Uncertain Decisions: Bridging Theory and Experiments presents advanced directions of thinking on decision theory - in particular the more recent contributions on non-expected utility theory, fuzzy decision theory and case-based theory. This work also provides theoretical insights on measures of risk aversion and on new problems for general equilibrium analysis. It analyzes how the thinking that underlies the theories described above spills over into real decisions, and how the thinking that underlies these real decisions can explain the discrepancies between theoretical approaches and actual behavior. This work elaborates on how the most recent laboratory experiments have become an important source both for evaluating the leading theory of choice and decision, and for contributing to the formation of new models regarding the subject.

1999 is the 100th year anniversary of the publication of Veblen's The Theory of the Leisure Class. This volume commemorates and celebrates Veblen's seminal contribution to the analysis of consumerist capitalism and assesses the book's relevance to the twenty-first century. Veblen's Leisure Class was a pioneering effort to come to terms with industrial capitalism's consumer culture, and it became the foundation for much of contemporary institutional economics. This book examines Veblen's contribution to the analysis of the new global economy, the growth of the women's movement, inequality, consumption and gambling at the turn of the century. It concludes by analysing the effects of the globalization of capitalism. This book will be of great interest to scholars of the history of economic thought and particularly those interested in how we can relate Veblen's classic work to society today and in the future.

Agent-Based Computer Simulation of Dichotomous Economic Growth reports a project in agent-based computer stimulation of processes of economic growth in a population of boundedly rational learning agents. The study is an exercise in comparative simulation. That is, the same family of growth models will be simulated under different assumptions about the nature of the learning process and details of the production and growth processes. The purpose of this procedure is to establish a relationship between the assumptions and the simulation results. The study brings together a number of theoretical and technical developments, only some of which may be familiar to any particular reader. In this first chapter, some issues in economic growth are reviewed and the objectives of the study are outlined. In the second chapter, the simulation techniques are introduced and illustrated with baseline simulations of boundedly rational learning processes that do not involve the complications of dealing with long-run economic growth. The third chapter sketches the consensus modern theory of economic growth which is the starting point for further study. In the fourth chapter, a family of steady growth models are simulated, bringing the simulation, growth and learning aspects of the study together. In subsequent chapters, variants on the growth model are explored in a similar way. The ninth chapter introduces trade, with a spacial trading model that is combined with the growth model in the tenth chapter. The book returns again and again to the key question: to what extent can the simulations explain' the puzzles of economic growth, and particularly the key puzzle of dichotomization, by constructing growth and learning processes that produce the puzzling results? And just what assumptions of the simulations are most predictable associated with the puzzling results?

Price theory has provided solutions to myriad problems affecting society without invoking any precepts beyond those encapsulated in the standard economic postulate. Fiscal theory, meanwhile, has been closely attentive to the political, sociological and historical circumstances that bear upon the fiscal act. This methodological duality has resulted in the development of fiscal theory in line with the political culture espoused by its originator, usually the one prevailing at home. Thus emerges the need for an analysis of the evolution of fiscal thought along national lines.

"General-equilibrium" refers to an analytical approach which looks at the economy as a complete system of inter-dependent components (industries, households, investors, governments, importers and exporters). "Applied" means that the primary interest is in systems that can be used to provide quantitative analysis of economic policy problems in particular countries. Reflecting the authors' belief in the models as vehicles for practical policy analysis, a considerable amount of material on data and solution techniques as well as on theoretical structures has been included. The sequence of chapters follows what is seen as the historical development of the subject.

The book is directed at graduate students and professional economists who may have an interest in constructing or applying general equilibrium models. The exercises and readings in the book provide a comprehensive introduction to applied general equilibrium modeling. To enable the reader to acquire hands-on experience with computer implementations of the models which are described in the book, a companion set of diskettes is available.

In this book Peter Sedgwick puts forward a new case for viewing Nietzsche as an economic thinker, worthy to rank alongside Marx. Analysing Nietzsche's conception of economy, Sedgwick shows how it is taken by him to constitute the basic condition under which the 'human animal' developed. Economy, Nietzsche argues, endowed us with futurity: the ability to live with a view to long-term future possibilities rather than impulsively, as do other animals. Economy, in other words, is a defining aspect of human behaviour, underpinning the ways in which we estimate value, relate to others and attain self-understanding.

The purpose of this book is to analyse the remaining obstacles to achieving gender equality. The first chapters present different aspects of the gender earnings gap. Different countries are studied and special emphasis is laid on particular sectors and occupations. The rest of the book deals with the postponement of first birth by educated women, the non-cooperative behaviour in time use, gender differences in job and worker mobility, transitions between employment status, discriminations contained in tax systems and poverty rate of single parent households.

