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Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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]

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]

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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]

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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]

Copyright of Revista de Economía Institucional is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

El artículo presenta una bibliografía de artículos sobre la economía institucional e incluye "La efectividad en términos de desarrollo de las instituciones multilaterales bajo restricciones de acción colectiva," escrito por Eduardo Wiesner Durán, "Colombia en las dos fases de globalización," escrito por Salomón Kalmanovitz, y "Globalización del capital y desarrollo institucional del sistema financiero," escrito por Edgar Demetrio Tovar García.

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]

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]

Presents abstracts of several articles related to economic history. "The Colonial Origins of Comparative Development: An Empirical Investigation," by Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson; "Hume and Institutional Theory," by Carlos Mellizo; "Capitalism, Development and the State. A Critical Account of Schumpeter's Theory of the State," by Diego Sánchez-Ancochea.

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]