Incentives and reflective equilibrium in distributive justice debates

Author(s): Julian Lamont / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2008

For the last thirty years one of the dominant economic policies has been the cutting of the top marginal tax rates. While this policy has been partly motivated by the self-interest of high income earners, it also has had considerable theoretical support from a wide range of distributive justice theorists starting with John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice in 1971. Rawls argued that if the incentives created by inequality maximized the position of the least advantaged then they were morally justified. There have been many variants of this position since. The most common theme of them is that incentives to work harder and innovate, although creating inequality, are morally justified because of the greater good generated by the resultant increase in GDP. The main policy instrument available to governments to create such incentive has been the cutting of the top marginal income rates and this has been done systematically across all industrialized nations. The method of wide reflective equilibrium requires us to use the best consensus from economics in our reasoning about distributive justice. The systematic cutting of tax rates over thirty years has provided a reasonable experiment on the thesis that such cutting provides an overall increased labor supply and resultant increase in GDP. The suggestion of this paper is that a reasonable consensus can now be reached that, over the ranges of inequality and GDP that we have had over the last 50 years and are likely to have over the next 50 years, such incentives do not provide the claimed benefits. Hence, we are getting increased inequality for no compensating benefit.

The knowledge economy/society: the latest example of “Measurement without theory”?

Author(s): Paul Walker,Les Oxley,David Thorns,Hong Wang / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2008

The world has embraced a set of concepts (knowledge driven growth) which are seen as the ‘core of future growth and wellbeing’ without any commonly agreed notion of what they are, how they might be measured, and crucially therefore, how they actually do (or might) affect economic growth and social wellbeing. The theory of how the mechanism works lacks important detail.

„Social embeddedness”: how new economic sociology goes into the offensive and meets the own roots

Author(s): Dieter Bögenhold / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2008

The argument of social embeddedness has become one of the most celebrated metaphors in economic sociology. The attempt connected to that term is the elaboration of a solid basis for economic sociology as discipline within the concert of economics and further social sciences. The paper argues that the embeddedness argument is strategically on a necessary way to highlight the academic importance of institutional and sociological thought for debating phenomena of economic life since, as it is argued within the paper, such ambitions meet also very clearly with recent tendencies within economics which are commonly considered to be tendencies towards heterodox economics. Aim of the paper is to embed such discussion within a broader history of economic and sociological thought in order to demonstrate that recent developments meet with elements of discussion which were already used by classical authors at the beginning of the 20th century. In this respect a lot of the recent offensive of economic sociology meets with classical bases of its own academic development which seems to have become hidden or partly forgotten.

Not anything goes: a case for a restricted pluralism

Author(s): Gustavo Marques,Diego Weisman / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2008

The current discussion on theoretical and methodological pluralism is plagued with confusions and misunderstandings. Some problems arise because an appropriate framework for conducting a fruitful discussion about these issues is still lacking. Many other problems derive from the fact that a rational pluralist should be both tolerant with the many different points of view and able to discriminate among them. In the first and second sections we use some of Mäki’s ideas for developing a general framework for discussing pluralism and apply it to the ongoing debate on theoretical and methodological pluralism, showing its strong compromise with demarcationism. In the third section a looser framework for approaching pluralism is outlined, and a detailed discussion of Caldwell’s critical pluralism is conducted, pointing out its achievements and some of its shortcomings. The fourth section provides an outline of what a sound notion of restricted pluralism should encompass for avoiding “anything goes”.

Book review: Gilles Dostaler, Keynes and his battles, Edgar Elgar, Cheltenham, UK, Northampton, MA, USA, 2007, 384 pages

Author(s): Mircea Teodor Maniu / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2008

Book review: Cristina Neesham, Human and social progress: projects and perspectives, VDM Verlag, Saarbrücken, 2008, 220 pages

Author(s): James Moulder / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2008

Book review: Akop P. Nazaretyan, Anthropology of violence and culture of self-organization. Essays in evolutionary historical psychology, 2nd edition, Moscow, URSS, 2008, 256 pages (in Russian)

Author(s): Andrey Korotayev / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2008

Конституционният статут на президента на Република България

Author(s): Tsveta Monova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2011

The President, as Head of State, is outside the system of the three authorities in our country where the form of government is a parliamentary republic. However, it exercises powers similar in nature to those of senior executives, although it is not an executive body. In a most general aspect, the president embodies the unity of the nation. And here is the place to note that his prototype can be sought in the monarchical institute, whose status is aligned with the republican form of government. Therefore, he is called upon to balance the relations between the three authorities - legislative, executive and judicial. In essence, the functions of the President can be systematized in three main groups: representative, in view of the fact that he represents the Republic of Bulgaria in international relations (stemming from the provision of Art. 92, para 1 of the Constitution of Bulgaria), and in doing so also conducts political arbitration with regard to the state structures. Through his authority as the head of state, the president also helps to create conditions for effective and flexible.

