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Inequality of income and happiness seem to be in a negative correlation and the latter could be greater in rich than in poor societies. To examine this hypothesis, data were collected on 144 countries. The hypothesis was confirmed for two indexes of happiness: life evaluation and subjective well-being, but only for rich countries, even when controlling the effect of purchasing power. Beyond some level of inequality, the economic growth does not improve well-being in rich countries. In these countries, economic growth counts less than a fair distribution of wealth. Because of the serious repercussions of inequality on mental health, psychologists are invited to pay attention to it in their interventions.
Keywords: inégalité des revenus, bonheur, inequality of income, happiness
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SummaryIn 1906, Marcel Mauss, in collaboration with Henri Beuchat, pubished his “Essay on the Seasonal Variation of Eskimo Societies. Study of Social Morphology” in L'Année sociologique. For many anthropologists this essay constitutes the only major contribution to anthropological theory based on the case of the Inuit. Why did Mauss write this essay, the only one in his whole work devoted to a single human group ? Who was Beuchat ? What happened to him ? How did Mauss accomplish the project of coming to Canada, at Marius Barbeau's invitation, to study the Amerindians ? These are all questions the author tries to answer in a very personal way by relying on the archives of the Collège de France as well as on his own fifty year-long experience of research on the Inuit of Nunavik and Nunavut, and meetings with Mauss's former students. He shows us the break-down and dispersal of Mauss's intellectual heritage as regards Inuit research and how, in Quebec, starting in the 1970s, a new interest has developed.
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Embargoes and boycotts have for many years now constituted means of retorsion for one nation against another. Since 1945, such measures have acquired renewed favour due to the globalization of trade and conflictual relations of various groups of countries. In addition, some countries have not hesitated to give their legislation extraterritorial effects so as to make their economic sanctions even more efficient, thus transforming third-party countries into instruments of their foreign policy. Canada, as with most countries having an open economy, is not immune to such effects. To illustrate his point, the author examines two outstanding cases which culminated in the early 1980's : the extraterritoriality of U.S. legislation concerning exports and Arab boycotts against Israel. After providing background material on the use of these economic arms, the author analyses legislative and judiciary reactions of Canada and main European powers. Various governments — so as to resolve conflicts of laws caused by such situations in areas of both public and private international law, the effects of which victimize their own citizens — have come to the realization that despite efforts made by national legislatures and courts, the solution largely remains one of diplomacy.
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Recognizing the specific nature of agricultural trade has been at the heart of debates in the multilateral Doha negotiations on agriculture within the World Trade Organization (WTO) Theoretically, the interest of this issue especially resides in the fact that it is caught up in the whirlwind of changes affecting WTO. Indeed, for some time now, the limits and theories that underpin WTO existence have been put to the test. Among the various questions emerging from this situation, many wonder about WTO's range of action and the impacts of trade liberalization on important issues such as food safety, plus traditional agricultural and nutritional practices. Differences of opinions between Member States regarding the way in which food products are dealt with under the Agreement on Agriculture are symptomatic of this soul-searching. The continued process of liberalizing agricultural trade depends on the possibility that WTO Member States have in taking into consideration the specificity of agriculture within the overall context of their national policies. Current negotiations are therefore of prime importance for overseeing this recognition and its ensuing progress. Nonetheless, the recognition of agriculture's multifunctional nature, proposed by many Members, appears to us to be a path far too large, which opens a door to means for working around already existing commitments. In addition, the approach set forth by the United States and the Cairns Group, by which agricultural products must undergo a liberalization modeled on that of industrial products, is far too reductionist and excludes an efficient taking in to consideration of the specificity of agricultural trade. The appropriate and realistic pathway for reaching this objective is to use the gains issuing from the Agreement on Agriculture as a basis and develop them in such a way as to ensure the efficient taking into account of considerations other than commercial ones linked to food safety.
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This interview with Uta Papen, prepared by Karine Collette with the goal of creating a reflexive dialogue, addresses key aspects of literacy research in Quebec—as represented by the articles published in this edition of Globe—from the perspective of the dominant theoretical approach in the English speaking world, namely the New Literacy Studies. The goal is to show how an Anglo-American scholar, with a background in social anthropology and ethnography, views literacy studies in Quebec, and thereby encourage further discussion and reflection. Although presented in the form of an interview, Papen's comments are in no way spontaneous. She received in advance both the texts on which she would comment and the questions she would be asked. After being transcribed, her answers were reviewed and, where necessary, edited. The result is a “dialogue” in which the perspectives of multiple authors and research traditions mee – repeating, interrogating, and debating each other along the way. The interaction of these different voices reveals some points of convergence, especially regarding the need to study and describe local and cultural literacies, examining them within their specific contexts, and analyzing their occasional points of contact. Indeed, socio-cultural and ideological perspectives on literacy studies remain rare in Quebec, where research tends to be shaped by pragmatic aims and the resulting studies tend to adopt a functional perspective.