Spaces of Responsibility explores the role of ethics in (re)ordering extractive relations under the global condition. Through an empirical investigation of actors, places, and ideas in and around Burkina Faso's industrial gold mining sector, this volume carries out an anti-essentialist yet critical examination, offering new insights into global mining capitalism. Corporate concession-making practices, the implementation of (national) mining legislation, and civil society interventions in mining areas all contribute in different ways to the dialectics of the global. Accordingly, the ongoing territorialization of mining investment often has considerable impacts on the well-being of populations in the Global South. At the same time, multinational corporations today cannot completely distance or isolate themselves from the political, economic, and social contexts they are interacting in and with. Drawing on theoretical debates about the links between resource extraction and socio-economic development, multi-scalar negotiations of ethics in mining governance are ethnographically retraced. In terms of gains and benefits, these negotiations manifest themselves spatially, providing access for some actors while excluding others.

From professional team sports to international events such as the Olympics and Tour de France, the modern sports industry continues to attract a large number of spectators and participants. This book, edited by John K. Wilson and Richard Pomfret, analyzes the economic evolution of sports over the last 150 years, from a pastime activity to a big business enterprise. It begins at a time when entrepreneurs and players first started making money from professional sports leagues, through to the impact of radio and TV in the twentieth century, and on to the present day. Using examples from sports across the world, the chapters cover such important issues as player migration, labor market restrictions, stadium arrangements and the rise and fall of workplace provisions. Unlike most sports economic texts, the contributors featured here provide insights into the historical origins of many practices and policies peculiar to the industry. This historical perspective casts light onto the development of practices, such as labor market regulations and public policies, which have become more prevalent in the modern age. The non-technical, user-friendly nature of this book will appeal to many students, particularly those enrolled in sports economics courses - a field of study which is increasingly common. Academics will also find this book to be a timely reference for their research and teaching. Contributors include: L. Borrowman, A. Carter, J. Cranfield, L. Frost, A.K. Halabi, K. Inwood, A. Kawaura, S. La Croix, M. Lightbody, J.-F. Mignot, R. Pomfret, J.A. Ross, W. Vamplew, J.K. Wilson

This book comprehensively investigates the position of China's working class between the 1980s and 2010s and considers the consequences of economic reforms in historical perspective. It argues the case that, far from the illusion during the Maoist period that a new society had been established where the working classes held greater political and economic autonomy, economic reforms in the post-Mao era have led to the return of traditional Marxist proletariats in China. The book demonstrates how the reforms of Deng Xiaoping have led to increased economic efficiency at the expense of economic equality through an extensive case study of an SOE (state-owned enterprise) in Sichuan Province as well as wider discussions of the emergence of state capitalism on both a micro and macroeconomic level. The book also discusses workers' protests during these periods of economic reform to reflect the reformation of class consciousness in post-Mao China, drawing on Marx's concept of a transition from a 'class-in-itself' to a 'class-for-itself'. It will be valuable reading for students and scholars of Chinese economic and social history, as well as political economy, sociology, and politics.

This book explores the economic and political impact of US aggression and the rise of China. Charting the impact of globalization from the Greek and Roman Empires onwards, the contemporary challenges posed by globalization is analysed in relation to both multinational companies and Wall Street banks. The influence of the World Trade Organization is investigated, with a particular focus on how it has created a Washington consensus throughout the world. This book aims to provide a non-Western perspective on global capitalism and the dangers it creates. It will be relevant to students and researchers interested in political economy, economic history, and development economics.

Improvement was a new concept in seventeenth-century England; only then did it become usual for people to think that the most effective way to change things for the better was not a revolution or a return to the past, but the persistent application of human ingenuity to the challenge of increasing the country's wealth and general wellbeing. Improvements in agriculture and industry, commerce and social welfare, would bring infinite prosperity and happiness. The word improvement was itself a recent coinage. It was useful as a slogan summarising all these goals, and since it had no equivalent in other languages, it gave the English a distinctive culture of improvement that they took with them to Ireland and Scotland, and to their possessions overseas. It made them different from everyone else. The Invention of Improvement explains how this culture of improvement came about. Paul Slack explores the political and economic circumstances which allowed notions of improvement to take root, and the changes in habits of mind which improvement accelerated. It encouraged innovation, industriousness, and the acquisition of consumer goods which delivered comfort and pleasure. There was a new appreciation of material progress as a process that could be measured, and its impact was publicised by the circulation of information about it. It had made the country richer and many of its citizens more prosperous, if not always happier. Drawing on a rich variety of contemporary literature, The Invention of Improvement situates improvement at the centre of momentous changes in how people thought and behaved, how they conceived of their environment and their collective prospects, and how they cooperated in order to change them.

