The three essays cover the economic, political and institutional aspects of the impact drug smuggling activities have had on the Colombian economy. In the first essay, I examine drug smuggling activities as factors of institutional change forcing Colombia to adopt an export-led growth model of...

This book presents an abstract discussion of social science, in a period when science in all forms is under attack, does little to inform the debate on its role and progress. Moreover, there is a strong and growing tendency for work that is far from scientific to go under the label of social...

This dissertation explores the role of efficiency of redistributive institutions (ERI)on redistribution. The first substantive essay proposes a theoretical model to explain thelack of strong empirical evidence in favor of a positive relationship between incomeinequality and redistribution. This...

Using the dynamic social world of tournament bass fishing as a backdrop, this research combined qualitative and quantitative research methods in a grounded theory approach for the study of commodification, serious leisure and the relationship between these two important social phenomena....

This work is about the restructuring of industry in a New England community and the reactions to that restructuring by various segments of the community's population. Specifically, the work concerns the community's attempts to adapt to the restructuring and to "redevelop" the area. It maintains...