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Showing papers in "International Journal of Social Economics in 2000"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated whether academic workers' length of service is related to their level of job satisfaction, based on the assumption that less satisfied workers tend to resign while the more satisfied ones tend to remain in a job, as some literature suggests.
Abstract: Asks whether academic workers’ length of service is related to their level of job satisfaction. The enquiry is premised on the assumption that the less satisfied workers tend to resign while the more satisfied ones tend to remain in a job, as some literature suggests. The research distinguishes between length of service in higher education (LSHE) as a whole and length of service in present university (LSPU) in order to separate academics who remain within one university since employment from those who hop from one higher educational institution to another. Two‐way analyses of variance confirm the results of the frequency analyses and indicate that, for direct effects and a 0.05 significance level, LSHE is not statistically significant but LSPU is with a p value of 0.022. This means that the overall job satisfaction of university teachers is significantly correlated with LSPU but not LSHE. The implications are explored.

196 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed a supply-side growth model which employs teledensity and the share of telecommunications investment in national income as telecommunications capital proxies, and found a significant positive cross-country relationship between telecommunications capital and economic growth, when using alternative measures of telecommunications capital.
Abstract: In an emerging global economy the ability of the telecommunications sector to provide an internationally competitive network for transferring information has significant implications for trade and economic growth. Because of recent large world‐wide investments in telecommunications infrastructure, quantifying the impact of telecommunications in economic growth has received much attention. However, economic analysts, in the absence of investment data for many developing countries, adopt the International Telecommunications (ITU) practice of using main telephone lines to measure the stock of telecommunications capital. The accuracy of this proxy has not been subject to careful statistical scrutiny. This study develops a supply‐side growth model which employs teledensity and the share of telecommunications investment in national income as telecommunications capital proxies. Estimation results suggest a significant positive cross‐country relationship between telecommunications capital and economic growth, when using alternative measures of telecommunications capital.

128 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In the last 20 years there has been a remarkable growth in tourist arrivals in Cyprus and there is apprehension over growing problems of dependency and concern for the social, cultural and environmental costs imposed by tourism.
Abstract: Cyprus is now an important destination for international tourism and in the last 20 years there has been a remarkable growth in tourist arrivals. Initially it was thought to offer an easy option for economic progress and this was supported by the direct and indirect impact of tourism on job creation, foreign exchange earning and economic growth. However, as tourism has grown the enthusiasm for it as a costless means to development has given way to doubt and uncertainty about the scope and desirability of further tourist growth. There is apprehension over growing problems of dependency and concern for the social, cultural and environmental costs imposed by tourism. If sustainable tourism is to be achieved it will be necessary to limit its future rate and form of expansion. Tourism will remain an important sector of activity in Cyprus but there is uncertainty over what are likely to be the main growth segments of the market and it will require continued investment to raise and maintain the quality of the product and the service provided. The industry must be prepared to be flexible, innovative and responsive to emerging market trends.

112 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the deterrent effect of crime on tourism in developing island economies of the South Pacific and Caribbean, using annual time-series data, a simple country-specific model is estimated.
Abstract: The international tourism industry is booming, giving many developing nations unprecedented opportunity in trade. But for some developing nations, law and order problems appear to have obstructed growth in tourism. With little attention in the literature given to the influences of safety considerations for tourist demand, this paper investigates the deterrent effect of crime on tourism in developing island economies of the South Pacific and Caribbean. Using annual time‐series data, a simple country‐specific model is estimated. The empirical results confirm the importance of crime levels as a hindrance to the demand for tourism, the inference being that news of a deteriorating law and order situation in destination countries is being successfully disseminated to potential tourists in source countries despite the general inaccessibility of up‐to‐date crime statistics.

98 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the environmental and health effects/costs arising from the high use of chemical inputs to increase production and productivity in South Asia, with a field study carried out in Sri Lanka to show the health costs arising from direct exposure to pesticides during pesticide handling and spraying on farms by small-scale farmers.