Правна уредба на здравното осигуряване в България

Author(s): Alexander Mihailov,Emiliyana Neeva,Nedyalko Dafinov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2011

The legal framework of health insurance in our domestic law is contained in Art. 52 of the Constitution of Bulgaria, which enshrines the constitutional right of the citizens of health insurance, guaranteeing them accessible medical assistance and free use of medical care under conditions and by a procedure established by law. In the newly established health insurance legislation since 1998 a number of other normative acts have been created to cover and regulate modern healthcare: Health Act, Health Insurance Act, Medical Institutions Act, Law on Professional Organizations of Doctors and Dentists, Law for the professional organization of master-pharmacists, the Law on the Professional Organization of Nurses, Midwives and Associated Medical Professionals, the Law on Medicinal Products in Human Medicine and Precursor Control, Organ Transplantation, Tissue and Cell Transplantation Act, Blood, Blood Donation and Blood Transfusion Act, and others.The legal framework of health insurance in our domestic law is contained in Art. 52 of the Constitution of Bulgaria, which enshrines the constitutional right of the citizens of health insurance, guaranteeing them accessible medical assistance and free use of medical care under conditions and by a procedure established by law. In the newly established health insurance legislation since 1998 a number of other normative acts have been created to cover and regulate modern healthcare: Health Act, Health Insurance Act, Medical Institutions Act, Law on Professional Organizations of Doctors and Dentists, Law for the professional organization of master-pharmacists, the Law on the Professional Organization of Nurses, Midwives and Associated Medical Professionals, the Law on Medicinal Products in Human Medicine and Precursor Control, Organ Transplantation, Tissue and Cell Transplantation Act, Blood, Blood Donation and Blood Transfusion Act, and others.The legal framework of health insurance in our domestic law is contained in Art. 52 of the Constitution of Bulgaria, which enshrines the constitutional right of the citizens of health insurance, guaranteeing them accessible medical assistance and free use of medical care under conditions and by a procedure established by law. Art. 52 of the Constitution of Bulgaria, which enshrines the constitutional right of the citizens of health insurance, guaranteeing them accessible medical assistance and free use of medical care under conditions and by a procedure established by law. In the newly established health insurance legislation since 1998 a number of other normative acts have been created to cover and regulate modern healthcare.

Правен режим във връзка с наркотичните вещества

Author(s): Ivan Vladimirov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2011

The historical term narcotic is believed to come from the Greek physician Galen, who marks the root of Mandragora and Opium as the main drug addicts. The development of medicine and pharmacy inevitably leads to the discovery of many other substances with a narcotic effect.The historical term narcotic is believed to come from the Greek physician Galen, who marks the root of Mandragora and Opium as the main drug addicts. The development of medicine and pharmacy inevitably leads to the discovery of many other substances with a narcotic effect.

Хулигански подбуди като особен, субективен признак на състава на престъплението

Author(s): Sokol Nedkov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2011

The present work, dealing with the criminal-law problem related to hooliganism, requires the consideration of different concepts and institutes of criminal law. Starting from the notion of "crime composition", which is a sign of hooliganism, we will go through the "subjective elements beyond the guilt" that the hooligan motivation becomes under certain circumstances. We will, of course, focus on the "hooligan motives" themselves as a sign of the subjective side of some crime groups, including the hooligan motive. It seems to me insufficient to confine myself to the theory of criminal law in its pure form with regard to hooliganism, which is why I will analyze and include the moderate and criminological view of the problem as it explains the roots of the hooliganistic motives as a sign of the subjective side of the offense refer to the psychic experiences of the perpetrator. In this connection, the issues concerning the so-called " "Internal mechanism of the act". I will look at the proposed concepts and institutes in the context of the given topic, defining their content in the present work as mandatory, in order to reveal and analyze the main issues on the issue.The present work, dealing with the criminal-law problem related to hooliganism, requires the consideration of different concepts and institutes of criminal law. Starting from the notion of "crime composition", which is a sign of hooliganism, we will go through the "subjective elements beyond the guilt" that the hooligan motivation becomes under certain circumstances. We will, of course, focus on the "hooligan motives" themselves as a sign of the subjective side of some crime groups, including the hooligan motive. In this connection, the issues concerning the so-called " "Internal mechanism of the act". I will look at the proposed concepts and institutes in the context of the given topic, defining their content in the present work as mandatory, in order to reveal and analyze the main issues on the issue.

Изпирането на пари като престсъпление против финансовата система

Author(s): Anelia Vladimirova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2011

Money laundering has existed since the Middle Ages when piracy was widespread. Like the modern actors in organized crime, the naval robbers were heading to the maritime centers where liberal rule and multinational communities lived, busy trade. There, they offered the money acquired by robbers and the values of resellers in the coastal cities.Money laundering has existed since the Middle Ages when piracy was widespread. Like the modern actors in organized crime, the naval robbers were heading to the maritime centers where liberal rule and multinational communities lived, busy trade. There, they offered the money acquired by robbers and the values of resellers in the coastal cities.

