Download or read book The Social Economy written by Ash Amin and published by Zed Books Ltd.. This book was released on 2013-07-04 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the current economic crisis spreads around the globe questions are being asked about what king of capitalist or post-capitalist economy will follow. There is increasing talk of the need for stringent economic regulation, the need to temper greed and individualism, to make the economy work for human and social development. The search is on for a kinder, greener, less unequal and more redistributive economy. This transitional moment, with its pointed questions about the economy to come, provides an opportunity to assess the role and potential of the 'social economy', that is, economic activity in between market and state oriented towards meeting social needs. Until a decade ago, the term was used mainly by the fringe to describe the 'alternative economy'. Typically, organisations providing affordable child-care to low-wage families in a poor neighbourhood, or those making goods from recycled materials for low-income households, were considered to be residual or marginal to a mainstream dominated by markets and states. In the last decade, expectation in both the developed and developing world has changed in quite radical ways. Mainstream opinion is starting to see the social economy as a source of building social capabilities as well as developing new markets in welfare provision. Policymakers around the world have begun to support the social economy, and increasingly on business grounds, jostling with traditional interest on the fringe in the sector as a moral and social alternative to the capitalist economy. It is precisely this emerging but disputed centrality of the social economy that makes this book so timely. The book positions the social economy conceptually and normatively with the help of case evidence from a number of developed and developing countries. Uniquely, it brings together in English the work of leading scholars of the social economy who are also actively engaged in national and international policy formulation. Although it argues a case for seeing the social economy as distinctive from the state and market in terms of aims, values, and actors, it also notes many overlaps and complementarities once the economy is conceptualised as a plural entity responding to needs in diverse organisational combinations. The book also shows that expectations - social and economic - cannot be divorced from local institutional and historical circumstances and legacies. Accordingly, while certain generic policy principles can be shared internationally, interventions on the ground cannot ignore the demands of situated practice and legacy.

Download or read book Social Economics written by Gary Stanley Becker and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-07 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Economists assume that people make choices based on their preferences and their budget constraints. The preferences and values of others play no role in the standard economic model. This feature has been sharply criticized by other social scientists, who believe that the choices people make are also conditioned by social and cultural forces. Economists, meanwhile, are not satisfied with standard sociological and anthropological concepts and explanations because they are not embedded in a testable, analytic framework. In this book, Gary Becker and Kevin Murphy provide such a framework by including the social environment along with standard goods and services in their utility functions. These extended utility functions provide a way of analyzing how changes in the social environment affect people's choices and behaviors. More important, they also provide a way of analyzing how the social environment itself is determined by the interactions of individuals. Using this approach, the authors are able to explain many puzzling phenomena, including patterns of drug use, how love affects marriage patterns, neighborhood segregation, the prices of fine art and other collectibles, the social side of trademarks, the rise and fall of fads and fashions, and the distribution of income and status.

Download or read book The Social Economy written by Michael Chui and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In a few short years, social technologies have given social interactions the speed and scale of the Internet. Whether discussing consumer products or organizing political movements, people around the world constantly use social-media platforms to seek and share information. Companies use them to reach consumers in new ways too; by tapping into these conversations, organizations can generate richer insights and create precisely targeted messages and offers. While 72 percent of companies use social technologies in some way, very few are anywhere near to achieving the full potential benefit. In fact, the most powerful applications of social technologies in the global economy are largely untapped. Companies will go on developing ways to reach consumers through social technologies and gathering insights for product development, marketing, and customer service. Yet the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) finds that twice as much potential value lies in using social tools to enhance communications, knowledge sharing, and collaboration within and across enterprises. MGI's estimates suggest that by fully implementing social technologies, companies have an opportunity to raise the productivity of interaction workers - high-skill knowledge workers, including managers and professionals - by 20 to 25 percent."- -Summary.

