Social Economics Retrospect And Prospect

A rich collection of current research in the growing field of social economics, covering such issues as culture, gender, ethics, and philanthropic behavior. The growing field of social economics explores how individual behavior is affected by group-level influences, extending the approach of mainstream economics to include broader social motivations and incentives. This book offers a rich and rigorous selection of current work in the field, focusing on some of the most active research areas. Topics covered include culture, gender, ethics, and philanthropic behavior. Social economics grows out of dissatisfaction with a purely individualistic model of human behavior. This book shows how mainstream economics is expanding its domain beyond market and price mechanisms to recognize a role for cultural and social factors. Some chapters, in the tradition of Gary Becker, attempt to extend the economics paradigm to explain other social phenomena; others, following George Akerlof's approach, incorporate sociological and psychological assumptions to explain economic behavior. Loosely organized by theme—Social Preferences; Culture, Values, and Norms; and Networks and Social Interactions”—the chapters address a range of subjects, including gender differences in political decisions, “moral repugnance” as a constraint on markets, charitable giving by the super-rich, value diversity within a country, and the influence of children on their parents' social networks. Contributors Mireia Borrell-Porta, Sjoerd Beugelsdijk, Joan Costa-Font, Elwyn Davies, Julio Jorge Elias, Marcel Fafchamps, Luigi Guiso, Odelia Heizler, Ayal Kimhi, Mariko J. Klasing, Martin Ljunge, Mario Macis, Mark Ottoni-Wilhelm, Abigail Payne, Kelly Ragan, Jana Sadeh, Azusa Sato, Kimberley Scharf, Sarah Smith, Mirco Tonin, Michael Vlassopoulos, Evguenia Winschel, Philipp Zahn

At the very heart of the conception of the present volume lies the conviction that social economics is a highly pluralistic discipline, inspired and enriched by several often radically different world views, Schumpeterian visions, and at times even quite antagonistic social doctrines. Yet, in spite of all these differences, social economists can nevertheless be seen and also approached as some kind of economic brotherhood for various reasons dissatisfied with the austere "value-free" diet offered by the pOSitivistic neoclassical paradigm. What all social economists seem to have in common is a profound interest in values and the process of valuation in order to more fully understand both economic behavior and the possibilities of improving the economic system. Such a distinguishing characteristic is also well articulated and enshrined in Article I of the Constitution of the Association of Social Economics where we are told that the aims and objectives of the Association shall be: 1. To foster research and publication centered on the reciprocal relationship between economic science and broader questions of human dignity, ethical values, and social philosophy, [and to] encourage the efforts of all scholars who are dedicated to exploring the ethical presuppositions and implications of economic science. 2. To consider the personal and social dimensions of economic problems and to assist in the formulation of economic policies consistent with a concern for ethical values and pluralistic community and the demands of personal dignity.

Almost three years passed since the Faculty of Economics of the University of Groningen celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 1973. Late, but not too late we hope, to present the lectures of most of our distinguished guests, who came from the United States and different European Countries to inform the Congress participants of their opinion and ideas on "25 Years of Economic Theory: Retrospect and Prospect. " The problems we met in publishing the lectures, in accordance with the agreement we made with our guests, are not unusual, as everyone knows who has been an editor of such a volume before. The promise to give a lecture and to write it down afterwards as well is much more difficult to maintain than only to give a speech. Everybody knows there is nothing so terrifying as to be reminded of your promise to write down your lecture, especially if only a type-written text, put down from a tape, is at your disposal. You are sure of your remembrance: "That very day I heard applause, there were friendly words and perhaps a state of not ending enthusiasm. And now I receive this type-written text of my speech with a request, full of innocence, of these friendly committee members, "will you be so kind as to prepare your text for publication ']" But this one, is this my text? Unbelievable.

There is a strong view that economics is the academic discipline that best represents the claim of positive science among social sciences. Economics has undergone significant transformations after its emergence as a science. Despite all these transformations, the feature containing positive and normative elements has not changed. While economists from the political economy tradition focus on qualitative studies that relate to other social sciences, especially political science and history, a group of economists adopt the qualitative methods of natural sciences to analyze economic problems. There is a debate among economists on how to understand social reality and what kind of science the economy should be. Business is a discipline that has declared its relative independence from economics over time. Business is a research field that encompasses a wide range of areas ranging from organizational behavior of individuals to the firm’s production and marketing strategies. This book contains articles on essential topics related to these disciplines, which have an in- separable relationship between them. Academicians contributing to the book have produced works on current topics of discussion as well as key subjects that remain important in economics and management.

Social Economics is a way of thinking about economic affairs that begins with the philosphical foundations. It begins at this level, frequently overlooked by mainstream economists, to illustrate how critical premises are in the construction of an economy and the repair of a dysfunctional economy. Social Economics uses these premises to undertake a rich range of empirical and policy related work. Much of this work is represented in this volume, which brings together leading practioners from the field of social economics. Subjects addressed include: * values and premises in social economics * justice, solidarity and community * repairing the dysfunction of capitalist economies * the transition from command economies

This volume pulls together a remarkable collection of contributors designed to challenge the positive-normative dichotomy in economic methodology. . . The intent of this publication is to provide a reference manual for those seeking insights into the connections between economics and ethics. It succeeds in that goal and should become a starting point for anyone who believes that mainstream economics needs methodological reorientation. . . Anyone interested in ethics and economic methodology would do well to have this reference book handy. Highly recommended. J. Halteman, Choice This new Handbook of Economics and Ethics makes a substantial contribution as a wide-ranging up-to-date reference work, including original developments, on these two fundamentally interconnected fields. This contribution is particularly timely, given the increasing attention being paid to economics as a moral science. The Handbook contains seventy-five expert entries on subjects ranging from the history of economics and philosophy to conceptual analysis of ethics in various aspects of modern economics, while representing a diversity of views. Sheila Dow, University of Stirling, UK The Handbook of Economics and Ethics portrays an understanding of economic methodology in which facts and values, though distinct, are closely interconnected in a variety of ways. From theory building to data collection, and from modelling to policy evaluation, this encyclopaedic Handbook is at the intersection of economics and ethics. Irene van Staveren and Jan Peil bring together 75 unique and original papers to provide up-to-date insights on topics such as markets, globalization, human development, rationality, efficiency, and corporate social responsibility. The book presents contributions from an array of international scholars using methodological and theoretical approaches, and convincingly demonstrates the death of the positive/normative dichotomy that so long held economics in its grip. This invaluable resource will strongly appeal to students of economics and economic methodology, philosophy of science and ethics. It will also be of great benefit to academics and policy-makers involved in economic policies and ethics.