Selected papers from many leading Australian, American, Asian, British and European economists of an international conference at Monash University sparked by the first Australian visit by Kenneth J. Arrow, Nobel Laureate in Economics. Part 1 extends the recently emerged New Classical Economics which uses inframarginal analysis to formally examine classical economic problems of specialization with insights on trade, growth, and many other issues. Part 2 analyses the implications of increasing returns and the associated non-perfect competition on some macro problems like the effects of nominal aggregate demand on output and the price level. Part 3 analyses the relationships of information, returns to scale, and issues of resources and trade.

Researchers are expected to produce original findings, yet nobody explains how original contributions are conceived in economics. Recently there have been calls for more creativity in economic research, yet there is no literature that explores creative research apart from collections of biographical essays. This book aims to address that gap, exploring the process of conceiving and generating ideas for interesting and original research contributions in economics (and potentially other social sciences too). Creative Research in Economics serves both a practical and theoretical purpose. Theoretically it presents a unique way of thinking about the nature of problems and questions in economics and the role of social science researchers in society. As such it offers an interesting way to think about the philosophy of science and methodology in economics, and how new ideas emerge in the discipline. Practically it develops techniques for finding interesting and original research contributions (as opposed to conventional data-gathering research). Whether you are a graduate student looking for that first interesting question, a novice researcher in search of fresh avenues for research after your PhD, or a seasoned academic looking to teach the philosophy and methodology of economics in more interesting ways, you will find this book of great use.

Economic growth of a country depends on its industries. The focus of modern growth theory is basically macroeconomics, although neoclassical models use competitive markets and the optimization behavior of households and firms in general equilibrium framework. The emphasis here is on industry growth, where the microfoundations of industry are analyzed in terms of economic efficiency. The various linkages which link firm growth with the industry growth are discerned here under various market structures both competitive and monopolistic. The role of information in facilitating market signals and allowing the adoption of new processes has been especially emphasized in this volume. Many issues of market failure and the suboptimality of competitive equilibria are due to incomplete and imperfect information structures and we need a comprehensive theory of information structures underlying the process of industry growth and its dynamics. This book will be of interest to economists studying economic and industry growth and innovation.

An examination of the foundations of contemporary theoretical economics. Applying concepts from model theory - formal semantics - and standard tools in foundations research the author aims three targets, namely, a characterization of the notion 'empirical economic theory', the determination of the epistemological and methodological status of an important class of 'non-empirical' theories in economics, and the proposal of a taxonomy of economic theories based upon intended epistemological status and the descriptive or operative function of a theory.

This book offers a comprehensive assessment of the Mauritian economy and its financial system. The author investigates the pre- and post- crisis financial and economic environment of Mauritius thoroughly and looks to the future potential development of the economy. Chapters feature in-depth analysis of such aspects as the banking sector, the stock market, monetary policy, capital structure, the hedging practices of Mauritian firms, and the housing market in Mauritius, among others. Moreover, the author not only builds a credit risk model for Mauritian bankers, but also develops a financial stability model to provide the reader with a full account of the Mauritian economy. The author ends with a chapter dedicated to a 2030 vision for Mauritius. This book will be of interest to researchers, students, policy-makers, central bankers and economists who wish to explore an example of an upper-income developing economy in depth.

This book reviews the paradigm which has come to be known as post-Keynesian economics, concentrating on the main issues that form the heart of this paradigm: money and finance; conflict in wage and price settings; the degree of monopoly and pricing in an open economy; divergence rather than convergence in the European Union; financial and economic development; economic policy and methodological issues.

A crucial issue in the era of globalization and internationalization, is whether the relationship between investment and finance is beneficial to growth and development. Similar questions have been raised about education and its rate of social return; is education necessary for improving the skill of the workforce, or does it serve primarily to facilitate the adoption of these new technologies? This book brings together a case of leading international scholars to analyze the importance of education, research, and human capital and the impact of financial systems on growth and development.

Capitalism has long been idealized as a symbol of success, power, and free enterprise. In reality, while capitalism has brought wealth and success to some people, many others are rapidly losing opportunities to make a living as globalization transfers more and more control over local resources to distant powers. Today there is a growing sense that something is wrong with a system that treats people as mere components of the production process, focusing on efficiency to such extremes that services to citizens of even wealthy nations are neglected. The eleven anthropologists, economists, and researchers represented in this volume address this disparity of global capitalism and offer surprising solutions to the present effects of the burgeoning ""global marketplace"" on some of today's struggling communities. The essays, ranging in subject matter from the preservation of traditional fishing communities in New England to the effects of NAFTA, emphasize the need to reestablish grassroots development and locally focused use of resources and champion the concerns of contemporary poor and working-class people. In its consideration of possible alternatives to the profoundly damaging effects of uncontrolled global capitalism, Communities and Capital offers a new perspective that balances the power and success of capitalism with a recognition of its costs.

