ALBERT

Notes: The advent of National Vocational Qualifications represents an important change in British Government policy from attempting to secure appropriate training inputs to a system driven by the aim of stimulating the attainment of learning outcomes assessed against national standards. This article presents a case study of the implications of this policy for intermediate skills in engineering, a major industry subject to rapid technological change.

Notes: This article examines the relationship between technology, entrepreneurial human capital and company performance in a sample of textile and clothing SMEs in Great Britain. General conclusions suggest that firms with a computer network are more likely to have a formal management team. Networked firms appear to be larger: smaller companies are making increasing use of computer networks.

Notes: This article examines two issues: first how Japanese companies recruit, train and utilise engineers in their UK transplants; secondly, how technology transfer between British and Japanese engineers is affected by career structures. It draws on questionnaire responses from 88 companies and interviews at a small number of sites.

Notes: From the 1980s, the paper and board industry in Britain, in response to the pressures of strong foreign competition, sought the fuller utilisation of new and existing technology through changing work practices. This particularly involved the extensive introduction of annualised hours arrangements with national bargaining arrangements playing a major role in their introduction.

Notes: Research that questions the general validity of flexible specialisation can be supplemented by an example that is, paradoxically, frequently used as a supporting example: ceramic tile production. This article examines some comparative evidence and concludes that support is illusory and all too often based on the same weak original data, while there are actually more robust indications of moves towards classical mass production.

Notes: Book Reviewed in this article:Expertise and Innovation: Information Technology Strategies in the Financial Services SectorEthics of Information ManagementAcquiring, Adapting and Developing Technologies: Lessons from the Japanese ExperienceTeleworking ExplainedTime Pioneers: Flexible Working Time and New LifestylesThe Future of Industrial RelationsEnterprise Without UnionsThe Electronic Eye: the rise of surveillance societyManaging Production—Engineering Change and StabilityBusiness Reengineering: The Survival GuideISO 9000—Quality Systems Handbook

Notes: This article argues that studies of the introduction of new technology have tended to ignore the contributions of pre-Braverman approaches. However, in some cases, they have implicitly rediscovered the findings of an older industrial sociology.

Notes: Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) for communication between different corporate computer systems was expected to transform relationships between firms. However, this detailed study of three sectors of the UK publishing industry—the book trade; the magazine and newspaper trade; and newsprint supply to newspapers—found that EDI developed in a slow and incremental manner. This calls into question the radical visions of proponents of business network redesign.

Notes: This article examines job knowledge and skill in clerical work drawing on five case studies from the area of credit management. The cognitive, social and ‘tacit’ skills necessary for clerical effectiveness in this sector are identified and examined. Feminist approaches to skills analysis are used to examine how and why this type of work is under-valued.

Notes: Utilising a typology based on the previous occupational background of owner-managers within technology-based organizations, this article analyses the previous management and technical experiences of a sample of technical entrepreneurs in the UK. Overall, the study concludes that management and technical experience will differ according to occupational background, which may have implications for support provided to small technology-based firms.

Notes: This article explores management's strategic decision making in relation to Total Quality Management (TQM). It demonstrates that management's strategies are fraught with politics and power relations, which influence the ‘choice’ of strategy and the way in which such strategies are ‘implemented’. Hence, management's strategic decision making may not be planned and rational, and their behaviour is often contradictory which may undermine TQM or render its outcomes uncertain and contestable.

Notes: This article examines the role which elite MNC employers play in the process of qualification inflation within the Irish Republic. While these employers do not contribute towards inflation across technical occupations the tendency to select the most qualified within individual occupations has led to the emergence of a ‘graduate barrier’ between technicians and engineers/scientists.

Notes: Book Reviewed in this article:Enriching Production: Perspectives on Volvo's Uddevalla Plant as an Alternative to Lean Production Ake Sandberg (Ed.)Breaking from Taylorism: Changing Forms of Work in the Automobile Industry Ulrich Jurgens, Thomas Malsch and Knuth Dohse Cambridge University Press

Notes: This article takes the view that BPR in the dominant form in which it is presently characterised, is a re-expression of industrial age classical administration. As such it is oblivious of organization as a political entity or as a set of ‘human resources' . What is needed is a new model of BPR for the information age.

Notes: Here the author examines continuities and tensions between the discourses of Business Process Re-engineering and Human Resource Management. Addressing their respective assumptions and claims, especially with regard to the organization of ‘human resources', critical attention is focused upon their shared advocacy of employee empowerment and strong leadership from senior managers.

Notes: This article examines the hype surrounding BPR from a historical, theoretical and empirical perspective. It delineates three ways in which politics are critical to understanding BPR and uses findings on BPR practice, including from case study work and a 1994/5 UK survey conducted by the authors, to locate and explain BPR's appeal and also the less radical outcomes of BPR practice.

