Making a case for a denationalized global currency as an alternative to the dollar, euro, and yen as the world vehicular and reserve currencies, God and Money explores the significance and theological-ethical implications of money as a social relation in the light of the dynamic relations of the triune God. Wariboko deftly analyzes the dynamics at work in the global monetary system and argues that the monarchical-currency structure of the dollar, euro, and yen may be moving toward a trinitarian structure of a democratic world currency.

What can economics, the natural and the social sciences learn from each other in better understanding complex forms of change? How far can models, methodologies or metaphors that have been used successfully in one disciplinary field be 'exported' and meaningfully applied to other fields? Distinguished researchers from across the globe assess, in a rare example of successful cross-disciplinary engagement, the explanatory power of chaos theory, new evolutionary theory, path dependency, neo-institutional economics, multiple modernities and historical institutionalism. The book provides an exciting panorama of state of the art thinking and new avenues to combining the power of various traditions of thought.

Scholars within the Hayekian-Austrian tradition of classical liberalism have done virtually no work on the family as an economic and social institution. In addition, there is a real paucity of scholarship on the place of the family within classical liberal and libertarian political philosophy. Hayek's Modern Family offers a classical liberal theory of the family, taking Hayekian social theory as the main analytical framework. Horwitz argues that families are social institutions that perform certain irreplaceable functions in society. These functions change as economic, political, and social circumstances change, and the family form adapts accordingly, kicking off the next wave of developments in the social structure. In Hayekian terms, the family is an evolving and undesigned social institution. Horwitz offers a non-conservative defense of the family as a social institution against the view that either the state or "the village" is able or required to take over its irreplaceable functions.

The most powerful computers in the world are not only used for scientific research, defence, and business, but also in game playing. Computer games are a multi-billion dollar industry. Recent advances in computational intelligence paradigms have generated tremendous interest among researchers in the theory and implementation of games. Game theory is a branch of operational research dealing with decision theory in a competitive situation. Game theory involves the mathematical calculations and heuristics to optimize the efficient lines of play. This book presents a sample of the most recent research on the application of computational intelligence techniques in games. This book contains 7 chapters. The first chapter, by Chen, Fanelli, Castellano, and Jain, is an introduction to computational intelligence paradigms. It presents the basics of the main constituents of compu tational intelligence paradigms including knowledge representation, probability-based approaches, fuzzy logic, neural networks, genetic algorithms, and rough sets. In the second chapter, Chellapilla and Fogel present the evolution of a neural network to play checkers without human expertise. This chapter focuses on the use of a population of neural networks, where each network serves as an evaluation function to describe the quality of the current board position. After only a little more than 800 generations, the evolutionary process has generated a neural network that can play checkers at the expert level as designated by the u.s. Chess Federation rating system. The program developed by the authors has also competed well against commercially available software."

This volume is part of a series which offers contemporary work and research in the areas of methodology and the history of economic thought.

The economic systems of advanced capitalistic societies have been undergoing profound transformations brought about by the transition towards the so-called knowledge-based economy. Building upon Schumpeterian and Kuznetsian legacies, this new book argues that a focus on both the structural change approach and the economics of knowledge provides a fertile ground to better understand recent evolutions of economic environment, in which the change in the composition of the industrial structure has been characterized by the increasing importance of knowledge in economic activities.

With this aim the book elaborates an integrated framework to analyzing the relationships between the different facets that characterize the process of structural change, and the dynamics of knowledge creation within industries and regions. Quatraro argues that a new dimension is to be added to concept of structural change, which refers to the internal structure of knowledge base, and propose both theoretical foundations and methodological tools for its analysis.

Since the days of Adam Smith, ethics and economics have been closely intertwined, and were nominally separated only with the advent of neoclassical economics in the beginning of the last century. This book features eleven essays by leading scholars in economics and philosophy who argue for a renewal of the bond between the two disciplines. Several of the contributors argue that the ethical content of economics and moral status of the market have been misunderstood, for better and for worse. Some recommend changes in the way that individual economic choice is modelled, in order to incorporate ethical as well as self-interested motivations. Finally, others question the way that societies assess economic policies that affect the welfare and dignity of their constituents. A wide range of philosophical perspectives is offered, drawing from the classic writings of Adam Smith, Immanuel Kant, and the ancient Stoics, to that of current scholars such as Amartya Sen, Elizabeth Anderson, and Christine Korsgaard. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the cutting edge of interdisciplinary research between ethics and economics, and is sure to be an important resource for scholars in both fields. This book was published as a combination of the special issues Review of Political Economy and Review of Social Economy.

In an era of increasing inequalities, and also of deep anxieties about the consequences of two major economic crises, economists are faced with a major question: can economic growth be achieved without inequalities? Economic Growth and Inequality critically evaluates the economic literature on this question from a pragmatic perspective, seeking to reconcile those who regard economic liberties as a paramount value, and critics who object that prioritizing these liberties leads to inequitable outcomes. The book presents an overview of the models used by economists to define and measure inequalities and the ongoing dialogues between political philosophers and economists in an effort to find solutions to the problems. It explores Rawlsian justice, Sen's capability theory, and the theory of rent and compares and contrasts the most often discussed institutions and policies designed for remedying poverty and reducing inequalities. This book marks a significant contribution to the literature on some of the most pressing problems of our time and will be of great interest to readers of political economy, public policy, moral philosophy, and history of economic and political thought.

