Cette thèse porte sur la tradition philanthropique aux États-Unis et sur la place qu’occupent les institutions philanthropiques, c’est à dire les fondations caritatives, au sein de la société américaine contemporaine. La tradition philanthropique américaine s’exprime, en partie, à travers les divers organismes non lucratifs formant le « troisième secteur » américain, le nonprofit sector. Elle est représentée par une société civile américaine promouvant les notions de charité, d’autonomie individuelle vis à vis du pouvoir fédéral et d’entraide sociale. Toutefois, ce sont les fondations caritatives, du fait de leurs importantes ressources financières, qui sont devenues des interlocutrices majeures dans la gestion de l’intérêt général aux États-Unis. De nombreux débats quant à leur efficacité et leur légitimité apparaissent aujourd'hui. L’étude de terrain menée auprès de treize dirigeants de fondations dans le Massachusetts et en Californie a contribué à apporter quelques réponses aux principales interrogations sur l’impact réel des fondations dans la société américaine. Ces observations, réalisées à la fin 2009 et au début 2011, permettent de souligner le fait que la philanthropie est ancrée dans le capitalisme américain, ce qui la rend dépendante de la conjoncture économique. On conclut également que, tandis que la philanthropie est souvent perçue comme un vecteur de valeurs démocratiques, les fondations ne semblent pas toujours prendre en compte l’intérêt général dans le financement de leurs projets. Enfin, en même temps que les richesses se sont accrues depuis les années 1980, les inégalités sociales se sont creusées, et la philanthropie n’a en rien comblé ces inégalités. Pourtant, les enjeux des actions philanthropiques sont considérables et il ne tient qu’aux philanthropes et aux institutions philanthropiques d’agir en faveur du progrès social. / This dissertation focuses on the philanthropic tradition in the United States and on the role of philanthropic institutions, or charitable foundations, in contemporary society. The American philanthropic tradition can be displayed through the various nonprofit organizations that make the « third sector » or nonprofit sector. This tradition is characterized by a strong civil society that promotes ideas such as charity, individualism and mutual aid. However, foundations have become the main agents for the management of the ‘general welfare’ in the United States, which creates new debates regarding their efficiency and their legitimacy. The case studies of foundations in Massachusetts and California helped bring new answers to questions about the social and economic impact of foundations on U.S. society. Final conclusions emphasize the idea that philanthropy represents an integral part of U.S. capitalism and depends on the economic situation of the country. Moreover, whereas philanthropy is often viewed as a tool for democratic advocacy, it appears that foundations do not always promote the general welfare when supporting philanthropic programs. Last but not least, since the 1980s, significant wealth has been accumulated by some individuals and while social inequalities have widened substantially, American philanthropy has not done much to reduce them. Yet, philanthropic activity can significantly impact U.S. society, provided that philanthropists and philanthropic foundations act for social progress.

Due to intense competition, retail stores are today forced to come up with exciting new sales promotional ideas to remain a relevant choice for customers. Gift giving is a sales promotional tool which has previously demonstrated to increase customer satisfaction and spending - an ideal situation for any retailer. However, gift giving has only been researched and confirmed for retailers that offer consumable goods. It has yet to be measured in a context where it is of greater difficulty for the customer to spend more than planned. This research fills that void by conducting a field experiment at a retail store offering durable shopping products.The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect gift giving has on gratitude, obligation, satisfaction, impulsive buying, and spending at a retail store offering durable shopping products. Through a field experiment, the study tests the effect on these variables of both small and large gifts and explore whether customer spending increases alongside the gift’s monetary worth.To complete the purpose of the study, a case company representing a durable shopping products retailer was selected. A field experiment was setup with two experimental groups and one control group. The results from the manipulation were collected through questionnaires which included questions pertaining to the study’s five variables. The collected data was then analysed through the statistics program SPSS.The only emotion that is affected from providing gifts in this retail environment is obligation, a negative emotion, which in turn decreases customer satisfaction. Since giving a gift only evokes negative emotions, it is concluded that a durable goods retailer should not use gift giving as a sales promotional tool. Additionally, when given a large gift, customer spending decreases considerably. This could imply that gift giving does not work in this retail environment, or that an extraneous variable affected the experiment’s outcome.