Notes: Capitalism is currently undergoing an epochal change. The associated corporate change is sticky for reasons of institutional inertia. Business process re-engineering is a corporate response which should be understood in technical, social and political terms. Core elements of BPR are identified, illustrated, and critiqued, partly through a BPR case researched by the authors.

Notes: This article examines the emergence of BPR from the literature on the strategic use of IT. Two case studies of BPR are then presented. Analysis of this material suggests that there is a tension between strategic re-orientation and cost-saving in many BPR projects which is difficult to resolve. This tension is explored further using a historical analysis of ‘frameworks' of computing.

Notes: This article explores the relevance of ideas emerging from business process re-engineering (BPR) for the information systems profession. The marginal role of this profession in conceiving and leading organizational change is examined. Against this background, current interest in BPR is seen as reasserting the challenge of incorporating an active engagement with organizational design into professional practices.

Notes: This article looks at the experiences, warts and all of BPR at The Post Office. In so doing it also reflects upon the nature of good practice.

Notes: Here the author examines the extent of BPR practice across UK government, reaching conclusions about overcoming impediments which arise in organizational change processes.

Notes: The world economy is currently stuck in a ‘long wave’ downswing, due largely to the mismatch of a new technological 'style’ with established institutions. The article sketches the effects on the level and pattern of employment and discusses the reforms which will be needed to escape from the downswing.

Notes: Here the authors examine the unions' experience of building-related sickness among their members and argue that we can no longer treat the built working environment as a neutral factor when analysing the labour process.

Notes: Book reviews in this article:Tools for Change and Progress: A Socio-Technical Approach to Business Process Re-engineering Enid Mumfordm, Geert Jan BeekmanReengineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolution Michael Hammer and James ChampyThe Essence of Business Process Re-Engineering Joe Peppard, Philip RowlandSoftware Assistance for Business Re-Engineering K Spurr, P Layzell, N Richards (Eds.)Re-Engineering the Networked Enterprise Y Jayachandra with Raul Medina-More Gita J Melkote Fernando FloresReengineering Information Technology: Success Through Empowerment Stephen, Baxter, David LisburnManagers Divided: Organisation Politics and Information Technology Management David Knights, Fergus MurrayBusiness Process Reengineering: Breakpoint Strategies for Market Dominance Henry J. Johansson, Patrick McHugh, A. John Pendlebury & William A. Wheeler IIIBeyond Business Process Reengineering: Towards the Holonic Enterprise Patrick McHugh, Giorgio Merli & William A. Wheeler III

Notes: This article examines the introduction of centralized processing. It looks at the multiple objectives underlying the initiative and how these were managed in implementation. Drawing on empirical data gathered at three similar sites a comparative analysis of the outcomes of centralization is presented and the variances are explained.

Notes: There are conflicting tendencies among recent developments in bargaining and participation at the workplace level in Europe. While there is an emphasis on decentralisation of bargaining structures in many countries, there is considerable variance. Similarly, there is a diversity of approaches to both direct and indirect forms of participation. Despite attempts by the European Community to integrate policies on these matters among member countries, external influences such as the globalisation of economies and technologies are leading to diverse outcomes.

Notes: Book reviews in this article:The Volvo Experience: alternatives to lean production in the Swedish auto industry Christian BerggrenPrices, Quality and Trust Mari SakoTechnology and Innovation in the International Economy Charles Cooper, EditorHi-Tech For Industrial Development: Lessons from the Brazilian Experience in Electronics and Automation Hubert Schmitz Jose Cassiolato (eds)Development, Technology and Flexibility: Brazil Faces the Industrial Divide Joao Carlos Ferraz Howard Rush Ian MilesTelecommunications and Politics: the decentralised alternative Andrew DaviesTelecommunications Services: negotiating structural and technological change B. Bolton et al., EditorsIn Search of Management Tony J. WatsonOther publications received

Notes: This article identifies three models that imply different views of the ‘impact’ of the use of computer based information systems for managers' work. Using case study evidence it argues that the ‘impact’ is not a stable and predictable outcome but a non-linear ongoing process that changes and evolves over time.

Notes: Everyone is aware of the federal income tax. What many do not realize is that federal estate tax may have a bigger impact than the income tax. While the income tax decreases take-home pay, the estate tax threatens job creation, business growth, and family harmony. This article examines the impact of the federal estate taxes and reviews several studies which indicate that the estate tax has a deleterious impact on capital accumulation, business growth, job creation, and federal tax revenues.

Notes: Closely held businesses differ from their publicly held counterparts in the relative importance assigned to planning for estate taxes. When faced with the prospect of an estate taxes liability, owners of closely held businesses may alter their investment behavior. This essay presents a simple model of the investment decision in a closely held business. While finance theory prescribes that firms maximize their value through funding capital projects with positive net present values, this model suggests that the presence of estate taxes may induce the firm to reject projects which, if funded, would add value to the firm. Further, the propensity to pass on value-adding projects increases with both the estate tax rate and the age of the business owner.

