bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Altruism and Economic Behavior, I Developments in the Theory of Public and Private Redistribution
Authors: Kennett David A.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. The principal recent contributions from economics toward the understanding of behavior that is, or seems to be, altruistic, are discussed. Relevant developments in anthropology, biology and psychology are also introduced. Most of these models rely on some form of sophisticated goal maximization (attainment of power, genetic propagation, long‐term influence or even material benefit by means of a complex dynamic game strategy) and hence describe quasialtruistic behavior which is, in fact, consistent with individual welfare maximization. When looking at the public sector, government redistributive programs are considered by some to be expressions of collective altruism but these in fact have their roots in an implicit social contract enforced by the coercive power of the State. Genuine altruism must be action taken without expectation of reward or coercion and it is not to be found in models of concealed requirement or in forcible redistribution. A subsequent article discusses the area in which private activity can achieve more efficiently the redistributive objective.
Income Level and Inflation Strain in the United States: 1971–1975
Authors: Abbott Walter F.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Estimates of net inflationary effects in the United States from 1971 to 1975 are attempted by income level. The central concept is inflation strain, or the difference between the percentage change in prices and incomes as a percentage of change in incomes. Trends in prices are derived from United States Bureau of Labor Statistics data on lower and higher family budgets, admittedly subject to significant error, but the best we have. Equivalent income trends are estimated from data reported in the P‐60 series of the United States Bureau of the Census. Two findings are indicated. The first is that both higher and lower budget families experienced inflation strain, although the strain, of course, was substantially greater for lower budget families. The second finding is that the primary source of strain for the lower budget families was food, whereas the primary source of strain for the higher budget family was taxes, both income and Social Security taxes. The richer are getting poorer more slowly than the poor. Limitations of the techniques and data are analyzed.
The Structure of Federal Water Resources Policy Making
Authors: Chan Arthur H.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Federal water resources programs and policies are often developed haphazardly in response to crises. Hence, they lack breadth, coordination, and comprehensiveness. Problems lie in the structure of the development process in which federal construction agencies play a major part. Having these agencies do the economic evaluations when development opportunity dwindles tempts them to compromise the accuracy and integrity of the evaluations. The problem is aggravated by intense pressure from local beneficiaries due to biased federal financing and reimbursement policies. Efforts by Congress to correct the situation are partially offset by entrenched agency thinking and practices. Rigorous enforcement of the National Environmental Policy Act and Council on Environmental Quality Interim Guidelines, revision of cost‐sharing formulae and financing and reimbursement policies, improved flexibility of agency leadership, recruitment of new talents and ideas to agency ranks, and adjustment of agency orientation are needed for comprehensive planning to achieve social goals.
The Nature of Urban Land
Authors: Qadeer M. A.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Considerations about landinterpose into almost every aspect of urban life. They may not be the only factor determining a city's well‐being but appropriate land policies are necessary to bring about prosperity and equity. Contemporary accounts of the ‘urban crisis’ and of urban problems reveal the pervasiveness of land issues. Use of one urban land parcel has bearing on the usability of neighboring sites, which makes land a community resource. Urban land may be defined as land used or expected to be used for urban activities. Its attributes include location, space, property, clustering, heterogeneity and immobility and indestructibility. Neo‐classical theorists, by stressing accessibility and ignoring externalities and other attributes of land, achieved only an unrealistic understanding of it. Most land economists are institutionalists, their theory encompassing long‐validated concepts about the nature of land. The neo‐Marxian approach has many points of congruence with the institutionalist one. Empirically investigated, urban land is found to be different from economic goods and hence its production, allocation and disposition must proceed at least like other public goods.
The Social and Revenue Effects of State Alcoholic Beverage Control
Authors: Spellman William E. , Jorgenson Mark R.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. The operation of a state monopoly on retail sales of alcoholic beverages is often viewed as an outdated relic of Prohibition. However, the control states have a significantly lower consumption rate per capita and the price level is lower than in open or competitive states. The alcoholism rate is also lower in the control states than in the open states. The alcoholism and consumption conclusions are valid even given regional socioeconomic differences. Even though the prices are lower in control states than open states, the competitive forces in neighboring states cause prices to be lower in the retail outlets on the border; hence, illegal transportation of liquor causes the official consumption rate of the in‐state border counties to be lower than the interior counties. The social and revenue effects of state control make it an effective policy.
