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International audience; In order to assess the possibility for a digital manufacturing revolution to take place in the automotive sector, the article reviews the historical evolution of automotive manufacturing technologies and organisations and analyses the impact on “fourth industrial revolution” concepts on their current transformations, taking into account in particular their consequences for employment and work. It shows that previous attempts of automating final assembly have failed because human based teamwork organizations have proved more flexible and efficient in dealing with complex assembly processes. It also highlights that the two main reasons behind these attempts in the past are not present anymore: important gaps in productivity and quality between leading and lagging firms; and shortages of skilled and unskilled manpower willing to work in automotive factories. The scope for a digital manufacturing revolution taking place in the automotive sector appears therefore limited. The analysis of the impact on automotive manufacturing of the three main “fourth industrial revolution” concepts in Germany (Industrie 4.0) in the US (advanced manufacturing), and in China (Made in China 2025) supports more than it challenges this historical understanding of the future of manufacturing in the automotive sector. It dismisses the idea that a fourth industrial revolution is under way and that a radical disruptive break will take place in the coming years.

Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd; Are we cautious enough when using linear models? After the 1970s linear models became the most common method for quantitative social scientists. More discussion on their scope and limitations is needed. We focus on one stage of the modeling process, namely, variable selection. We show that a rigorous comparison between bivariate and multivariate regression models should be done in this stage as non-orthogonality among predictors can lead to ambiguous estimates. Further, we use geometrical representations of linear models for two purposes. First, to visualize sources of instability and the causes of ambiguous results. Second, to support residual regression as an alternate approach. We illustrate our ideas using data collected by Cukierman et al. (2002) on the relationship between government regulation and inflation in 26 countries. Our conclusions stress the need to assess structural effects and support parsimonious models with few predictors.

Resumo Este artigo tem por objetivo demonstrar a importância da sociologia para a análise das políticas de austeridade em tempos de crises políticas e sociais. Tomando como base a Europa nos anos 2000, mostra-se que as políticas de austeridade fiscal são um objeto científico complexo que deve ser analisado do ponto de vista sociológico e não somente econômico. Lebaron analisa a austeridade como uma crença econômica e como um discurso performativo, mostrando que as representações econômicas - das mais teóricas às mais práticas - desempenham um papel crucial na construção e reprodução da ordem social. São essas representações econômicas que estruturaram as instituições e crenças coletivas nos países europeus principalmente a partir dos anos de 1970 e 1980, período de expansão do neoliberalismo e da financerização. O autor apresenta em seguida os mecanismos e atores da austeridade: os Estados europeus (eurocracias); as instituições e os agentes individuais nesse campo. Em um terceiro ponto, Lebaron critica a noção de “austeridade expansionista” e mostra como o capitalismo financeiro tem tomado cada vez mais o controle de nossas sociedades. Por fim, Lebaron analisa os efeitos sociais da austeridade fiscal com base na ideia de “dinâmica complexa do bem-estar”. O autor defende a importância de que sejam criados modelos alternativos que considerem a multidimensionalidade do bem-estar em nossas sociedades. , Abstract This paper aims to demonstrate the importance of sociology for the analysis of austerity policies in times of political and social crises. Referencing the situation in Europe in the 2000s, it is shown that fiscal austerity policies are a complex scientific object that must be analyzed from a sociological rather than a purely economic point of view. Lebaron analyzes austerity as economic belief and performative discourse, showing that economic representations - from the most theoretical to the most practical - play a crucial role in the construction and reproduction of social order. These economic representations have structured institutions and collective beliefs in European countries, especially since the 1970s and 1980s, a period of expansion for neoliberalism and financialization. He then presents the mechanisms of, and participants involved in austerity: the European states (eurocracies), the institutions and the individual agents in this field. In a third instance, Lebaron criticizes the notion of "expansionary austerity" and shows how financial capitalism has increasingly taken control of our societies. Finally, Lebaron analyzes the social effects of fiscal austerity, based on the idea of the “complex dynamics of well-being". The author argues for the importance of creating alternative models that take into consideration the multidimensionality of well-being in our societies.

Publisher: SAGE Publications Inc; This article analyzes the causes of the disorder and indiscipline in high schools situated in working-class and immigrant districts in France, taking into account both adolescent street culture and social control in schools. Based on three long-term ethnographic research projects in three locations and social contexts, this article highlights the evolution of order and discipline in high schools, showing differences between France and Brazil. Breaking away from the classic themes of failure, inequalities, and exclusion in schools, I focus on the specific characteristics of adolescent relationships on one hand, and the institutional aspects of social control on the other, focusing particularly on the daily work of supervisory staff in high schools.