Notes: This paper questions the effectiveness of economic development policies and programs which fail to differentiate family from non-family enterprises in the UK small and medium-sized firms sector. Published evidence is reviewed and findings from workshops and interviews with 10 Scottish family enterprises demonstrate that family enterprises differ, and in some economically significant ways, from non-family enterprises. It is suggested that the lack of provision for family enterprises hinders their business activity. The aim is to begin an argument for recognition of a “family business sector” in the UK in order to promote business activity in this economically significant group of firms, and to achieve a better payoff for governments from investment in economic development in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Notes: Family business studies have focused on succession because of the incidence of family business failure and the importance of family businesses within the US economy. This study furthers the understanding of family business failure by making the distinction between succession planning (the management task of transitioning leadership) and estate planning (the task of transitioning financial assets and managing federal estate tax obligations) and using this distinction to better understand family business discontinuance. This study of 749 heirs of failed family businesses demonstrates that inadequate estate planning is more often associated-with family business failure than is poor succession planning.

Notes: Although family-owned and managed firms are the predominant form of business organization in the world today, little systematic research exists on these companies. This paper builds upon insights found in the emerging literature on these enterprises and upon our own observations to provide a conceptual frame-work to better understand these complex organizations. We introduce the concept of the Bivalent Attributes–a unique, inherent feature of an organization that is the source of both advantages and disadvantages–to explain the dynamics of the family firm.

Notes: This paper is meant to answer the question whether the CMEA countries trade flows have been able to catch up with their trade potential. The gravity equations estimated over a panel of 14 years show that there is a room for an increase in trade, which could compensate for the huge regional trade losses. But, if one takes into account the higher than average transportation costs in East Europe, this potential increase may only he reached through the reduction of these transportation costs and through further liberalisation of regional trade flows. How costly has been the disintegration process? The computation of gross trade destruction (GTD) versus trade creation (TC) minus external trade diversion (ETD) in the framework of the Viner model reflects the decreasing costs of the CMEA break-up: a dramatic trade reorientation has taken place, and it is welfare improving.〈section xml:id="abs1-2"〉〈title type="main"〉ZUSAMMENFASSUNGDieser Artikel untersucht, ob der Aussenhandel der ehemaligen COMECON-Länder sein potentielles Niveau bereits erreicht hat. Ein Gravitltsmodel über einen Zeitraum von 14 Jahren zeigt, dass es noch ein Potential für zusätzlichen internationalen Handel giht, das den Zusammenbruch des regionalen Handels kompensieren könnte. Wenn jedoch die höheren Transportkosten in Mittel- und Osteuropa in Betracht gezogen werden, dürfte dieses Potential nur durch eine Reduzierung dieser Kosten und eine weitergehende Handelsliberalisierung ausgeschöpft werden können. Der Artikel heschäftigt sich ebenfalls mit den Kosten des Zusammenbruchs des COMECON-Handels. Die Berechnung der Bruttohandelszerstörung versus neu entstandenem Handel abzuglich der Handelsahlenkung im Modell von Viner zeigt, dass diese Kosten positiv und ahnehmend sind. Die starke Reorientierung des Aussenhandels hat eine erhöhte Wohlfahrt in der Region zur Folge.〈section xml:id="abs1-3"〉〈title type="main"〉RESUMECet article tente de répondre è la question de savoir si le commerce des pays ex-memhres du CAEM a rattrapé son niveau potentiel. L'équation de gravité estimée sur un panel de 14 ans montre qu'il existe un potentiel d'échanges qui pourrait compenser l'effondrement du commerce régional. Mais la prise en compte des coǔts de transport qui sont plus élevés en Europe de l'Est suggère que ce potentiel ne peut ěre exploité qu' è travers la réduction de ces coǔts en Europe de l'Est et è travers une libéralisation plus poussée des échanges. Le processus de désintégration a t'il été coǔteux? Le calcul de la destruction de commerce (DC) versus création (CC) et destruction extérieure de commerce (DEC) dans le modèle de Viner montre que le coǔt est positif mais décroissant. L'importante réorientation des échanges tend è améliorer le bien-ětre dans la région.