Download or read book The Social Structures of the Economy written by Pierre Bourdieu and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2014-03-10 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Much orthodox economic theory is based on assumptions which are treated as self-evident: supply and demand are regarded as independent entities, the individual is assumed to be a rational agent who knows his interests and how to make decisions corresponding to them, and so on. But one has only to examine an economic transaction closely, as Pierre Bourdieu does here for the buying and selling of houses, to see that these abstract assumptions cannot explain what happens in reality. As Bourdieu shows, the market is constructed by the state, which can decide, for example, whether to promote private housing or collective provision. And the individuals involved in the transaction are immersed in symbolic constructions which constitute, in a strong sense, the value of houses, neighbourhoods and towns. The abstract and illusory nature of the assumptions of orthodox economic theory has been criticised by some economists, but Bourdieu argues that we must go further. Supply, demand, the market and even the buyer and seller are products of a process of social construction, and so-called ‘economic' processes can be adequately described only by calling on sociological methods. Instead of seeing the two disciplines in antagonistic terms, it is time to recognize that sociology and economics are in fact part of a single discipline, the object of which is the analysis of social facts, of which economic transactions are in the end merely one aspect. This brilliant study by the most original sociologist of post-war France will be essential reading for students and scholars of sociology, economics, anthropology and related disciplines.

Download or read book Social and Solidarity Economy written by Sara Calvo and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-06-26 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book aims to provide the reader with an insight into the relevance of a section of the economy, which is often referred to as the ‘social and solidarity economy’ (SSE); and highlight some of the current issues in the field, how they are being addressed and some of their future implications. Using case studies from around the world, this book ‘Social and Solidarity Economy: The World’s Economy With a Social Face’ provides an up-to-date account of the strengths and weaknesses of these initiatives across four continents including issues that have not been researched sufficiently before (e.g. circular economy, social propaganda and its dangers, social enterprise as a panacea for NGOs in developing countries, and ‘new’ social movements). There is growing interest in SSE initiatives among policymakers, foundations, researchers and academic institutions around the world. Despite this interest, SSE related research remains scarce. There are concerned that SSE initiatives, which contribute significantly to their local communities’ development, need to be more widely disseminated amongst the general public. The Social and Solidarity Economy: The World’s Economy With a Social Face will help promote the ground-breaking work being done by organisations and individuals but which remain undocumented and help to raise awareness of such initiatives as well as contribute to academia with a critical approach to the sector covering issues that have not been covered much before, such as the circular economy and the dangers of social propaganda. Aimed at researchers, academics and policy makers in the fields of Social Enterprise, CSR, Tourism, International Economics as well as supporting disciplines ‘Social and Solidarity Economy: The World’s Economy With a Social Face’ looks to establish and help define the field.

Download or read book Economic Organizations and Social Systems written by Robert A. Solo and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The reappearance of a book written and published before its time

Download or read book Social and Economic Transformation in the Digital Era written by Georgios I. Doukidis and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2004-01-01 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Annotation Researchers, business people and policy makers have recognized the importance of addressing technological, economic and social impacts in conjunction. For example, the rise and fall of the dot-com hype depended on the strength of the business model, on the technological capabilities avalable to firms and on the readiness of the society and economy, at large, to sustain a new breed of business activity. Social and Economic Transformation in the Digital Era addresses this challenge by assembling the latest thinking of leading researchers and policy makers in key subject areas of the information society and presents innovative business models, case studies, normative theories and social explanations.

Download or read book Social Costs Today written by Paolo Ramazzotti and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book deals with the current crises from a somewhat different the usual perspectives. It claims that causes and policy implications of these crises cannot be properly assessed by focusing on allocative efficiency or income growth alone; it requires a more general approach, based on social costs. It does not deal with social costs according to the Pigouvian or the Coasian traditions. It draws on the work of Original Institutional Economics (OIE) such as Thorstein Veblen, Karl William Kapp, and Karl Polanyi, on Post-Keynesians such as Hyman Minsky and, in general, on authors who have provided insights beyond the conventional wisdom of economic thought.