Abstract: In writing a paper to honour Professor Clem Tisdell, it is apt to focus attention on the environmental and human costs of commercial agricultural production, especially the Green Revolution technology in South Asia during the last few decades. This is an area where Professor Tisdell has done much research, amongst the multitude of other research interests he has pursued in his very illustrious career. Modern commercial agricultural practices involving chemical inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides have been associated with huge increases in food production never witnessed before and, in the case of cereal production (especially wheat) under Green Revolution technology, recorded spectacular growth. As statistics show, production and productivity have increased. However, the high chemical usage of fertilizers and pesticides to bring about these spectacular increases in food production is not without its problems. A visible parallel correlation between higher productivity, high chemical input use and environmental degradation and human health effects is evident in many countries where commercial agriculture is widespread. This paper discusses the environmental and health effects/costs arising from the high use of chemical inputs to increase production and productivity in South Asia, with a field study carried out in Sri Lanka to show the health costs arising from direct exposure to pesticides during pesticide handling and spraying on farms by small‐scale farmers.

72 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an analysis of political corruption and argue why some countries are afflicted by it more than others are, and then a model for an economy in transition is presented.
Abstract: Corruption is a serious problem for economies in transition. It causes retardation in the development of institutions conducive to economic growth. In this sense, it introduces inertia in transition dynamics. Generally, corruption is a deep‐rooted social and economic problem in developing economies everywhere in the world. Presents an analysis of political corruption and argues why some countries are afflicted by it more than others are. For this, several lines of argument are explored, empirical tests and observations are analyzed and finally a model for an economy in transition is presented.

45 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the basic concepts of mainstream market theory from an ethical point of view are examined from the perspective of integrative economic ethics (integrative Wirtschaftsethik) and the outlines of a brief and, as I claim, complete theory of the basic structure of the market are sketched.
Abstract: The philosophical reflection on the essence of what we call the market has largely disappeared from the textbooks of the economic discipline. This paper intends to contribute to a renewal of this discourse by explicitly looking on basic concepts of mainstream market theory from an ethical point of view. There is not so much new information given; rather, a different, ethically conscious light is shed on the information we already have on the market. With its philosophical emphasis on the frame of reference, which is always normative in nature, the paper contributes to the new emerging approach of integrative economic ethics (integrative Wirtschaftsethik), introduced by Peter Ulrich. After touching the interrelationship of (descriptive) theory and (normative) ethics, the outlines of a brief and, as I claim, complete theory of the basic structure of the market are sketched. Central to this theory is the view of the market as a system. This systemic view permits us to explain phenomena like economic growth or unemployment as well as to discover ethical problems and to raise normative questions that are often overlooked and passed over.

38 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
James E. Alvey1
TL;DR: A brief history of economics as a moral science can be found in this article, where the authors sketch the evolution of economics before Adam Smith, showing that it was generally (with the exception of the mercantilists) conceived of as a part of moral philosophy.
Abstract: Mainstream economists now consider their discipline to be a technical one that is free from ethical concerns. I argue that this view only arose in the twentieth century. In this paper I set out a brief history of economics as a moral science. First, I sketch the evolution of economics before Adam Smith, showing that it was generally (with the exception of the mercantilists) conceived of as a part of moral philosophy. Second, I present elements of the new interpretation of Smith, which show him as a developer of economics as a moral science. Third, I show that even after Smith, up to the beginning of the twentieth century, a number of leading economic theorists envisioned economics as a moral science, either in theory or in practice. Fourth, I sketch the decline of economics as a moral science. The key factor was the emergence and influence of positivism. Overall, I show that the current view of the detachment of economics from morals is alien to much of the history of the discipline.

34 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a critical look at a current model of fisheries management which is based on principles related to Hardin's "Tragedy of the Commons" is taken, where access to a fishery is free, it is not in the interest of the community to limit their fishing effort.
