JOB EVALUATION AS INSTITUTIONAL MYTH

This article argues that the real function of job evaluation technique lies not in the rational claims upheld in the managerialist literature but rather in the more diffuse area of meaning management. the argument is based on an intensive case-survey analysis of the introduction of a formal job evaluation plan to one of Canada's ten provincial governments. From the complementary perspectives of social construction theory and institutional theory, job evaluation is ultimately defined as a rationalized institutional myth. First of all, job evaluation is rationalized because it takes the form of rules, specifying the procedures necessary to accomplish the end goal of determining an internally equitable and externally competitive pay structure. Job evaluation is institutional because actions are repeated and given similar meanings by the custodians of the system and those who fall under its administration. the set of meanings which evolves from job evaluation is expressed in a belief (ideology), an activity (norms and rituals), language and other symbolic forms through which the members of an organization both create and sustain views and images about the value of one job over another. Job evaluation is a myth because it is a process based on widely held beliefs that cannot be tested objectively. Despite a number of unexamined assumptions, the technique is accepted as ‘true’because it is believed.     

A double-hurdle model of Irish household expenditure on prepared meals

In this paper, Irish households' expenditure on prepared meals for home consumption is analysed using the 1987 and 1994 Irish Household Budget Survey datasets. The aim of the paper is to analyse the factors influencing Irish households' decisions to purchase prepared meals and how much to spend on these food items. This is done using the double-hurdle methodology adjusted for the problems of heteroscedasticity and non-normality. Income elasticities are estimated for household expenditure on prepared meals in both years and significant socioeconomic influences are identified. These socioeconomic factors are assumed to underpin the tastes and preferences of Irish households, with convenience identified as a significant preference of many household groups.     

Book reviews

The widespread use of festive promotions, in the urban management of the 1990s, represents an extension in the practice of city marketing. This interest in festivity might be accounted for in two ways; as an economic strategy to combat the deleterious impacts of globalization on local economies, and as a social strategy to combat the growing alienation and insecurity felt in public space. However this paper offers an additional, more cultural, reading. Because of its highly competitive character, the practice of city ‘imagineering’ demands continuous innovation. Recent attention has turned to the liminal possibilities of ‘economically underexploited’ temporal periods. Temporal patterns of celebration are being mined for their touristic potential in a process that robs them of their commemorative depth as it simultaneously strives to retain their festive form. This paper examines two such initiatives- the ‘Night-Time Economy’ and the Hogmanay Street Party. While these have been promoted for economic and social gain this discussion, employing Giddens' concept of ontological insecurity and Lebfevre's concept of rhythmanalysis, explores the links between such innovations and their impact on place making.     

The Value of Advanced Interdisciplinary Classes for Students of Economics: Case Study of a 300-Level Class on Gender in the Economy

Interdisciplinary classes are valuable to students of economics for many reasons. This paper discusses three reasons why such classes, at an advanced level, are useful and important for students of economics. First, interdisciplinary classes have the potential to encourage theory building and critical thinking, especially through the use of primary sources. Second, interdisciplinary classes also provide students with a richer empirical understanding of the world, beyond the narrowly quantitative data used in most economics research. Fostering a ‘constructivist’ view of data, this facilitates future economists building the tools to tell marginalized stories. Lastly, interdisciplinary classes can create a diverse learning environment that facilitates peer learning about difficult subjects such as race, class, and gender. A case study of a 300-level class titled Gender in the Economy, in which a diverse group of students from backgrounds in women’s studies, economics, business, and American studies came together to study the economic history of gender, is used to explore such benefits.     

“Power back in the community”: Going beyond performative generosity in nonprofits

Our study critiques nonprofits in the United States, using settler colonial and critical whiteness theories. Nonprofits rely on the donations of wealthy white donors to support marginalized communities. Yet, nonprofits, through donor support, fund projects that benefit marginalized communities without critiquing how the money was earned, who it belongs to, and why such inequities exist. If nonprofits seek to truly invest in marginalized communities, they need to be critical of their own model. This article depicts a composite counter-story about a woman reflecting on her experience working for a nonprofit, and her decision to quit her job when she realizes that the organization she worked for did not truly put “power back in the community” like they claimed. Using a fictionalized counter-story, this article presents the very real ways in which nonprofits can use Indigenous values to go beyond performative generosity. The five values that emerge from our counter-story are: relationality, respect, responsibility, reciprocity, and reflection. These values can help us work towards a future where philanthropy is no longer needed.