Search

Thought Experiments of Economic Surplus: Science and Economy in Ernst Mach's Epistemology. Thought experiments are an important element in Ernst Mach's epistemology: They facilitate amplifying our knowledge by experimenting with thoughts; they thus exceed the empirical experience and suspend the quest for immediate utility. In an economical perspective, Mach suggested that thought experiments depended on the production of an economic surplus based on the division of labor relieving the struggle for survival of the individual. Thus, as frequently emphasized, in Mach's epistemology, not only the 'economy of thought' is an important feature; instead, also the socioeconomic conditions of science play a decisive role. The paper discusses the mental and social economic aspects of experimental thinking in Mach's epistemology and examines those within the contemporary evolutionary, physiological, and economic contexts., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

This article re-reads Marx's account of the commodity as a socio-natural entity. In doing so, it re-evaluates the status of the political (as opposed to questions of political economy) in Marx's analysis and also reads his argument in light of Actor-Network-Theory's call for the thingness of things to be taken seriously. The paper argues that there is a complex duality to the commodity as it is always comprised of both use-value and exchange-value and hence as both 'natural' and 'social'. It is pointed out that the usual translation of words with the root 'gesellschaft-' as 'social' is unhelpful and that a better term would be 'societal', as this enables Marx, and us, to re-approach the very distinction between the natural, the societal and the social. Marx's notion of 'value as equivalence' is then outlined and it is argued that this crucial stage in his account is often passed over. Value as equivalence is not a mere social production but relies upon the expression of the use-value of one thing in another. This leads to the third move which is an outline of the importance of value-form and social form. It is argued that it is this formation of a commodity (comprising both the natural and the social) which is the key both to understanding it as a specific historical entity as well as offering a powerful, non-reductive, account of the natural, social, material and historical character of things. Overall, the article attempts to develop a novel conception of natural-social commodities which does not premise either side of this dyad and so might help social theorists to talk of real things whilst avoiding charges of essentialism and reductionism as well as possible Latourian critiques of over-generalization., (© London School of Economics and Political Science 2012.)

While empirical evidence continues to show that low socio-economic position is associated with less likely chances of being in good health, our understanding of why this is so remains less than clear. In this paper we examine the theoretical foundations for a structure-agency approach to the reduction of social inequalities in health. We use Max Weber's work on lifestyles to provide the explanation for the dualism between life chances (structure) and choice-based life conduct (agency). For explaining how the unequal distribution of material and non-material resources leads to the reproduction of unequal life chances and limitations of choice in contemporary societies, we apply Pierre Bourdieu's theory on capital interaction and habitus. We find, however, that Bourdieu's habitus concept is insufficient with regard to the role of agency for structural change and therefore does not readily provide for a theoretically supported move from sociological explanation to public health action. We therefore suggest Amartya Sen's capability approach as a useful link between capital interaction theory and action to reduce social inequalities in health. This link allows for the consideration of structural conditions as well as an active role for individuals as agents in reducing these inequalities. We suggest that people's capabilities to be active for their health be considered as a key concept in public health practice to reduce health inequalities. Examples provided from an ongoing health promotion project in Germany link our theoretical perspective to a practical experience., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This article on the German economist and sociologist Max Weber (1864-1920) continues our pathographic and psychohistoric studies on the interrelations between his life, his illness, and his work on "Protestantic Ethics and the Spirit of Capitalism". In a former paper (Frommer u. Frommer, 1993) we focussed on Weber's definition of modern society as an "iron cage" determined by Western rationalism. His theory, which shows that this cultural background demands a great amount of role conformity from the individual, converges with current psychopathological approaches on the personality of depressed patients. In the second article we report on results of our research on further personal documents, and some medical certificates by Weber's physicians. These documents demonstrate the diagnosis of a severe depression in a narcisstic and hypernomic personality.

"In this paper I provide a conceptualization of international migration networks, which can be used to identify and integrate the internal components of migration systems, and formalize the relationships in an analytic model of the internal network dynamic. With the use of the operationalized model, and microlevel and macrolevel data for guestworkers in Germany during the period 1970 to 1989, we can empirically test the relative influence of internal network variables versus external forces on the attraction of immigrants over time. The empirical results suggest that--as the system matures--network variables have an increasing impact on the attraction of immigrants, while the impact of economic factors declines. The research is concluded with a series of simulations that further highlight the internal dynamic of international migration systems.", (excerpt)

The authors examine the 1989 removal of the frontier region (Zonenrandgebiet) along the eastern border of the former Federal Republic of Germany. "The paper examines the socio-economic impacts on the North Bavarian section of the Zonenrandgebiet, which is characterized by its dispersed industrial base and lack of higher-order urban centres. Evidence is presented of rapid upturns in population growth and economic activity, together with a large inflow of commuters from the former East Germany and Czechoslovakia, following frontier opening. Traffic, environmental pressures and living costs have also increased. Both positive and negative impacts are strongest in districts contiguous with the former frontier. Long-term development prospects hinge on its newly-gained centrality within Germany. Substantial local benefits are anticipated...,but they are unlikely to induce a major reshaping of the German space-economy; this will be dominated by the rivalry between the largest metropolitan centres." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND GER), (excerpt)

"This paper investigates the influence of politically determined wage rates on migration between Germany's new and old states. Apart from their direct influence on expected income and hence on migration, nominal wages affect migration indirectly by the unemployment they generate. Under reasonable assumptions the relation between nominal wages and migration is negative. The long-run influence of wages on capital accumulation and hence employment opportunities emphasizes that wage policy can be used either to control the long-run population stock or to stop migration immediately. That latter requires instantaneous wage-rate adjustments and initial wage-rate undershooting." (SUMMARY IN ENG), (excerpt)

"This paper examines the effects of diverging economic conditions on labor migration within reunified Germany. We employ a life-cycle model with consumers' sovereignty regarding choice of location to derive estimates of labor migration in future periods. Heterogeneity of individuals is explicitly taken into account by adopting a random utility approach.... Within limits, our predictions can serve as rough indicators of potential future migration between Eastern and Western Europe.", (excerpt)

The paper describes the performance of continuing education programmes of the Medical Advisory Services in Germany and explains the methodical background. Elements of conceptional structure comprise basic and advanced seminars, professional und special training courses. Realizations of this training concept are described with special regard to demand, utilisation and acceptance with prospects of future.