Notes: The paper defines entrepreneurship as about ‘self-competition’, the quest to test self-ability: Can a future self achieve greater goals than what has been so far achieved? Self-competition involves the development of ability and, hence, ex post assessment of ability is uncertain. Such uncertainty occasions either immobilizing anxiety (Buridan's ass) or entrepreneurial action. No such uncertainty surrounds the assessment of risk probability characterizing events such as floods and stock market crashes. An observable prediction of the proposed uncertainty/risk dichotomy is that insurance, which concerns risk, cannot crowd out religion and other belief systems which appeal to uncertainty.〈section xml:id="abs1-2"〉〈title type="main"〉ZUSAMMENFASSUNGIn diesem Papier wird Unternehmertum im Sinne von ‘Selbst-Konkurrenz’ deftniert, als Streben, die eigenen Fähigkeiten unter Beweis zu stellen: Kann das zukünftige Ich höhere Ziele als bisher erreichen?Selbst-Konkurrenz beinhaltet die Entwicklung von Fähigkeiten, und daher ist deren ex post Einschätzung unsicher. Diese Unsicherheit führt entweder zu einer lähmenden Angst (Burdians Esel) oder zu unternehmerischer Aktivität. Im Gegensatz dazu ist die Einschätzung der Risikowahrscheinlichkeit von Überschwemmungen oder Kursschwankungen an der Börse nicht von einer solchen Unsicherheit geprägt. Als beobachtbare Voraussage aus der vorgeschlagenen Unsicher-heit/Risiko-Dichotomie heraus ergibt sich, dass eine dieses Risiko betreffende Versicherung nicht in der Lage ist, Religion und andere Glaubenssysteme, die sich auf Unsicherheit bezichen, zu verdrängen.〈section xml:id="abs1-3"〉〈title type="main"〉RÉSUMÉCe papier définit ľesprit entrepreneur comrne ‘une concurrence de soi’, la quete d'éprouver la capacityé de soi: Est-ce possible qu'un futur-soi puisse achever de plus grands buts qu'il a déjà accomplis? Une concurrence de soi consiste du développcinent de sa capacityé, done, ľévaluation ex past de cette capacityé n'est pas certaine.Une telle incertitude mène à une anxiété paralysante (ľǎne de Buridan) ou àľ action entreprenante. Une incertitude de la sorte n'entoure pas ľévaluation de la probabilityé de risque qui caractérisent les événements tels comme ľ inondation ou la chute de la Bourse. Une prédiction qu'on petit observer de la dichotomie proposée incertitude/risque, c'est que ľ assurance, qui concerne le risque, doit laisser de place aux réligions et aux autres systèmes de croyance qui invoquent ľ incertitude.

Notes: The paper results from interviews held among economists from Central and Eastern Europe. It tries to get an inside view on the profession under communist rule. As expected, the results depend upon period and country under analysis. Poland and Hungary did not lose contact with Western developments, while the Soviet Union and the GDR and also Czechoslovakia after 1968 isolated themselves completely. In Russia there was an own development in the sphere of optimal planning theory. In the GDR strict political control and adherence to dogmatism led to sterility. Reform thinking became stronger in the 1980s, with the exception of the GDR and Russia. The results are corroborated by the personal situation of the individual economist. Asked where they see the lasting contribution of economics under communism, most respondents are rather pessimistic: it is more the abortive practice of Soviet-type central planning which taught a lesson than the theoretical developments of the period.〈section xml:id="abs1-2"〉〈title type="main"〉ZUSAMMENFASSUNGDie Studie ist das Ergebnis von Interviews, die unter Wirtschaftswissenschaftlern aus Mittel- und Osteuropa gehalten wurden. Sie sucht einen Blick von innen auf die Entwicklung einer Wissenschaft unter kommunistischer Herrschaft zu gewinnen. Das Resultat hängt von der jeweiligen Periode und dem jeweiligen Land ab. Polen und Ungarn haben den Kontakt zum Westen nicht verloren. Russland und die DDR, ebenso die CSSR nach 1968, haben sich dagegen vollständig isoliert. Russland kannte eine eigene Entwicklung in der Planungstheorie. In der DDR führten dagegen politische Kontrolle und Dogmatismus zur Sterilität. Mit Ausnahme dieserbeiden Länder wuchs das Reformdenken in den 80er Jahren stetig an. Die Ergebnisse spiegeln sich auch in der persönlichen Situation der einzelnen Wissenschaftler wider. Nach dem bleibenden Beitrag der Ökonomie unter dem Kommunismus befragt, zeigen sich die Antworten eher pessimistisch: nicht die theoretischen Errungenschaften der Periode sind lehrreich, vielmehr aber das abschreckende Beispiel des sowjetischen Zentralplansystems.〈section xml:id="abs1-3"〉〈title type="main"〉RÉSUMÉL' article rend compte des résultats d'interviews réalisés auprès d'économistes des pays de l'Europe Centrale et Orientale. II présente une vision de l'intérieur sur le développement de la science économique sous le régime communiste. Les résultats dépendent de la période et du pays analyses. La Pologne et la Hongrie n'ont jamais perdu le contact avec la science économique occidentale, tandis que la Russie, l'Allemagne de l'Est et, après 1968, la Tchécoslovaquie s'en sont isolés complètement. Avec la théorie de la planification optimale, la Russie a connu son propre développement. En RDA, le contrǒle politique et le dogmatisme ont abouti à une stérilité théorique. À l'éxception de ces deux derniers pays, la pensée réformiste s'est renforcée continument au cours des années 80. Ces résultats se reflètent aussi dans la situation personnelle faite aux économistes. Quant a la contribution durable de la science économique sous le communisme, les réponses sont peu optimistes: ce ne sont pas tellement les développements théoriques qui survivront à la periode soviétique, mais plutöt (‘experience avortée de la planification centrale de type soviétique.