Equal Opportunity for Women in Intercollegiate Sports: Financial Aid and Family Background as Major Influences on Female Participation in Competitive Programs
Authors: Pacey Patricia L.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Financial aid is an important factor in determining women's rate of participation in intercollegiate sports and is likely to become an even more important influence. Regression analysis of data from a representative sample of female athletes attending institutions in the two major divisions of the National Intercollegiate Athletic Association and of financial information from the institutions shows that socioeconomic background also is a major factor. Other variables that explain such participation are total non‐scholarship direct expenditures (a proxy for quality), birth order and per capita direct expenditures. Although a university's or college's dollar commitment is having a major impact, economic considerations indicate there are some potential dangers in allocating grants according to the ratio of female to male athletes.
The U.S.A.'s Land Data Legacy from the 19th Century: A Message from the Henry George‐Francis A. Walker Controversy over Farm Land Distribution
Authors: Wunderlich Gene
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Today's perception of land problems stems in part from agriculturally‐oriented data developed in the late 19th Century and continued in present day series. Henry George criticized the agricultural statistics of his time but he was as much a captive of the data as his antagonist, Francis A. Walker. The historical identity of farm with farm operator in agricultural statistics is a basis for current concerns about the structure of agriculture. Landownership issues now transcend agriculture. The distribution of wealth, control of use, incidence of taxes and subsidies require land data not tied to a particular firm, industry or program.
Tourism, Vacation Home Development and Residential Tax Burden:
Authors: Fritz Richard G.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Differences in property tax rates among communities within a regional economy are a source of inefficiency and inequity. Less developed rural areas where natural amenities exist have often attempted to use the tourist industry as a means of importing economic development. Promoters of vacation home development argue that the impact on the local tax base is positive. However, the quantitative research in this paper indicates that under certain circumstances, vacation home development has the effect of increasing the tax burden on residential property.
Application of Quality of Life Indicators to Socioeconomic Problems:
Authors: Sinden J. A.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Liu has presented and applied to several categories of areas a method of estimating comparative values for measuring the quality of life. This method is analyzed and extended through an application permitting evaluation of social and economic policies for country towns in Australia. Issues in Liu's method, particularly relating to the procedure for standardizing measurements and a much‐needed validation test, are examined and, it is hoped, resolved. The nature of Liu's results is compared with that of the Australian results and they are found to be similar, particularly in that the quality of life values were useful in explaining migration, and were even better in explaining certain components of migration. The study extended the method to analysis of policy choices.
Justice and the Foundations of Economic Thought
Authors: Copeland Morris A.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Justice in the economy is a subject of renewed interest among contemporary economists. In the growing literature, Joseph A. Spengler's Origins of Economic Thought and Justice may become a standard reference work. Its great merit is the way it handles values and value judgments. Economics as an objective science cannot tell us anything about ends, Spengler holds, but it illuminates Valuation and facilitates isolation of costs and some benefits of realizing ends. Still, economists “need to base their policy‐oriented arguments on distributive justice and not on efficiency.”
Accounting for Public Recreation Expenditures
Authors: Hendon William S.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Understanding why local parks and recreation budgets are set at particular levels is an interesting but difficult area in which to conduct research. In order to help clarify some of the important ideas, 22 hypotheses are developed and tested, correlating for 103 United States cities, the relationships of dependent variables (city's total recreation budget, recreation as a percent of total expenditure and recreation expenditure per capita) to selected sets of urban variables identified as demographic, labor force structure, local income, and public service variables. Results of the analysis suggest that the size of park budgets is positively associated with pet cent of population Non‐White, birth, death and marriage rates, crime rates, non‐agricultural employment, white collar employment, and income growth. Variables inversely related to budgets include the percent of lower to middle income groups and expenditures for education.
A Property Rights Paradox: George and Rothbard on the Conservation of Environmental Resources
Authors: Yandle Bruce
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Murray N. Rothbard is recognized as one of the most articulate modern critics of Henry George's land value tax. A leading libertarian thinker, Rothbard condemns George's recommendation that government act to affect private transactions in land, arguing that such interventions infringe on previously defined private property rights. However, Rothbard's social system has no explicit mechanism for accommodating the emergence of tradeable property rights to newly recognized environmental resources. In effect, Rothbard calls for controls on such resources—no trading. Henry George, on the other hand, provides for the evolution of new property rights and their emergence into private markets. The paradox here is that George's solution to the property rights question might accommodate the social yearnings of one of his most severe critics, Murray N. Rothbard.
