scholarly journals Buddha on Politics, Economics, and Statecraft

2021 ◽  
pp. 35-50
Author(s):  
William J. Long
Keyword(s):  
Economic Theory ◽  
Max Weber ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
External Environment ◽  
Pursuit Of Happiness ◽  
Interstate Relations ◽  
True Nature ◽  
Political Philosopher ◽  
Social Teachings ◽  
Market Economics

AbstractThis chapter outlines doctrinal Buddhist political and economic theory including its notions about interstate relations, which are based on its unique understanding of the nature of reality. Some readers may be surprised to hear that there exists a theory of politics in Buddha’s teachings. But in fact, Buddha spoke extensively about politics, contrary to the assertion of Max Weber who famously asserted that Buddhism was “a specifically a-political and anti-political status religion.” Although the overriding goal of Buddha’s teachings is the liberation of individuals from pervasive suffering, Buddha considered politics as important, not so much for its intrinsic value, but because it created an external environment that can facilitate or impede an individual’s pursuit of happiness, defined as spiritual advancement and achievement of wisdom about the true nature of oneself and the world. Although best understood as an extension of his teachings on human liberation, Buddha was also an original social and a significant political philosopher. Buddha’s social teachings parallel modern democratic thought, mixed market economics, and cosmopolitan internationalism in the West. This chapter outlines Buddha’s political and economic theory, including his thoughts about statecraft and the possibilities for international order.

The principles of duality in the light of the system economic theory

2019 ◽  
pp. 127-149
Author(s):  
George B. Kleiner
Keyword(s):  
Economic Theory ◽  
Economic System ◽  
External Environment ◽  
Black Box ◽  
Space Time ◽  
Production Cycle ◽  
Economic Systems ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Reproduction Cycle ◽  
Basic Concepts

This paper shows the diversity and significance of relations of duality among different economic systems. The composition of the principles underlying the system economic theory used for the analysis of duality in the economy is investigated. The concept of the economic system is clarified and the equivalence of three basic concepts of the economic system is shown: a) as a space-time volume (“black box”); b) as a complex of elements and connections among them; c) as a tetrad, including object, project, process and environment components. In a new way, the concept of the tetrad is revealed. The actual interpretation of the interrelationships of its components, based on the mechanisms of intersystem circulation of spatial and temporal resources and the transmission of abilities from one economic system to another, is proposed. On the basis of the obtained results, the most essential aspects of duality in the theory of economic systems are considered. It is shown that the interaction of internal content and the nearest external environment of economic systems lies in the nature of the relations of duality. A new approach to modeling the structure and to functioning of the economic system, based on the description of its activities in the form of two interconnected tetrads (the first tetrad reflects the intrasystem production cycle and the second one — the external realization-reproduction cycle) is put forward. It is shown that the concept of duality in a system economy creates prerequisites for adapting the functioning of local economic systems (objects, projects, etc.) in a market, administrative and functional environments and, as a result, harmonizing the economy as a whole.

scholarly journals Economic theory of distributism

2015 ◽  
pp. 653-676
Author(s):  
Misa Djurkovic
Keyword(s):  
Economic Theory ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Economic Thought ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Specific Direction ◽  
The Status ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
Social Teachings ◽  
Economic Thinking

this paper, the economic theory of distributism has been analyzed. In the first place, the author explains that the distributism is a social thought which emerged in the Anglo-American world as the development of social teachings in the Roman Catholic Church. Although it has not received the status the main schools in modern economic thought have, distrubutism persists as a specific direction of socio-economic thinking. The paper particularly investigates the ideas of classical distibutism. The author focuses on two basic books by Gilbert Chesterton and two most important economic books by Hilaire Belloc. These authors have insisted on the problem of society moving towards the so-called servile state in which a small number of capitalists rule over mass of proletarians who are gradually coming under slavery status, which is sanctioned by the law. For the purpose of remedying this tendency and collectivism, they proposed a series of measures for a repeated broad distribution of ownership over the means of production. Finally, there is an overview of this idea and its development throughout the twentieth century, finishing with contemporary distributists like John Medaille and Alan Carlson.