Notes: This paper presents the results of an overlapping-generations experiment on the individual choice between intergenerational transfers and savings. One dominant finding of our experiment is that if savings are possible individuals choose to (gradually) opt out of the intergenerational transfer system. In that case the average individual pay-offs are lower but their distribution among individuals is less volatile. This suggests that risk aversion is a driving force behind the decline of intergenerational transfers. The willingness to give to previous generations does not disappear completely, however. Moreover, the degree of cohesion between successive generations, measured by (lie correlation between current and past transfers does not diminish significantly after the introduction of (he savings option.〈section xml:id="abs1-2"〉〈title type="main"〉ZUSAMMIENEASSUNGDicser Artikcl präsentierl die ErgebnisseeinesOvcrlapping-Generations-Experitnents, indent sich die Tcilnehmer zwisehen tnlergenerationalcn Transfers und Sparen entscheiden mussten. Eines der Hauptergcbnisse besteht darin, dass die Einführung der Mögliehkeit zur individuellen Zukunfts-vorsorge durch Sparen zu einer (allmählichen) Zurückdrängung von intergencrationalen Transfers führt. Im Fall des Sparens isl die durehschnittliche individuclle Auszahlung zwar geringer, dafür aber weniger unsieher. Die Zurückdrangung intergenerationaler Transfers lässt sich dahcr durch Risikoaversion erklären. Dennoch verschwindct die Bereitschaft, an die vorausgehende Generation abzugeben, nicht völlig. Ausserdein vennindert sich die Stärke des Zusatnnienhalts zwisehen aufcinanderlolgcnden Generalionen, getnessen durch die Korrelation zwisehen gegenwärtigen und früheren Transfers, nicht wesentlich durch die Einführung der Mögliehkeit des Sparens.〈section xml:id="abs1-3"〉〈title type="main"〉RÉSUMÉLe papier présente des résultats expérimentaux sur les choix individuels entre transferts inter-génération et épargnc. Un des résultats principaux est que s'il est possible d'épargncr, alors (progressivement) les agents passent du système de transfer! inter-générationnelausystème d'épargne. Dans de cas le payoff moyen des agents est plus faible mais la distribution des payoffs est inoins volatile. Ceei suggère que l'aversion pour le risque est l'une des prineipales causes du déclin des transferts intergénération. Cependant, les transferts inter-génération ne disparaissent pas totalement. De plus, le degré de cohesion entre les génération successives, mesuré par la corrélation entre les transferts présents et passés, ne diminue pas significativemenl apres l'introduction de la possibilityé d'épargncr.

Notes: This paper investigates spatial disparities in unemployment in three Member States of the EU. It attempts to identify the factors responsible for the persistence of regional unemployment disparities in Germany, Italy and the UK during 1984-94. The empirical results indicate that a substantial proportion of the variation in unemployment rates between NUTS2 level regions can be explained by regional disparities in three key variables: unit labour costs, the industry mix and employment density. The findings are consistent with the view that regional unemployment disparities are explained primarily by regional disparities in economic competitiveness.〈section xml:id="abs1-2"〉〈title type="main"〉ZUSAMMENFASSUNODieser Artikel untersucht die räumlichen Unterschiede in der Höhe der Arbeitslosigkeit in drei Mitgliedsstaaten der EU. Er basiert auf dem Versuch, die Faktoren zu bestimmen, die im Zeitraum zwischen 1984 und 1994 für die Persistenz von regionalen Unterschieden der Höhe der Arbeitslosigkeit in Deutschland, Italien und Grossbritannien verantwortlich waren. Die empirischen Ergeb-nisse zeigen, dass ein wesentlicher Teil der Unterschiede in der Höhe der Arbeitslosigkeit zwischen NUTS2 Regionen durch eine regional unterschiedliche Ausprägung von drei wichtigen Variablen erklärt werden kann: Lohnstückkosten, Wirtschaftsstruktur und Zahl der Arbeitsplätze pro Quadratkilometer. Die Ergebnisse bestätigen die Ansicht, dass die regional unterschiedlich hohe Arbeitslosigkeit hauptsächlich durch Unterschiede der regionalen Wettbewerbsfähigkeit zu cr-klüren ist.〈section xml:id="abs1-3"〉〈title type="main"〉RÉSUMÉCe document examine les disparités géographiques du chǒmage dans trois États membres de l'Union Européenne. Nous essayerons d'identifier les facteurs responsables de la persistance des disparités en chǒmage régional en Ailemagne, en Italie el au Royaume-Uni pendant la période 1984-94. Les résultats empiriques indiquent qu'une proportion importante de la variation du taux de chǒmage entre les régions de la catégorie NUTS2 peut s'expliquer par des disparités régionales en trois variables prépondérantes: le coǔt unitaire d'emploi, la structure industrielle et la densité d'emploi. Les résultats coïncident avec l'avis que les disparités du chǒmage régional s'expliquent surtout par les disparités régionales en compétitivitééconomique.

