This book provides an easy to follow guide to economic experiments and specifically those that explore notions of fairness, altruism and trust in economic transactions and how findings in the field can change the way we approach a variety of economic problems.
Why do we often willingly trust strangers or cooperate with them even if those actions leave us vulnerable to exploitation? This book describes the economic experiments that explore notions of fairness, altruism and trust in economic transactions. It is suitable for students in organizational behaviour and management.
An economist demonstrates how LGBT equality and inclusion within organizations increases their bottom line and allows for countries’ economies to flourish We know that homophobia harms LGBT individuals in many ways, but economist M. V. Lee Badgett argues that in addition to moral and human rights reasons for equality, we can now also make a financial argument. Finding that homophobia and transphobia cost 1% or more of a country’s GDP, Badgett expertly uses recent research and statistics to analyze how these hostile practices and environments affect both the US and global economies. LGBT equality remains a persistent and pertinent issue. The continued passing of discriminatory laws, people being fired from jobs for their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, harassment and bullying in school, violence and hate crimes on the streets, exclusion from intolerant families, and health effects of stigma all make it incredibly difficult to live a good life. Examining the consequences of anti-LGBT practices across multiple countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, India and the Philippines, Badgett reveals the expensive repercussions of hate and discrimination, and how our economy loses when we miss out on the full benefit of LGBT people’s potential contributions.
This textbook connects three vibrant areas at the interface between economics and computer science: algorithmic game theory, computational social choice, and fair division. It thus offers an interdisciplinary treatment of collective decision making from an economic and computational perspective. Part I introduces to algorithmic game theory, focusing on both noncooperative and cooperative game theory. Part II introduces to computational social choice, focusing on both preference aggregation (voting) and judgment aggregation. Part III introduces to fair division, focusing on the division of both a single divisible resource ("cake-cutting") and multiple indivisible and unshareable resources ("multiagent resource allocation"). In all these parts, much weight is given to the algorithmic and complexity-theoretic aspects of problems arising in these areas, and the interconnections between the three parts are of central interest.
Many in the United States feel that the nation’s current level of economic inequality is unfair and that capitalism is not working for 90% of the population. Yet some inequality is inevitable. The question is: What level of inequality is fair? Mainstream economics has offered little guidance on fairness and the ideal distribution of income. Political philosophy, meanwhile, has much to say about fairness yet relies on qualitative theories that cannot be verified by empirical data. To address inequality, we need to know what the goal is—and for this, we need a quantitative, testable theory of fairness for free-market capitalism. How Much Inequality Is Fair? synthesizes concepts from economics, political philosophy, game theory, information theory, statistical mechanics, and systems engineering into a mathematical framework for a fair free-market society. The key to this framework is the insight that maximizing fairness means maximizing entropy, which makes it possible to determine the fairest possible level of pay inequality. The framework therefore provides a moral justification for capitalism in mathematical terms. Venkat Venkatasubramanian also compares his theory’s predictions to actual inequality data from various countries—showing, for instance, that Scandinavia has near-ideal fairness, while the United States is markedly unfair—and discusses the theory’s implications for tax policy, social programs, and executive compensation.
This book provides new insights into combining economic theory and ethics, and how to formulate policies to combat the roots of poverty. Since a large part of the world’s working population is underpaid, and does not have enough income to feed themselves and their families, there is a need for an alternative approach to producer prices than the usual neo-classical approach with its emphasis on market and equilibrium prices. This book is an introduction to the Living Income / Fair Price approach, a price theory based on ethics and Universal Human Rights. The book explains why there is a need for a paradigm change in our thinking about prices by explaining why the usual market prices rarely are equilibrium prices. Besides market disturbing elements like monopolies and oligopolies, the needs of the poorest parts of the population are not taken into consideration because they are not reflected in the effective demand. This means that the way our producers are paid needs a drastic overhaul, especially in a critical area like food production. An important part of the book is devoted to the need to pay, and the possibilities for paying, a decent price to smallholder farmers. The underpayment of small food producers means they have no possibility to invest and are not able to prepare for the future. This is even more pressing now that climate change demands that every farmer must adjust to changing circumstances and adapt new production methods. Although primarily meant for economists, the book meant also to stimulate discussion amongst those involved in agricultural policies, both in developing and developed countries.