Neoliberalism and the commodification of identity

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalervo N. Gulson ◽  
P. Taylor Webb
Keyword(s):  
Economic Theory ◽  
African American ◽  
The State ◽  
Social Organisation ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Educational Choices ◽  
Freedom Of Choice ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
Market Economics

*There is an extensive literature, over the course of 25 years, that identifies neoliberalism as a political-economic theory that utilises the efficiencies of market economics to develop and legitimate government priorities and practices. Neoliberalism also promotes forms of social organisation that emphasise individuals’ freedom of choice, and has emphasised ways to increase the educational choices of those who have been racialised as Black or African American. Neoliberalism calls for ‘freedom’, mostly understood in relation to the rights of the individual to market participation and of markets themselves to operate without interference from the state (...

The Role of Religious Ideas and the Use of Models in Max Weber's Comparative Studies of Non-Capitalist Societies

1970 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Stephen Warner
Keyword(s):  
Economic Theory ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Comparative Studies ◽  
Max Weber ◽  
Historical Sociology ◽  
Economic Life ◽  
Classical Economic ◽  
Use Of Models ◽  
Significant Question

The theme of this conference, “The Organizational Forms of Economic Life and Their Evolution,” implies a concern for specifying the limits of the applicability of classical and neo-classical economic theory. Presumably because we sociologists have been in the forefront of those who insist on the recognition of these limits, I have been asked to present a paper from the viewpoint of historical sociology. Now I suppose that your field and mine are alike in at least one respect: the infrequency of finding any one view on a broad and significant question. I am sure you will understand, therefore, my concentration on some lessons to be learned from the work of one of the heroes of my discipline, Max Weber (1864–1920). Weber, as you may know, was, among his other titles, a professor of economics and avoided the epithet of “sociologist.” Yet because sociology has changed since his day, largely under his influence, and because he was also a professor of law and of political science, we sociologists have now claimed him. Nevertheless, many of the issues that informed his massive scholarly research were and are issues central to both your field and mine.

scholarly journals Det økonomiske felt

2006 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-39
Author(s):  
Pierre Bourdieu
Keyword(s):  
Economic Theory ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Rational Agent ◽  
Historical Science ◽  
True Nature ◽  
Economic Practice ◽  
Economic Strategies ◽  
Technological Capital ◽  
A Site ◽  
Do So

Pierre Bordieu: The Economic Field The aim of this article is to construct an economic theory that is close to the practical logic of the agents. Bourdieu’s concept of habitus allows one to replace the rational agent of economic theory with a more realistic account of economic practice. This article contributes to restoring economics to its true nature as an historical science by giving economic theory an anthropological foundation. To do so requires that the market be regarded as a social and historical construction, i.e. as a field of forces, in which a specific struggle takes place. The structure of the economic field is defined by the distribution of different forms of capital, and economic strategies are circumscribed by this structure. As a site of struggle or competition in which prices are used as weapons in company strategies, the economic field is highly dynamic. Technological capital often plays an important role in the subversion of the established hierarchies, especially when innovation results in redefinition of the borders between fields. However, companies are fields in themselves, i.e. sites for internal struggles, which contribute to their strategies. And too, a company’s strategies depend on the relation between its position in the field of production and the position of its clients in social space.

scholarly journals Protestant ethic: Contributing towards a meaningful workplace

2013 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Petrus L. Steenkamp
Keyword(s):  
Max Weber ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Protestant Ethic ◽  
Moral Value ◽  
Individual Values ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Free Spirit ◽  
A Value ◽  
The Times ◽  
The Protestant Work Ethic

