensable analysis of one of the most urgent questions of our time: How can labor rights be enforced in a global system now devoted to the rights of capital and commerce? By critically examining three major attempts to use the tools of 'stateless regulation,' Seidman makes a powerful argument that transnational activists should refocus their campaigns on restoring the promise of state institutions and democratic citizenship. This gem of a book will be required reading for anyone concerned about social justice in an era of globalization."
-MARK BARENBERG, Columbia University

As the world economy becomes increasingly integrated, companies can shift production to wherever wages are lowest and unions weakest. How can workers defend their rights in an era of mobile capital? With national governments forced to compete for foreign investment by rolling back legal protections for workers, fair trade advocates are enlisting consumers to put market pressure on companies to treat their workers fairly. In Beyond the Boycott, sociologist Gay Seidman asks whether this non-governmental approach can reverse the “race to the bottom” in global labor standards.

Beyond the Boycott examines three campaigns in which activists successfully used the threat of a consumer boycott to pressure companies to accept voluntary codes of conduct and independent monitoring of  work sites. The voluntary Sullivan Code required American corporations operating in apartheid-era South Africa to improve treatment of their workers;  in India, the Rugmark inspection team provides ‘social labels’ for  handknotted carpets made without child labor; and in Guatemala,  COVERCO monitors conditions in factories producing clothing under contract for major American brands. Seidman compares these cases to explore the ingredients of successful campaigns, as well as the inherent limitations facing voluntary monitoring schemes. Despite activists’ emphasis on educating individual consumers to support ethical companies, Seidman finds that, in practice, they have been most successful when they mobilized institutions—such as universities, churches, and shareholder organizations. Moreover, although activists tend to dismiss states’ capabilities, all three cases involved governmental threats of trade sanctions against companies and countries with poor labor records. Finally, Seidman  points to an intractable difficulty of independent workplace monitoring: since consumers rarely distinguish between monitoring schemes and labels, companies can hand pick monitoring organizations, selecting those with the lowest standards for working conditions and the least aggressive inspections. Transnational consumer movements can increase the bargaining power of the global workforce, Seidman argues, but they cannot replace national governments or local campaigns to expand the meaning of citizenship.

As trade and capital move across borders in growing volume and with greater speed, civil society and human rights movements are also becoming more global. Highly original and thought-provoking, Beyond the Boycott vividly depicts the contemporary movement to humanize globalization—its present and its possible future.

GAY W. SEIDMAN is professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

"In the 'war of the models' between variants of capitalism, the Dutch economy has had good and bad publicity. There is the 'Dutch disease' that prices manufacturing out of some markets and criticisms of Dutch collective bargaining as being insufficiently centralized or decentralized. There is also much ballyhoo about the virtues of the Polder model and Dutch economic planning. By examining how the Dutch have dealt with less skilled and low-wage work, Low-Wage Work in the Netherlands illuminates how the Dutch system operates to deal with a problem that affects all economies. The depth of discussion of specific industries and workers offers more insight into how the Dutch do it than the broad generalizations that abound in analyses of the varying capitalist models."
-RICHARD B. FREEMAN, Herbert Ascherman Chair in Economics, Harvard University and Senior Research Fellow in Labour Markets, London School of Economics

"A lot has been written about the so-called Polder model, the Dutch model of consensus building, to which many of its economic successes of the 1990s have been attributed. However, little attention has been paid to the downside of this success: the strong growth of low-wage employment. This volume fills the gap by giving extensive consideration to the bottom segment of the labor market. It is unique in discussing and analyzing low-wage work at the national level as well as at the industry and the company level. It convincingly demonstrates how strong job growth may have the price of erosion of income security and job quality at the lower end of the labor market. Reading Low-Wage Work in the Netherlands is indispensable for everyone who wants to know how the Dutch Polder model really works."
-PAUL DE BEER, Henri Polak Professor of Industrial Relations, University of Amsterdam