This edited collection explores the histories of trade, a peculiar literary genre that emerged in the context of the historiographical and cultural changes promoted by the histoire philosophique movement. It marked a discontinuity with erudition and antiquarianism, and interacted critically with universal history. By comparing and linking the histories of individual peoples within a common historical process, this genre enriched the reflection on civilisation that emerged during the long eighteenth century. Those who looked to the past wanted to understand the political constitutions and manners most appropriate to commerce, and grasp the recurring mechanisms underlying economic development. In this sense, histories of trade constituted a declination of eighteenth-century political economy, and thus became an invaluable analytical and practical tool for a galaxy of academic scholars, journalists, lawyers, administrators, diplomats and government ministers whose ambition was to reform the political, social and economic structure of their nations. Moreover, thanks to these investigations, a lucid awareness of historical temporality and, more particularly, the irrepressible precariousness of economic hegemonies, developed. However, as a field of tension in which multiple and even divergent intellectual sensibilities met, this literary genre also found space for critical assessments that focused on the ambivalence and dangers of commercial civilisation. Examining the complex relationship between the production of wealth and civilisation, this book provides unique insights for scholars of political economy, intellectual history and economic history.

This book deals with the Neglected Links in economics and society. These neglected links are the inner bonds and lines which keep the society and economy together and are almost interconnected although they are very often treated and discussed separately in different discourses. Contemporary discussion has forgotten to think universally and to integrate items into one common field of observation. Instead, too often particular items are studied and discussed as being independent of each other without acknowledging a broader context. The book gives an exemplary instruction on how to treat reciprocal links and how to work in an interdisciplinary way, which tackles history, sociology and economics at least. By so doing, the book as also serves as an educational instruction for integrative and interdisciplinary science instead of recapitulating mono-disciplinary approaches. Discussion includes topics such as social and economic inequality research, limits of rationality, and orthodoxies and heterodoxies of economic research, as well as a discussion of the heroes of interdisciplinary thought.

The literature of monetary economics has been characterised by controversy and changes in the received wisdom throughout its history. The controversies have related not merely to the effects on incomes and prices of changes in the money supply, but even to the question of whether causality runs from money to incomes and prices or vice versa. This book begins with the pioneering work of the sixteenth century French writer Jean Bodin, followed by the celebrated John Law, and John Locke (and his eighteenth century critics). It considers both the theory and the evidence involved in the controversy between the Currency and Banking schools. Closely related to this was the work of two writers, Thomas Joplin and Walter Bagehot, both of whom provided perspectives strikingly different from those of the main controversialists and, in so doing, advanced the subject of monetary economics. The book seeks, through the examination of monetary controversies, to provide an historical perspective on modern understanding of monetary policy. It will be essential reading for economists with an interest in monetary economics and the history of economic thought.

The book presents a new theoretical approach to the description of economic phenomena over time. A realistic and meaningful description of economic phenomena over time is one of the basic preconditions for the success of any economic theory. The presented theoretical solution or proposal has two main characteristics. The first is a modification of the theory of subjective value in the form of the claim that one perceives the satisfaction of one's needs in the context of one's overall individual portfolio of goods. The causal relationship of the "old" theory in the form of "need is satisfied by good" is modified in terms of "sum of needs is satisfied by portfolio of goods (sum of goods)". This is a small modification, which, however, brings several important elements to the description of economic phenomena over time. The old theoretical approach did not enable us to operate over time because of different value context of goods which is changing over time. However, the portfolio of goods is, in fact, a formally-logical homogeneous construction of the mind, which is applicable over time. The second characteristic is the anchoring of this modification of the theory of subjective value in evolutionary (intersubjective) apriorism. The book will be of interest to any Austrian and Mainstream Economists who deal with problems of description of economic phenomena in time. Also, for those involved in topics such as estimating of future, why entrepreneurs are successful or the problem of social ordering or equilibration and those who are interested in the new evolutionary approach to the emergence of criteria for rational decision-making.

