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In this paper, we develop the idea of the Sraffian Supermultiplier, presenting it as an alternative to traditional neoclassical thought about economic growth and economic policy. Thus, a brief introduction is made about the importance of economic growth for classical economists, followed by the development of Harrod's model and the different solutions that have raised for sorting the problem of instability. Finally, we present the supermultiplier model of Serrano together with international empirical evidence that supports it and some proposals of economic policy are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that this year's "Nobel" prize in economics celebrates one of the weakest aspects of modern macroeconomic thinking: its limited ability to understand the macro-financial instability of modern capitalism. Instead of challenging the stubborn refusal to take seriously thinkers who confront the essential importance of finance and its dangers for the modern world, such as Hyman Minsky or Hyun Song Shin, it flaunts the tendency to ignore them. And it argues that if the Prize Committee had wanted to reward those who seek to understand the dynamics of the modern global financial system and its interconnections with the real economy, it should have given it to the BIS team, which dates back to the time of William White, and to academic economists associated with the BIS such as Hyun Song Shin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sheds light on an overlooked issue in economics, namely the social responsibility of central banks in a democracy. We consider central banks as institutions of power, and, as such, neither are they nor their policies neutral, in the sense that there are inevitable winners and losers. We explain why and how their power should be regulated and controlled by society. Specifically, we focus on the income distributive nature of monetary policy to demonstrate this assertion. From this, we explain that the time is ripe to build a new framework for central banking aiming at improving central banks' social responsibility consistent with the spirit of a democratic system, and resting on new rules, new types of inner organization and, more broadly, an ethics of responsibility of a new kind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between the French Revolution (1789) and the outbreak of the Springtime of the Peoples (1848), European economic thought debated between the defense of protected markets and the proper opening of capitalist markets. In this paper, we address this process specifically in the framework of the German intellectual scene, from the bibliographic debates of the time, as a historical marker for a more complete understanding of the Hegelian conceptualization of political economy, its scope, limitations, and projections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economics is a policy discipline that deals with the problems of social organization and the general good. It co-evolves with circumstances, and it is historically contingent. The world to which economic policies are ultimately addressed is a complex system. Yet economists seeking to develop appropriate policies are necessarily guided by simplifications and heuristics. The question before the discipline is to decide what sort of simplification is best suited to the task. In the spirit of modern science, this paper argues that appropriate generalizations, simplifications, heuristics, and principles are to be derived from a study of the actual world. While these may deploy mathematical tools and draw on insights from the behavior of mathematical systems, the latter by themselves are inadequate, especially where they start from the dead dogmas of the neoclassical mainstream: ex nihilo nihil fit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mainstream economic theory is replete with assumptions that feed into structural or systemic racism. It supports an economic system that severely disadvantages people at the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum, which in the U.S. includes a disproportionate number of Hispanics, indigenous people, and descendants of slaves ((would Afro-Americans be more appropriate?)). The paper discusses 15 such assumptions that are generally trivialized, including the crucial role information costs play in decision making. In turn, costly information implies that its acquisition by poor people requires a greater share of their income, making it more difficult for them to make well-informed decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sraffa rescues the classical analysis and puts it in discussion with mainstream theory. The thesis of this paper is that his ontological analysis, specified in the market snapshot, allows us to understand Sraffa's theoretical position and, in turn, is a method to assess his traditional interpretations as well as the new perspectives arising from the reading of his drafts. Its position is not entirely precise, so it is necessary to include conventions, which open the way to institutional analysis. Finally, starting from the contrast with other interpretations, it proposes to defend the coherence between the vision of the world and the ideas developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses the principle of maximum entropy to characterize certain aspects of classical political economy associated with the labor theory of value. First, it is shown that the free mobility of labor can give rise to a distribution of wages tending towards the mean and the existence of universal labor time as an emergent property of the system. Similarly, it is shown that the free mobility of capital can result in a tendency towards a normal rate of profit, while allowing for the possibility that the system will enter periods of crisis through time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the heir of political philosophy, the English post-commercialist economy and the French physiocracy, since its origin, political economy has integrated production, circulation and the theory of value into the theories of the modern state and capitalist society. In this paper it is argued that, in political economy, the conceptions of the State and of society are related to the theory of surplus. It criticizes the marginilist notion of society, emphasizes the centrality of the theory of surplus, explained in the conflict between State and society, and identifies the limits of the principle of effective demand of Keynes and Kalecki. The main conclusion is that economic policy recommendations based on inflation, wage deflation and containment of public spending goals seek to increase the surplus in the crisis and recession phases of the economic cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesoamerica emerged in regional relations thanks to different cooperation strategies between Mexico, Central America, Colombia and the Dominican Republic that have resulted in what is known today as the Mesoamerica Integration and Development Project. However, ten years after its creation, most of the studies in this regard are descriptive and use an institutional approach that does not distinguish other relevant aspects such as the inclusion of nongovernmental actors and their participation in this regional program. In order to make a first approach to these aspects within the Mesoamerica Project, this paper proposes the use of the International Political Economy theoretical approach of British origin, in the interest of identifying those analytical elements that will go beyond the traditional approach and deepen our knowledge of this program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic thought evolved over the past two centuries to focus on individual behavior as the basis for all economic activity. Some heterodox economists have pointed to the importance of group behavior and the influence of organizations on economic activity, but the neoclassical paradigm, with the rational isolated individual as its main actor, prevails in mainstream economics. This paper presents a "sociology of economics" to explain why the prevailing paradigm of economics does not allow seeing and studying group behavior. Drawing on the work of Pierre Bourdieu, the paper details the habitus, the system of beliefs and the symbolic violence against those who question them. Also, it highlights the support of commercial and financial interests to the dominant culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most explanations of stock market booms and busts are based on contrasting the underlying ‘fundamental’ logic of the economy with the exogenous, non-economic factors that presumably distort it. Our paper offers a radically different model, examining the stock market not from the mechanical viewpoint of a distorted economy, but from the dialectical perspective of capitalized power. The model demonstrates that (1) the valuation of equities represents capitalized power; (2) capitalized power is dialectically intertwined with systemic fear; and (3) systemic fear and capitalized power are mediated through strategic sabotage. This triangular model, we posit, can offer a basis for examining the asymptotes, or limits, of capitalized power and the ways in which these asymptotes relate to the historical and ongoing transformation of the capitalist mode of power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After twenty-five years of the end of the Cold War, the impact of the rise of China in the international system can be analyzed from material and ideational elements of power. This article seeks to identify whether China's importance is internationally overrated, or if this country can really challenge U.S. hegemony. Most of the literature on Chinese potential has overlooked its internal policy, which is a determining factor in the international system, according to the realist perspective. Using the inductive method, this paper will attempt to establish the causal relation between domestic and international politics. This will highlight China's need to solve border disputes with its neighbors, make a commitment to respect human rights, and solve the needs of a population that is highly dissatisfied with the present government due to inequality and corruption. These factors challenge China in its quest to achieve a new distribution of power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents evidence that macroeconomic accounting models helped to anticipate the credit crisis and economic recession, whereas equilibrium models, ubiquitous in mainstream policy and research, did not. This study traces the intellectual pedigree of the accounting approach as an alternative to neo-classical economics, and the postwar rise and decline of flow-of-funds models in policy use. The paper includes contemporary case studies of both types of models, and considers why the accounting approach has remained outside mainstream economics. Finally, it provides constructive recommendations for revising financial stability evaluation methods, and advocates an 'accounting of economics'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first application to Colombia of culturomics, a novel research method in the social sciences that describes cultural, social and linguistics trends based on the quantitative analysis of millions of digitized texts. The paper uses all news and editorials published during the past two decades in three national periodicals in order to analyze the trajectories of several social and economic phenomena: corruption, economic optimism, the relative power of the judicial branch, etc. Beyond its specific findings, this paper showcases how culturomics can be used to describe the changing reality of a developing country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic theory of rational choice was accepted for decades as a general theory to explain human behaviour which other social sciences lack. This paper reviews some limitations of the former. Through cognitive psychology, the paper describes the cognitive biases of people when assessing data and making choices, which puts into question the idea that the human mind is programmed to follow the assumptions of rational choice. On the other hand, the increased risks in modern civilization (monetary, ecological, geopolitical) and their global character define our society as "the society of global risk". The author discusses the limits of our rationality in regard to making choices as a troubling issue for coping with increasing global risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a detailed presentation of the Skaperdas and Syropoulos model; one of the main models of the theory of conflict and state emergence. First, it describes the model's Nash equilibrium and the relevant effects of comparative analysis. And second, from a new interpretation of the equilibrium and comparisons with other similar models, the paper concludes that it constitutes the most general analytical framework in the subject, which can be understood as the foundations for a general theory of conflict and state emergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper suggests that the best way to evaluate and drive development policy is to understand the root causes that explain the political economy restrictions limiting the developmental effectiveness of multilateral and bilateral institutions. To mitigate the deleterious effects of collective action restrictions this paper recommends a twopronged interdependent strategy: an