"Any student of the low-wage labor market must at some point answer several questions. How much can institutional differences affect the strategies that firms adopt? How, in turn, can these strategies affect outcomes for low-wage workers? Is it possible to create a high road environment for low-skill employment? This fascinating study provides an in-depth analysis that helps answer such questions in industries familiar to all labor market researchers-retail, hotels, health care, call centers, and food-in the context of the 'Dutch model.' The authors weave rich case study information together with statistical data to provide a vivid tapestry of work conditions under the 'Dutch model.' Both their findings and their careful analytic approach make Low-Wage Work in the Netherlands a must read for serious labor market researchers."
-JULIA I. LANE, senior vice president, National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago

The Dutch economy has often been heralded for accomplishing solid employment growth within a generous welfare system. In recent years, the Netherlands has seen a rise in low-wage work and has maintained one of the lowest unemployment rates in the European Union. Low-Wage Work in the Netherlands narrows in on the causes and consequences of this new development. The authors find that the increase in low-wage work can be partly attributed to a steep rise in the number of part-time jobs and non-standard work contracts—46 percent of Dutch workers hold part-time jobs. The decline in full-time work has challenged historically powerful Dutch unions and has led to a slow but steady dismantling of many social insurance programs from 1979 onward. At the same time, there are hopeful lessons to be gleaned from the Dutch model: low-wage workers benefit from a well-developed system of income transfers, and many move on to higher paying jobs. Low-Wage Work in the Netherlands paints a nuanced picture of the Dutch economy by analyzing institutions that both support and challenge its low-wage workforce.

WIEMER SALVERDA is director of the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies.

MAARTEN VAN KLAVEREN is researcher and consultant at STZ Consultancy and Research.

MARC VAN DER MEER is director of studies at the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies.

CONTRIBUTORS: Ria Hermanussen, Robert Solow, Wim Sprenger, Kea Tijdens, Arjen Van Halem. 

A Volume in the RSF Case Studies of Job Quality in Advanced Economies

"Though economists claim that dollar bills will not be left 'lying in the street,' the profits from sharply focused exchange between sociologists and economists are rarely taken. This sparkling volume is a welcome exception. Prominent practitioners of both arts present important work on networks and markets, and critique one another in concise and fruitful ways. An invaluable resource for those who follow these exciting new developments in social theory."
- MARK GRANOVETTER, Stanford University

"A pioneering collaboration between economists and sociologists. The contributors compete and cooperate with each other, combining the best traditions of the two fields, to elucidate the organization of industrial economies in East Asia, fish markets in Marseille, banking in renaissance Florence, ethnic business networks in New York, and much else."
- DANI RODRIK, Harvard University

"After a century of separation, economics and other social sciences are reestablishing mutually beneficial links. These studies of the interaction between social networks and markets are an excellent case in point. Here, a dozen sociologists and economists bring together their skills in case studies and theoretical modeling to create a rich and fascinating collection that will inspire much further research."
-AVINASH K. DIXIT, Princeton University

Networks and Markets argues that economists' knowledge of markets and sociologists' rich understanding of networks can and should be combined. Together they can help us achieve a more coherent view of economic life, where transactions follow both the logic of economic incentives and the established channels of personal relationships.

Market exchange is impersonal, episodic, and carried out at arm's length. All that matters is how much the seller is asking, and how much the buyer is offering. An economic network, by contrast, is based upon more personalized and enduring relationships between people tied together by more than just price. Networks and Markets focuses on how the two concepts relate to each other: Are social networks an essential precondition for successful markets, or do networks arise naturally out of markets, as faceless traders build reputations and gain confidence in each other?

The book includes contributions by both sociologists and economists, applying the concepts of markets and networks to concrete empirical phenomena. Among the topics analyzed, the book explains how, in Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan, firms combine into tightly-knit business blocs, how wholesalers in a Marseille fish market earn the loyalty of customers, and how ethnic retailers in the U.S. share valuable market information with other shopkeepers from their ethnic group. A response to each chapter discusses the issue from the standpoint of the other discipline. Sociologists are challenged to go beyond small-scale economic exchange and to integrate their concept of networks into a broader understanding of the economic system as a whole, while economists are challenged to consider the economic implications of network ties, which can be strong or weak, unconditional or highly contingent.