The Sociopolitical Analysis of Global Inflation: A Theoretical and Empirical Examination of an Influential Basic Explanation
Authors: Addison John T. , Burton John
Published: July 2006

Abstract. One variant of the influential sociopolitical model of inflation is examined, a version distinguished by its econometric testable form and its use of relative deprivation as a principal efficient cause of global inflation. Hence its relevance to the contemporary debate on the nature and origins of the inflationary process. Specifically, the model postulates that the rate of inflation in a country is inversely related to its level of per capita income (and social security expenditure) and directly related to its degree of income inequality. It emerges from our analysis, however, that the association between the level of economic development and the comparative propensity to inflate is of theoretically ambiguous sign. Also, the empirical robustness of the postulated relation is in doubt and the multivariate analysis is itself sensitive to the inclusion/ exclusion from the sample of outlier countries. More positively, the general focus of the model on fundamental as opposed to proximate determinants of inflation is to be welcomed. The message is that sociopolitical analysts must sharpen their analytical tools and, in the spirit of the model, formulate testable propositions in an area where economists have tended to overemphasize ‘mechanical’ relationships/solutions.
Non‐Mortgage Factors Affecting Housing Sales and Construction: A Case Study of Transactions in 3 Counties of Southeastern Wisconsin, 1974‐78
Authors: Zarinnia Abdullah
Published: July 2006

Abstract. The surge in the sale and construction of housing in three counties of southeastern Wisconsin between 1974 and 1978 could not be readily explained in terms of the credit cost and credit availability theory, the expectation theory or affordability. A questionnaire was sent to a random sample of home buyers. Their responses showed that the main motivating factors were investment purpose, the desire for a bigger and better home, and anticipation of higher home prices. Data supported their responses as the rate of return on investment in housing (equity appreciation) was significantly higher than both the mortgage interest rate and the return on alternative investments. Although median family income lagged behind home prices, it kept pace with ownership costs. Thus, given the demand, the critical factor was affordability.
A Note on Relevant Comparisons of Corporations and Countries
Authors: Greene Benjamin B.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Attempts to compare the magnitude of corporations and countries are frequently biased by the use of inconsistent measures. While Gross National Product reflects the output obtained from a nation's land, labor and capital resources, corporate sales reflect not only the firm's output but also that of its suppliers. A more realistic picture can be obtained by comparing corporate value added to national output. While available information permits only an approximation of the former, it appears that the average company is responsible for less than 50 percent of the value of the product it sells. The basic conclusion that some firms are in this sense comparable to Nation‐States remains valid. However, the rank of the largest companies relative to countries is reduced substantially.
Selected Elements of Henry George's Legitimacy as an Economist
Authors: Fuller Aaron B.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Henry George's legitimacy as an economist has been denied in much of the literature of the history of economic thought and by some economists who were his approximate contemporaries. These denials have shaped the prevailing negative view of George's economics. An examination of selected representative evidence from George's work fails to support the negative view. George's positions on “The Study of Political Economy,” eloquently presented in his 1877 speech to the faculty at the University of California, ate consistent with (and predate) “accepted,”“orthodox,”“legitimate” views of political economy expressed a decade and more later by J. Laurence Laughlin and Charles F. Dunbar in early classic articles that signified the emergence of economics as an identifiable profession in the United States. Other evidence reveals that George avoided the Ricardian error of failing to understand the role of factor and product substitution in the process of market equilibrium adjustments.
Henry George's Challenge to the Economics Profession
Authors: Samuels Warren J.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. A session of the American Economic Association and the History of Economics Society commemorating the centennial of the publication of Progress and Poverty, while correctly assessing some of Henry George's writing as hyperbole, raised two important issues; George s legitimacy as an economist and his analysis's significance for economics. Our generation sins on the side of illogic too, but George's status has been questioned not only out of snobbishness but because he was perceived as unsafe; he raised “dangerous” fundamental issues. He questioned the terms of access to and use of land as channeled by real property and other rights and he asked whether the institution of landed property was anachronistically suited to the enjoyment and wealth of some as contrasted to all people.
