Search

The paper aims to point out main relevant moments in the researches concerning the service issue, containing the reserve for core developments in economics. Roots are from the literature in the last decade of the previous century, but also certain even elder and diverse more recent developments are evoked as well, by the criterion of their importance mainly for better seeing the issue of productivity, and of the interesting particular developments they got later. Apart from the service economy literature, background comes from the genuine liberalism too. The obvious realities of growing immaterial dimension of human concerns give the actual conditions that make such researches necessary, against the orthodox production and material approach. The reference value of our research is supplemented with the developments we made, including defining conceptual distinctions and suitable particularizations. Such contributions are meant to allow the relevant concerned ideas to be better seen, and to improve economics' approaches. The importance of involving such elements in economic research is conclusively underlined. Purely theoretical, the paper does not contain empirical analyses. It is useful for scholars that wish to widen the horizon of their approaches in attempts to render them topical and to improve the common/dominant economics.

The aim of the present paper is to put together, point out and underline the core characteristics of a generalized concept of productivity built on a heterodox outlook. The analysis is conducted under the assumption that the developing knowledge in nowadays society and the concern for basing the economy on it require a reviewed approach on productivity. Relevant moments from the economic thought and literature are invoked(certain approaches on productivity from the most representative Romanian economic thought here included); the research finds reason and main conceptual grounds in the genuine liberalism and in the service economy, by a critical view on the concern for productivity growth as commonly seen and calculated. The paper also aims to bring to the current attention some pioneer work, less known but very important for the productivity mark. The paper develops the service stake as defining value creation and reveals the most important differences between common productivity (usually calculated productivity) and the new approach that takes into account the generalized service approach consistent with nowadays society. This paper is a theoretical presentation designed to serve as an improved context for reconsidering the researches focused on – or connected with – productivity.

The paper highlights some important correlations between the outcomes of the Romanian educational system and certain key indicators concerning the Romanian economy. The indicators are selected on the basis of the logic correlations and considering the limits of available data. The time-lag models were used because the macroeconomic effects of the factorial indicators considered as determinants on dependent variables cannot be usually detected in the same year. The results allowed interesting discussions concerning the Romanian education system and its funding-related evolutions in the last decade.

The paper deals with a critical debate regarding the common conception on human needs and on their fulfilment through the concern for productivity and growth. It starts from the most common way of perceiving (and, implicitly, of developing) the economy, which is reappraised on the grounds of genuine liberalism; several routine approaches in economics and most common concerns in the economy are put under question. The debate brings conclusions related to a widened area of issues concerning the assessment of economic activities and core educational recommendations, implying interventionism focused on developing responsibility on the very long term.

This paper aims to outline synthetically a set of indicators for the study of productivity in education and to critically analyze their suitability as input, output or outcome. References were made to the indicators available in the databases of Romania, World Bank, Eurostat, OECD relevant for measuring productivity in education, which opposed to usual reporting between effect / result and inputs elements consumed in the production process,in the case of educational services should be considered the quantitative, but also qualitative aspects - and especially - mediated effects, on long-term and very long term. The research results presented, emphasize the importance of the educational reform efforts to focus more on qualitative aspects in measuring productivity, more precisely on the abilities, competencies that have pupils /students and adults, on motivating teachers, to achieve educational outcomes which could increase students performance, productivity growth on long-term and very long term effects, with an impact at the macroeconomic level.

Paper aims at highlighting certain ground elements for building a new economic conception of human life, adequate to sustainable development in a knowledge society. Methodologically, the conceptual grounds of the research come from re-analyzing human needs. Certain remarks concerning the needs pyramid are assumed, in the light of the knowledge society requirements and also consistent with the state of actual data. Connections with genuine European roots and also with invoked future development scenarios are made. Conclusive critical conclusions and proposals for long and mainly very long term result, in (and from) the light of the invoked issues.