Abstract: Takes a critical look at a current model of fisheries management which is based on principles related to Hardin’s “Tragedy of the Commons”. According to this model, where access to a fishery is free, it is not in the interest of the community to limit their fishing effort. To prevent over‐fishing and eventual destruction of fish stocks, fisheries managers in Papua New Guinea (PNG) have concentrated their efforts on imposing limits on fishing effort. Argues that such methods are bound to fail because they are imposed by outsiders and are alien to the local communities. Argues that customary marine tenure systems have a better chance of success in the management of local fisheries resources because they are community‐based and are derived from kinship and lineage structures. Advocates that, rather than overlooking such systems, governments must strengthen them to enable them to play their role in sustainable fisheries management.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors argued that the government possesses certain unique features that allow it to restrict competition, and provide stable and reliable conditions under which firms organize, compete, cooperate and exchange, and that dynamic private enterprises assisted by government coordination policies explains the rapid economic growth in post-war Japan and the Asian newly industrializing economies.
Abstract: Provides a new perspective on the role of the government in economic affairs. Utilising recent advances in the evolutionary theories of the firm, the coordination function of the government is emphasised. This paper argues that the government possesses certain unique features that allow it to restrict competition, and provide stable and reliable conditions under which firms organise, compete, cooperate and exchange. The coordinating perspective is employed to re‐examine the arguments for industrial policies regarding private investment decisions, market competition, diffusion of technologies and tariff protection on infant industries. This paper concludes that dynamic private enterprises assisted by government coordination policies explains the rapid economic growths in post‐war Japan and the Asian newly industrialising economies.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Li et al. as mentioned in this paper examined China's population movement since the 1980s and found that permanent migrants as a whole are more likely to conduct inter-provincial migration than their permanent counterparts.
Abstract: Examines China’s population movement since the 1980s. The analysis tackles two types of migration: permanent with corresponding transfers of the household registration, and temporary without such transfers. The study finds that, while the reform has brought about a proliferation of temporary migrants, numbers of permanent migrants have been rather stable. Of temporary migrants, an increasing proportion has been made up by urban residents. Temporary migrants as a whole are more likely to conduct inter‐provincial migration than their permanent counterparts. Coastal provinces and a few northwest provinces have been the favored destinations for temporary migrants. Cities, especially large cities, are preferred by both permanent and temporary migrants. The attraction of towns has been weak and tended to decline. The findings suggest that the reform has not led to a significant change in the formality of permanent migration. The large‐city oriented flow of the overall migration has been contrary to the state urbanization strategy which prioritizes the development of small cities and towns.

Journal ArticleDOI
Paul Oslington1
TL;DR: The authors argues that the separation between economics and theology is neither desirable nor possible, and calls for a theological economics, arguing that the necessity and primacy of theology comes from the nature of orthodox Christian theology, and a secondary argument based on points of contact between economic and theology. But acceptance of the argument does not lead to a separatist “Christian” economics, but rather to discussion of theology implicit in contemporary economics and better relations between the two disciplines.
Abstract: Over the past century explicit discussion of theology has all but disappeared from economic discourse, while economics has been largely ignored by theologians. This paper argues that this separation is neither desirable nor possible, and calls for a theological economics. The argument is in two parts – a primary argument for the necessity and primacy of theology coming from the nature of orthodox Christian theology, and a secondary argument based on points of contact between economics and theology. Acceptance of the argument does not lead to a separatist “Christian” economics, but rather to discussion of theology implicit in contemporary economics and better relations between the two disciplines. Some existing work along these lines is briefly surveyed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, it is argued that an important source of the TNC's institutional superiority arises from its ability to extract rents from other significant stakeholders such as states and workers through structurally increasing bargaining power over these groups.