Szasz on Contract, Liberty and Autonomy
Authors: Stillman Peter G.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Thomas Szasz, psychiatrist and philosopher, in many books and articles has sought to delineate a theory of personal conduct and social interaction based on individual freedom of choice. Using psychiatric issues as his basis, he asserts that freedom of contract is essential to liberty and autonomy, and that contractual consent must be “informed” in a legal sense. But the mere fact of choice is not sufficient for the individual's humanity and autonomy. For “informed” consent, even a non‐paternalistic State must be an active State, establishing the general norms even of the psychiatrist‐patient relationship, making explicit and maintaining the “implied terms” that must surround all contracts, including the education and social competence necessary for making them.
Nicole Oresme and Medieval Social Science The 14th Century Debunker of Astrology Wrote an Early Monetary Treatise
Authors: Bales Kevin B.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Nicole Oresme practised the medieval equivalent of the modern sociological technique of debunking. He was born about 1320 and attended the College of Navarre in Paris. King John II and especially his son, Charles V, were patrons of Oresme's work. In a period when astrology was the dominant paradigm in the explanation of human behavior, Oresme wrote extensively denouncing it. His attacks were based on reason and experience, and went beyond the turgid scholastic form. He is particularly well known for his work in economics, one of the first integrated treatises on money policy. In Oresme we see a new sort of scientist emerging. He represents the transition from philosophical science to a science based on facts.
A Natural Science Version of Socioeconomic Evolution: Copeland's Essays Are His First Sustained Attempt to Apply His Approach to Economic History
Authors: Millar James R.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Morris A. Copeland advanced a theory 50 years ago based on the idea, widely accepted in the social sciences at that time, that the society and its economy and polity are products of socioeconotnic evoltttion. Hence, he reasoned, any theoretical economic statement is temporally and culturally relative. Therefore, he held, the concern of economics as a science is with the way economic activity is now organized as well as how it originated and developed over time in specific cultures. After applying it with history‐making results to the contemporary economy, he now, in his new book of Essays, applies his approach to economic history, achieving an important methodological contribution.
From the New Deal to the New Federalism: Presidential Ideology in the U.S. from 1932 to 1982
Authors: Horowitz Irving Louis
Published: July 2006

Abstract. The essence of the Reagan mandate is neither taxation nor balanced budgets, rather the reduction of federal government controls and a corresponding growth in state and local controls. This concern is neither Right nor Left, but a response to a growing realization of ineptitudes and inefficiencies seen in all the highly developed industrialized nations. Hence, whether inspired by the “free‐enterprise” doctrines of Reagan in the U.S. or the “socialist” approach of Mitterrand in France, the policy goal of advanced nations is clear: a shift in fiscal priorities and political controls to strike a more realistic balance. The emphasis is upon the social movement aspects of Reagan's New Federalism: the coalition of middle sectors and elite working classes, rather than the “big business” label usually assigned to this administration. Federalism, essentially a social policy, can succeed to the degree that there is an equitable sharing in economic hardships no less than economic gains. But fiscal favoritism, racial inequalities, class dislocations, and similar difficulties can produce its defeat.
Classification of Nations as Developed and Less Developed: An Arrangement by Discriminant Analysis of Socioeconomic Data
Authors: Dellaportas. George
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Recent data from 62 countries representing various levels of national development are analyzed. A number of metal, economic, nutritional, demographic, cultural and health indicators, derived from these nations, were submitted to discriminant analysis, on the basis of a priori classification of each nation to one of three levels of development. The analysis produced specific characteristics for each level of development, which categorized the nations in distinct clusters underlying the socioeconomic and political similarities in each one. The thus developed discriminant characteristics were then applied to 19 additional nations of “unknown” developmental level: they too were classified and clustered in perfect association with the original 62 by their inherent and acquired similarities. Thus a universally applicable process to classify a nation objectively on the basis of its own national characteristics by level of development is presented.