Notes: Alvesson Mats (1993): Cultural Perspectives on OrganizationsAtkinson, Anthony B. (ed.) (1993): Alternatives to CapitalismAyres, Robert U. (1994): Information, Entropy, and ProgressBaranzini, Mauro and Geoffrey S. Harcourt (eds.) (1993): The Dynamics ofthe Wealth of NationsCaprio, Gerard; David Folkerts-Landau and Timothy D. Lane (1994): Building Sound Finance in Emerging Market EconomiesCastles, Stephen and Mark J. Miller (1993): The Age of MigrationChow, Peter Y. and Mitchell H. Kellman (1993): Trade – the Engine of Growth in East AsiaCooper, Charles (ed.) (1994): Technology and Innovation in the International EconomyFransman, Martin (1993): The Market and BeyondGalbraith, John Kenneth (1993): A Journey Through Economic TimeHayes, J.P. (1993): Making Trade Policy in the European CommunityHodgson, Geoffrey M.; J. Warren J. Samuels and Marc R. Tool (1994): The Elgar Companion to Institutional and Evolutionary EconomicsHoffmann, Lutz (1993): Warten auf den AufschwungLibecap, Gary D. (1994): Contracting for Property RightsOates, Wallace E. (ed.) (1993): The Economics of the EnvironmentPerelman, Michael (1993): The Pathology of the US. Economy

Notes: Books reviewed in this article.Acs, Zoltan J., Bo Carlsson and Charlie Karlsson (1999). Entrepreneurship, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and the Macroeconomy.Ahiakpor, James C.W. (ed.) (1998). Keynes and the Classics Reconsidered.Arestis, Philip (ed.) (1998). Method, Theory and Policy in Keynes.Cencini, Alvaro (1997). Monetary Theory.Almut Oetjen, M.A.Chomsky, Noam (1999). Profit over People.Erber, Georg, Harald Hagemann and Stephan Seiter (1998). Zukunftsperspektiven Deutschlands un internationalen Wettbewerh.Frey, Bruno S. (1997). Ein neuer Föderalismus für Europa.Gentry, Bradford S. (ed.) (1998). Private Capital Flows and the Environment.Maneschi, Andrea (1998). Comparative Advantage in International Trade.Marimon, Ramon and Andrew Scott (eds.) (1999). Computational Methods for the Study of Dynamic Economics.Menkhoff, Lukas and Beate Reszat (eds.) (1998). Asian Financial Markets.Nell, Edward J. (1998). The General Theory of Transformational Growth.Oates, Wallace E. (ed.) (1998). The Economics of Fiscal Federalism and Local Finance.Storchmann, Karl-Heinz (1999). Das Defizit im öffentlichen Personennahverkehr in Theorie und Empiric.Terres, Paul (1999). Die Logik einer wettbewerblichen Geldordnung.Wittschorek, Peter (Hrsg.) (1999). Agenda 2000.

Notes: Acocella, Nicola (1998). The Foundations of Economic Policy.Apolte, Thomas (1999). Die ökonomische Konstitution eines föderalen Systems.Burtless, Gary, Robert Z. Lawrence, Robert E. Litan and Robert J. Shapiro (1998). Globaphobia.Buti, Marco and Andre Sapir (eds.) (1998). Economic Policy in EMU. A Study by the European Commmission Services. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 256 pp. $ 35.00. ISBN 0-19-829478-6.Held, Martin (Hrsg.) (1997). Normative Grundfragen der Ökonomik.Jänicke, Martin, Philip Kunig and Michael Stitzel (1999). Umweltpolitik.Lemmen, Jan (1998). Integrating Financial Markets in the European Union.Lys, Thomas (ed.) (1997). Monetary Theory and Monetary Policy.Nurmi, Hannu (1998). Rational Behaviour and the Design of Institutions.Pies, Ingo and Martin Leschke (Hrsg.) (1998). Gary Beckers ökonomischer Imperialismus.Preeg, Ernest H. (1998). From Here to Free Trade.Reiner, Sabine (1998). Was ist politisch an der Politischen Ökonomie?Sharma, Soumitra (ed.) (1998). John Maynard Keynes.Visser, Jelle and Anton Hemerijk (1997). A Dutch Miracle.Wagener, Hans-Jurgen (ed.) (1998). Economic Thought in Communist and Post-Communist Europe.Wray, L. Randall (1998). Understanding Modern Money.