Download or read book A Humane Economy written by Wilhelm Röpke and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2014-04-08 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A Humane Economy is like a seminar on integral freedom conducted by a professor of uncommon brilliance.” —Wall Street Journal “If any person in our contemporary world is entitled to a hearing it is Wilhelm Röpke.” —New York Times A Humane Economy offers one of the most accessible and compelling explanations of how economies operate ever written. The masterwork of the great twentieth-century economist Wilhelm Röpke, this book presents a sweeping, brilliant exposition of market mechanics and moral philosophy. Röpke cuts through the jargon and statistics that make most economic writing so obscure and confusing. Over and over, the great Swiss economist stresses one simple point: you cannot separate economic principles from human behavior. Röpke’s observations are as relevant today as when they were first set forth a half century ago. He clearly demonstrates how those societies that have embraced free-market principles have achieved phenomenal economic success—and how those that cling to theories of economic centralization endure stagnation and persistent poverty. A Humane Economy shows how economic processes and government policies influence our behavior and choices—to the betterment or detriment of life in those vital and highly fragile human structures we call communities. “It is the precept of ethical and humane behavior, no less than of political wisdom,” Röpke reminds us, “to adapt economic policy to man, not man to economic policy.”

Download or read book Social Economy of the Metropolis written by Allen J. Scott and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2008-11-20 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is about the renaissance of cities in the twenty first century and their increasing role as centers of creative economic activity. Allen Scott is one of the world's foremost thinkers on globalization and the economies of modern cities, and in this book presents a concise introduction to his innovative and insightful perspective.

Download or read book A Sharing Economy written by Stewart Lansley and published by Policy Press. This book was released on 2016-03-16 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Britain is a society increasingly divided between the super-affluent and the impoverished. A Sharing Economy proposes radical new ways to close the growing income gap and spread social opportunities. Drawing on overseas examples, Stewart Lansley argues that mobilising the huge financial potential of Britain’s public assets could pay for a pioneering new social wealth fund. Such a fund would boost economic and social investment, and, by building the social asset base, simultaneously strengthen the public finances. A powerful new policy tool, such funds would ensure that more of the gains from economic activity are shared by all and not colonised by a powerful few. This is a vital new contribution to the pressing debate on how to reduce inequality and combat austerity.

Download or read book The Last Mile written by Dilip Soman and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2015-07-27 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most organizations spend much of their effort on the start of the value creation process: namely, creating a strategy, developing new products or services, and analyzing the market. They pay a lot less attention to the end: the crucial “last mile” where consumers come to their website, store, or sales representatives and make a choice. In The Last Mile, Dilip Soman shows how to use insights from behavioral science in order to close that gap. Beginning with an introduction to the last mile problem and the concept of choice architecture, the book takes a deep dive into the psychology of choice, money, and time. It explains how to construct behavioral experiments and understand the data on preferences that they provide. Finally, it provides a range of practical tools with which to overcome common last mile difficulties. The Last Mile helps lay readers not only to understand behavioral science, but to apply its lessons to their own organizations’ last mile problems, whether they work in business, government, or the nonprofit sector. Appealing to anyone who was fascinated by Dan Ariely’s Predictably Irrational, Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein’s Nudge, or Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow but was not sure how those insights could be practically applied, The Last Mile is full of solid, concrete advice on how to put the lessons of behavioral science to work.