Suburban Encroachment on the Old North 40: The Search for Effective Measures to Preserve Agricultural Land
Authors: Conard Rebecca
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Since 1956, more than 40 states have passed some form of legislation to preserve agricultural land. These statutes or constitutional amendments invoke a variety of economic and/or legal strategies to obtain their objectives, but the most common strategy is that of the differential tax. None of the various strategies is entirely effective, however, although land resource allocation problems have prompted some economists to reexamine the merits of land value taxation. A survey of pertinent literature on land value taxation is examined in an effort to determine whether a system based on single tax principles might offer a simpler, more equitable, and therefore preferable solution to the problem of land resource allocation according to criteria believed to foster environmental conservation or social goals.
General Measures to Assist Workers and Firms in Adjusting to Injury from Freer Trade: Issues Raised by Various European Approaches and Some ad hoc Industry Measures Adopted elsewhere
Authors: Stein Leslie
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Various European measures to alleviate hardships following structural changes. including those resulting from changes in international trade. particularly imports. are summarized. It is noted that sectional political pressures tend to generate industry‐specific schemes, especially in the textile, clothing and footwear fields. In some cases, the individual schemes facilitate change. But, in many others, they simply frustrate and hinder inevitable adjustment. Instances of both types are cited. The characteristics of an ‘ideal’ scheme are itemized along with some of the difficulties in maintaining them. Finally, suggestions are made to de‐politicize the tariff‐maknig process in the interest of freer trade.
‘Value Freedom’ and the Scope of Economic Inquiry: II. The Fact/Value Continuum and the Basis for Scientific and Humanistic Policy
Authors: Dwyer Larry
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Underlying the view of economic methodologists that the economist in his professional capacity is prohibited from making value judgments concerning policy ends is the assumption that there exists an irreducible gap between statements of fact and value judgments, such that value judgments are incapable of receiving support on the basis of scientific inquiry. Once a strict fact/value dualism is seen to be untenable, and once it is recognized that value judgments can be grounded in human needs and interests, the standard “purist” conception of the scope of economic inquiry can be rejected in favor of a “humanist” conception. It is argued that adoption of the wider “humanist” conception of the proper goals of economic inquiry is an important step in the development of an economic science responsive to the basic needs, interests, and aspirations of human beings.
Patterns of Property Tax Exploitation Produced By Infrequent Assessments
Authors: Heavey Jerome F.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Out of dace assessments of real property for ad valorem taxation may give rise to systematic inequities in the distribution of the tax burden. One such inequity is the exploitation of a taxing jurisdiction's core area by its periphery. We provide an explanation of how such exploitation may arise. This explanation is tested empirically by observing the patterns of assessment in a sample of Pennsylvania school districts. We find a consistent pattern of overpayments, supporting an hypothesis that core areas are exploited by peripheral areas. The overpayments to school districts could be claimed by city governments.
The geopolitics of the Arctic
Authors: Roucek Joseph S.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. The Arctic is a region of extremely sparse population, harsh climatic conditions and potentially rich resources which is strategically significant as an air route and waterway. The United States and Canada, the Scandinavian countries and the Soviet Union are engaged in developing the area's oil deposits, fisheries and other resources. Both the Western Bloc and the Soviet Bloc have spent billions of dollars fortifying and arming the region, which provides the shortest air routes between major cities in Europe, Asia and America.
J. A. Hobson and British Imperialism
Authors: Wood John Cunnicngham
Published: July 2006

Abstract. John A. Hobson made a significant contribution in his economic. social And political analysis of British imperialism. His views on the two leading political imperial issues ofthe 1880s and early 1900s—the schemes for imperial federation and imperial preference—are examined. Hobson discussed such topics with a substantial degree of balance and objectivity, chough he had strong personal feelings on the matters. Since historians of thought have neglected the discussion of imperial copies by Hobson s contemporary economists, Hobson's ideas are considered in relation Co those of ocher economists writing in the period, 1870‐1914, including W. J. Ashley. W. Cunningham. H. Fawcett. R. Giffen. W. A. S. Hewins. A. Marshall and J. S. Nicholson. Hobson emerges as the most comprehensive and sophisticated of the group, even chough his ideas appear somewhat muddled.
