Showing papers in "International Journal of Social Economics in 1985"
TL;DR: In her recent discussion of women's incorporation into their husbands' employment, the authors produced a useful maxim for prospective wives, which is: "Be a good wife to a good man."
Abstract: In her recent discussion of women's incorporation into their husbands' employment Janet Finch produces a useful maxim for prospective wives:
34 citations
TL;DR: The history of economic theories can be traced back to the early 1970s when economic institutions and modes of behaviour had to adjust to structural changes in the economy and society as mentioned in this paper, which led to a change in paradigma and to the formation of new lines of reasoning.
Abstract: Nobody concerned with political economy can neglect the history of economic doctrines. Structural changes in the economy and society influence economic thinking and, conversely, innovative thought structures and attitudes have almost always forced economic institutions and modes of behaviour to adjust. We learn from the history of economic doctrines how a particular theory emerged and whether, and in which environment, it could take root. We can see how a school evolves out of a common methodological perception and similar techniques of analysis, and how it has to establish itself. The interaction between unresolved problems on the one hand, and the search for better solutions or explanations on the other, leads to a change in paradigma and to the formation of new lines of reasoning. As long as the real world is subject to progress and change scientific search for explanation must out of necessity continue.
31 citations
TL;DR: A centenary appreciation of the contributions to economic thought of Joseph A. Schumpeter, with special focus on his work, The Theory of Economic Development (TED), is given in this article.
Abstract: This article gives a centenary appreciation of the contributions to economic thought of Joseph A. Schumpeter, with special focus on his work, The Theory of Economic Development (TED). It proceeds, first, by providing an overview of Schumpeter's life and works; secondly, by giving an interpretative exposition of the main themes of TED, and, thirdly, Schumpeter's broader “economic sociology” in terms of the place of these ideas in the history of economic thought; fourthly, by examining the reception to TED and the impact of it and Schumpeter's dynamic methodology on the discipline.
25 citations
TL;DR: In the UK, the occupations in which women are most likely to be managers are traditionally female occupations such as retailing, catering and personnel as discussed by the authors, and only 8.3 per cent of general management jobs are held by women in Britain.
Abstract: With more women now working than ever before, there is also an enormous growth in younger women's entering many of the formerly male‐dominated jobs, including the field of management. In the USA, with the strongest legislation affecting the employment of women, 23.6 per cent of managers and administrators are women, followed by the UK with 18.8 per cent. Even so, in the UK, the occupations in which women are most likely to be managers are traditionally female occupations such as retailing, catering and personnel. At senior levels of management there are fewer women and only 8.3 per cent of general management jobs are held by women in Britain.
23 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify the trends in the economy which will indicate the way in which IT is developing in terms of its macro and microeconomic contributions, and identify the human and economic problems which an organisation may encounter when contemplating investment in IT.
Abstract: The year of information technology was characterised by a hive of activity in this field, much of which was sponsored and stimulated by the IT 82 campaign. The government clearly recognised the need for British industry and commerce to capitalise on the advantages offered by information technology, and this interest in the strategy is being pursued by the relatively recently created Ministry of Information Technology. The creation of IT centres at strategic points throughout Britain aimed at providing training facilities for the 16–19 age group is an example. The centres provide training in a variety of facets of IT, including programming and micro‐electronic technical skills. The campaign generally is designed to educate the British public as to the advantages of information technology; in pursuit of this, country‐wide regional centres have been set up, which provide advice and information to potential users or users of the micro‐technology. This has been supported by exhibitions and conferences held at regular intervals throughout the length and breadth of the country. The aim of this article is to try to identify the trends in the economy which will indicate the way in which IT is developing in terms of its macro‐ and micro‐economic contributions, and to identify the human and economic problems which an organisation may encounter when contemplating investment in IT.
18 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an interpretation of Adam Smith's social and economic thought is presented, which suggests that Smith could have explicitly introduced the spectator into his chapters on value and distribution in a way which would have consistently linked the social theory of TMS with the economic theory of WN.
Abstract: As social economics is a value‐directed enquiry into economic theory as it pertains to the formulation of economic policy it is incumbent upon the social economist not merely to state a value position but to provide reasons for holding this position. In this manner values enter the realm of rational discourse and are no, longer treated as mere preferences. Since this is precisely what Adam Smith did in the Theory of Moral Sentiments (TMS), the social economist interested in learning from Smith's social economics must confront the issue of the relationship between TMS and the Wealth of Nations. The precise relationship between TMS and WN is at once the most interesting and the most controversial aspect of Adam Smith's social and economic thought. The failure of Smith explicitly to connect the works remains a mystery. Particularly striking is the complete absence of the impartial spectator in WN although there are passages, cited below, which contain reference to ethical judgements implying the spectator thesis of TMS. This article will not attempt to “solve” the Adam Smith problem, nor will it attempt to offer a new proof for or against the consistency of the two great works. Rather, the purpose of this article is to offer an interpretation which makes sense of the TMS‐WN connection which Smith might have used to relate them. The article suggests that Smith could have explicitly introduced the spectator into his chapters on value and distribution in a way which would have consistently linked the social theory of TMS with the economic theory of WN. There is, of course, no strong evidence that Smith actually thought of the connection in the proposed way. However, some textual evidence can be cited to suggest that he may have thought along these lines and that if he did not he might nevertheless assent to this as a legitimate extension of his concepts.