This book proves that both economics and sociology provide stronger insights when they study markets and networks as parallel forms of exchange. But it also clarifies the healthy division of labor that remains between the two disciplines. Sociologists are adept at showing how markets are framed by social institutions; economists specialize in explaining how markets perform, taking the social context as a given. Networks and Markets showcases what each discipline does best and reveals where each discipline would do better by borrowing from the other.

JAMES E. RAUCH is professor of economics at the University of California, San Diego.

ALESSANDRA CASELLA is professor of economics at Columbia University.

CONTRIBUTORS: Ronald. S Burt, Gregory Basharov, Robert C. Feenstra, Neil Fligstein, Avner Greif, Gary C. Hamilton, Deng-Shing Huang, Alan Kirman, John F. Padgett, Rebeca Raijman, Joel Sobel, Marta Tienda.

"In an instance of supreme irony, economists and sociologists studying networks have traditionally conducted their researches in largely unconnected components, each with its own questions, methods, and citation clusters. The Missing Links indeed provides the missing links between the two literatures. In the jargon of the subject, it bridges a structural hole. Much intellectual traffic will flow across this bridge in the future."
-AVINASH DIXIT, John J. F. Sherrerd '52 University Professor of Economics, Princeton University

"The contemporary study of social networks represents one of the most exciting endeavors in social science and constitutes a remarkable integration of ideas from economics and sociology. The Missing Links brings together many of the most important thinkers on social networks to produce a valuable overview of the state of the field. This book will be of great value to students as well as researchers. Editor James Rauch, who has made a number of seminal contributions to social network research, deserves congratulations for assembling such a fine collection of essays."
-STEVEN N. DURLAUF, Kenneth J. Arrow Professor of Economics, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Half of all workers are hired through personal referrals, and networks of social connections channel the flows of capital, technology, and international trade. Sociologists and economists alike recognize that economic exchange is shaped by social networks, which propagate information and facilitate trust, but each discipline brings a distinct theoretical perspective to the study of networks. Sociologists have focused on how networks shape individual behavior, economists on how individual choices shape networks. The Missing Links is a bold effort by an interdisciplinary group of scholars to synthesize sociological and economic theories of how economic networks emerge and evolve.

Interweaving sophisticated theoretical models and concrete case studies, The Missing Links is both an introduction to the study of economic networks and a catalyst for further research. Economists Rachel Kranton and Deborah Minehart illustrate their field’s approach to modeling network formation, showing how manufacturers form networks of suppliers in ways that maximize profits. Exemplifying the sociological approach, Ronald Burt analyzes patterns of cooperation and peer evaluations among colleagues at a financial organization. He finds that dense connections of shared acquaintances lead to more stable reputations.  In the latter half of the book, contributors combine the insights of sociology and economics to explore a series of case studies. Ray Reagans, Ezra Zuckerman, and Bill McEvily investigate an R & D firm in which employees participate in overlapping collaborative teams, allowing the authors to disentangle the effects of network structure and individual human capital on team performance. Kaivan Munshi and Mark Rosenzweig examine how economic development and rising inequality in India are reshaping caste-based networks of mutual insurance and job referrals. Their study shows that people’s economic decisions today are shaped both by the legacy of the caste hierarchies and by the particular incentives and constraints that each individual faces in an evolving labor market.

Economic globalization is forging new connections between people in distant corners of the world, while unsettling long-standing social relations. Anyone interested in understanding the opportunities and challenges of this era of rapid change will find a highly informative guide in The Missing Links.

JAMES E. RAUCH is professor of economics at the University of California, San Diego, and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

CONTRIBUTORS: Ronald S. Burt, Gregory Besharov, Robert C. Feenstra, Neil Fligstein, Avner Greif, Gary G. Hamilton, Deng-Shing Huang, Alan Kirman, John F. Padgett, Rebeca Raijman, Joel Sobel, Marta Tienda.

