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Books > Business & Economics > Economics > Economic theory & philosophy
By exploring the integral relationship between democracy and economic justice, this study explains how democratic countries with market systems should deal with the problem of high levels of income-inequality. The book provides an interdisciplinary approach that combines political, economic, and legal theory. It also analyzes the nature of economic society and the considerations bearing upon the ethics of relative pay, such as the nature of individual contributions and the extent of community. Hb ISBN (2000): 0-521-79033-6
In recent decades normative reasons-considerations that count in favor of one thing or another-have come to the theoretical fore in ethics and epistemology. A major attraction of normative reasons is that they have weight or strength. Reasons are particular considerations that count in favor of actions or attitudes to some degree. This feature is attractive to theorists who want to explain more complex normative phenomena in terms of a notion that is weighted. This volume aims to provide the beginnings for a theory of weight. The fourteen new essays fall into three groups. One set of essays addresses questions about the nature of weight. Topics include the relations between reasons and conditions and modifiers, between reasons and other weighted notions such as commitments, and different models of the interaction of reasons. A second set of essays addresses substantive questions: questions about weight relevant to value-first, desire-first, evidence-first and other normative research programs. A third set of essays applies issues in the theory of weight to broader ethical debates. The book thus not only makes novel contributions to debates in ethics and epistemology about the nature of normative reasons and their weight, it also makes a strong case for the theoretical fruitfulness of the ideology of normative reasons.
'It is a serious piece of scholarship. Integrating economic history, economic thought, patent-hoarding, venture capital and the changing global economy, Kingston asks if modern capitalism might be an internally inconsistent system. Like Schumpeter, he is concerned that creative innovation might be stagnating into institutional ossification. It is an interesting argument, well presented, cross-disciplinary and thought-provoking.' - David Reisman, University of Surrey, UK and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Capitalism has been sustained by inherited moral values that are now all but exhausted. A unique combination of a new belief in individualism and a long tradition of property rights had traditionally ensured that self-interested action also produced public benefit. However, these rights, including the laws underwriting economic and financial innovation and parliamentary democracy, were gradually captured and shaped by those who could benefit most from them. This fascinating book shows that the outcome is a reduced ability to generate real wealth combined with exceptional inequality, as well as a worldwide breach of the vital trust between voters and their representatives. Capitalism's injuries are both self-inflicted and fatal. William Kingston uniquely deals with capitalism from a property rights standpoint, providing the first convincing explanation of economic cycles in terms of changes to these rights. The lucid exploration of the historical evolution of property includes a remarkable precursor of modern capitalism in medieval culture and pays particular attention to intellectual property. The book also calls attention to the harm that inaccurate measurement of economic activity can cause, both at the micro-level (auditing of corporations) and macro-level (the Kuznets GDP/GNP system). In conclusion, it argues that the exceptional levels of inequality today have been caused primarily by allowing financiers to escape from the laws that traditionally prevented them from 'generating money from nothing'. Challenging the orthodox thinking, this is an essential book for economists and political scientists in academia, the public sector and industry. It offers an imperative warning that capitalism's next crash is coming sooner rather than later.
Economics as Moral Science investigates the problem of the ethical neutrality of "mainstream" economic theory within the context of the methodology of economics as a science. Against the conventional wisdom, the author argues that there are serious moral presuppositions to the theory, but that economics could still count as a scientific or rational form of inquiry. The basic questions addressed - the ethical implications of economics, its status as a scientific mode of theory-construction, and the relation between these factors - are absolutely fundamental ones for an understanding of contemporary economics, the philosophy of the human sciences, and our current market culture. Moreover, the study provides a thorough philosophical analysis of the critical issues at stake from the inside, from the credible perspective of a particular, but foundational economic theory - the neoclassical theory of rational choice.