12 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present some conclusions to be drawn from an in-depth study of the labour market experience and domestic circumstances of 40 redundant steelworkers and their families in Port Talbot, Wales.
Abstract: Port Talbot is a settlement of roughly 47,000 inhabitants, situated on the coast of South Wales, between Cardiff and Swansea. It is a town which prospered and grew with the expansion of the local plant of the British Steel Corporation in the 1950s, and until de‐manning began in the late 1960s the vast majority of its male inhabitants were steelworkers. In the summer of 1980 BSC, Port Talbot, saw an already depleted workforce reduced by a further 7,000 (from 12,000 to 5,000). This article presents some of the conclusions to be drawn from an in‐depth study of the labour‐market experience and domestic circumstances of 40 redundant steelworkers and their families.
7 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors try to show how and in what ways economists inevitably become involved in certain moral questions, and to do so in a way which will suggest how they might be tackled within what might reasonably be regarded as economic theories.
Abstract: It is easy to show that economists are involved in questions with moral aspects. It is harder to show that any of the involvements arise within economic theories and harder still to show that the problems are capable of being dealt with by extensions of those theories. In this article, I shall try to show how and in what ways economists inevitably become involved in certain moral questions, and to do so in a way which will suggest how they might be tackled within what might reasonably be regarded as economic theories.
6 citations
TL;DR: A revaluation of the contribution of John Stuart Mill to the history of economic doctrines in general and to that of economic analysis in particular has taken place on a quite significant scale as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: During the last three decades, thanks to the efforts of J. Schumpeter, G. Stigler, M. Blaug, P. Schwartz, T.W. Hutchison and others, a revaluation of the contribution of John Stuart Mill to the history of economic doctrines in general and to that of economic analysis in particular has taken place on a quite significant scale. The basic portrayal of J.S. Mill as an unoriginal and incoherent writer which prevailed from about the time of his death till around the middle of the present century came to be seriously and, one may say, successfully challenged. While the “eclecticism” of Mill was traditionally emphasised with a pejorative tone, no less than M. Blaug concluded that in the final analysis, it “worked to Mill's advantage” and that “the multiplicity of analytical ideas, often running in opposite directions, opened the way to subsequent refinement and development” (Blaug, 1968, p. 220). The theoretical inventiveness of J.S. Mill was stressed in still louder terms by G. Stigler when he wrote that “he was one of the most original economists in the history of the science” (Stigler, 1955, p. 7).
5 citations
TL;DR: This article argued that the neo-classical formulation is inappropriate in societies where agrarian traditions predominate and that consequently economic policies based on such an approach have frequently been misdirected.
Abstract: Neo‐classical utility theory has withstood several decades of sustained criticism. Its success has been due (1) to the ability of the theory to represent an essentially non‐analytical process by analytical methods, and (2) to the fact that the theory was developed for, and applied to, advanced market economies where the simplifying assumptions are most appropriate. It is argued below that the neo‐classical formulation is inappropriate in societies where agrarian traditions predominate and that, consequently, economic policies based on such an approach have frequently been misdirected.
4 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the complementary nature of these aspects of identity is examined and illustrated by case material from couples in marital therapy, arguing that the work task and its milieu can support, or fail to support, personal development, as can a marriage.
Abstract: Freud suggested that mental health depends on the capacity to love and to work. The complementary nature of these aspects of identity is examined and illustrated by case material from couples in marital therapy. It is argued that the work task and its milieu can support, or fail to support, personal development, as can a marriage. When alternatives are available, the choice of occupation, as of marital partner, is related to conscious and unconscious images of the self. Loss of work can be analogous to loss of love with implications for a person's sense of identity and marriage.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors view the phenomenon of marriage as a developing social relationship between two human beings which is subject to forces from without (societal) and forces from within (psychological).
Abstract: In order to understand the phenomenon of marriage it is necessary to view it as a developing social relationship between two human beings which is subject to forces from without (societal) and forces from within (psychological). We can examine these forces later; but, for the time being, it is fundamental to any study of this kind to be clear as to what the basic conceptual approaches are.
