Contenu du sommaire

Guy Perrin : Towards a sociological theory of social security in industrial societies. At the beginning Social Security represented a perfect product of industrial societies whose function, if not structure, was generally approved on an international level, from a doctrinal point of view. So that one could elaborate a general theory which could be applied to most of these societies. The study of the origins of this theory is concerned with the history of public institutions for social protection, European for the most part, in order to reveal an « ideal type », according to a method adapted from Max Weber. It is also concerned with the meaning of social security itself in modern industrial societies. Here the interpretation suggested is based on a typology of the principal systems and a description of their convergent evolution during recent years, under the influence of fundamental tendencies linked to technical progress and economic development. However particularities resulting from the degree of development, social environment and collective values are taken into account. This evolution brings up a certain number of essential questions concerning the future of industrial societies, specially their stratification and organization. These questions are of interest both for scientific researchers and political men.

Gaston Lanneau : The adopting of tractors in a zone of polyculture (the Western part of the Aude department). This study tries to point out some of the mechanisms and consequences of the adoption of tractors. At first, the farmers giving in to psychosocial pressures simply superposed the exterior signs of modernisation and the economic and technical structure. This pseudo-progressist attitude and its poor results compelled the farmers to give up their individualistic methods and gradually to adopt a truly cooperative organization.

Kiyomi Morioka : Religions in Japan : coexistence and conflicts. It is a common thing in Japan to belong to several religions. As far as boudhism and shintoism are concerned, a real division of labour has developed. The situation was made even more complex by the bursting in of christianism and new sects which tend to fill the religious gap left open by the break in traditional solidarities.

Dogan D. Akman and André Normandeau : Applying a criminality index to Philadelphia and Canada. This article summarizes the final results of a research carried throughout Canada to test the validity of a new delinquency and criminality index, recently applied by Sellin and Wolfgang in the U.S. This index is based on the attitudes of a given population with regard to certain major criminal acts. Thus a weighted index is proposed in order to give a more accurate picture of the qualitative aspects of criminality. The Canadian results indicate that such an index might make up for the shortcomings of the present criminal statistics. The authors hope that other researchers, in other countries, will undertake similar studies in order to achieve valid international comparisons.