Paper aims at bringing completions to the neoclassical viewpoint in Economics, in the purpose of better according economic research to the actual needs of the economy. Research starts from certain principles of widening economic logics, involving recent economic realities and tendencies, in an interdisciplinary approach, with implications and emphasis mostly on the social field, sustainability and environment. The developments Alfred Marshall brought to the neoclassical approach (taking-back his contributions for the connections between classicism and neo-classicism) are furthered, in extensions suitable to knowledge society. More recent contributions of different fields of sciences are invoked. Results are in reminding certain almost forgotten precepts of genuine liberalism, – which are the essence of the approach of servicity – and defining the adequate new angles of approaching realities in economics, in principles and pertinent proposals consistent with knowledge-based economy.

Present study aims to reveal a few of the main perceptions and assumptions concerning economic activity, with implications in the nowadays’ crisis. The most important current anti-crisis views on causes of the crisis are synthesized and critically reviewed. Methodologically, their interpretation is made by the effects in practice, alleging a wide interdisciplinary approach, consistent with the requirements of the European concept of knowledge society. Thus, ideas are brought in the economic analysis in a heterodox approach, trying to go beyond certain standard economic routines and into modelling. The model comes from an approach on the material-immaterial difference and has an answer to the dilemma consumption vs. economizing. There result prerequisites for economic analysis, as well as conclusions in a pro-active approach of the matter, which are generally applicable to the crisis management at macroeconomic level, but with implications at the level of individual economic agent, too.

The paper aims finding some fundamental explanations for the decaying of the competition and planetary environment, in the conditions of the mature actual market economy – based on the principles of the knowledge-based economy. The approach starts from the manner of reward, on the market, for the human activities, with respect to famous cases. The nature of the values rewarded by the strict market mechanisms is underlined. The opening is made, in this matter, to the requirement of widening the horizon and the criterial system of the economy, by interdisciplinarity – in the purpose of raising the analysis above the strict economic angle (in the narrow sense) from the period of industrialization, to levels that are consistent with the knowledge society: in the purpose of achieving a knowledge based economy. Showing some relevant facts from the economic actuality is the opportunity to question of the strictly economic criteria (on the short and medium run), rather than long and very long run sustainability, social cohesion, environment and other major goals. Essential effects of the unrestricted market mechanisms are exemplified; they need reconsidering the essences of liberalism. Analysis uses the French physiocrat origins of the liberalism and reveals the embezzlements made by the Anglo-Saxon thought, starting with classical economics. Such changes (mistakes) are approached like being capital for the whole evolution of economic thought and of the life that is today more and more focussed on “the economic moral”. This analysis is made by using the contribution of the biggest Romanian economists: Mihail Manoilescu and Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, who are put one near the other in an original way (searching for their communion of ideas). From this angle – and using the relevant plusses of effectiveness in the economies of the most evolved countries in the law state matter – the role of social organization (regulations) on different levels is a corollary for assuring the functionality of the economy. Paper deliberately does not avoid the ethical aspects (like the restrictive economics does), but is declaring them like components of the human life that cannot be ignored, being organically adequate to the liberal spirit.The conclusions go to the meanings of productivity and of the economic activity in general, revealing the idea of the servicity indicator (that is developed in other author’s researches) and a main request: the superior principles of the humanism of the genuine liberalism should not be abandoned to the Godfearless (unscrupulous) cunning business.

Paper aims sustaining the necessity of adapting studying criteria to the analysed matter and to the times: to the knowledge based economy. It tries to be a proposal to look for profound causes of economic activity results. Methodologically, paper replaces earn marking by the criterion of the place of registering with that Cartesian one of the generating of the plusses of utility. A demonstration of re-assigning results consistence with their adequate source is made on the subject of technology returns. By reinterpreting growth phenomena, the sample points out the role and gains of intellectual activities. Passing beyond the classical period and analyzing by appropriate modern principles, the main conclusion is that all economic actors should grow intellect-intensive inputs in their business.