Notes: Although there are many accepted faults with GNP per capita as a measure of the utility gained from wealth, most commentators would still argue that an increase in GNP per capita will have positive effects on total utility outweighing any negative externalities. Taking lessons from a conception of the nature and causes of happiness that harks back to Adam Smith and the original Utilitarians, this paper argues that increases in absolute income should have little effect on happiness in rich countries, and that there might instead be channels linking happiness causally with growth. Using time series evidence from happiness polls in ten wealthy countries, the paper finds no support for a causal link from growth to happiness, weak support for a reverse causation and further (weak) support for links between national equality and happiness and leisure time and happiness. The paper concludes by offering some consequences of this for theory and policy.〈section xml:id="abs1-2"〉〈title type="main"〉ZusammenfassungObwohl das BSP pro Kopf als Mass für den Nutzen von Wohlstand viele allgemein anerkannte Fehler aufweist, würden die meisten Kommentatoren nach wie vor behaupten, dass eine Zunahme des BSP pro Kopf eine positive Wirkung auf den Gesamtnutzen hat, die alle negativen Extemalitäten übersteigt. Aufbauend auf einer Vorstellung von der Natur und den Ursachen von Glück, die bis zu Adam Smith und den ursprünglichen Utilitarismus zurückreicht, argumentiert dieser Artikel, dass eine Zunahme des absoluten Einkommens vvenig Auswirkungen auf Glück in den reichen Ländern hat. Stattdessen könnten aber Kanäle existieren, die Glück kausal mit Wachstum verbinden. Die Auswertung von Zeitreihen aus Umfragen über Glück und Zufriedenheit in zehn reichen Ländern unterstützt diese These nicht, ergibt aber schwache Beweise für den umgekehrten Zusammenhang und weitere (schwache) Beweise für einen Zusammenhang zwischen Gleichheit und Glück bzw. Freizeit und Glück. Der Schluss des Papieres zieht daraus Konsequenzen für Theorie und Politik.〈section xml:id="abs1-3"〉〈title type="main"〉RésuméBien que les défauts de la mesure de l'utilité de la richesse par le PIB par tête soient largement reconnus et acceptés, la plupart des spécialistes soutiennent toujours l'idée selon laquelle les effets positifs d'une augmentation du PIB par tête sur l'utilité totale l'emportent largement sur ses externalités négatives. En se basant sur une conception de la nature et des causes du bien-être qui remonte à Adam Smith et aux premiers utilitaristes, cet article soutient la thèse selon laquelle une augmentation du revenu absolu a peu d'effets sur le bien-être des pays riches, et que, inversement, il existerait peut-être des voies par lesquelles le bien-être a des effets sur la croissance. En mettant en valeur les résultats de l'analyse de séries de données recueillies à travers des sondages sur le bien-être dans dix pays riches, cet article montre qu'il n y a pas de rapport causal entre la croissance et le bienêtre, que le rapport causal entre bien-être et croissance est faible, de même que ceux entre égalité national et bien-être, et loisirs et bien-être. Cet article conclut en offrant quelques conséquences de ces résultats pour la théorie et les politiques à mettre en oeuvre.

Notes: In this paper I argue that potential Marshallian external economies may be realised through cooperative inter-firm relations. Knowledge spillovers, the use of specialised machinery, the development of a local market for special skills, and the joint provision of sector services are modeled as Prisoner's Dilemma games. The model investigates the impact of changing payoffs and non-random pairing of agents on the viability and stability of the cooperative outcome. This model is then applied to the furniture industries of Italy and London in the 1980s.〈section xml:id="abs1-2"〉〈title type="main"〉ZusammenfassungDiese Studie argumentiert, dass potentielle Marshallianische Extemalitäten realisiert werden können durch kooperative Beziehungen zwischen Firmen. Wissenstransfer, die Benutzung von Spezialmaschinen, die Entwicklung eines lokalen Marktes für spezialisierte Fähigkeiten, und die gemeinsame Erstellung sektoraler Dienstleistungen sind als Prisoner's Dilemma Spiele modelliert. Das Modell untersucht den Effekt von sich ändernden Gewinnen und von nicht-zufälligen Zusammenstellungen von Spielerpaaren auf die Möglichkeit und Stabilität des kooperativen Resultats. Dieses Modell wird dann auf die Möbelindustrien Italiens und Londons während der 1980er Jahre angewendet.〈section xml:id="abs1-3"〉〈title type="main"〉RésuméDans cette article je postule que les economies extemes de Marshall peuvent potentiellement être réalisées à travers des relations de coopération entre compagnies. Les retombées de savoir, I'utilisation de machines spécialisées, le développement d'un marché local pour des competences spécifiques, et l'approvisionnement joint de services de secteur sont conçus comme jeu de Prisoner's Dilemma. Je me sers du modèle pour analyser les effets sur la viabilité et la stabilité du résultat coopératif, produits par la modification de deux suppositions: d'abord, en changeant le gain résultant de la cooperation mutuelle, et ensuite en considérant la situation où les chances qu'un joueur rencontre un autre joueur de même genre sont plus grandes que celles produites par le hasard. Ce modèle est ensuite appliqué aux industries de meubles d'Italie et de Londres dans les années 1980.