"Americans have for more than a century had an ambivalent view of philanthropic foundations-on the one hand they are the source of largesse for the improvement of the well- being of mankind; on the other hand they represent the tax-advantaged private creation of public policy. Throughout the twentieth century there were periodic public challenges to the legitimacy of foundations, and at the beginning of a new century we are once again witnessing Congressional suspicion and possibly hostility. The value of this volume is that it puts these American controversies into both historical and theoretical perspective-while at the same time describing the ways in which Europeans are both imitating the American foundation form and beginning to experience some of our ambivalence. These are nicely crafted essays that raise the question of foundation legitimacy to a higher level, enabling readers to evaluate the public role of private philanthropy. The Legitimacy of Philanthropic Foundations is a necessary book for anyone interested in foundations and public policy."
-STANLEY N. KATZ, director, Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University

"Private foundations are powerful and sometimes efficacious, but their power is always precarious, dependent upon the tolerance of the nation-states by which they are chartered and within whose territories they operate. The authors represented in this trailblazing volume, who include many of the leading authorities on philanthropy from two continents, explore the paradoxical dependence of private philanthropy on public legitimacy with skill and wisdom. Their essays demonstrate that the diversity of the foundation world-both within the United States and internationally-is reflected in the diversity of external stakeholders they must please and the diversity of issues they confront."
-PAUL DIMAGGIO, professor of sociology, Princeton University

"In an era in which foundations have acquired much greater scale and power than ever before, The Legitimacy of Philanthropic Foundations asks the question that is on everyone's mind-how to square foundation independence with the accountability expected in a democracy. No one will agree with all the answers given, but everyone who considers foundations and nonprofits essential to a vibrant democracy will find this book 'must' reading."
-JOEL L. FLEISHMAN, professor of law and public policy, Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy, Duke University

Though privately controlled, foundations perform essential roles that serve society at large. They spearhead some of the world’s largest and most innovative initiatives in science, health, education, and the arts, fulfilling important needs that could not be addressed adequately in the marketplace or the public sector. Still, many people have little understanding of what foundations do and how they continue to earn public endorsement. The Legitimacy of Philanthropic Foundations provides a thorough examination of why foundations exist and the varied purposes they serve in contemporary democratic societies.

The Legitimacy of Philanthropic Foundations looks at foundations in the United States and Europe to examine their relationship to the state, the market, and civil society. Peter Frumkin argues that unlike elected officials, who must often shy away from topics that could spark political opposition, and corporate officers, who must meet bottom-line priorities, foundations can independently tackle sensitive issues of public importance. Kenneth Prewitt argues that foundations embody elements of classical liberalism, such as individual autonomy and limited government interference in private matters and achieve legitimacy by putting private wealth to work for the public good. Others argue that foundations achieve legitimacy by redistributing wealth from the pockets of rich philanthropists to the poor. But Julian Wolpert finds that foundations do not redistribute money directly to the poor as much as many people believe. Instead, many foundations focus their efforts on education, health, and scientific research, making investments that benefit society in the long-term, and focusing on farsighted issues that a myopic electorate would not have patience to permit its government to address.

Originating from private fortunes but working for the public good, independently managed but subject to legal prescriptions, philanthropic foundations occupy a unique space somewhere between the public and private sectors. The Legitimacy of Philanthropic Foundations places foundations in a broad social and historical context, improving our understanding of one of society’s most influential—and least understood—organizational forms.

KENNETH PREWITT is Carnegie Professor of Public Affairs in the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.

MATTEI DOGAN is senior fellow at the National Center for Scientific Research in Paris, and chair of the research committee on Comparative Sociology of the International Sociological Association.

STEVEN HEYDEMANN is director of the Center for Democracy and the Third Sector and political scientist in the Department of Government at Georgetown University.

STEFAN TOEPLER is assistant professor of nonprofit studies in the Department of Public and International Affairs at George Mason University.

CONTRIBUTORS: Helmut K. Anheier, Siobhan Daly, Peter Frumkin, Giuliana Gemelli, Kirsten A. Gronberg, Divid C. Hammack, Diana Leat, Rupert Graf Strachwitz, Steen Thomsen, Julian Wolpert.