Abstract: Addresses the nature of the competitive advantage of the transnational corporation as an institutional form versus alternative forms of economic organization. It is argued that an important – and undertheorized – source of the TNC’s institutional superiority arises from its ability to extract rents from other significant stakeholders such as states and workers through structurally increasing bargaining power (driven by globalization) over these groups. A related issue which is considered is that of the changing sources of competitive advantage for TNCs operating in host countries and their associated distributional effects on key stakeholder groups, presented as ranging from positive‐sum to zero‐sum based on certain specific contingencies. To the extent that the particular sources of TNC competitive advantage matter in terms of their social significance, TNCs can, under certain circumstances, be understood as institutional mechanisms which exploit and extend market failures in the name of shareholder wealth rather than as agents of global allocative efficiency, thus making the question of their overall social utility contentious. Substantial public policy implications are therefore raised and briefly outlined. Some final comments are directed at the need for orthodox theories of the TNC to revisit comparative institutional and distributional considerations.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors argue that differences in growth rates between countries can be traced to the capacity of the state and political system and highlight the role of the elite in the development process, the necessity for a competent and insulated economic bureaucracy, and the significance of embedded autonomy for the state.
Abstract: Takes issue with the way in which economics deals with the state and assumes homogeneous capacity. Instead it argues that differences in growth rates between countries can be traced back to the capacity of the state and political system. A state that is relatively capable is able to provide a political environment conducive to growth. It highlights the role of the elite in the development process, the necessity for a competent and insulated economic bureaucracy, and the significance of “embedded autonomy” for the state. These elements shape the nature and capacity of the state.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss some aspects relating to changes in labor productivity with special reference to services and suggest that changes in income, and in consumer behavior, affect the share of services and influence the growth of productivity in service industries.
Abstract: Services are crucial for the functioning of a society and an economy. Nonetheless, they have not been given the attention they deserve and remain poorly understood by the economics profession. In many studies services are taken to be technologically sluggish or stagnant, and this then, is regarded as an explanation for their rising share in overall employment. The fact that due to the new information technologies, labor productivity in services has been perceptively increasing is not adequately reflected and acknowledged in economic statistics. This article discusses some aspects relating to changes in labor productivity with special reference to services. It describes the product of services from the final consumers’ point of view, as well as from the point of view of producers and analyzes the effect of services on process and product innovation. Attention is directed to the problem of measuring productivity in services and to some explanations for their rising share in GNP and employment in OECD countries. The conclusions suggest that changes in income, and in consumer behavior, affect the share of services and influence the growth of productivity in service industries.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the impact of concessional sales of rice under public food distribution schemes on the open market demand and total consumption of rice in Sri Lanka from 1953 to 1989 was analyzed.
Abstract: Analyses the impact of concessional sales of rice under public food distribution schemes on the open market demand and total consumption of rice in Sri Lanka from 1953 to 1989. The results show that, on average, 73 per cent of the concessional issues of rice under the non‐targeted (universal) rationing scheme during 1953‐1977 has served to replace a potential quantity that would have otherwise been demanded by consumers in the open market. The remaining 27 per cent has served as an addition to the total quantity of rice consumed in the country. Under the rationing and food stamp schemes targeted towards low‐income households, the annual average replacement of the quantity of open market rice was 51 per cent during 1978‐1989, while the addition to the total consumption of rice was 49 per cent. This suggests that the targeting of public rice distribution during 1978‐1989 was fairly successful in maintaining the consumption of rice, particularly by low‐income households.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the type of biosafety risks which they pose, their possible adverse consequences for the sustainability of biodiversity and agriculture and their potential impacts on socioeconomic welfare and traditional cultures, and express concern about the possible consequences of such technologies for developing countries and the practice in some developed countries of issuing patents conferring very broad rights over the use of genetically engineered material.