Trade, Technology and Economics represents a careful selection of papers from some of the world's most influential economists of today reflecting areas in which Richard Lipsey has made fundamental contributions.This important volume pays tribute to Richard Lipsey, who has established a major international reputation through his wide ranging contribution to economics. Focusing on certain aspects of his work, the issues explored within the volume include: the theory of second best; unemployment, inflation and the Phillips Curve; trade theory, customs unions and the growth of the global economy; strategic behaviour in an exchange economy; competition and strategic choice of technology to support collusive oligopoly equilibria and property rights and technology. This collection of outstanding papers, written by a distinguished group of scholars - including Mark Blaug, Richard G. Harris, Kelvin Lancaster, David Card, David Laidler, R.J. Wonnacott and Michael Parkin - reflects the high esteem in which Richard Lipsey is held.

Although there is a burgeoning interest among economists in information economics', much of the literature adopts a reductionist conceptualization of information, defining it exclusively as reduction in uncertainty, exploring the implications of imperfect information on markets. This neoclassical treatment obscures major interrelations between economic and communicatory processes. Drawing on a range of distinguished scholarship from both the economic and communication studies disciplines, Information and Communication in Economics explores the implications for economic analysis and our understanding of economic processes of employing a more complete conceptualization of information: information as locus of power; information as evolutionary agent; and media systems as devices for control.

This volume is a collection of ten essays in which the authors assess the contribution of the German Ordo-liberals fifty years after the founders of the liberal movement in Germany stated their aims and objectives. The Ordo-liberals were a group of liberal economic and legal thinkers in the Federal Republic of Germany who came into prominence as a result of their influence on, and participation in, post-war economic policy in the Federal Republic when Ludwig Erhard was Minister for Economic Affairs and, later, Chancellor. They became known as Ordo-liberals because of their commitment to designing the appropriate economic and legal system. The essays in this volume consider not only the philosophy of the Ordo-liberals and their concept of the social market economy, but are also concerned with the contribution of the Ordo-liberals to more practical problems. The role of the public sector, the control of mergers and monopolies and the problem of sound money are among the topics considered, as well as the views of the Ordo-liberals on the international order. Many of the authors of these essays are well known internationally and they represent a wide range of contemporary liberal thought. The book will be warmly welcomed by students and scholars interested in economic philosophy and the place of liberalism in contemporary thought. The essays in this volume have been translated from the German in order to bring to the notice of a wider public the views of a group of German liberal economic and legal thinkers. This group of economists and lawyers came into prominence as a result of their influence on, and participation in, post-war economic policy in the Federal Republic of Germany when Ludwig Erhard was Minister for Economic Affairs and, later, Chancellor. Seventeen essays have been selected to express the thoughts of the group who, because of their commitment ot designing the appropriate economic and legal order system, became known as Ordo-liberals. The essays deal with a wide range of contemporary problems, such as the control of monopolies, the problem of the welfare state and the need for self-help, the role of the trade unions in industrial societies, as well as with the more philosophical question of whether capitalist and communist systems are moving closer together in their approach to economic problems to such an extent that they will eventually converge. This book will be of interest to all those who are concerned with contemporary problems both at practical and philosophical levels.

Maurice Dobb was the foremost Marxian economist of his generation in Britain. He was noted for his contributions to value theory, the theory of economic planning and the analysis of Soviet economic development. This set will re-issue 7 of his most important works.

This volume collects published papers and essays from widely scattered and inaccessible sources, some of which appeared for the first time when this book was originally published. In the first part of the book the subjects range from the theory of wages and recent trends in economic theory to economists' criticism of capitalism and socialism, investment-policy in under-developed countries, and economic growth under the Soviet Five Year Plans. The second part includes papers on Lenin and Marx, a study of the economic ideas of Bernard Shaw, and an essay on historical materialism.

This volume consists of lectures and articles by Maurice Dobb selected from among those delivered or written by him during the 1950s and 60s. It includes three lectures delivered at the University of Bologna on 'Some Problems in the History of Capitalism', two lectures on economic development given at the Delhi School of Economics, articles on the theory of development, and a number of articles on various questions of soviet economic planning contributed to specialist journals. The collection ends with a note in retrospect on Marx's Das Kapital published in recognition of the centenary of the appearance of Volume One of that work in 1867.

This volume examines questions concerning the nature and behaviour of capitalism and the development of economic thought and the relation between economic thought and practice in the early twentieth century.

The story of the economic development of the Soviet Union provided the first case in history of the establishment of a socialist economy and was therefore of great interest for economists and economic historians of the twentieth century. At the same time it affords a unique example of the transformation of a country into an industrial nation at an unprecedented pace and under the guidance of a national economic plan. This book examines these changes from the Russian Revolution of 1917 to 1927.