enhanced use of ex ante evaluation in all interventions and through a more intensive application of the paper trail approach; and changes of constitutional rules or macro-institutional conditions which determine the decisions made in all institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, some papers have been published that examine the relation between economic history and institutional economics, and propose a closer relation between these two disciplines. This article shows how the theoretical and methodological foundations of the different institutionalist programs are enriching research in economic history, giving it more rigor. Furthermore, using papers from Hodgson, North and Greif, this article reviews the contributions of traditional institutionalism, New Institutional Economics and Historical and Comparative Institutional Analysis. It ends by proposing a research program that emphasizes the historical studies of institutions and enriches economic analysis. Economic history should not be seen as a subaltern discipline; it should be treated at the same level as economics, as Schumpeter wanted it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows one type of asymmetric information problems, their theoretical implications, the design of contracts that mitigate them, as well as some experimental evidence. Furthermore, by extrapolating the results, the paper tries to illustrate certain macroeconomic implications obtained under a controlled environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though copyright is an institution which dates back to the 18th century, the economic analysis of copyright is relatively new; paradoxically it was not until 1934 with Plant's work when copyright economics started to emerge as a specialized field. This paper aims to draw an historical outline of copyright economics as a new area of economic analysis, focusing on its dilemmas and approaches, as well as on the main challenge for this institution in the digital era, unauthorized copy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we note a complementary relationship between the Austrian school, based on the individual's role and markets, and institutional economics, which emphasizes the role of institutions in economic behavior. The idea of continuous improvement in corporate governance takes place in a system of complex and interrelated production in which the contributions of the various actors are necessary and difficult to quantify. Our working hypothesis is that institutions can to solve the distributional conflict and generate more productive organizations, while stimulating the entrepreneurial spirit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a review of the notions of value in economics and anthropology. In this review, the greater difficulty has been, indeed, the historical separation between disciplines that frequently have developed their theoretical conceptualizations about economic fact separately, while the cooperation attempts have had to overcome important methodological and formal differences. However, the analysis of the main anthropological and economic contributions has shown the necessity to re-examine the foundations about value and to reflect on the use of this concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What do economists mean when they talk about 'capital accumulation'? Surprisingly, the answer is anything but clear. The conventional view is that there are two types of capital, real and financial; that these two capitals should correspond to one another; and that, unfortunately, most of the time they don't: in general, goes the argument, the growth of financial capital tends to mismatch and distort the accumulation of real capital. The paper shows this 'mismatch thesis' - and therefore the ability of economists to explain accumulation - to be built on foundations of sand. Economists, it argues, cannot measure real capital in the first place, and the proxies they devise for that purpose entangle them in logical circularities and empirical impossibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooperation among firms can be analyzed from different theoretical perspectives. The objective of this paper is to analyze firm networks from the perspective of team theory and club theory. Even though these theories are not recent in economics, using them as a theoretical framework for the characterization of firm networks could be a novel contribution. We can infer that aspects of both theories could be combined to explain cases of cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hirschman was a great social scientist who was committed to justice and democracy. This paper, a small homage in his memory, analyizes his most important book, The Strategy of Economic Development, and his reflections about late industrialization, inflation, balance of payment deficits, the linkage hypothesis, and relations between development theory and economic theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929) is one of the founders of American institutional economics. This paper aims to make a presentation of his theory of consumption and his theory of business cycles and crises, through an analytical reading of his works: The Theory of the Leisure Class and The Theory of Business Enterprise. In order to complete this analysis, we also make a general presentation of the author's thought and a brief systematization of his critique of orthodox economic thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the traits that characterize the codes of conduct with the aim to understand the parameters of responsibility and ethical performance that Colombian oil companies define for themselves and for their stakeholders. The paper is exploratory and descriptive and uses the method of multiple case study. The codes are grouped in three blocks according to their structure. We show the philosophical roots of codes. codes of global companies are extensive and legal. Local companies with international ambition have less extensive codes, but maintain their legal nature. Codes of small local enterprises are short and mission-focused by this tone. Virtually all codes have their roots in utilitarian ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the traits that characterize the codes of conduct with the aim to understand the parameters of responsibility and ethical performance that Colombian oil companies define for themselves and for their stakeholders. The paper is exploratory and descriptive and uses the method of multiple case study. The codes are grouped in three blocks according to their structure. We show the philosophical roots of codes. Codes of global companies are extensive and legal. Local companies with international ambitions have less extensive