This thesis brings fresh light on the types of problems that contemporary democracies might face when interacting with private interests. More specifically, the study examines the separation between the state and private interests, based on the assumption that this separation is a precondition for maintaining democracy and legitimate governance. It is thereby a contribution towards understanding the social forces that allow private interests to penetrate the public realm, as well as the forces that protect the state from such penetration. Under which circumstances do private interests access state apparatus in ways that contradicts its universalistic principles? How does the state consider challenges against its legitimacy and how are such threats dealt with? These questions are answered by means of two case studies. The first concerns the interaction between a number of state authorities that receive sponsoring from business enterprises. The second concerns interaction - partially afflicted by corruption - between the state monopoly for selling alcoholic beverages (‘Systembolaget’) in Sweden and its private suppliers. Applying theories on organizational boundaries, exchange, trust, networks as well as legitimacy to these cases, the study demonstrates how state reforms, inspired by the logic of markets, has introduced new ways for private interest to access state affairs. In the case of ‘Systembolaget’, this is particularly evident. The possibility of access, the study argues, is a consequence of reshaping the internal boundaries of the state, broadening informal relations as well as extended scope of action for state employees. This replaced social differentiation as a mechanism of separation by the personal integrity of state employees. Interestingly, this finding should be considered in relation to how the state has attempted to sharpen its organizational boundaries through a strengthening of regulation and the businesslike relations of exchange.

The thesis identifies and discusses some fundamental changes that took place during the middle neolithic period in Sweden, with the introduction of the Boat Axe Culture. The possibility of intrepreting the Corded Ware Cultures by way of networks, identified through the regional designes of battle axes, are proposed. With the aid of a reconsideration of the typology of the Swedish boat axes, ethnographic examples of gift-exchanges, and a theoretical reappraisal of the implications of archaeological praxis for prehistorc life-worlds, new possibillities for interpreting the changing role of such prestige items as the boat-axes are presented. A new chronological scheme is also presented for the Swedish boat axes, with a tripartite division of the latter middle neolithic into MN BI-III. The value of the boat axe is further considered to be explicable only in terms of a prestige item, dependent on a system of exchange for its continual valuation. Central to this discussion is the relationship between value and exchange. Several regions within the Swedish Boat Axe Culture are identified, and the boat axes in two of these regions in the southern part of the Mälar valley are thoroughly examined. It is shown that during the cours of the Boat Axe period, the emphasis gradually changed from a regional to an intra-regional focus concerning the development of types and special designes of the boat axes. Identified similarities and dissimilarities of contemporary boat axes within and between regions are explained as a result of a parallel change in gift exchanges, from a regional focus to an intra-regional focus. An hierarchical ordering of the latter middle neolithic soceity is also identified, where only a portion of the boat-axes were selected as burial gifts. This development is chartered onto the broader neolithic development in Sweden, with special focus on the role of prestige items such as battle axes. A fundamental change is identified as taking place during the Boat Axe period, when the full implications of a prestige economy were implemented and the major strategies for power settled on the inter-regional level.

Questo lavoro di tesi ha come obiettivo generale quello di indagare attraverso un modello multidimensionale come le Felt Obligation, definite nelle dimensioni del mantenimento dei contatti e dei rituali familiari, del ricambiare nella relazione per ciò che si è ricevuto e del personal sharing, si delineano e si costruiscono nelle relazioni familiari. Il primo studio è di carattere strettamente psicometrico ed è volto a definire la struttura fattoriale della Felt Obligation Measure nel contesto italiano. La Felt Obligation Measure rappresenta a tutt’oggi l’unico strumento presente in letteratura che permette di valutare ciò che le persone sentono (felt) essere gli obblighi da assolvere nelle loro relazioni familiari. Il secondo studio è volto ad indagare le possibili implicazioni a livello generazionale e individuale delle Felt Obligation in due differenti generazioni (generazione di mezzo e giovani adulti); sono quindi indagate sia variabili di outcome qualificanti le relazioni familiari quali la soddisfazione e l’identità familiare sia variabili di adattamento individuale come autostima, depressione e benessere psicologico. Infine, il terzo studio è dedicato allo studio delle Felt Obligation nelle famiglie di giovani adulti. La transizione all’età adulta nel contesto italiano è caratterizzata da una prolungata co-abitazione di due generazioni adulte. Obiettivo del lavoro è pertanto approfondire il ruolo delle Felt Obligation per capire come esse diventino parte qualificante della relazione genitori – figli in questa fase del ciclo di vita e come siano legate a specifiche variabili del funzionamento familiare, quali soddisfazione e identità familiare. / The general aim of this research is to investigate, through a multi-dimensional model, how Felt Obligation, defined in the dimensions of maintenance contacts and family rituals, repayment in the relationship and personal sharing, are delineated and build in family relationships. First study’s aim is to identify the factorial structure of Felt Obligation Measure in the Italian context. Felt Obligation Measure is the only instrument in literature by which people could report feelings about their obligations to fulfill in their family relationships. Second study’s aim is to investigate the generational and individual implications of Felt Obligation into two different generations (middle – adults and young adults). Finally, the third study is aimed to examine Felt Obligation in young adults’ families . The transition to adulthood in Italy is characterized by a prolonged co-habitation of two generations of adults; therefore the aim is to enhance the role of Felt Obligation in this specific phase of the life cycle and how they are linked to specific variables of family functioning (family satisfaction and family identity).