Little did Max Weber know that his essay ‘Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism’, written in 1905 (which was republished in 1920), would survive the times and still be a source for discussion and interpretation during the 21st century. Today as in previous times, work and the workplace poses its challenges. The common thread through history seems to be attempts to enhance the workplace, to better it, to convert it into a place where people could work with a free spirit. Yet, in spite of all the attempts, one failure after the other has been recorded. In a research program that endeavoured to construe the meaningful workplace, Protestant ethic was identified as one possible contributory towards such an ideal. This article explores the contribution of Protestant ethic as a contributory and sets it within the framework of universal individual values pertaining to work and work-specific values. The article also indicates that the Protestant ethic can indeed contribute towards a meaningful experience whilst performing work-related tasks in workspace. The Protestant work ethic is more than a cultural norm that places a positive moral value on doing a good job. Based on a belief that work has intrinsic value for its own sake, it represents a value system that contributes to the experience of meaningfulness whilst performing work.

Schumpeter, Joseph Alois (1883–1950)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Swedberg
Keyword(s):  
Economic Theory ◽  
Economic History ◽  
Max Weber ◽  
Economic Science ◽  
Conventional Theory ◽  
Realistic Theory ◽  
The Social ◽  
Economic Reality ◽  
Economics And Politics ◽  
Theory Of Democracy

Schumpeter is best known for his seminal work in economics, but he also made important contributions to the fields of political science and sociology. He aimed to create a broad economic science that he called ‘social economics’ (Sozialökonomik), which was to include not only economic theory but also economic history, statistics and economic sociology. Inspiration for this project came in particular from his colleague Max Weber. As an economist Schumpeter is primarily remembered for his theory of the entrepreneur and for his emphasis on the dynamic aspects of economic reality: capitalism, as he saw it, meant first and foremost change. But Schumpeter also made a number of interesting observations about theorizing in economics and the role that vision plays in the work of the economist. His trenchant critique of the conventional theory of democracy and advocacy of a more realistic theory is generally recognized as a major contribution to political theory. Many of Schumpeter’s most important ideas on economics and politics can be found in his bookCapitalism, Socialism and Democracy (1942), which has become something of a classic in the social sciences.

scholarly journals Enterprise in a Market Environment: A Double Tetrad Model

2019 ◽  
pp. 7-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
George B. Kleiner
Keyword(s):  
Economic Theory ◽  
External Environment ◽  
Enterprise Management ◽  
Market Environment ◽  
Production Flow ◽  
Corporate Planning ◽  
Initial Batch ◽  
Sales Process ◽  
Double Description Method ◽  
Controlled Object

System-based economic theory is a natural platform for the duality concept application in modeling and studying of economic systems. Aside from revealing the nature of economic events and showing regular connections between them, the analysis of duality also allows to develop methods to efficiently manage economic processes. This paper reexamines modeling methods of economic system performance. New approach uses double description method, via dual tetrads, one illustrative of intrasystem processes and the other exhibiting external interactions of the system. It is suggested that interactions between business and market are representable as production and implementation cycles. During the former, the initial batch of raw and producing materials are sequenced through object, environment, process and project subsystems of the enterprise. Then finished product enters implementation cycle and passes through object, environment, process and project subsystems of the enterprise’s external environment. Within this cycle the object subsystem represent the enterprise as a manufacturer; environment subsystem represents market environment for sales; process subsystem represents sales process; project subsystem represents delivery of products to the customer and transfer of revenue to the manufacturer. Production flow therefore loops through the stages of these cycles as a going concern, ensuring continuous operation of the enterprise conditioned upon coordination with market. The dual tetrad model allows to determine the roles of administration (with internal content being a controlled object) and marketing (where external environment is a controlled object) in the structure of enterprise management. This paper also analyses general patterns for identification of duality phenomena in system-based economic theory and mathematical economic models of business administration.This article is an expanded report presented at the plenary session of the XX “Corporate Planning and business Development” Anniversary Symposium (April 9–10, 2019, Moscow).