On the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of the 20th century's most accomplished and controversial economists, scholars from around the world reflect on the legacy of Joan Robinson's work. Addressing Robinsonian themes in growth, money, trade and methodology, their essays provide fresh perspectives on old questions. Joan Robinson's first priority was not theoretical perfection or abstract rigor. The arcane debates of the profession had little practical relevance and became increasingly tedious to her. Ironically, much of current economic theory embraces the realism she was striving toward. Indeed, as the essays in this volume show, she was in many ways ahead of her time. The volume begins by tracing the intellectual contours of her work and discussing the people and events that shaped her thinking. The succeeding chapters address her theories on accumulation, capital, and equilibrium, her interpretation of Marx, as well as the influence of Piero Sraffa. Several chapters analyze and extend her theory of growth, illustrating the wide applicability of her approach. A compelling exploration of Joan Robinson's contributions, this volume will be of great interest to scholars interested in growth, income distribution, post-Keynesian economics, macroeconomics, history of thought, money, capital theory, international trade and finance.

The general store in late-nineteenth-century America was often the economic heart of a small town. Merchants sold goods necessary for residents' daily survival and extended credit to many of their customers; cash-poor farmers relied on merchants for their economic well-being just as the retailers needed customers to purchase their wares. But there was more to this mutual dependence than economics. Store owners often helped found churches and other institutions, and they and their customers worshiped together, sent their children to the same schools, and in times of crisis, came to one another's assistance.

For this social and cultural history, Linda English combed store account ledgers from the 1870s and 1880s and found in them the experiences of thousands of people in Texas and Indian Territory. Particularly revealing are her insights into the everyday lives of women, immigrants, and ethnic and racial minorities, especially African Americans and American Indians.

A store's ledger entries yield a wealth of detail about its proprietor, customers, and merchandise. As a local gathering place, the general store witnessed many aspects of residents' daily lives--many of them recorded, if hastily, in account books. In a small community with only one store, the clientele would include white, black, and Indian shoppers and, in some locales, Mexican American and other immigrants. Flour, coffee, salt, potatoes, tobacco, domestic fabrics, and other staples typified most purchases, but occasional luxury items reflected the buyer's desire for refinement and upward mobility. Recognizing that townspeople often accessed the wider world through the general store, English also traces the impact of national concerns on remote rural areas--including Reconstruction, race relations, women's rights, and temperance campaigns.

In describing the social status of store owners and their economic and political roles in both small agricultural communities and larger towns, English fleshes out the fascinating history of daily life in Indian Territory and Texas in a time of transition.

This book examines the U.S economy from 1967 to 2011 and utilizes a new method to predict the future of the economy as far ahead as 2030. This new method uses population subgroup data. Variables used in the cross-sectional matrix include ethnicity, sex, age, and average personal income of those having personal income. The mathematical basis, the data used, and the results are all presented in graphic form. The estimates are compared to National Bureau of Economic Research Dating Committee data. Projections using estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Census are used to further project personal income, personal income annual change, and disposable personal income to 2030. The book concludes that the New Energy Movement and their development of non-polluting energy and electricity production methods that do not consume uranium, radioactive material, or fossil fuels. Therefore, large amounts of money should be invested in these devices, their development, and implementation.

In light of the recent and ongoing surge of interest in Alfred Marshall's work, this new and original reference volume fills a gap in the literature through a detailed examination of his thought and of his contributions to economics and social science. The Companion places Alfred Marshall's ideas in their historical context, highlighting the many streams of social research originating from them. The contributors form a remarkable cast of leading experts, covering a spectrum of Marshallian themes and issues, including: * his life and work * background and influences * scope and methodology of economics * economic analysis - including distribution theory, industrial economics and money * social and political issues * relations with his contemporaries * the Marshallian tradition * relevance to contemporary economics. This comprehensive and multidisciplinary Companion illustrates the relevance of Marshall to present-day economic reality and as such will prove an invaluable reference tool for general economists and a wide ranging audience: historians of economic thought; economic, political and cultural historians; industrial, regional and development economists; economists interested in institutional, cognitive and evolutionary economics.

This book develops new balance of payments statistics for the United States from 1790 to 1919, before official statistics were kept. Part I of this book justifies construction of a new balance of payments table, and Chapter 1 surveys existing tables from that standpoint. Chapter 2 shows how this book overcomes the limitations of Office of Business Economics and its North-Simon-Goldsmith foundation. Specific features are highlighted, including measurement decisions, improvement of OBE series, development of new series, and derived implications for the structure of the US economy and for the importance of individual sectors that loom large at various times: slave trade, shipping, manufacturing, and travel. The book then generates new time series of the movement of people, the movement of goods, the movement of funds, and the provision of services. Part VI puts the new balance of payments table to use in several ways: aggregates and balances within the table, structure of the US economy, and specific sectors of the economy (slave trade, shipping, manufacturing, travel). Finally, Part VII provides concluding comments.