Abstract: Modern new biotechnology has the potential to provide major economic and other benefits, but at the same time it poses potential hazards for human health, the environment, the “natural” biological order, and can have adverse socio‐economic consequences. The application of such technology frequently violates traditional ethical, moral and religious values. This paper, after outlining possible benefits of modern new biotechnologies, discusses the type of biosafety risks which they pose, their possible adverse consequences for the sustainability of biodiversity and agriculture and their potential impacts on socioeconomic welfare and traditional cultures. Particular concern is expressed about the possible consequences of such technologies for developing countries and the practice in some developed countries of issuing patents conferring very broad rights over the use of genetically engineered material. Because these rights are so broad, in some cases they have the potential to establish powerful multinational monopolies in the hands of private companies. Global debate about these issues suggests that more emphasis should be given globally to the socio‐economic consequences of such technology than in the past. The need for this is highlighted by the North‐South divide. Developing countries lag considerably in this new technological field, are placed in a dependent position and have weak institutional structures to control the application of such technology.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In the past two decades, Thailand experienced a prolonged economic boom followed by a collapse, and the significance of these events depends on a fundamental question: does the welfare of the poor depend on their absolute standard of living, as reflected in measures of poverty incidence, or on their position relative to the rich as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: In the past two decades, Thailand experienced a prolonged economic boom followed by a collapse. During the boom the incidence of absolute poverty fell dramatically but relative inequality increased. The collapse of 1997 had the reverse effects. The poor became significantly worse off in an absolute sense but proportionately less so than the rich; inequality thus declined. The significance of these events depends on a fundamental question: does the welfare of the poor depend on their absolute standard of living, as reflected in measures of poverty incidence, or on their position relative to the rich, as reflected in measures of inequality?

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a behavioral theory of economic welfare that overlaps and extends the global theoretical framework contained in Pareto Optimality, with significant public policy implications, is presented, where it is argued that the economic welfare of society cannot be augmented if the material level of well-being of the working population is reduced.
Abstract: Details a behavioral theory of economic welfare that overlaps and extends the global theoretical framework contained in Pareto Optimality, with significant public policy implications. The essence of this framework is contained in Adam Smith’s the Wealth of Nations where it is argued that the economic welfare of society cannot be augmented if the material level of well‐being of the working population is reduced, even if the economy experiences growth. Moreover, it is argued that there need not be an equity‐efficiency trade‐off in a competitive market economy to the extent that wages positively affect productivity and do not increase production costs. Therefore, shifting from a low to a high wage economy is welfare improving. Smith, in effect, argues that one can have economic ‘justice’ and economic efficiency where the former is necessary to the latter. The behavioral model of economic welfare paints a dynamic picture of economic welfare in contradistinction to the static framework provided by Pareto Optimality wherein the conditions of Pareto Optimality need not be violated.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors recognize biodiversity as the key stepping stone for sustainable agriculture and propose that prospects will be improved significantly through the recognition of the great potential of diversity in human and technical resources as well.
Abstract: Problems addressed, in reporting from relevant sources, include population pressure, subsistence agriculture, rural poverty, natural resource depletion with emphasis on deforestation, land degradation, decline in productivity, resource rich/urban biased policies, and gender disparities. Compounded, these problems, which if isolated already pose tough challenges, seem to form an insurmountable barrier in the development path toward sustainable agriculture. Efforts made so far have had impacts below expectations. Recognizing biodiversity as the key stepping stone, the proposition is outlined that prospects will be improved significantly through the recognition of the great potential of diversity in human and technical resources as well. Needed are in‐depth research and thorough multidimensional analyses, to formulate an alternative strategy geared to mobilize the synergy yet hidden in the potential of the three‐pronged resource diversity.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a case study of an urban group lending program run by the bank BancoSol in La Paz, Bolivia is presented, which is based on a small survey that was conducted among the client borrowers.
Abstract: Documents a case study of an urban group lending programme run by the bank BancoSol in La Paz, Bolivia. The lending programme has proved capable of sustaining a set of widely accessible lending relations with a large number of self‐employed microentrepreneurs in Bolivia. In documenting this programme, our aim is to contrast several features of BancoSol’s group lending policies against some of the theoretical results that have emerged from the microeconomic modelling research on group loan contracts. This exercise is based in part on a small survey that was conducted among BancoSol’s client borrowers.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a behavioral model of the firm suggests that more rights and power, with its positive impact on labor standards, need not produce the deleterious results predicted by conventional economic wisdom, due to their productivity-efficiency enhancing impact on the firm.
