Disagreement over the emergence of private property rights: alternative meanings, alternative explanations

This paper is an exercise in the history of thought, which compares Austrian and neoclassical theories of the emergence of private property rights, and examines, in part, the extent to which Austrians can be said to offer a commonly-agreed upon explanation that parallels Carl Menger's exemplary story of the emergence of money. We address the sources of disagreement (and apparent conflict) among emergence theorists in both schools. We try to show that some of the disagreement hinges on an unclear meaning of the term “emergence,” which is resolvable, while other sources of disagreement are fundamental at the methodological level. JEL Code B25, E40, E53     

Metatheory as the key to understanding: Schumpeter after Shionoya

In his recent book, Yuichi Shionoya departs from previous Schumpeterianstudies. He sets out to reconstruct Schumpeter's metatheoreticalframework, which he argues is the key to a correct interpretationof his substantive writings. The centrepiece of this projectis the thesis that Schumpeter has a coherent methodologicalposition—instrumentalism—which consistently underpinshis theoretical work. The present paper examines this thesis,and in so doing paves the way for an alternative hypothesison Schumpeter. This hypothesis is based on Tony Lawson's workon the philosophy of economics.     

社会技术视野中的技术本质追问

对技术解读上的工具主义方式有着内在的缺陷,背离了马克思对技术本质的完整意义上的理解,缺失了从人与人的关系上、从属人世界的角度来诠释技术这一人类实践活动的形式。将社会技术与自然技术的视角完整统一、将人的尺度与物的尺度有机契合,才有可能真正消除技术异化问题。     

Reframing human resource management in Africa: a cross-cultural perspective

Current approaches to understanding the management of people in Africa are often framed within a pejorative 'developing/developed' world paradigm that not only paints a negative view of management in Africa, but also assumes the need to develop towards the 'developed' world approach. Cross-cultural analysis that focuses first on historical and current cultural interaction across continents suggests a difference between an instrumental view of people as a resource to serve the ends of the organization and a humanistic view which sees people as having a value in themselves. This offers a more useful paradigm for progressing both research and practice in this area. Both a conceptual model and a typology of management systems are offered as a way forward. Research should also focus on cross-cultural difference and interactions at cross-national and interethnic levels. This will facilitate a cross-cultural approach to management development and team building through developing synergies in organizations in Africa