This influential volume, which has been revised and updated for the twenty-first century, includes both new material and more detailed expositions of existing arguments. Although so-called 'real' theories of business cycles and growth are prevalent in contemporary mainstream economics, Controversies in Monetary Economics suggests that those economists who have instinctively focused on monetary factors in explaining macroeconomic behaviour are more genuinely 'realistic'. The author combines an explanation of past and present monetary controversy with practical proposals for the conduct of monetary policy in the contemporary global economy. Several alternative approaches are discussed, ranging from the traditional quantity theory to post Keynesian theories of endogenous money. This insightful book will be of interest to all those concerned with monetary economics and macroeconomics, including academic researchers, graduate and senior undergraduate students - particularly those looking for an alternative to current economic orthodoxy - and historians of economic thought. Practitioners in central banks, international financial institutions, the financial markets and finance ministries will also find this work invaluable.

This book explores the vital role of merchants within early modern China. Unlike European merchants, their Sino-colleagues have long been regarded as certain social pariahs after pre-Qin period, despite the fortune they made. The key mission of this monograph is to investigate whether the standing of merchants in the Ming Empire has been improved compared with their predecessors. Generally, their status is reflected in state-merchant relationship and their role in the market, which can be found in miscellaneous economic activities such as market monopoly, commercial taxation, international trade, and consumption. This book aims to be of relevance to students and researchers interested in early modern history, eastern commerce, Ming merchants, and contemporary global affairs.

This book, set out over three-volumes, provides a comprehensive history of economic thought in the 20th century with special attention to the cultural and historical background in the development of theories, to the leading or the peripheral research communities and their interactions, and finally to an assessment and critical appreciation of economic theories. Volume II addresses economic theory in the period between the two world wars in which the economic theory went through a process of criticism of old mainstream, deconstruction and reconstruction and theoretical ferment which involved the intellectual communities of economists emphasizing their nature of evolving interacting entities. This work provides a significant and original contribution to the history of economic thought and gives insight to the thinking of some of the major international figures in economics. It will appeal to students, scholars and the more informed reader wishing to further their understanding of the history of the discipline.

This book, the first of two volumes, examines ancient civilizations to explore the ethical foundations of modern economic systems. The origin of ethical values is analyzed from a historical context and, through investigating the spread of the Aryan civilization from India into the rest of the world, the links between ancient Russia, India, Japan, and Greece are highlighted. By examining the business management in these societies, the development of an ethical system is explained. This book aims to highlight how trust is fundamental to transactions within an exchange economy. It will be relevant to those interested in economics, development studies, international relations, and global politics.

This volume studies information as an economic resource in the Roman World. Information asymmetry is a distinguishing phenomenon of any human relationship. From an economic perspective, private or hidden information, opposed to publicly observable information, generates advantages and inequalities; at the same time, it is a source of profit, legal and illegal, and of transaction costs. The contributions that make up the present book aim to deepen our understanding of the economy of Ancient Rome by identifying and analysing formal and informal systems of knowledge and institutions that contributed to control, manage, restrict and enhance information. The chapters scrutinize the impact of information asymmetries on specific economic sectors, such as the labour market and the market of real estate, as well as the world of professional associations and trading networks. It further discusses structures and institutions that facilitated and regulated economic information in the public and the private spheres, such as market places, auctions, financial mechanisms and instruments, state treasures and archives. Managing Asymmetric Information in the Roman Economy invites the reader to evaluate economic activities within a larger collective mental, social, and political framework, and aims ultimately to test the applicability of tools and ideas from theoretical frameworks such as the Economics of Information to ancient and comparative historical research.

This book presents a multi-sited ethnographic study of the global development of the Taiwanese Buddhist order Fo Guang Shan. It explores the order's modern Buddhist social engagements by examining three globally dispersed field sites: Los Angeles in the United States of America, Bronkhorstspruit in South Africa, and Yixing in the People's Republic of China. The data collected at these field sites is embedded within the context of broader theoretical discussions on Buddhism, modernity, globalization, and the nation-state. By examining how one particular modern Buddhist religiosity that developed in a specific place moves into a global context, the book provides a fresh view of what constitutes both modern and contemporary Buddhism while also exploring the social, cultural, and religious fabrics that underlie the spatial configurations of globalization.