codes, but maintain their legal nature. Codes of small local enterprises are short and mission-focused by this tone. Virtually all codes have their roots in utilitarian ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores why the type of complex financial regulation developed over recent decades may be a suboptimal response to the increasing complexity of the financial system. Examples from other disciplines illustrate how decision-making in a complex environment can benefit from simple rules of thumb or 'heuristics'. We perform a set of empirical experiments to assess the relative performance of simple versus complex rules in a financial setting. We find that simple metrics, such as the leverage ratio and market-based measures of capital, outperform more complex risk-weighted measures and multiple-indicator models in their capacity to predict bank failure. A consistent message from these experiments is that complexity of models or portfolios can generate robustness problems. We outline five policy lessons from these findings, covering both the design of financial regulation itself and possible measures aimed at reducing complexity of the financial system more directly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an empirical verification of the "political business cycle" hypotheses applied to 547 Colombian municipalities from 1989 to 2008. The econometric study reveals that smaller towns exhibit a cycle in public investment and fiscal deficit: both variables increase before elections and fall after them. These results are placed in the Colombian social context to discuss why the cycle occurs in those municipalities and the coincidence with differences in the efficiency of public expenditure to reduce poverty, as measured by unsatisfied basic needs. Some policies are recommended in order to reduce the adverse effects of this cycle and improve efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper present two basic ideas. The first one is that the model of rationality applied to fertility and the interaction between quantity and quality were not originally proposed by Becker, as many of those interested in the subject tend to believe; and even that if this relation could seem clear, it is not obvious. The second one is that from the beginning the analysis of fertility has considered the institutional context. Criticism of Becker's model and more recent work strengthen the importance of institutional analysis for the study of the rationality of families in decisions on the number of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document explores various information theoretical concepts initially developed in physics and engineering and used today in many other fields. Information is defined as a quantity inversely proportional to the probability that an event happens and entropy is defined as the expected value of information. Some information applications in economics include Theil's inequality index, Akaike's information criterion, and the maximum entropy estimation method. Also, information theoretical concepts have been applied to the statistical analysis of financial data. This paper includes an empirical illustration relating to stock market price forecasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polarization seems to be a more accurate concept for the explanation of the emergence of social conflicts than that of inequality. This paper succinctly presents both concepts and summarizes the theory and index of economic polarization developed by Esteban and Ray within its identification-alienation framework and some of its extensions such as the group and explained polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining the approaches of Ortiz and Mejía et al., this paper proposes a new model of drug trafficking and conflict. In a general equilibrium framework, an explanation of the downward trend in the price of cocaine over the last two decades is developed. The model shows that the main factor causing this trend is the increase in productivity in the production of cocaine, which has counterbalanced the impact of the supply-side control policies and the decrease in the number of hectares of land planted with coca. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural economics has recently been included in the development of Economics. The seminal paper Performing Arts: The Economic Dilemma by William Baumol and William Bowen, much acknowledged by specialists and from which this specialisation originates, dates back to 1966. In spite of its short life, cultural economics is a dynamic area for applying economic analysis to diverse subjects such as: "Baumol's cost-disease", cultural policy, models of consumption of cultural goods, concepts of capital and cultural value, organisational and managerial structures of cultural companies, the functionary of art markets and the development of the sector's economic accounts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to illustrate different approaches to collective action and their relation with particular types of public policy. We analyze the impact of econonomics and non-economics collective action driven perspectives on public policy theory. The former perspective is conducive to a rational approach to policy. However, as reciprocity enters into collective action reasoning, then public policy becomes interested in understanding behavioural change in terms of such relations. Finally, we conclude on the relevance of collective action for the study of public policy and highlight the circumstances that may foster such analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1980, Venezuelan income per capita in dollars was 1.4 times higher than that of Colombia, but in 2007, this ratio was reversed and the Colombian income was 1.1 higher than that of Venezuela. This result deserves an explanation, as both countries made similar structural reforms to allow a free economy and to integrate with international markets. This paper aims to explain this result. The main conclusion is that the State-entrepreneur relationship and the real exchange rate management are crucial for the explanation of the difference in the economic performance of both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explains two enigmas related to the scientific career of Thomas C. Schelling, Nobel Prize in Economics 2005: How to explain his capacity to always produce new ideas? Why have his multiple pioneer ideas had more impact on other social sciences and not on economics? The paper proposes three hypotheses: the minor impact of the acquired knowledge of his theoretical work, a heuristic that always privileged the relationship between unpublished facts and unusual angles, and the creation of a spontaneous knowledge network that covered