2009 Noteworthy Book in Industrial Relations and Labor Economics, Princeton University Industrial Relations Section

“Gendered Tradeoffs is an important contribution to an emerging literature that finds paradoxical or unintended consequences of seemingly egalitarian public policies. For instance, after years of lauding the ‘Nordic nirvanas’ for their menu of policies that promote high rates of mothers’ employment—public child care, well-paid and lengthy parental leave, and reduced working hours—scholars now increasingly worry that generous parental leave and part-time work in particular contribute to employer discrimination against women, especially in the private sector, and occupational segregation. Pettit and Hook take this discussion further by examining the trade-offs present across a wide array of countries and policy models. . . . Gendered Tradeoffs represents an important advance in our thinking about the multifaceted intersections of gender, class, and public policy.”
—Comparative Labor Law & Policy Journal 

“Becky Pettit and Jennifer L. Hook have asked exactly the right questions, placing this book on the frontier of comparative research on women, work, and social policy. After a generation of researchers assessed the advantageous effects of work-family policies, comparative scholars are now focused on understanding and untangling the possibility of unintended consequences—especially those that might worsen aspects of gender inequality in the labor market. Pettit and Hook conclude that some institutions that enable high levels of women’s employment may, at the same time, reduce the relative quality of that employment. While some of the volume’s conclusions are open to debate, Gendered Tradeoffs propels this crucial line of scholarship forward in leaps and bounds.”
—Janet Gornick, director, Luxembourg Income Study, and professor of political science and sociology, Graduate Center, CUNY 

“Becky Pettit and Jennifer L. Hook’s well-executed study is impressive in scope. They bring together disparate facets of gender inequality which are typically considered separately. The result is an intriguing thesis about tradeoffs between inclusion and equality that deserves wide attention.”
—Jerry A. Jacobs, professor of sociology, University of Pennsylvania

Gender inequality in the workplace persists, even in nations with some of the most progressive laws and generous family support policies. Yet the dimensions on which inequality is measured—levels of women’s employment, number of hours worked, sex segregation by occupations and wages—tell very different stories across industrialized nations. By examining federally guaranteed parental leave, publicly provided child care, and part-time work, and looking across multiple dimensions of inequality, Becky Pettit and Jennifer Hook document the links between specific policies and aggregate outcomes. They disentangle the complex factors, from institutional policies to personal choices, that influence economic inequality.

Gendered Tradeoffs draws on data from twenty-one industrialized nations to compare women’s and men’s economic outcomes across nations, and over time, in search of a deeper understanding of the underpinnings of gender inequality in different labor markets. Pettit and Hook develop the idea that there are tradeoffs between different aspects of gender inequality in the economy and explain how those tradeoffs are shaped by individuals, markets, and states. They argue that each policy or condition should be considered along two axes—whether it promotes women’s inclusion in or exclusion from the labor market and whether it promotes gender equality or inequality among women in the labor market. Some policies advance one objective while undercutting the other.

The volume begins by reflecting on gender inequality in labor markets measured by different indicators. It goes on to develop the idea that there may be tradeoffs inherent among different aspects of inequality and in different policy solutions. These ideas are explored in four empirical chapters on employment, work hours, occupational sex segregation, and the gender wage gap. The penultimate chapter examines whether a similar framework is relevant for understanding inequality among women in the United States and Germany. The book concludes with a thorough discussion of the policies and conditions that underpin gender inequality in the workplace.

The central thesis of Gendered Tradeoffs is that gender inequality in the workplace is generated and reinforced by national policies and conditions. The contours of inequality across and within countries are shaped by specific aspects of social policy that either relieve or concentrate the demands of care giving within households—usually in the hands of women—and at the same time shape workplace expectations. Pettit and Hook make a strong case that equality for women in the workplace depends not on whether women are included in the labor market but on how they are included.

BECKY PETTIT is associate professor of sociology at the University of Washington.

JENNIFER L. HOOK is assistant professor of sociology and faculty associate of the Population Research Institute at Pennsylvania State University.

This casebook documents public reactions to health programs and health situations in sixteen widely differing communities of the world. Some of the studies record successes, others failures. Of interest to anyone concerned with preventive medicine, public health, community betterment, or cultural problems involving peoples of different backgrounds and beliefs.

BENJAMIN D. PAUL is professor of anthropology and director of the program in medicine and behavioral sciences at Stanford University.