The influential economist offers a persuasive strategy for a more just and sustainable economy—with a forward by Bernie Sanders. The New York Times has said that Jeffrey D. Sachs is “probably the most important economist in the world.” Now, in a book that combines impassioned manifesto with a plan of action, Sachs charts a path to move America toward sustainable development. Sustainable development is a holistic approach to public policy that unifies economic, social, and environmental objectives. By focusing too much on short-term economic growth, the United States has neglected rising inequality and dire environmental threats—all while putting our long-term economic growth at risk. Sachs explores issues that have captivated national discourse, including infrastructure, trade deals, energy policy, the proper size and role of government, the national debt, and income inequality. In accessible language, he illuminates the forces at work in each case and presents specific policy solutions. His argument rises above the stagnation of partisanship to envision a brighter way forward both individually and collectively. “Sachs demonstrates expertise on vastly different policy fields and makes a convincing case that abdicating the toxic intersection of militarism and exceptionalism is key to building a brighter future.”—Global Policy Journal
Have you ever questioned our economic model? Wondered how the financial crash was able to happen? Thought about what we can do stop it happening again? Modern economics bases its view of the world on assumptions Adam Smith made about nature and people nearly three hundred years ago, in a time when people travelled by horse and carriage and wrote by the light of candles. We now live in a globally connected, post-industrial world of digital communication and advanced technology – and yet, our economic model remains stuck in the past. Taking a thorough look at economics, including the history and how we reached our current way of thinking, Irene Schoene puts forward an alternative economics that is not only relevant to our modern world of technology and industry, but which also shows an awareness of environmental considerations. Read this to be enlightened about how economics can be considerate of our environmental situation.
Using a long questionnaire and in-depth interviews, Hochschild examines the ideals and contemporary practices of Americans on the subject of distributive justice, and discovers neither the rich nor the nonrich support the downward redistribution of wealth.
′Today, Fair Trade finds itself at a crucial point in its evolution from alternative trading mechanism to a mainstream economic model. As the only certifier in the largest Fair Trade market in the world, TransFair USA has observed the explosive growth in consumer awareness and business interest in Fair Trade certification. New research into the progress of Fair Trade to date and, crucially, its key future directions is urgently needed. Fair Trade is therefore a valuable and timely contribution.The range and depth of the book is considerable. It is international in outlook and engages with a broad spectrum of theory and thinking. Its style is approachable yet rigorous. I would strongly recommend it to industry, academics, students, policy-makers and the interested reader in general′ - Paul Rice, CEO, TransFair USA ′This work - a powerful study of the maelstrom of issues and cross currents in the Fair Trade and Development movements is long overdue. Through case studies, quantative analysis and reasoned arguement, this work makes its case with cogent force′ - Hamish Renton, Product Manager Food You Can Trust, Tesco ′With the fair trade sector growing rapidly, it is vital that the concept is understood properly and the future potential mapped out. Fair Trade provides a comprehensive guide to all aspects of fair trade which make it a "must read" for everyone from casual buyer right through to seasoned producer. Here′s your chance to see how you can easily change the world for the better′ - Mel Young, editor-in-chief, New Consumer, Britain′s only fair trade magazine, www.newconsumer.org. Fair Trade is at a crucial moment in its evolution from alternative trading mechanism to mainstream economic model. This timely and thoughtful book looks at the strategic future for Fair Trade. Each chapter spearheads a key area of Fair Trade thinking and theory and the political, legal and economic context of Fair Trade is given careful scrutiny. Difficult questions are tackled such as `What is the role and value of corporate social responsibility?′ and `What is the brand meaning of Fair Trade?′ Throughout, readers are supported by: - Revealing case studies and useful data analysis; - Concise histories of different Fair Trade organisations; - Chapter summaries and conclusions.