Until recently, central bank independence was confined to just two major capitalist countries, the USA and Germany. As a result of stagflation and the voguish espousal of neo-liberalism in the 1980s, the institution has been adopted in most OECD and in many other countries. This book questions the principle of autonomy, examining the Bundesbank in historical context and exposing the flaws in both the technical and the political case for the wholesale adoption of the Bundesbank model by other states.
This book deals with economic theory, not methodology. It does employ certain methodological resolutions. These resolutions and the limitations they impose on the nature and the scope of the analysis are reviewed. The first resolution concerns what kind of a theory is to be discussed. The word theory may mean many things; it may mean a hypothesis put forward as an explanation of something, an idea, or a notion. In a normative sense it may mean a recommendation, a rule, or principle to be followed. In science it usually means a system of hypotheses to be accepted as an explanation of certain facts, a set of general laws, and principles. It is also used to distinguish the general principles and methods of a subject from the practice of it. The theory with which this volume is concerned is that of science. In very general terms it may be defined as a system of hypotheses, one following from another, which permits the reader to derive from known facts and predictions of other facts. If the knowledge of the fact which we predict is important for us, in the sense that it permits us to achieve better the objectives we pursue, the theory may have a practical value. This book is therefore not only a contribution to the analysis of expectations but also an introduction to a number of selected topics in economic theory. "S. A. Ozga" was born in Poland and received his first doctorate in economics in Warsaw. He obtained then a Ph.D. degree at the University of London and joined the staff of the London School of Economics, where at present he holds a readership in economics. His many contributions, covering a wide range of subjects in utility theory, in the theory of the firm, of international trade and of economic growth, have been published in "Economica, The Economic Journal" and "The Review of Economic Studies" in the United Kingdom, in "The Journal of Political Economy" and "The Quarterly Journal of Economics" in the United States, and in "Rivista di Politica Economica in Italy."
"Adam Smith in Context" delves into some central components of
Smith's thought, especially his moral philosophy, and challenges
some commonly shared views. It combines philosophical, historical,
methodological and economic issues of Smith's legacy, uncovering
original interpretations of what Smith really said. It is an
important contribution for those interested in Adam Smith as it
proposes a different reading of his works by investigating the
classical sources of his moral thought and the influences of his
own time.
This collection of essays looks at recent developments in the crisis theory of capitalist development and relates such theories directly to the current patterns of economic, political, technological and cultural changes associated with societal restructuring in industrialized countries. It brings together contributors from eight different countries and represents the fields of economics, political science, political economy, urban planning and sociology. The relation between crisis and societal restructuring is addressed at four different levels. First, the general level of crisis theory is discussed, and several alternative theoretical approaches are addressed. Second, the international effects of contemporary crisis and restructuring are looked at, involving the relation between the older and newer industrialized countries. Third, the national level is addressed with regard to the restructuring of the welfare state and new forms of class conflict and political participation. Lastly, contributors address socio-spatial restructuring at the local or regional level in response to crisis, especially the restructuring of industrial/urban areas. M. Gottdeiner's previous works are "Plann
The world economy is on the brink of a profound crisis. The threat
of global deflation and the emergence of chronic excess global
capacity characterizes the contemporary phase of crisis and
stagnation. Lucarelli argues that these pathological features of
globalization acquire a remorseless logic during the "mature"
stages of monopoly capitalism. He explores the historical origins
and theoretical tendencies of this protracted crisis from a
Keynes/Kakecki perspective.