The end of the XXth century and the beginning of the XXIst have been marked both by the growth of globalization’s amplitude and by the changes of the international security environment. The main threatens are terrorism, mass destruction weapons, the growing world polarisation between rich and poor, the faulty governance, the emphasize of the rivalries between the biggest economic powers of the world. Crises and conflicts management as well as the effective control of a war suppose a collective defence, namely alliances and coalitions, as no country is able to defend by itself, so far. Of course, collective defence does not exclude the national one, but the latest depends on the first. The present paper attempts to explain Romania’s role as a security beneficiary and provider in South-Eastern European security environment, as a member of both EU and NATO.

Paper aims at defining the value, taking conceptual ideas from the service economy, and at designing main conceptual criteria for correcting of routine approach in economics. It is built as a theoretical questioning and debate, starting with reminding certain issues from the Mercantilist and Physiocrat economic thought. The servicity view is thus reasoned, i.e. the respect to the actual service brought to the whole socio-economic and natural environment, being a part of a larger research. The actual context of the debate is given by the knowledge society in the post-industrial era. The results indicate theoretical clarifying, bringing a renovating interpretative view of value, particularly concerning the Physiocrat roots of value and productivity, as well as new questions to be answered, in a heterodox approach, containing the reserve of new horizons to be developed and applied in concrete circumstances.

This paper proposes and depicts certain aspects that we consider to be essential in the matter of the economic systems’ relational potential utilization for their functional synergism's turning up and synergic acting in the benefit of the concerned systems (with emphasis on the open ones) and in the purpose of avoiding undesirable results. It aims at highlighting, defining and outlining the main conceptual issues, including the formalizing and also showing of certain real examples. After a short introduction and a very synthetic review of the evolution of economic entities (from the angle of the managerial approach) to the open system form, a conceptual presentation of those systems’ potential to generate synergism by multiple connections and relations is made. The paper’s conception is based on the hypothesis that the concern and action for quantifying and exploiting the synergic relational potential of the active economic entities (including the case of complex entities, of regional or national level) would represent support and impulse for their success in competition; this specific advantage of those economic entities is perceived as being obtained out from of the conventional means. Further on, the factorial substantiation of the growth of an open economic system’s synergic potential is made and the benefits of its turning to good account are described, but also certain problems (and examples) concerning its accounting and finding in statistic records.The essential aspects (argumentative and to be followed to achieve synergy effects) are synthesized into a suggestive formula concerning especially the number and intensity of the established and functional links, as a result of trying to measure the exploitation degree of the synergistic relational potential that belongs to the active economic networks or systems. Objective arguments of empirical nature result, regarding the necessity of quantification and exploitation of relational synergistic potential of economic entities (including the complex entities at regional and national level).

This paper proposes to eliminate, a routine in the economic thinking, claimed to be responsible for the negative essence of economic developments, from the point of view, of the ecological implications (employment in the planetary ecosystem). The methodological foundations start from the natural origins of the functionality of the human economic society according to the originally physiocrat liberalism, and from specific natural characteristics of the human kind. This paper begins with a comment-analysis of the difference between natural and artificial within the economy, and then explains some of the most serious diversions from the natural essence of economic liberalism. It shall be explained the original (heterodox) interpretation of the Classical political economy (economics), by making calls to the Romanian economic thinking from aggravating past century. Highlighting the destructive impact of the economy - which, under the invoked doctrines, we call unnatural - allows an intuitive presentation of a logical extension of Marshall's market price, based on previous research. Besides the doctrinal arguments presented, the economic realities inventoried along the way (major deficiencies and effects, determined) demonstrate the validity of the hypothesis of the unnatural character and therefore necessarily to be corrected, of the concept and of the mechanisms of the current economy. The results of this paper consist of original heterodox methods presented, intuitive or developed that can be found conclusively within the key proposals for education and regulation.