Henry George's Theory of State's Agenda: The Origins of His Ideas on Economic Policy in Adam Smith's Moral Theory
Authors: Petrella Frank
Published: July 2006

Abstract. The tension between Henry George's reformism and his laissezfaire liberalism was resolved through a system of natural liberty George derived from the relation between Adam Smith's ethics and economics. Crucial for George's nonutilitarian philosophy of government was the interdependence between the moral sense (sympathy) and the prevailing socioeconomic order. In the appropriate institutional environment, the role of the government was diminished since the pervasive moral sense insured justice by monitoring the individual's pursuit of economic self‐interest. In contrast, a defective socio economic order required government intervention. For example, land monopoly and the maldistribution of income undermined the role of sympathy, promoted excessive self interest and the breakdown of the system of natural liberty. Government action through the single tax eliminated the “fear of want,” restored an operative moral sense and guaranteed justice in society. Under these conditions, government can provide additional services for a growing society without being susceptible to “corrupt and tyrannous” behavior.
Competition, Imperfect Competition, and Dynamic Market Processes
Authors: Daniel Coldwell
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Contrary to the conventional hypothesis, the structural elements on the supply side of free product markets are not stable. The variability in the structures of free markets is readily apparent in an appropriate analysis of the emergence, growth, and maturity of free product markets. In this analysis, supply‐side entrepreneurship plays a prominent role—one which is only imputed to entrepreneurship in the conventional specification of market conditions. In order to correct this deficiency in the conventional specification, an alternative specification is summarized in which are treated explicitly the effects of entrepreneurial activity with respect to the discovery and development of economically feasible new products and processes and the choice of and variations in the quality characteristics of the products of individual firms. This indicates that firms can and do influence the stage of development—and hence the related size—of a market and their relative shares of it by new product and process development and the quality of their output. In this way entrepreneurial activity affects particular product market structures.
Groundwater and the Land Value Tax
Authors: Yandle Bruce
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Application of the land value tax has been described for many natural resources. However, the problems encountered with flowing underground resources have not been fully discussed. Groundwater is one such flowing resource that affects the value of surface land. The underground water is also subject to its own market forces. If a Georgist tax is to be applied to groundwater or to land affected by it, the administrator of the tax must consider the interplay that occurs between the two resource markets. A system of separable property rights to the two resources offers the prospect for efficient use. But the monitoring of ground water use must accompany such a separation.
Libertarianism and Private Property in Land
Authors: Horn Walter
Published: July 2006

Abstract. The positions on private landownership of two libertarian scholars thought to have a wide following in that movement are examined The libertarians —Murray Rothbard and Robert Nozick—hold positions which are untenable. Rothbard's theory is almost indistinguishable from John Locke's and rests on the labor theory of ownership and the admixture theory of labor; standards which are too vague. Nozick believes that making something valuable gives a right of ownership, but again the standard is too ambiguous. And it is necessary to appropriate a thing before one can improve it. The value added theory permits a utilitarian justification of landownership involving the payment of compensation to non‐owners.
Locke's Contract: would People consent to It?
Authors: Bookman John T.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Examination of Locke's theory political obligation suggests some of the difficulties which beset any consent theory. Stress is placed on the need for the state of nature as a real alternative to civil society, if Locke is to maintain that people have consented. It is shown that Locke has precluded a decision to remain in the state of nature and, therefore, people have not consented. This conclusion inspires a reconstruction of Locke's theory wherein people consent hypothetically: they would consent to legitimate government, if they had the opportunity to found government anew. What would they consent to? What are the criteria of legitimate government? The provisions of the Lockeian contract set out and found wanting People, as Locke sees them and living under conditions which he describes, would not consent to his contract.
Old Age Relief Policy Prior to 1900: The trend Toward Restrictiveness
Authors: Willamson Jhon B.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Between the 17th and the 19th centuries old age relief policy in America became increasingly restrictive. One indication of this was the trend toward greater emphasis on the almsbouse as opposed to “outdoor relief” and other noninstitutional alternatives. This trend can be accounted for, in part, by the emerging market economy and the ideological concomitants of this change. Another important factor was the influx of immigrants who did not share a common ethnic background with those who had come during the colonial era. Environmental factors such as the abundance of land and the physical dangers associated with frontier life also had a major impact on the way in which English ideas about poor relief were adapted and how these policies evolved over the years. These differences led to an even stronger commitment to an ideology of individualism than in England.
