‘A STEPPINGSTONE OF CIVILIZATION’: THE HOJACK SWING BRIDGE AND THE NEGOTIATION OF SOCIAL POWER IN MONROE COUNTY,WESTERN NEW YORK STATE

Abstract

This paper examines the Hojack Swing Bridge, a 1905 railroad swing bridge in western New York State, and its role in the creation of and mediation between structures of power in the region. We first discuss the general design and mechanics of swing bridges, the history of the Hojack railroad in the region, and the effect of the railroad on industrial development in the area. We then demonstrate how the very location and design of the Hojack Swing Bridge was not only the result of geographical considerations, but also the result of competition and compromise between the railroad company and other interests. We close with a brief discussion of the bridge today and its recent demolition as a reflection of this ongoing competition in the present.     

THE “RUSSIAN LAND” AND THE FORMATION OF THE TERRITORY OF THE ANCIENT RUSSIAN STATE

The author retraces, on the basis of extensive written sources, the formation of the territory of the ancient Russian “independent semi-states” on the vast expanse of the Eastern European Plain. His conclusions, which show that the problem of the study of the formation of state territory is not at all the same as the study of ethnic territory, particularly colonization, confirm that the territory of the ancient Russian state was formed not with the appearance in Kiev of Oleg and Igor but as a result of a long internal process that commenced long before that event and continued for centuries after. (The translation was prepared by James R. Gibson of York University, Toronto.)     

IS CRIME BAD FOR BUSINESS? CRIME AND COMMERCIAL PROPERTY VALUES IN NEW YORK CITY

To test how crime affects economic activity, we use point‐specific data on crime, commercial property sales and assessed values from New York City, relying on an instrumental variables strategy. We find that crime reduces commercial property values, and the magnitude of the effect depends on the type and geography of crime. Elasticities range from ?0.1 to ?0.5. We find stronger evidence for negative violent crime effects in neighborhoods with lower incomes and higher shares of minority residents. Thus, disadvantaged neighborhoods are doubly harmed by crime—they have higher crime rates and those crimes have stronger effects on economic activity.     

Kaisum Village IN THE NEW CENTURY

Kaisum was where the Kaisum Manor, one of the six major manors in the Shannan area, was located. Wangqen Geleg, the manorial lord, followed the 14th Dalai Lama to India after the suppression of the armed rebellion in 1959. The manor-turned village, however, began to see urbanization two years earlier. Its 800-plus villagers now hold urban residence cards, and the former Village Committee has evolved into the Neighborhood Committee under Qamzhub Town. Located some eight km south of Zetang…     

Tibet University IN THE NEW CENTURY

Spacious lawns andblossoming flowers;shady trees;zigzaggingfootpaths;small bridgesspanning streams......In the face of such a beautifulview,who can imagine the pastdesolation of this site?     

NAMING THE GREEKS IN THE ARCHAIC PERIOD:“PANHELLENES,” “HELLENES,” “HELLAS” AND THE NOTION OF PANHELLENISM

The labels “Hellenes” and “Hellas” are often considered to be collective names for the Greeks and have a close connection with the term “Panhellenes.” This article studies the process of naming the Greeks in the Archaic period and the relationship between these collective names and the notion of Panhellenism. By a literary and etymological examination of the relevant sources, it suggests that the designation “Hellenes” probably did not evolve from that of “Panhellenes” and that the terms “Hellenes” and “Hellas,” but not “Panhellenes,” probably have generic significance in the sixth century. Furthermore, with the Olympic Games and the Hellenion, a Greek sanctuary in Naucratis, as two study cases, the article shows the complexity of the development of Greek identification. On the one hand, collective names like “Hellenes” and “Hellas” have a centripetal force on trans-regional occasions, and on the other, those events also feature competition, privilege and express civic identities of both individual and community, which seems to be divisive.     

THE STATE DIRECTED FOOD PRODUCTION CAMPAIGN AND THE FARMING COMMUNITY, 1939–45

Abstract

The paper will evaluate the differing responses of the farming community to the state directed food production of the second world war. In particular, it will explore the reasons why the vast majority of farmers endorsed the official directives to transform their farming methods, while evaluating the extent to which the relationship between the War Agricultural Executive Committee (WAEC) and the farming community was not always as harmonious as the conventional wisdom has suggested. Attention will also focus on the experiences, and legacy of individuals such as Rex Paterson and George Odlum, progressive farmers who used the legal system to challenge wartime officialdom.     

THE BEGINNINGS OF MODERN COLLECTIVE OCCUPATIONAL PENSIONS IN BUSINESS IN SCANDINAVIA,CA. 1900–1930

The first three decades of the 20th century marked the beginning of modern collective occupational pensions for salaried business employees in the three Scandinavian countries. Pension premiums were derived from actuarial principles and pension entitlement was financially and legally secured. Relatively few salaried business employees were covered by these new occupational pension schemes until the 1930s. There were similar developments as well as different outcomes in the three countries. In their first three decades, the relative success of such schemes, and the participation of salaried employees in them, seems to have been largest in Denmark and lowest – as well as starting latest – in Norway. The development of occupational pensions in business is compared with Britain and Switzerland as well as with occupational pensions for public employees in the Scandinavian countries; the latter clearly functioning as a model. The new principles for occupational pensions in business, established during and after World War I, proved long lasting and increasingly important. In Norway, defined benefit pension schemes that started in business during World War I were not replaced by defined contribution pension schemes until after 2000.     

WHAT DO BUSINESS CLIMATE INDEXES TEACH US ABOUT STATE POLICY AND ECONOMIC GROWTH?*

ABSTRACT State business climate indexes capture state policies that might affect economic growth. State rankings in these indexes vary wildly, raising questions about what the indexes measure and which policies are important for growth. Indexes focused on productivity do not predict economic growth, while indexes emphasizing taxes and costs predict growth of employment, wages, and output. Analysis of sub‐indexes of the tax‐and‐cost‐related indexes points to two policy factors associated with faster growth: less spending on welfare and transfer payments; and more uniform and simpler corporate tax structures. But factors beyond the control of policy have a stronger relationship with economic growth.     

‘BEST FOR THE FAMILY’: RESEARCHING FAMILIES AND BUSINESS

Abstract

For most of us, the term ‘family firm’ summons images of an old-established and perhaps rather conservative business that has been passed down through the generations. This article starts by using a study of one firm to argue that the stereotype conceals significant questions about firms, families and the relations between them. It goes on to outline some recent historical work on family firms by looking, in turn, at research on the incidence and character of family business, on the strategies and performance of companies, and on the family dimension in enterprise. It stresses the importance of the small-scale and the local in this research and notes that historians are now using a range of sources familiar to local and community historians to develop this field.     

KHAMPA'S “STANDING BUSINESS MARKET” AT THE TROMSIGKANG MARKET

<正>Abogyalyu,a Khampa Businessman It has been almost thirty years since I first became acquainted with Abogyalyu.That was during a visit to Kunming when I acted as a casual interpreter for him.I was asked to meet him in his luxury hotel room in a booming part of the downtown