Случайното деяние при транспортното престъпление по чл. 343 от Наказателния кодекс

Author(s): Ivan Boyanov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2011

There are three circumstances in Bulgarian criminal law that can rule out the guilt. These are the factual error, the accidental act and the execution of an unlawful order. We need to clarify some differences.There are three circumstances in Bulgarian criminal law that can rule out the guilt. These are the factual error, the accidental act and the execution of an unlawful order. We need to clarify some differences.

On Amartya Sen’s concept of sympathy

Author(s): Mark S. Peacock / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2019

This paper examines Amartya Sen’s concept of sympathy and the oversimplified, ambiguous and sometimes erroneous interpretations of this concept by Sen’s interpreters. In the first section, two types of sympathy can be found in Sen’s ‘Rational fools’ essay ‒ a contemplative and an active type of which the former has conceptual primacy. Following this, active sympathy is examined to ascertain what Sen means by ‘actions based on sympathy’ and why he deems these to be ‘egoistic’. Sen’s understanding of egoism means that sympathy is not straightforwardly assimilable to the orthodox theory of rational choice. The section after that analyses the place of altruism in Sen’s work and ascertains that altruism can be aligned both with sympathy and commitment, depending on the definition one uses. The final section compares sympathy and commitment and establishes that they are to be distinguished, not according to the welfare a person expects to obtain from making choices, but according to the reason which motivates that person to make a choice.

The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations. Ethics, jurisprudence and political economy throughout the intellectual history of Adam Smith

Author(s): Pilar Piqué / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2019

This paper aims to address two research questions that have not been sufficiently examined by specialized studies of the intellectual history of Adam Smith. The first question asks why Smith, after developing his theory of sympathy in the first editions of The Theory of Moral Sentiments, started working on a theory of jurisprudence and ended up writing The Wealth of Nations. The second question asks why Smith, after writing and republishing The Wealth of Nations, asserted that he could not complete his theory of jurisprudence and incorporated a new part dedicated to virtue ethics in the last edition of The Theory of Moral Sentiments in 1790. The paper shows that: 1) after developing his theory of sympathy in the first edition of The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Smith stated that a theory of jurisprudence was necessary to form rules of justice that guarantee social order, and in the search for that theory he ended up writing The Wealth of Nations; 2) in The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith was devoted to studying the development of commerce in modern society and the conduct of the mercantile individual who pursued his own interest, and was incapable of elaborating on those general principles of justice that would ensure social harmony. Smith then delved into virtue ethics in order to recommend virtuous conduct that encourages mercantile individuals to become good citizens. The paper concludes by contending that economics would benefit from a better understanding of the relationship between political economy, jurisprudence and ethics in the work of Adam Smith. Specifically, economics would broaden in scope of study and contribute to larger debates about the past, present and future of modern civilization.

Review of Handbook on the History of Economic Analysis, edited by Gilbert Faccarello and Heinz D. Kurz, Edward Elgar Publishing, Northhampton, MA, 2018, 3 volumes, 1919 pp, Paperback, ISBN 978-1-78536-131-9

Author(s): Gabriel Mursa,Andreea Iacobuță / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2019

Review of Colin White, A History of the Global Economy. The Inevitable Accident, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2018, hb, ix+495 pages, ISBN 978-1-78897-197-3

Author(s): George ŞERBAN-OPRESCU / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2019

Review of Venkat Venkatasubramanian, How Much Inequality is Fair? Mathematical Principles of a Moral, Optimal, and Stable Capitalist Society, New York, Columbia University Press, 2017, xxi+279 pp., hb, ISBN 978-0-231-18072-6

Author(s): Valentin Cojanu / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2019

Két nemzetépítés, egy állam – Románia száz éve

Author(s): Miklós Bakk / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: 3/2018

Romania is now celebrating 100 years since the formation of the modern Romanian state. This formation was, in fact, an until today uncleared unification of two nationbuilding processes. In Transylvania took place a Romanian nation building starting from the emergence of the Romanian intelligentsia of the Greek Catholic Church. It was a civil society based non-state national awakening, described by Miroslav Hroch for several Central European peoples. On other hand, in the Old Romanian Kingdom an other sort of nationalism was launched during the second half of 19th century. Its course can be described as a bureaucratic unification of several smaller territories or provinces, according to the example of the Italian unification in the same time, and described by Michael Hechter in his concept on state-formation nationalism with an stressful bureaucratic character. After 1920 the model of the bureaucratic unification was extended to the Great Romania and this process became determinative for the today character of the Romanian nationalism.

Съвременно развитие на модела за анализ на разговорите

Author(s): Magdalena Markova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 5/2016

The model of verbal interaction, created during the 60s of the 20th century within the frame of the Conversation Analysis sociological approach represents communication as a mutual interactive product where any utterance is depicted as both depending on the previous (verbal or non-verbal) event and determining the next one. The notion of language as a social activity whose meaningfulness is generated in the course of each particular communicative situation through alternating verbal initiative and response has evolved in contemporary modifications of conversation analysis into several key tendencies, with respect to modern linguistic and didactic sciences, namely: intercultural studies and research on second language acquisition both in the traditional face-to-face context and in the context of different electronically mediated interactions.