Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Forbidden Fruits: The Political Economy Of Science, Religion, And Growth, Roland Benabou, Davide Ticchi, Andrea Vindigni

Andrea Vindigni

We study the coevolution of religion, science and politics. We first uncover, in international and U.S. data, a robust negative relationship between religiosity and patents per capita. The model then combines: (i) scientific discoveries that raise productivity but sometimes erode religious beliefs; (ii) a government that allows innovations to diffuse, or blocks them; (iii) religious institutions that can invest in doctrinal reform. Three long-term outcomes emerge. The “Western-European Secularization” regime has declining religiosity, unimpeded science, and high taxes and transfers. The “Theocratic” regime involves knowledge stagnation, unquestioned dogma, and high religious-public-goods spending. The “American” regime combines scientific progress and stable …

A Political Theory Of Kulturkampf: Evidence From Imperial Prussia & Republican Turkey, Ioannis N. Grigoriadis, Theocharis Grigoriadis

Theocharis Grigoriadis

No abstract provided.

Religion, Administration & Public Goods: Experimental Evidence From Russia, Theocharis N. Grigoriadis

Theocharis Grigoriadis

In this paper, I argue that religion matters for the provision of public goods. I identify three normative foundations of Eastern Orthodox monasticism with strong economic implications: 1. solidarity, 2. obedience, and 3. universal discipline. I propose and solve a public goods game with a three-tier hierarchy, where these norms are modeled as treatments. Obedience and universal discipline facilitate the provision of threshold public goods in equilibrium, whereas solidarity does not. Empirical evidence is drawn from public goods experiments run with regional bureaucrats in Tomsk and Novosibirsk, Russia. The introduction of the same three norms as experimental treatments produces different …

Debt Dilution And Sovereign Default Risk, Juan Carlos Hatchondo, Leonardo Martinez, Cesar Sosa Padilla

Leonardo Martinez

No abstract provided.

Fiscal Rules And The Sovereign Default Premium, Juan Carlos Hatchondo, Leonardo Martinez, Francisco Roch

Leonardo Martinez

No abstract provided.

Religious Origins Of Democracy & Dictatorship, Theocharis Grigoriadis

Theocharis Grigoriadis

Weber considered the Protestant work ethic the foundation of modern capitalism. I extend Weber’s theory by arguing that states with predominantly Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Muslim populations have had a stronger inclination toward underdevelopment and dictatorship than states with Protestant or Jewish majorities. This is the case because their respective religious collectives (monastery, tariqa) promote the hierarchical provision of common goods at the expense of market incentives. I define the aforementioned three religions as collectivist, in contrast to Protestantism and Judaism, which I define as individualist. I provide a historical overview that designates the Jewish kibbutz as the collective …

Exploring The Transformative Potential Of The E3+3 Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action With Iran For Improving The Iranian Economy And Its Reintegration Into The Global System, Mohammad Reza Farzanegan

Prof. Dr. Mohammad Reza Farzanegan

This is background note for my presentation at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt.

Muslims Lunar’S Blindness, Sajjad Khaksari

SAJJAD KHAKSARI

The age of scientists such as Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi (خوارزمی), Al-Farabi (فارابی), Avicenna (پور سینا), Ghiyāth al-Dīn Jamshīd Masʿūd al-Kāshī (غیاث الدین جمشید کاشانی) And Bērūnī (بیرونی) has passed and middle east regions face hideous and offensive figures of Iranian/Saudi/ISIS etc. regimes. What happened to these people and why?!

Um Pós-Escrito Do Artigo “Avaliando O Modelo De Governança Das Agências Reguladoras” À Luz Dos Acontecimentos Recentes No Brasil., Lucia Helena Salgado, Eduardo Pedral Fiuza

Lucia Helena Salgado

Procuramos salientar as principais razões pelas quais o tema da qualidade da governança das instituições deve ocupar lugar de destaque nas agendas de políticas públicas. O conceito de governança aqui é o utilizado na literatura de economia da regulação de foco empírico e com viés normativo, que segue a velha tradição da teoria economia de proposição de políticas públicas para a solução de falhas de mercado. “Governança” é uma elipse de expressão mais ampla, significando “normas de governança de boa (ou alta) qualidade”, cujos princípios basilares são transparência, participação social e prestação de contas. a questão de pesquisa, que motiva …

The Intuition Behind Wallace Neutrality, Richard H. Serlin

Richard H. Serlin

Wallace neutrality is a term that, as far as I know, was coined by University of Michigan economist Miles Kimball. It refers to the seminal model of Neil Wallace in "A Modigliani-Miller Theorem for Open-Market Operations", American Economic Review, June 1981. In Wallace's model, open market operations have no effect on any asset prices, including money (no effect on inflation). This is a shocking result, and it cries out for how and why. Intuitively, how and why can this possibly happen? However, like so many modern models, it's extremely difficult to see the intuition behind the wall of math, and …