This book follows on from the author's volume Russian Economic Development and although it encompasses some of the same material it charts the history and progress of the Soviet economy down to the efforts at reconstruction after The Second World War. A new chapter was added which covers the post-war decade from the end of the war to the announcement of the Sixth Year Plan.

In Soviet Economy and the War the author presents a concise factual record of Soviet economic developments during a short period. This book outlines the economic planning and performance that accompanied the military training and preparation to meet the onset of Nazism. To some extent complementary to Dobb's Soviet Economy & the War, the author offers detailed studies of a few special aspects of the Soviet Economic System.

Part 1 of this volume analyses the main issues in the theory of Applied Economics. Part 2 surveys the rise of capitalist enterprise and indicates the importance of certain institutions in the growth and working of the economic system at the start of the twentieth century. The concluding chapters stress the relevance of these considerations to the problems facing politicians and administrators.

In 1997 the newly modernized Labour party swept into power promising a radical overhaul of the youth justice system. The creation of inter-agency Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) for the delivery of youth justice services were the cornerstone of the new approach. These new YOTs were designed to tackle an 'excuse culture' that was allegedto pervade the youth justice system and aimed to encourage the emergence of a shared culture among youth justice practitioners from different agencies. The transformation of the youth justice system brought about a period of intense disruption for the practitioners working within it. The nature and purpose of contemporary youth justice work was called into question and wider issues of occupational identity and culture became of crucial importance. Through a detailed ethnographic study of the formation of a YOT this book explores a previously neglected area of organisational cultures in criminal justice. It examines the nature of occupational culture and professional identity through the lived experience of youth justice professionals in this time of transition and change.It shows how profound and complex of the effects of organisational change are, and the fundamental challenges it raises for practitioners' sense of professional identity and vocation. Transforming Youth Justice makes a highly significant contribution not only to the way that professional cultures are understood in criminal justice, but to an understanding of the often dissonant relationship between policy and practice.

Economic globalization has intensified since the 1980s and created faster channels of international interdependence and an accelerating technology race. In this new asymmetric world economy the EU is facing a dynamic and flexible US system which takes advantage of the global quest for foreign direct investment. Innovation policies in the EU - in particular in Germany - are found to be rather inadequate. There are also new theoretical challenges where a "structural macro model" and a Schumpetrian model of innovation and full employment are presented as new approaches. Besides theoretical challenges the increasing global dynamics raise new problems of international policy coordination which could lead to unsustainable economic globalization.

Contemporary, strictly interdependent, financial, socio-economic and ecological crises are associated with a pattern of economic activity that subordinates substantial short and long term interests of society to sectional groups and vested interests within the economy. This book reassesses the work of key institutional economists such as Veblen, Commons, Clark and Kapp in the context of the current crisis and the theory of social costs. This book addresses the need for an updated theoretical framework to address those crises, namely social costs as extremely heterogeneous, widespread and cumulatively self-reinforcing adverse effects, induced by the ordinary functioning of business and market institutions in advanced global capitalism and offers evidence-based analyses of essential dimensions of the contemporary financial, socio-economic and ecological crises, and the policies required to deal with them.

In The Super-Rich , Stephen Haseler describes the dangerous growing tensions caused throughout the West by the triumphant new global capitalism. In a book for students of politics, economics and sociology, and the general reader, he outlines how a new global super-rich caste has emerged during a period in which the traditional 'middle-class' is facing serious insecurity and income loss. He argues that this new super-rich capitalism, if not balanced by a renewal of the state and community, will not only destroy politics and governance, but democracy as well, and he shows exactly how the European Union, and other embryonic 'regional' super-states, can combat these excesses of globalization, and restore a more 'social democratic' society.

This book evaluates the institutional environments of China and the United States, and the West more broadly, and how they affect their trading relationship, with specific emphasis on intellectual property theft and other allegations of unfair competition. The economic and political characteristics of the two countries affect the balance of power in their trading relationship, with ramifications far beyond jobs and output. The major theme is China's ability to free ride on Western institutions through intellectual property theft and extortion. This free riding is far more than just infringing patents and reaping profits; it creates a combination of incentives for political pressures in the West that diminish the free market and liberal Western values. The result is the classic result of free riding - underprovision, or degeneration, of the Western institutions that made the West prosperous and free. At the same time, China's economic might, military prowess, and global soft power increase, often with deleterious effects for freedom and free markets. This book is distinctive because it integrates public choice ideas about economic institutions, state action, and strategic behavior into international trade. It also takes account of the economic characteristics of China and the West and explains why they present a situation that is fundamentally different from other trade disputes. Institutions and political influence are central to this book's analysis of trade, which can be more dangerous and more disguised than the welfare gains from trade. Providing a concise and lucid distillation of pressing issues, this book is critical reading for scholars studying trade with China and its effects on both global and Western innovation, economic output, soft power, and freedom more broadly.

This book presents alternative perspectives on the role and function of the state in contemporary economies. The state plays many important roles in most developed economies. It establishes the laws and sets of rules by which economic activity takes place, and the state purchases more than one-fifth of the output produced in the national economy. This book examines the role of the state from a number of diverse economic perspectives, including Austrian, feminist, institutionalist, Marxian, radical and Post Keynesian.