Abstract: Standard neoclassical theory argues that an economy is negatively affected by increased labor rights and power since it is assumed that economic agents are always x‐efficient; performing at the height of efficiency. However, a behavioral model of the firm suggests that more rights and power, with its positive impact on labor standards, need not produce the deleterious results predicted by conventional economic wisdom, due to their productivity‐efficiency enhancing impact on the firm. This suggests that we should not assess the impact of enhanced labor power and control in terms of a zero sum game. It is possible to have both equilibrium improvements in working conditions and economic prosperity, with the former contributing to the latter.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a theoretical methodology premised on the epistemology of divine unity as the world view of all Islamic socio-scientific inquiry, is introduced, and its specification to the case of Islamic capital market is used to critically evaluate Malaysia's Islamization program, specially during the heady days of her stock market and currency turmoils.
Abstract: A theoretical methodology premised on the epistemology of divine unity as the world view of all Islamic socio‐scientific inquiry, is introduced. This general theory based on the knowledge‐centred interactive, integrative and evolutionary process of social becoming is next formulated for the specific case of capital markets. The methodology premised on unity and unification of knowledge is shown to be a universal application interconnecting science and society through a process‐oriented knowledge‐centred model. Finally, the generalized theoretical methodology and its specification to the case of Islamic capital market is used to critically evaluate Malaysia’s Islamization program, specially during the heady days of her stock market and currency turmoils. Alternative policy recommendations are provided for a newer outlook on Malaysian development and capital market Islamization programs. A general inference is thus derived and conveyed to the field of capital market stability arising from a direct linkage between real sectoral activities and endogenous money as store of value of real transactions. The approach of this paper being epistemological in nature, it undertakes a fundamental look at Qur’an and Sunnah for developing shari’ah‐rules (Islamic law), i.e. ahkam as‐shari’ah (rules derived from shari’ah), in the area of socio‐scientific inquiry in general and Islamic capital market in particular.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors make an attempt to clarify the notion of value as it is used in a variety of guises and assess alternative notions in terms of their abilities to assist in policy formulation.
Abstract: Whilst demands for benefit cost analysis (BCA) to be applied to a wide variety of policy decisions are growing, there remains a degree of dissatisfaction amongst policy makers, non‐economist specialists and some economists with its use. Part of that dissatisfaction arises because of a degree of confusion relating to what is meant by the term value as it is used in BCA. Furthermore, proponents of other techniques that have been suggested as substitutes for BCA are keen to cast doubts on the ability of BCA to perform its role in consolidating the disparate information relating to the outcomes of alternative policies. An attempt is made to clarify the notion of value as it is used in a variety of guises. These alternative notions are assessed in terms of their abilities to assist in policy formulation. Second, some of the alternative techniques are critiqued, with particular attention being paid to the use of the value concept. Concludes that clarity in the specification of the goals to which a specific concept of value is to be applied is vital. Different concepts relate to different goals and the application of the wrong concept to a goal could be costly. In a final section, the confusion that has arisen within the discipline regarding the concept of value that underpins some non‐market valuation techniques is explored.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors show the central role of Thomas Hobbes in the formation of capitalist ideology and the economic liberalism of Adam Smith inherits from Hobbes its individualistic basis and its chrematistic platform.
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to show the central role of Thomas Hobbes in the formation of capitalist ideology. He is the first author to present the ideology of the businessman (homo oeconomicus), with its most distinctive characteristic, individualism. Every constitutive element of the capitalist system is found in Hobbes’ writings. His mentality is bourgeois and he uses a model that can only correspond to a mercantile society of capitalist character, in which political rights are less important than security in the market. The economic liberalism of Adam Smith inherits from Hobbes its individualistic basis and its chrematistic platform.