Women are vital members of the economics profession, yet they have traditionally received scant recognition for their work. This volume provides information on 51 remarkable women in the profession. They come from all areas of economics-academia, the business world, public policy-and include those who are currently active as well as 19th-century pioneers in the field. Entries cover biographical information, as well as the subjects' work, providing a unique guide to the many and varied contributions these women have made to economics. Joan Robinson was one of the most significant economists of the 20th century. Juanita Morris Kreps was Secretary of Commerce under Jimmy Carter. And forecasting guru Abbey Joseph Cohen appears regularly on PBS, CNN, and CNBC. Women are vital members of the economics profession, yet they have traditionally received scant recognition for their work. This volume provides information on 51 remarkable women in the profession. They come from all areas of economics-academia, the business world, public policy-and include those who are currently active as well as 19th-century pioneers in the field. Entries cover biographical information, as well as the subjects' work, providing a unique guide to the many and varied contributions these women have made to economics. Seeking to provide balanced coverage, this book covers accomplished and emerging economists, living and deceased individuals, and women from all philosophical perspectives and economic areas. Some have worked in several areas. Kathleen Bell Cooper, for instance, was Chief Economist at Exxon Corporation and is now Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs, while Marina Whitman, now with the University of Michigan Business School, was a senior executive with General Motors and the first woman appointed to the President's Council of Economic Advisors. Others have spent their career in academia. All have been prolific writers, as their entries document, and all made their mark on economics. This book is a testament to their achievements.
Italian Economists of the 20th Century provides a unique up-to-date assessment and appreciation of the work of 12 pioneering economists. The essays - written by a group of leading international scholars - are a fitting tribute to the important contribution that Italian economists have made to twentieth century economics. This important book includes entries not only on familiar names such as Vilfredo Pareto, Piero Sraffa and Franco Modigliani, but also on less well known yet equally important economists. It demonstrates the rich intellectual tradition in Italy and its profound - yet often unrecognized - impact on economics in general.
Handbook of Economic Expectations discusses the state-of-the-art in the collection, study and use of expectations data in economics, including the modelling of expectations formation and updating, as well as open questions and directions for future research. The book spans a broad range of fields, approaches and applications using data on subjective expectations that allows us to make progress on fundamental questions around the formation and updating of expectations by economic agents and their information sets. The information included will help us study heterogeneity and potential biases in expectations and analyze impacts on behavior and decision-making under uncertainty.
Joseph Halevi, G. C. Harcourt, Peter Kriesler and J. W. Nevile bring together a collection of their most influential papers on post-Keynesian thought. Their work stresses the importance of the underlying institutional framework, of the economy as a historical process and, therefore, of path determinacy. In addition, their essays suggest the ultimate goal of economics is as a tool to inform policy and make the world a better place, with better being defined by an overriding concern with social justice. Volume IV explores theory.
This edited volume is the first collection of essays exploring the intersection of social economics and the law, providing alternatives to neoclassical law-and-economics and applying them to real-world issues. Law is a social enterprise concerned with values such as justice, dignity, and equality, as well as efficiency - which is the same way that social economists conceive of the economy itself. Social economists and legal scholars alike need to acknowledge the interrelationship between the economy and the law in a broader ethical context than enabled by mainstream law-and-economics. The ten chapters in Law and Social Economics, written by an international assortment of scholars from economics, philosophy, and law, employ a wide variety of approaches and methods to show how a more ethically nuanced approach to economics and the law can illuminate both fields and open up new avenues for studying social-economic behavior, policy, and outcomes in all their ethical and legal complexity.
This classic collection of essays by E.P. Thompson, one of England's most renowned socialist voices, remains a staple text in the history of Marxist theory. The bulk of the book is dedicated to Thompson's famous polemic against Louis Althusser and what he considers the reductionism and authoritarianism of Althusserian structuralism. In lively and erudite prose, Thompson argues for a self-critical and unapologetically humanist Marxist tradition. Also included are three essays of considerable importance to the development of the New Left.
Social choices, about expenditures on government programs, or about public policy more broadly, or indeed from any conceivable set of alternatives, are determined by politics. This book is a collection of essays that tie together the fields spanned by Jeffrey S. Banks' research on this subject. It examines the strategic aspects of political decision-making, including the choices of voters in committees, the positioning of candidates in electoral campaigns, and the behavior of parties in legislatures. The chapters of this book contribute to the theory of voting with incomplete information, to the literature on Downsian and probabilistic voting models of elections, to the theory of social choice in distributive environments, and to the theory of optimal dynamic decision-making. The essays employ a spectrum of research methods, from game-theoretic analysis, to empirical investigation, to experimental testing.