Notes: Review of the more widely discussed saving theories suggests that they are unable to account for the observed positive impact of a country's rate of economic growth on its saving ratio. In particular, the compositional explanation offered by the Life Cycle theory would appear to be based on debatable premises. A more promising explanation is found in the examination of the saving behavior of individual households and the respective motives: their saving ratio tends to vary positively with the percentage change in their income. The importance of the distribution of such changes among the economic agents is obvious. A number of implications for economic growth are discussed, including the roles of direct taxation, the export and agricultural sectors and, especially, domestic and foreign capital.〈section xml:id="abs1-2"〉〈title type="main"〉ZusammenfassungEine Überprüfung der wesentlichen Theorien des Sparens deutet darauf hin, dass sie nicht in der Lage sind, die beobachtete positive Wirkung der Wachstumsrate eines Landes auf die Sparquote zu erklären. Insbesondere die Erklärung der Lebenszyklustheorie scheint auf fraglichen Voraussetzungen aufzubauen. Eine vielversprechendere Erklärung liefert die Untersuchung des Sparverhaltens individueller Haushalte und ihrer jeweiligen Sparmotive: ihre Sparquote variiert positiv mit prozentualen Einkommensveränderungen. Die Bedeutung der Verteilung solcher Veränderungen unter den ökonomischen Agenten ist offensichtlich. Einige Konsequenzen für das Wirtschaftswachstum werden diskutiert, unter anderem die Rolle, die direkte Besteuerung, Export- und Landwirtschaftssektor, sowie in- und ausländisches Kapital spielen.〈section xml:id="abs1-3"〉〈title type="main"〉RésuméUne revue des théories principales de l'épargne nous amène à conclure qu'elles ne peuvent pas expliquer l'effet positif observé du taux d'accroissement d'une économie sur le rapport entre l'épargne et le revenue. En particulier, l'explication compositionelle proposée par la théorie du Cycle de Vie semble être basée sur des prémisses contestables. Une explication plus promettante se révèle en examinant le comportement des families individuelles quant à l'épargne et les motifs correspondants: le rapport entre l'épargne et le revenu tend à changer positivement avec la variation du taux de changement du revenu. L'importance de la distribution de tels taux parmi les agents économiques est évidente. Quelques implications intéressantes à l'égard de la croissance économique sont discutées, y compris les rôles de l'impôt direct, des secteurs exportateurs et agricoles et, en particulier, des capitaux nationaux et étrangers.

Notes: The 1990s have seen several big currency crises. Some observers argue that the crises show ‘fixed’ exchange rates are unsustainable. Dozens of countries have sustained such exchange rates for years or decades, though. Differences between pegged and fixed exchange rates explain why some exchange rates have lasted while others have succumbed to speculative attacks.〈section xml:id="abs1-2"〉〈title type="main"〉ZusammenfassungDie neunziger Jahre haben mehrcre grosse Währungskrisen erlebt. Einige Beobachter behaupten, solche Krisen zeigen, dass feste Wechselkurse nicht haltbar seien. Dennnoch hat eine Reihe anderer Lander solche Wechselkurse jahre- oder jahrzehntelang aufrechterhalten. Unterschiede zwischen einem Wechselkurs, der in Bandbreiten schwanken darf (‘pegged’) und einem absolut festen Wechsclkurs erklären, warum sich einige Wechselkurse durchgesetzt haben, wührend andere spekulativen Angriffen zum Opfer gefallen sind.〈section xml:id="abs1-3"〉〈title type="main"〉RésuméLes années 1990 ont connu plusieurs crises monétaires importantes. Quelques observateurs affirment que ces crises démontrent que les taux de change ‘fixes’ sont indéfendables. Pourtant, des douzaines de pays ont soutenu des tels taux de change pendant des décennies, même des siècles. Cela s'explique par la différence entre les taux de change vraiment fixes et les taux de change fixes mais ajustables (‘pegged’).