TL;DR: The causes of unemployment have been continuously debated ever since the mid-1970s as discussed by the authors, and most commentators now recognise both cyclical and structural causes of joblessness, and discussion is no longer confined to economic issues but includes also changing social values.
Abstract: The causes of unemployment have been continuously debated ever since the mid‐1970s. Most commentators now recognise both cyclical and structural causes of unemployment. Moreover, discussion is no longer confined to economic issues but includes also changing social values.
TL;DR: The relationship between paid work and family life for both women and men is discussed in this article, with the hope that the division of labour between men and women in both spheres will be more egalitarian in the future.
Abstract: This article is about the relationship between paid work and family life for both women and men; in particular, about the hopes — indeed, the expectations — of many people that the division of labour between men and women in both spheres will be more egalitarian in the future.
TL;DR: For example, this paper pointed out that although there has been an increasing interest in the issue of crime, relatively little attention has been paid to the consequential issue of punishment and especially to its most severe manifestation, imprisonment.
Abstract: Of all social relations the withdrawal of individual liberty by the State is arguably the most discussed and the least understood. Although there has latterly been an increasing interest in the issue of crime, relatively little attention has been paid to the consequential issue of punishment and especially to its most severe manifestation (in many cultures), imprisonment.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors make some contribution to the explicit articulation of the justice criteria ensconced in the instrumentalist theory of value, and suggest the affinity of this view with social economics.
Abstract: Justice has, of late, re‐emerged as an important area of professional concern for all economists. However, in that justice is a fundamentally normative, value‐laden concept it proves troublesome to those who aspire to the strictures of “positive science”. This puts social economists in a position of distinct advantage in the consideration of justice issues for they are avowedly normative in their approach. The intention in this essay, implicit in the title, is to make some contribution to the explicit articulation of the justice criteria ensconced in the instrumentalist theory of value, and to suggest the affinity of this view with social economics.
TL;DR: The very fact that we are gathered here in Fresno ought to be a reassurance that, indeed, there does exist such a field as social economics as discussed by the authors. But this reassurance amounts to little more than a Descartian feeling of, “I think, therefore I am”.
Abstract: Is there such a field as social economics? Let us begin by providing some justification (the sceptics may call this rationalisation) for asking the question. The very fact that we are gathered here in Fresno ought to be a reassurance that, indeed, there does exist such a field. But this reassurance amounts to little more than a Descartian feeling of, “I think, therefore I am”. Some people question implicitly or explicitly whether there is such a field of enquiry called social economics. If you think this statement needs empirical support, consider the following:
TL;DR: The authors argued that most economists are reluctant to discuss values in their papers and books, and some have recently argued that it is generally unnecessary as well as undesirable to do so (Stigler and Becker, 1977, p. 76). But most are noticeably more willing to discuss different types of economic systems which, it is argued here, originally developed out of different beliefs concerning the proper ends of human activity and/or different ideas on what effectively motivates human action.
Abstract: Most economists are reluctant to discuss values in their papers and books, and some have recently argued that it is generally unnecessary as well as undesirable to do so (Stigler and Becker, 1977, p. 76). But most are noticeably more willing to discuss different types of economic systems which, it is argued here, originally developed out of different beliefs concerning the proper ends of human activity and/or different ideas on what effectively motivates human action. And, while comparative enconomic systems textbooks are now often written from a positive, value‐free, point of analysis (i.e., an efficiency criterion and Pareto‐optimality or some other valuing procedure is accepted, at least implicitly, so that results of different policies and institutional arrangements may be evaluated), the more important observation for this article is that when economists begin discussing “isms” they often introduce simultaneously concepts of freedom, equity (justice), equality, security, etc. This phenomenon seems to hold true for the very conservative (e.g., Friedman and Hayek), the very liberal (e.g., Heilbroner and Lekachman) and even that much overworked comparison group, mainstream textbook authors (e.g., McConnell and Baumol and Blinder).
TL;DR: The concept of the "brotherhood ideal" is defined by as mentioned in this paper as "behavior among adult male human beings of the same generation, belonging to the same extended family, and living in a community, that ensures maximum well being and survivability of the entire family or community".
Abstract: Although much lip service is paid to brotherhood in this country by preachers, teachers and politicians, the concept remains poorly understood. For the purposes of this article, the brotherhood ideal is defined broadly as behaviour among adult male human beings of the same generation, belonging to the same extended family, and living in a community, that ensures maximum well being and survivability of the entire family or community. In other words, it is behaviour that maximises the social welfare function of the entire family or community. A sisterhood ideal can be defined analogously, and group‐enhancing behaviour by family members of both sexes might be termed the brotherhood‐sisterhood ideal. Since this behaviour is learned gradually as the individual matures, it can be described as voluntary in the sense that it is not imposed by a legal authority external to the family.