Download or read book Social Economic and Environmental Justice written by Kalea Benner, PhD, MSW, LCSW and published by Springer Publishing Company. This book was released on 2021-05-13 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This innovative text is the first to introduce practical techniques social workers can use to incorporate social, economic, and environmental justice into their practice. The book emphasizes the role of justice in social work practice across the micro-macro spectrum. By assessing common human needs in relation to human rights, justice, and practice aimed at promoting fairness, students will learn how to incorporate theories and practical perspectives in social work practice with individuals, families, communities, and organizations. With its unique approach, this text focuses on structural oppression and inequities connected to clients' engagement in systems and structures. The impact of disparities on accessing and utilizing resources, and subsequently achieving successful outcomes, is examined through the justice lens. Beginning with an overview of key concepts and theoretical underpinnings that provide foundational knowledge, the text then examines each of the three justice foci --social, economic, and environmental--in detail through specific systems. These systems include criminal justice, education, food security, natural disasters and climate change, health, mental health, housing, and income disparities Throughout the book, readers are asked to reflect on their own perceptions to enhance understanding of the influence of justice on practice. Case studies, diagrams, boxed information, student learning outcomes, chapter summaries, and review questions enhance understanding and application of content. Purchase includes digital access for use on most mobile devices or computers. Key Features: Emphasizes the role of social, economic, and environmental justice in social work practice Examines the science and theory behind justice as it relates to social work Teaches practical methods for implementing justice-oriented social work practice Authored by prominent instructors actively engaged in co-curricular justice-related content Offers student learning outcomes and summaries in each chapter Presents abundant diagrams and boxes to enhance application of content Provides multiple experiential learning opportunities including case examples and reflective and knowledge-based review questions Offers practical examples of justice-informed social work Includes Instructor's Manual with sample syllabus, PowerPoints, exam questions, and media resources

Download or read book Society and Economy written by Mark Granovetter and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2017-02-27 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A work of exceptional ambition by the founder of modern economic sociology, this first full account of Mark Granovetter’s ideas stresses that the economy is not a sphere separate from other human activities but is deeply embedded in social relations and subject to the same emotions, ideas, and constraints as religion, science, politics, or law.

Download or read book The Political Economy of the European Social Model written by Philip B. Whyman and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-05-31 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book seeks to analyse the development of the European Union (EU), which was founded upon the principle of the free movement of capital, goods, services and people in 1957. Its central thesis is that, from a practical and theoretical point of view, such a basis is fundamentally at odds with the creation of an interventionist regime that the construction of a social Europe would require. The authors argue convincingly that - economically: the EU does not currently possess the budget or the economic tools to pursue such a strategy; politically: close to none of the institutions of the EU have backed such a policy; practically: conservative and neo-liberal forces (among member states and the institutions of the EU) have repeatedly thwarted any moves in this direction. In reality, the Single Internal Market, Economic and Monetary Union, enlargement, the Lisbon Agenda and European Constitution projects all prioritise supply-side measures and expanding the scope of the market rather than the boosting of demand and other economic intervention. Consequently, constructing a social Europe in the face of this would appear problematic. Hence, in both theory and practice, the idea that there can be a social Europe vis-à-vis neoliberalisation is a contradiction in terms. This controversial book will be an educating and refreshing read for advanced students and academics involved with European politics, the European Union, European Economics and Economic instititutions.

Download or read book Placing the Social Economy written by Ash Amin and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2002-05-09 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years there has been a great deal of talk about the social economy and the term "the third way". Placing the Social Economy provides a refreshing and accessible account of real life experience in a social economy.

Download or read book The Market Economy as a Social System written by Hiroto Tsukada and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-10-14 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book develops John Rawls’s theory of justice by adding reality-based analyses. This is accomplished by answering the question of who makes rules and how, and by providing new answers to three of today’s most practical and critical issues. The question of who and how makes rules is discussed first; and group orientation instead of individualism, and a balance of negotiating power instead of a veil of ignorance are presented as new answers to this question. Based on this new understanding of rulemaking, three important practical rules are subsequently discussed: the rule of distribution of land and other natural resources, including the question of natural talent or who should bear the costs of children’s education; the rule of distribution of products; and what motives support our acts of kindness. These rules are all dealt with from a shared perspective, viewing society as a single integrated construct. Equal distribution of land, not private but public payment of education fees, strengthening employees’ bargaining power, and moving toward nobility-based kindness are put forward as central answers. By addressing critical questions on social rules and proposing answers, this book provides reliable principles to fall back on in our daily lives, and in our rapidly changing, globalized world.