The Constitutionality of a Federal Net Wealth Tax
Authors: Lindholm Richard W.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Consideration of a Federal Net Wealth Tax would help settle the question of the scope and limits of the taxing powers of the United States Government. The confusion attending this, which has prevented the federal government from taxing land and kept state taxation of land too low to bean efficient allocator of this resource, can be clarified. The Constitution's Article I, Section VIII, gave the federal government power to levy taxes, duties, imports and excises, as “indirect” taxes, requiring only that the duties, imposts and excises be “uniform throughout the United States.” The 16th Amendment authorized a “direct” tax on “incomes, from whatever source derived.” The intent of the Founding Fathers—almost all large landholders—was to prevent the new federal government from using land as a tax base. But the distinction between the types of taxes lacks economic meaning. By making the base of a new tax the net wealth of taxpayers. Congress could obtain a Supreme Court test to end the confusion. If the Court, following precedent, required that land be excluded from the tax base, this would assure land as a tax base to the states and permit them to tax it in a way to end speculative withholding of tracts and sites and to bring about orderly development according to current need.
An Economics Classic and Plutology
Authors: Genovese Frank C.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Henry George's Progress and Poverty, published a century ago, laid the foundation for a theory that attracted a worldwide following. He emphasized that political economy investigates the way a community produces wealth and the proportions in which that wealth will be distributed between individuals. In our day that has been called ‘plutology’, a subdiscipline of political economy. Many of George's critics, then and now, act as apologists of the status quo, in society and in the academy. But the science's purview must be broader than plutology. Economics, to be relevant, must be useful in the solution of economic and social problems. In redirecting economists to their basic responsibility, George made a lasting contribution to economic science. He also was a perennial influence on economic scholar, even on some of his most antagonistic critics. But George is neglected because his doctrines were and are a threat to various establishments. However, by force of logic and through clarity of expression, he is a goad to the consciences of all folk of good will.
On Modernizing Local Public Finance
Authors: Netzer Dick
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Urban economists tend to agree that land value taxation is both equitable and efficient. Then why won't American urban areas reform their property taxes into a land value tax? One explanation may be that the climate of opinion is that the taxation of wealth is wrong. This may be another of the legacies of the Great Depression. In the 20 years preceding, levels of property taxation increased very substantially; this was associated with rapid urbanization and big increases in public expenditures. Even with the collapse of property values urban governments extended expenditures and hence taxes on real property—as they did again with inflation in the 1970s. But in the 70s residents were predominantly owner‐occupants—a result of counter depression policy. Their hostility to taxing unrealized capital gains is the obstacle advocates of land value taxation have to overcome.
Problems in Acquiring Mineral Revenues for Financing Economic Development: A Case Study of Zambia During 1970–78
Authors: Curry Robert L.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. During the 1970s Zambia granted tax incentives to transnational mining companies (thereby foregoing some revenue) in order to achieve expected investment benefits to the economy and government. The Government also acquired ownership interests in the companies via asset acquisition. Global market forces turned against Zambia's interests, and expected benefits were not forthcoming because company profits had become the sole tax base in the mineral sector. Zambia's experience from 1970 to 1978 suggests that it and other mineral export countries should (a) evaluate carefully whether reducing the effective tax rate on company profits actually induces investment, and (b) consider thoroughly whether a tax scheme that includes a proper mix of profit, mineral and export levies is more appropriate than a single tax base.
Is the New England Urban Tax Rate Too High?
Authors: Stokes Charles J.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Whether urban property tax rates in New England are too high is a matter of proper comparison. 20 cities in the 100,000 to 200,000 class size ate compared in respect of urban financial structure, economic characteristics, and tax rates to determine in what sense taxes could be said to be high. Average tax bills, measures of tax burden and dependence on revenue sharing were found to be significantly higher in New England. This was true despite the evidence that these cities–selected to be representative of many regions in the nation–were essentially alike. One emergent conclusion is the difference in tax rates reflects an actual difference in demand. That difference seems traceable to the one outstanding difference, the density of settlement.