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

As we celebrate all the dynamic and dramatic improvements in human health care in the 21st century, life in much of Africa begins with and is sustained with the support of traditional medicinal knowledge. Research on traditional medicinal knowledge (TMK) is extensive, but rather few studies have been written about Traditional Healers' (THs') own perceptions about TMK and practices in relation to changing societal dynamics. The aim of this thesis is to examine how THs perceive on going socio-spatial transformation, including contemporary processes of urbanization, migration, commercialization and commodification of TMK, as well as changing dynamics of learning and knowledge systems between generations and genders and how these affect their medicinal healing practices in time and space. The thesis consists of four main empirical chapters, which derive from different data sources including literature, documentation review and qualitative interview material. The findings in this thesis can be summarised as follows: First that TMK today exists side by side with modern health systems, in what are seen as complex patterns of medical pluralism that provide evidence of an evolving role the TH plays in primary health care, in the rural and urban space. Youthful migrating population dynamics that are linked to historical processes, have effectively carved an emerging cross-sectoral role of the TH in the formal space. Secondly the developing legislation on IPR and ABS in parallel with the representation of an earlier official formal governance around TMK in Tanzania; and the difference in the sectors where TMK is anchored in the two contexts, could have paved way to some earlier collaborative mechanisms, that today provide space to enable a more natural engagement between formal and informal organizations involved in the governance of TMK in Tanzania. Thirdly, the practical ways in which TMK learning processes, which are characterized by learning systems in place, being sent and visiting sacred places that are lived by an apprentice over a number of years, have increasingly come under pressure. Fourthly the thesis shows approaches by THs, encouraging the youth to access conventional medicinal education followed by, or in parallel with TMK learned through traditional pedagogies employed by the THs themselves. The youth’s keen interest in learning TMK is seen to increase when they view improved livelihood possibilities due to the commercialization of medicinal plants. The future of TMK learning processes may be limited unless incentives are put in place for the youth regarding their future livelihoods. Fifth, gendered and generational dimensions suggest that older and some younger female THs reemphasize the values of the gift and TMK in a climate of increased commodification and commercialization of TMK, where TMK increasingly meets neoliberal processes, engaging an alternative paradigm than the gift economy, where a predominance of male TH’s in the urban space and places, increasingly define the diversification of the TMK livelihoods. The gift provided by a higher power and which is embedded in a particular cosmological view, to be used as a social service to help the community, is increasingly evolving as an emerging tested force in a changing ideological climate, with an increasing awareness of commodification, commercialization, IPR and ABS issues surrounding TMK. It implies awareness in relation to the increased benefits of commoditized and commercialized medicinal plant knowledge (which THs hold) for other individuals and institutions. The TH profession and TMK is seen as entering a contested IPR/ABS arena at a time when increasingly socio-spatial transformations are modifying its role from that of a gift to an owned commodity. However while the practice of TMK has changed over time and space, presenting new challenges as well as opportunities, it is also seen as a threat that anyone today can sell and market TMK products.

面對經濟景氣停滯、財政赤字急遽惡化及相關社會福利支出等種種不利因素，我國政府在衡酌國際金融危機及稅制改革潮流下，於2009年將遺贈稅之最高邊際稅率由50％大幅調降為單一稅率10％，同時提高免稅額。就修法目的而言，主要希望藉由稅率的降低來吸引海外資金，並預期此項租稅改革能振興國內投資，進而穩健國內財政。 本研究利用財政部國稅局的實際課徵資料，並輔以美國、南韓、日本等國之稅制改革經驗為借鏡，分別就遺產及贈與稅之稅收變動、稽徵成本、違章漏稅等多個面向，分析遺贈稅修正後是否收得其效及其對稅賦之影響。研究結果發現，除稽徵效率有待改善外，我國遺贈稅稅賦收入於修法後並未有重大改變，主要係因海外資金實有回流，使得稅率在大幅降低的情形下，稅基並未受到侵蝕，顯見該次修法係有符合最初的預期及社會之期待。 / Facing with several unfavorable factors such as economic downturn, budget deficits, and enormous social welfare expenditures, Taiwanese government decided to lead a reform of current tax system by dropping the highest marginal tax rate of estate and gift tax from 50% to single tax rate of 10% and raising the exemption. The main purpose of this amendment is to attract foreign capitals, stimulate domestic consumptions and investments, and ultimately revitalize the economy and stabilize domestic finance. This study examines the effect of dropping estate and gift tax rate. Based on actual imposition data collected from Ministry of Finance, and experiences of United States, South Korea, Japan and other countries. I find that except for the process of tax collection is not efficient as expected, there is no significant change of tax revenue after amendment of estate and gift tax law, the reason is that the inflow of overseas funds increases the tax base. Overall, the reform of estate and gift tax does meet the initial expectation.

