London School of Economics and Political Science

About: London School of Economics and Political Science is a education organization based out in London, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Politics. The organization has 8759 authors who have published 35017 publications receiving 1436302 citations.

On the interrelations between accounting and the state

Abstract: A concern with the interrelations between accounting and the state is integral recent studies of accounting change. Yet there has been little explicit attention to ways of thinking about the nature of the linkages themselves, and the concepts that might be used to analyse them. Approaches that rely on an implied exteriority between accounting and the state are argued to neglect these interrelations. The theoretical limitations of “functional” and “external factor” approaches are discussed as a way of highlighting the importance of these issues. A framework is proposed that differs from these models. This focuses on the relays, linkages and interdependecies between the practices and rationales of accounting on the one hand, and the state defined as a loosely assembled complex of rationales and practices of government on the other. The theoretical framework suggested centres on a distinction between two aspects of government. Firstly, the programmatic and abstract field or rationales, statements and claims that sets out the objects and objectives of government, and that is termed “political rationalities”. Secondly, the range of calculations, procedures and tools that materialize and visualize processes and activities, and that is termed “technologies”. Whilst distinct, these two aspects of government are linked in a relationships of reciprocity. The specific rationales that articulate political rationalities allow congruences to be established between the roles of accounting and the objectives of government. The ways of calculating and intervening provided by technologies enable domains to be operated upon and enrolled within programmes of government. This framework is illustrated by reference to innovations in accounting and other practices of government across the “Colbert period” of Louis XIV's reign, 1661–1683. This was a significant period of innovation for private enterprise accounting, and for a range of practices of government. It is through a particular rationale of “order” that these two distinct sets of practices are argued to have been aligned, and roles for accounting articulated. An examination of these issue is considered to demonstrate the importance of examining the interrelations of accounting and the state.

Health damages from air pollution in China

Abstract: A B S T R A C T This study evaluates air pollution-related health impacts on the Chinese economy by using an expanded version of the Emissions Prediction and Policy Analysis model. We estimated that marginal welfare impact to the Chinese economy of ozone and particulate-matter concentrations above background levels increased from 1997 US$22 billion in 1975 to 1997 US$112 billion in 2005, despite improvements in overall air quality. This increase is a result of the growing urban population and rising wages that thus increased the value of lost labor and leisure. In relative terms, however, welfare losses from air pollution decreased from 14% of the historical welfare level to 5% during the same period because the total size of the economy grew much faster than the absolute air pollution damages. In addition, we estimated that particulate-matter pollution alone led to a gross domestic product loss of 1997 US$64 billion in 1995. Given that the World Bank’s comparable estimate drawn from a static approach was only 1997 US$34 billion, this result suggests that conventional static methods neglecting the cumulative impact of pollution-caused welfare damage are likely to underestimate pollution-health costs substantially. However, our analysis of uncertainty involved in exposure–response functions suggests that our central estimates are susceptible to significantly large error bars of around � 80%.

Inequality, Communication and the Avoidance of Disastrous Climate Change in a Public Goods Game

Abstract: International efforts to provide global public goods often face the challenges of coordinating national contributions and distributing costs equitably in the face of uncertainty, inequality, and free-riding incentives. In an experimental setting, we distribute endowments unequally among a group of people who can reach a fixed target sum through successive money contributions, knowing that if they fail, they will lose all their remaining money with 50% probability. In some treatments, we give players the option to communicate intended contributions. We find that inequality reduces the prospects of reaching the target but that communication increases success dramatically. Successful groups tend to eliminate inequality over the course of the game, with rich players signaling willingness to redistribute early on. Our results suggest that coordination-promoting institutions and early redistribution from richer to poorer nations are both decisive for the avoidance of global calamities, such as disruptive climate change.

Regional Trade Agreements

Abstract: This paper reviews the theoretical and empirical literature on regionalism. The formation of regional trade agreements has been, by far, the most popular form of reciprocal trade liberalization in the past 15 years. The discriminatory character of these agreements has raised three main concerns: that trade diversion would be rampant, because special interest groups would induce governments to form the most distortionary agreements; that broader external trade liberalization would stall or reverse; and that multilateralism could be undermined. Theoretically, all of these concerns are legitimate, although there are also several theoretical arguments that oppose them. Empirically, neither widespread trade diversion nor stalled external liberalization has materialized, while the undermining of multilateralism has not been properly tested. There are also several aspects of regionalism that have received too little attention from researchers, but which are central to understanding its causes and consequences.