The Paradox of Scientific Progress in the Evolutionary Dimension

2021 ◽  
pp. 83-94
Author(s):  
Alexander Yu. Antonovskiy ◽  
◽  
Raisa E. Barash ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Max Weber ◽  
External Environment ◽  
Scientific Progress ◽  
Niklas Luhmann ◽  
Scientific Theories ◽  
Value Judgments ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
David Hull ◽  
Communicative Theory

The article proposes a solution to the paradox of scientific progress, formulated by Max Weber. Science formulates true and objective judgments, and only this distinguishes it from the world of value judgments, ideology, religion, art. On the other hand, the “lifespan of truths” is extremely small and any statement about scientific progress looks unconvincing just in comparison with the pro­gress of value discourses, where each stage of development (style or work of art), if not replaced by the “best” at least they retain or even increase their value over the centuries. A way out of this paradox, according to the authors, can be offered by a socio-evolutionary interpretation of science, where the “criterion” of a better (or more grounded) theory is viewed as “fitness”, as the ability to respond to the challenge of the external environment, to which the best theory adapts bet­ter, and as a consequence is selected. The article is devoted to the problems that the biologically based general theory of evolution is facing today when it is ex­trapolated to the problem of scientific progress. The question is investigated in what sense scientific theories can be interpreted as replacing each other and competing with each other by analogy with organic formations (genotypes, phe­notypes, populations); what the external environment of scientific communica­tion is and what institutions are responsible for the selection of the best theories; about the extent to which the autonomous mechanisms of scientific evolution are differentiated, namely, the mechanisms of random variation, natural selection and stabilization of newly acquired traits. The authors analyze the solutions to these problems in the concepts of causal individuation of the scientific theories of David Hull, the concept of semantic individuation of Stephen Gould’s theory, and the possibilities of reconciliation and synthesis of these evolutionary ap­proaches in the system-communicative theory of evolution by Niklas Luhmann.

TOWARD AN ECONOMIC THEORY OF REALITY: AN INTERVIEW WITH GUILLERMO A. CALVO

2005 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-145
Author(s):  
ENRIQUE G. MENDOZA
Keyword(s):  
Economic Theory ◽  
San Diego ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Complex Form ◽  
Time Inconsistency ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
True Nature ◽  
Professional Career

Guillermo Calvo is one of the most influential economists in the field of international macroeconomics of the past 30 years. He has produced seminal articles in every area of macroeconomics and international economics that he has worked on, including his early classic articles on capacity utilization and time inconsistency, his 1980's works on efficiency wages, price stickiness, and policy credibility, and his recent studies on sudden stops and emerging market crises. Yet, the defining feature of Guillermo Calvo's contribution to our profession is not the depth and wide scope of the economic theories he has developed, but the central emphasis he puts in all his work on the role of economics as a tool for understanding reality and improving the quality of human life.Guillermo Calvo's passion for the policy implications of economic theory is obvious to anyone who has met him since his days as Senior Advisor of the Research Department of the IMF in the mid-1980's. This feature of his professional interests was much less obvious to those who interacted with him during his early years as an important figure of the rational expectations revolution. It was probably hard to see that behind the highly technical treatment presented in his articles at that time was an author who had his feet soundly set on the ground and focused on understanding how society could benefit from the renaissance of macroeconomic theory that was taking place. Interestingly, Michael Rothschild did figure out the true nature of Guillermo Calvo in those early years. When the University of California at San Diego tried to hire Calvo in the mid-1980's, Rothschild explained to Calvo that he was an excellent fit for San Diego because he was a particular type of theoretician: “Most theoreticians make theory out of theory,” Rothschild noted, but Calvo was different because he made “theory out of reality, taking what is really out there and presenting it in a much wider and complex form than a well-developed but narrow theory.”The following pages are excerpts from three interview sessions that Guillermo Calvo and I had at his office in the Inter-American Development Bank in the spring of 2003. These interviews provide a clear summary picture of Calvo as the theoretician of reality that Michael Rothschild described. The recollection of the conversation with Rothschild is one of many fascinating memories of Calvo's personal life and professional career that emerged during our meetings. We taped and transcribed the three meetings in Spanish and then Calvo and I together edited that material to produce this much shorter interview in English for Macroeconomic Dynamics.

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