Information and communication technologies and their innovative apparatuses have extensive social consequences. The basic interest of this thesis is to argue whether the information technologies and their technological apparatuses have the power to breach in the current capitalist system and therefore to lead us into a transformation towards an alternative world. In fact, this study more specifically attempts to argue and make sense out of this argument on the basis of an analysis of the Free Software Movement (FSM), since it is a product of the information technologies and has some suggestions for such a transformation towards a new society. Simultaneously, the study also argues the novel parts of the FSM as a new social movement and change agent of today&#039 / s contemporary world with reference to the literature on social movements.

數世紀以來，《威尼斯商人》(The Merchant of Venice, 1596-1598)的批評總聚焦在「猶太人問題」(the Jewish question) 與「女人問題」(the woman question) 上：劇中放高利貸的夏洛 (Shylock) 體現了猶太人的原型，而富有、機智的波黠 (Portia) 則是強勢女性的代表。然而，這種閱讀方式將兩個問題分開處理，忽略了兩者在劇中密切的關聯，僅只以審判一景聯繫兩個角色所代表的問題。 　　本論文嘗試以「禮物交換」(gift exchange) 重新閱讀《威尼斯商人》。牟斯 (Marcel Mauss) 的著作《禮物》(The Gift, 1925) 初步定義原始社會中的交換行為與其涵意，奠定了禮物研究的基礎。禮物交換所建構的社會關係複雜多變，因此，除牟斯外，本論文亦援引佳寶 (Jacques T. Godbout) 與楊 (Iris Marion Young) 的理論，以期透視《威尼斯商人》中的角色在禮物交換之下的互動與劇情發展。 　　根據喜福特 (Alan D. Schrift) 所言，禮物描繪了「主體間的互動」(intersubjective interaction)。立基於此概念，並以上述等人的理論為架構，本論文由三個面向逐步探討《威尼斯商人》中基督男性的「自我」(self) 與猶太／女性「他者」(other) 間的禮物交換：（一）禮物交換的基礎；（二）禮物交換的聯繫與風險；（三）非對稱交換關係與重建關係。劇中安東尼 (Antonio) 與巴薩紐 (Bassanio) 的友情為禮物交換的基礎，進一步展現禮物特色，牽連／牽絆夏洛與波黠，發揮禮物效應，帶出多重「非對稱」(asymmetry) 的要素，終致重建四人的關係。 / For centuries, the Jewish question and the woman question have always been the salient concerns for criticisms of The Merchant of Venice (1596-1598): whereas Shylock the usurer embodies a Jewish archetype, Portia the clever heiress presents a powerful female figure. Nevertheless, treating the Jewish question and the woman question separately, this kind of reading ignores the close relationship between the two in the play, and connects them loosely only with the trial scene. This thesis reads The Merchant of Venice in the perspective of gift exchange. Founding the studies of the gift, Marcel Mauss’s The Gift (1925) firstly defines the reciprocity and the significance of gift exchange in archaic societies. Since social relationship established by gift exchange is subject to change, this thesis also draws on Jacques T. Godbout’s and Iris Marion Young’s theories to probe into the interaction of characters and the movement of The Merchant of Venice. According to Alan D. Schrift, the gift depicts “intersubjective interaction” (18). Based on this concept and structured with the above theories, the thesis examines gift exchange between the Christian male “self” and its Jewish/female other in The Merchant of Venice step by step in three dimensions: (1) the basis of gift exchange; (2) bond and risk in gift exchange; (3) asymmetrical reciprocity and reestablished relation. In the play, gift exchange brings its effect of bond and feature of asymmetry into full play. Grounded on the friendship between Antonio and Bassanio, gift exchange links/restrains Shylock and Portia, and reestablishes the characters’ relationships as a result.