Since the early seventies, following the pioneering work by Leo Hurwicz, economists have been studying the relationship between socially optimal goals and private self-interest. The task was to reconcile the Utopian and Hobbesian traditions, using game theory to find ways to organise the society that are both socially optimal and incentive compatible. This book provides a succinct and up-to-date account of this vast literature and will be welcomed by students, lecturers and anyone wishing to update their knowledge of the field.

Western society moved from a period in which Christianity was the dominant spiritual force to one of nationalism and then to making the economy the object of public devotion. Today this is challenged by those seeking the health of the Earth including all its inhabitants. The World Bank is the economistic institution most open to Earthist concerns. This book evaluates the Bank's potential for leadership in broadening public goals from narrowly economic goods to inclusive ones.

Among the most imaginative and controversial economists of the 20th century, Joan Robinson is one of the intellectual giants of modern economics. This book pays homage to her and extends the knowledge of her contributions to a new generation of economists. It begins with a chronological history of her life. A biographical sketch follows, giving in-depth analysis of her major writings and her many conflicts with mainstream economists, particularly the bastard Keynesians of the United States. The book includes two annotated bibliographies of works by Robinson and works about her and her economic theories. The index makes the book readily accessible. One of the most imaginative and controversial economists of the 20th century, Joan Robinson clearly deserved the Nobel Prize in economics, although she never received it. This book intends to correct that oversight by paying homage to one of the intellectual giants of modern economics, and thus extending the knowledge of Robinson's contributions to a new generation of economists who may be unfamiliar with her work or influence. The book begins with a chronological history of Joan Robinson's life. A biographical sketch follows, giving in-depth analysis of her major writings and her many conflicts with mainstream economists, particularly the bastard Keynesians of the United States. This is followed by annotated bibliographies of works by Robinson and works about her and her economic theories. The index makes the contents of this user-friendly book readily accessible to the new economist and seasoned professional alike.

The first book in the Studies in Economic Transition series applies the theory of economic development to the economy of East Germany. Eight years after the unification of Germany, the book provides a comprehensive and much needed assessment of the transition process in the East, its impact on the German economy as a whole and the important broader lessons for European integration and enlargement. The unique economic experiment of the unification of the German economies provided an excellent opportunity for different schools of economic theory to be tested and examined. The contributors to this book take full advantage of this challenge.

This book reassesses central topics in cultural economics: Public finance and public choice theory as the basis for decision-making in cultural and media policy, the role of welfare economics in cultural policy, the economics of creative industries, the application of empirical testing to the performing arts and the economics of cultural heritage. Cultural economics has made enormous progress over the last 50 years, to which Alan Peacock made an important contribution. The volume brings together many of the senior figures, whose contributions to the various special fields of cultural economics have been instrumental in the development of the subject, and others reflecting on the subject's progress and assessing its future direction. Alan Peacock has been one of the leading lights of cultural economics and in this volume Ilde Rizzo and Ruth Towse and the other contributors ably capture the import of his contributions in a broader context of political economy. In doing so, they offer an overview of progress in cultural economics over the last forty years. Tyler Cowen, Professor of Economics and Director of the Mecatus Center, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA A fitting tribute to Professor Sir Alan Peacock's inspiring intellect leadership and his outstandingly rich and varied legacy in the domain of cultural economics, this book draws together illuminating analyses and insights from leading cultural economists about the role and value of this dynamic and increasingly policy-relevant field of enquiry. Gillian Doyle, Professor of Media Economics and Director of Centre for Cultural Policy Research, University of Glasgow, UK

This volume provides a critical assessment of the wide spectrum of Hayek's celebrated work as economist and social philosopher. Included are papers on Hayek's early writings in the field of monetary economics, on which his later campaign against inflation, his controversial proposal for competing currencies, and his negative view of the impact of trade unions on the economy are based. Hayek's social philosophy, often regarded as the centre piece of his famous work, and the fundamental findings about human thinking, society, the market system and social rules of conduct it is based on, is evaluated by leading contemporary social philosophers. The volume leaves little doubt as to the considerable impact of Hayek's thinking on economic policy and social philosophy.

Corporate social responsibility is examined in this book as multi-stakeholder approach to corporate governance. This volume outlines neo-institutional and stakeholder theories of the firm, new rational choice and social contract normative models, self regulatory and soft law models, and the advances from behavioural economics.

Treating the market as a complex social category, and not just as a purely economic phenomenon, this book presents two frameworks for analyzing the market in relation to society. After presenting first the economic framework and then the sociological framework, the author combines the two and, when feasible and sensible, integrates them. The result is an original and enlightening examination of such subjects as the nature of the market, market laws, equilibrium, and prices.

This book presents the contributions of the 20th century to economic theory in a mathematical language and in historical sequence. General equilibrium is the focal point of the book; but also a number of macroeconomic models, especially with respect to the first half of the century, are considered. Dynamic models are extensively studied per se, and not merely as extensions of their static counterparts. The book with its extensive bibliography gives a broad view over the developments in mathematical economics and is therefore an invaluable source of information for researchers and students working in this field.