Campus Aerial Views

Aerial View of the FLorida International University University Park Campus.

Is the Corporate Elite Fractured, or is there Continuing Corporate Dominance? Two Contrasting Views

This article compares two recent analyses of continuity and change in the American power structure since 1900, with a main focus on the years after World War II. The first analysis asserts that the “corporate elite” has fractured and fragmented in recent decades and no longer has the unity to have a collective impact on public policy. The second analysis claims that corporate leaders remain united, albeit with moderate-conservative and ultra-conservative differences on several issues, and continue to have a dominant collective impact on public policies that involve their major goals. After comparing the two perspectives on key issues from 1900 to 1945, the article analyzes the fractured-elite theory’s three claims about the postwar era: an activist government constrained the corporate elite, the union movement negotiated a capital-labor accord; and bank boards created policy cohesion among corporations. Finally, it compares the two perspectives on tax issues, health-care policies, and trade expansion between 1990 and 2010.

Economic Inequality and the Conditions of Freedom- Views from the American Founding

Professor Clement Fatovic, Director of Graduate Studies for Politic Sciences, lectures on the subject of the American Founding. Lecture held at the Green Library, Modesto Maidique Campus, Florida International University, on April 10, 2013.

Correlates of Boater Knowledge and Views Regarding the Florida Manatee and Manatee Related Issues

Scientists are extremely concerned that the Florida manatee, Trichechus manatus latirostris, does not have a sufficient population number nor reproductive rate to ensure long-term species viability. This research was done to investigate aspects of boater behavior in an effort to determine measures that might decrease boat-manatee collisions and help researchers plan intervention strategies in related areas. Initially, boat data was collected over a period of several months at a Miami waterway. Next, a detailed phone survey of boat owners was conducted. Although most boaters were found noncompliant with the speed zone, several questions from the survey showed that most valued manatees and almost half wanted them to remain listed as endangered. This is very encouraging as boater support for the manatee is possibly one of the most important indicators of manatee chances for survival. Suggestions included requiring mandatory boating classes and informing boaters of faster routes to their destinations.