different disciplines dedicated to social interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates how economic theory deals with analyses of current real estate dynamics and urban residential structure. It shows the fundamental axioms of neoclassical spatial synthesis and their explanations in terms of equilibrium, and highlights ambiguous and unsatisfactory, but elegant, solutions to urban spatial economic structure and dynamics. It presents the critical heterodox approach to the fundamental axioms and the hypothesis of spatial equilibrium, and shows the main aspects of the central heterodox contribution to residential real estate dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current theories of the State would benefit from a new look at the economic role of the State in the work of the great economists of the 19th and 20th Centuries. Schumpeter's emphasis on the role of technological innovation in long-term economic growth makes his work particularly interesting for development economics. However, Schumpeter's rejection of the State's role in income redistribution is too simplistic and contradictory. Structural change may enhance the prospects for long-term growth, but also creates social and economic disruptions. This paper explores this basic contradiction and briefly discusses the application of Schumpeter's theory of the State to new industrialized countries in East Asia and Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows the links between Hume's philosophy of customs and the basic principles of institutional theory. This relationship has been suggested by contemporary economists such as Vernon Smith and others, who see in Hume the origins of today's broadly accepted dichotomy between constructive and ecological reasoning, essential to institutional thinking. For Hume habit, as the main guide of life, can be used to comprehend individual and collective behavioural patterns. The question is whether his reflections on the subject are consistent with the foundations of his own philosophy of belief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harrod's research program was the first to integrate the central ideas of "magnum dynamics" into a mechanical framework of vector forces to endogenously explain cycles and growth. Mathematical economists ignored these points and Harrod's original work was presented in textbooks as the Harrod-Domar growth model. The aim of this paper is to present Harrod's dynamic and show that his real aim was to build a non linear cyclic growth model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently a new approach to political economy has been consolidated. The political analysis of transaction costs is an attempt to solve some of the problems which arise in economic theories of public policy. This paper deals with the notions of transaction costs, institutional efficiency, governance structures and commitment value; and defines political interchange as political contracts. Political transactions have high transaction costs and the efficiency of the "political market" requires a democratic system with institutions that favour reasoned decisions and prevents democratic delegation from becoming abdication. This article surveys literature with a transaction cost perspective and shows that it has been very useful for the theoretical explanation of the role of political agents and the evolution of rules that guide their interaction. The main challenge is to provide empirical evidence to the theoretical proposals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to present the main differences between New Institutional Economics, NIE, and Original Institutional Economics, OIE, and to question some of the proposals that call for the gap between the two approaches to be bridge. This does not preclude the possibilities of a dialogue. Without ignoring some important theoretical developments in North's work, the author claims that NIE is a school that operates in the periphery of the neoclassical economics paradigm, and shares its ontological and methodological foundations; however these are very different from the evolutionary (Darwinian) economics of Thorstein Veblen. Though the task of integrating the OIE and NIE seems impossible following the road of eclecticism, a dialogue between them could open new perspectives and enrich institutional economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space, geography and territorial organization have gained importance in recent studies on economical and political development. This reveals a (re)territorialization of the theoretical approaches of development. This paper systematically studies new theories of economic growth, analysis of State transformation, neoinstitutionalist approaches and the environmental perspective. Though these theories come from different disciplines, they converge in a new paradigm of development. In this new approach, the territory is not considered a receptacle-perimeter of productive activities and sociopolitical process, but as an explanatory element of development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the main problems of the theory of games as a tool of economic analysis. It also points out the new perspectives of the solution concepts including their context and finally it presents some comments regarding the future of the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarizes theoretical models and empirical evidence concerning the political economy of public finances. It emphasizes political and institutional issues that influence different levels of public debt and fiscal deficits in countries and subnational entities with similar economic performance, and describes fiscal contract relationships between governors and voters using principal-agent theory. It then applies methods of experimental economics and game theory to evaluate how these relationships contribute to debt accumulation and fiscal unbalances, in a laboratory experiment in which participants act as agents (governors) and then as principals (voters). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under what circumstances is it necessary or convenient for an agent to rely on habits and rules? This paper focuses on the types of decision situation giving rise to their use. Even optimisation requires the development of rules, and for this reason mainstream economics cannot legitimately ignore these questions. It argues that habits and rules are ubiquitous in human activity, presents a new taxonomy and analyses seven types of decision situations classified according to the type of information problem involved. Neither neoclassical nor behavioural economics can provide a complete account of the bases of habits or rules in these cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]