مسائل منهجيّة ونظريّة متعلّقة ببحوث الاقتصاد السياسي في شمال إفريقيا وغرب آسيا, J. G. A. Saviranta

Akseli Saviranta

تبحث هذه الوثيقة في بعض المسائل المنهجية التي يمكن أن تعترض باحثي المسائل المتعلّقة بالاقتصاد السياسي في شمال إفريقيا وغرب آسيا. يعرض جزأها الأول تلخيصا لدراسة سابقة للمؤلّف عالجت مسألة الاقتصاد السياسي المتعلّق بالتكامل الاقتصادي، ويعرض جزأها الثاني بعضا من المسائل الآتي ذكرها مسبقا والتي وقع اعتراضها عند القيام بالدراسة.

Religion And Innovation, Roland Bénabou, Davide Ticchi, Andrea Vindigni

Davide Ticchi

In earlier work (Bénabou, Ticchi and Vindigni 2013) we uncovered a robust negative association between religiosity and patents per capita, holding across countries as well as US states, with and without controls. In this paper we turn to the individual level, examining the relationship between religiosity and a broad set of pro- or anti-innovation attitudes in all five waves of the World Values Survey (1980 to 2005). We thus relate eleven indicators of individual openness to innovation, broadly defined (e.g., attitudes toward science and technology, new versus old ideas, change, risk taking, personal agency, imagination and independence in children) to …

Methodological And Theoretical Issues In Researching North African And West Asian Political Economy, J. G. A. Saviranta

Akseli Saviranta

This document addresses a few of the methodological issues encountered in political economy research related to North Africa and West Asia. Its first part presents notes from a previous study by the author that dealt with the issue of the political economy of integration, and its second part relates some of the aforementioned issues that were encountered while making the study.

Forbidden Fruits: The Political Economy Of Science, Religion, And Growth, Roland Bénabou, Davide Ticchi, Andrea Vindigni

Davide Ticchi

We study the coevolution of religion, science and politics. We first uncover, in international and U.S. data, a robust negative relationship between religiosity and patents per capita. The model then combines: (i) scientific discoveries that raise productivity but sometimes erode religious beliefs; (ii) a government that allows innovations to diffuse, or blocks them; (iii) religious institutions that can invest in doctrinal reform. Three long-term outcomes emerge. The “Western-European Secularization” regime has declining religiosity, unimpeded science, and high taxes and transfers. The “Theocratic” regime involves knowledge stagnation, unquestioned dogma, and high religious-public-goods spending. The “American” regime combines scientific progress and stable …

Impact Of Political And Economic Integration On Labour Mobility In The Arabian Peninsula, J. G. A. Saviranta

Akseli Saviranta

The main question that this work tackles is the extent of the impact that political and economic shifts might have had on the labour market structure and regulations.

Administrative Procedures, Bureaucracy, And Transparency: Why Does The Fcc Vote On Secret Texts?, Scott J. Wallsten

Scott J. Wallsten

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) does not reveal the text of regulations on which it votes. Instead, after the vote the Commission grants the relevant bureau “editorial privileges” to continue drafting the order. It then releases the final version days, weeks, or even months after the vote. As a result, it is not possible to know if everything in the final rule was actually subject to a vote. In particular, it raises the question of whether the delay between vote and publication is truly for “editorial” changes or if more substantive changes occur after the vote.

In this paper, …

American And British Strategies In The Competition For Energy Resources In Sub-Saharan Africa, Stefan Andreasson

Stefan Andreasson

No abstract provided.

Aca Implementation In The South: The Political Economy Of Full Participation In Kentucky, Glen P. Mays

Glen Mays

This analysis, conducted as part of the ACA Implementation Research Network, examines economic and political forces shaping Kentucky's early experience with implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Varieties Of Resource Nationalism In Sub-Saharan Africa's Energy And Minerals Markets, Stefan Andreasson

Stefan Andreasson

This article examines resource nationalism in sub-Saharan Africa’s energy and minerals markets. It does so by exploring economic and political developments in three cases: Nigeria as an example of a petro-state established by means of expropriation in the wake of decolonisation; South Africa, a mature mining industry shaped by its settler colonial history; and Mozambique, a new and therefore highly-dependent entrant into the league of significant natural gas producers. Extractive industries have played a controversial role in sub-Saharan Africa due in particular to the prevalence of the resource curse. Nevertheless, energy exports will continue to play an important role in …

Inclusión Y Desarrollo, Guillermo Arosemena

Guillermo Arosemena

No abstract provided.

