Comparing Expressive Values in Rural & Urban Industrial Development

伦理与价值研究与人类学项目共同支持这个项目，研究技术与社会相互作用中的价值维度。在美国，人们普遍认为农村和小城镇的生活质量比大城市的生活质量好。本研究的目的是比较在宾夕法尼亚州西部农村、半农村和城市地区的小型机床公司工作的个人的生活质量，并确定哪些因素影响了这些人对生活的满意度。将对该地区的小型机床公司进行深入的民族志研究，包括对工人对其工作、休闲、社区和一般生活的满意度进行调查。研究方法将包括传统的人类学实地技术，包括观察、访谈和使用关键线人，以及经验抽样方法、地方和区域调查，以及在分类和排序任务时使用书面和实物刺激材料。结果将包括在专业协会会议上的演讲，书籍章节和各种期刊上的文章。本研究将进一步了解农村和城市生活质量、农村和城市技术发展、自动化对工作和工人满意度的影响以及这些商店员工的工作、休闲、社区和生活满意度之间的关系。调查人员非常有资格；研究的设计和收集分析的方法都非常复杂。研究结果将引起广大决策者和学者的兴趣。强烈建议提供支持。

Ethics and Values Studies joins with the Anthropology Program in supporting this project that examines value dimensions in the interactions of technology and society. It is commonly believed in the United States that the quality of life in rural and small towns is preferable to that found in large urban areas. The objective of this research is to compare the quality of life for individuals who work in small machine-tool companies located in rural, semi-rural, and urban areas of western Pennsylvania, and to ascertain what factors contribute to the degree of satisfaction that these individuals have with their lives. An in-depth ethnography of the small machine-tool companies in the region will be developed, including a survey of workers' satisfaction with their jobs, leisure, communities, and lives in general. Research methods will include traditonal anthropological field techniques, including observation, interviews, and the use of key informants, as well as the experience sampling method, local and regional surveys, and the use of written and physical stimulus materials in sorting and ranking tasks. Results will include presentations at professional society meetings, book chapters, and articles in a wide variety of journals. This research will further knowledge of quality of rural and urban life, technological development in rural and urban areas, the influence of automation on work and worker satisfaction, and the relationships among work, leisure, community, and life satisfaction of employees of these shops. The investigators are very well qualified; and the research design and methods of collection and analysis are very sophisticated. Results will be of interest to a broad audiences of policymakers as well as academics. Support is highly recommended.