This book brings together articles by international political economists on Keynesian economics and its legacy. The book begins with Don Patinkin's assessment of Keynes' early life and focuses attention on Keynes' contribution to monetary economics. Among the many controversies surrounding "The general theory", Axel Leijonhufvud takes the view that the Keynesian revolution began and stayed on the wrong track.;Leland Yeager refutes the idea that Keynesian economics was responsible for the general prosperity in the indusrialized world immediately after the Second World War. Although Karl Brunner is not fundamentally against Keynes' methodological approach, he is critical of his reliance on fiscal rather than monetary policy. Whereas Terence Hutchison defends Keynes, both against his critics but also against Keynesians, and argues that Keynes would not have shared their interpretation of his work on fundamental grounds. Patrick Minford traces the roots of neoclassical economics, based on the concept of rational expectations, back to "the general theory". In the final chapter, Stephen Littlechild offers an alternative to Keynesian economics by focusing attention on the Austrian school.
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are expected to add considerable productivity to existing transportation infrastructure and to therefore partially reduce the need for more physical infrastructure such as additional lanes of roadway. But there are huge barriers to achieving this vision ranging from the technical to the institutional. In this book a new outcome oriented methodology is developed and applied to a diverse set of ITS case studies in an effort to gain insight into the barriers to deployment. The case studies, most from the National Capital Region (Washington) in the US, include but are not limited to evaluation of electronic tolling, truck roll over warning systems, Advanced Traffic Information Systems (ATIS), variable message signs (VMS), ITS enhanced emergency management systems and ITS bridge operations. The evaluation methodology bears similarity to the benefit/cost balance sheet approach. Full cost (benefit) assessment is adopted with multiple externalities (environment, economic development, social equity issues, etc.) formally included in each of the individual evaluations. Transportation policymakers as well as scholars and students of economic, public policy and political science will find this study useful and informative.
Since the works by Ludwig von Mises and F.A. von Hayek in the 1920s, the Austrian School of Economics has developed a unique analysis of how the interventions by governments may cause problems, which in turn may lead to calls for further intervention. The Austrian concept of how such a dynamic of interventionism may evolve has however never been very influential outside the Austrian School nor been widely applied for empirical studies. This volume seeks to bring together economists and political scientists with perspectives from both Austrian and public choice analysis so as to further enrich and apply the Mises-Hayek logic, as well as critically assess its value.
* John Connor describes and evaluates the results of his extensive
survey of reports of cartel overcharges.
Post-Keynesian Economic Theory explores and develops several areas of post- Keynesian economics most in need of additional fundamental research, including: a monetary theory of production; post-Keynesian price theory; international economics; labor economics; financing aggregate demands; and the liquidity preference theory of interest. The book presents a constructive post-Keynesian critique of contemporary macroeconomic conceptualization and practice. It illustrates the illusory character of the search for unique, determinate results in the problems of macroeconomics and clearly demonstrates the complexity and resulting richness of meaningful economic theory.
The horizontalist perspective is an extension of the post-Keynesian approach, that has hitherto focused on a theory of credit and money. This book extends horizontalism beyond its traditional boundaries and makes it consistent with the post-Keynesian theories of output and the open economy. The authors compare and contrast the horizontalist position with various orthodox and non-orthodox views on money. They argue that horizontalism is perfectly compatible with liquidity preference, credit constraints, and a flexible interest-rate mark-up, and address recent developments in banking that reinforce the validity of a horizontal schedule of credit-money. The overall intention is to place horizontalism within the current heterodox tradition as a general theory of the creation of money that is consistent with the post-Keynesian view on macroeconomic policy. Credit, Interest Rates and the Open Economy is essential reading for those who wish to expand their theoretical understanding of international financial issues and will be of great interest to those involved in macroeconomics, money and banking and radical economics. |
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