¿Por Qué Solidarios?, Guillermo Arosemena

Guillermo Arosemena

No abstract provided.

Socialismo Y Competitividad, Guillermo Arosemena

Guillermo Arosemena

No abstract provided.

The Political Economy Of Special Economic Zones, Lotta Moberg

Lotta Moberg

Special economic zones (SEZs) are a wide-spread and increasingly popular tool for economic growth. Big or small, secluded or isolated, they are areas where a government allows for different rules to apply than the rest of the country. Most commonly, this means granting fiscal privileges to investors in the zones. Exemptions from taxes, tariffs, and sometimes regulations mean that SEZs form islands of economic liberalization in a country. A common attitude to zones is therefore that while broader liberalization is preferred, SEZs always benefit a country as long as they bring about this marginal improvement. The skeptical view of SEZs …

Origin And Evolution Of The Term "Entrepreneur" In English, Steven Kates

Steven Kates

The words we use depend on the words that exist. There is now an entity for which we use the word “entrepreneur” that has been brought into English from the French. This paper describes both its slow drift into English and then the drift in its meaning in English which even now cannot be entirely pinned down. Previously, the word “undertaker” had been used in English which, apart from its other connotations, is a near equivalent but not identical in its use and meaning. This adoption of the French term provides an interesting example of the way in which words …

Freeze, So I Can Take Your Stuff!, Daniel Rothschild

Daniel Rothschild

This paper reports findings from my investigation of the effect of civil asset forfeiture on the state of California. I investigated the effect that civil asset forfeiture has on different cities in the State of California. The intention of this study was to build on Baicker and Jacobson’s research by looking at the overall effects of the cities’ budget to determine if civil forfeiture (and equitable sharing) leads to an increase in the amount of total funds for the city. My hypothesis is that the amount of money seized in an earlier year predicts the total budget of the subsequent …

International Migration And Development: Myths And Facts, Piyasiri Wickramasekara

PIYASIRI WICKRAMASEKARA

International migration has emerged as a priority issue on the global agenda in the two decades, especially in the context of its positive role for economic development. There is however, still considerable controversy and stereotyping on migration and migrants. Politicians, anti-immigration lobbyists and the media in Western countries propagate a number of unfounded myths about migration. It is claimed that there is massive migration from the South to the North in recent times. Increasing migration under irregular situations is believed to result in security threats demanding stringent border controls at destinations. Another longstanding myth is that migrants steal jobs from …

Avaliando O Modelo De Governança Das Agências Reguladoras, Lucia Helena Salgado, Eduardo Pedral Fiuza

Lucia Helena Salgado

A agenda de melhoria regulatória é muito mais complexa que parece a princípio. A partir dos diagnósticos traçados neste capítulo, elencam-se a seguir as principais diretrizes de atuação do próximo governo no sentido de aperfeiçoar o modelo de governança das agências reguladoras: 1) Necessidade de garantir autonomia orçamentária e financeira das agências, eximindo-as de contingenciamentos. 2) Aperfeiçoar o método de seleção e nomeação de diretores das agências. 3) Reforçar os quadros de pessoal das agências com mais concursos e política de retenção de talentos, em especial aquelas com maior rotatividade de pessoal. 4) Aumentar os níveis de transparência e accountability …

The Market Failure Myth, Daniel Rothschild

Daniel Rothschild

No abstract provided.

A Holistic Approach To The Management Of Human Consumption Towards An Economics Of Well-Being, Gandolfo Dominici, Vasja Roblek

Vasja Roblek

The goal of this conceptual paper is to draw attention to the problems caused by the rapid growth of the global economy, coupled with high population growth and excessive exploitation of natural resources. It is necessary to be aware that the global economy will not be able to grow at the actual speed in the long term. A paradigm shift in production and consumption is therefore necessary to avoid the collapse of ecosystems and the concurrent reduction of stocks of natural resources. This is the reason why capitalism has to take a new direction towards a sustainable and naturally harmonized …

Sur L'Économie Politique De L'Intégration Économique En Afrique Du Nord Et Asie De L'Ouest, J. G. A. Saviranta

Akseli Saviranta

Cette présentation est basée sur l'étude intitulée « On the Political Economy of Economic Integration in North Africa and West Asia ». Comme son nom l'indique, l'étude en question cherche à offrir une évaluation complète des aspects politiques, économiques, et monétaires des efforts de l'intégration régionale en Afrique du Nord et Asie de l'Ouest, ainsi qu'une appréciation de la viabilité, faisabilité, et motivations de cette intégration en tenant compte des préceptes théoriques et de la littérature connexe, et comparativement à d'autres blocs économiques. Ce travail se compose de trois sections principales : les deux premières définissent les concepts de l'intégration …