Complexity and the Meaning of Freedom: The Classical Liberal View
Authors: Hickerson Steven R.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. The classical liberal view of economic freedom as the absence of coercion in economic affairs is examined in its historical and epistemological foundations. The contributions of Descartes, Bentham, Newton and Locke are emphasized. This view is found to be unduly restrictive in relation to the complexity and synergistic interdependencies of modem technology and economic arrangements. More specifically, it is found to be atomistic, negativistic, aresponsible, and historically perverse. It is based on the notion that markets somehow exist prior to and independently of social control— an error of which Adam Smith and the classical economists were not guilty. The complex and interdependent characteristics of contemporary society, with its maldistribution of income, wealth and power, have rendered it obsolete. The instrumentalist view of freedom outlines the competing alternative.
Why Everyone Should Read George's ‘Progress and Poverty’: On the Classic's Centenary, the Specialists Find This 19th Century Best Seller Still Very Timely
Authors: Genovese Frank C.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. When one urges that everyone read a classic, Progress and Poverty, now on the centenary of its publication, it is not only because in a democracy the voting citizen decides basic questions of economic policy, but because it appeals to the moral sense of economics students as well as other social scientists. Is it not important that legislation affecting living standards and culture be just, as well as scientifically sound? And that economists, along with other social scientists, master communication technique as Henry George did, so that they can share the fruits of their investigations? Part of the ability to get something done about what is perceived as a problem must rest on the ability to communicate, As Joseph Schumpeter showed, George's proposal that the economic rent of land be collected in lieu of taxes that burden labor and capital was economically sound and his criticism of a tax system that penalizes industry and thrift and rewards speculation is now “obvious wisdom,”
Development and Agrarian Land Reform in Venezuela's Pioneer Zone: Social Progress Along the Llano‐Andes Border in a Half Century of Political Advance
Authors: Crist Raymond E.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Opportunities in the oil fields and on the large and small farms and ranches in the pioneer zone of Venezuela along the Llanos‐Andes border attract tens of thousands of “undocumented”Colombian migrants. Many replace Venezuelans fleeing from the country to the urban areas Residents of the higher “cold country” elevations move into the lower ones, whose residents move into the now healthier hot” lowlands. The affluent arc moving from the lowlands to the “cold country,” the reverse direction. Sites for hydroelectric dams, noted in 1932, are being exploited, and significant progress is marked by erection of schools and universities, libraries and other cultural institutions Political reform made possible agrarian land reform, but new latifundistas are appearing as lawyers, physicians and businessmen use wealth acquired in their professions to become large landowners seeking to profit from their holdings.
Homelessness in Dublin: An Irish Urban Disorder
Authors: Kearns Kevin C.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Urban homelessness in Dublin has emerged as one of Ireland's most serious socioeconomic problems. Etiological explanations for the estimated 1,200 homeless individuals in the capital range from personal problems to the structure of Irish society. Empirical examination reveals that many Irish are drawn into the homeless network through personal crises such as poor health, alcoholism, economic deprivation, and psychiatric disturbances. However, it is the inequitable social, economic, political, and legislative system which ordinarily entraps them in this deprived state. Thus the causes of Irish homelessness are fundamentally structural. The Irish Government has no policy or program for assisting the urban homeless. Consequently, they have become wards of charitable agencies ill‐equipped to care properly for them. Reform legislation seems to be needed. But public apathy and prejudice suggests that it will not be enacted soon.
On the Validity of Veblen's Criticisms of Economic Orthodoxy: An Analysis of His Positions in the Light of Current Conditions and Economic Thought
Authors: Ghosh Syamal K.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Thorstein Vehlen has received his share of brickbats and bouquets over the years. Rather than add to them, this study examines the validity of some of his criticisms of economic orthodoxy in the light of contemporary economic conditions and currents of economic thought Attempt is made to understand the ways in which orthodox theorists have viewed this heterodox thinker and to delineate the influence Veblen has exerted on us in modifying our approach to economic analysis.
America's New Ideology: “Industrial Policy”
Authors: Bartleit Bruce
Published: July 2006

Abstract. A crisis is afflicting traditional liberal economists. The crisis policy devised by John Maynard (Lord) Keynes, which seemed to work well during World War II and in postwar reconstruction, met its nadir in 1975. Contrary to Keynesian theory, formalized in the Phillips Curve argument that inflation and mass unemployment are mutual trade offs, double digit inflation and record unemployment made further deficit spending an impossible policy. Some Keynesians, switched to a new ideology, “industrial policy”, a form of piecemeal planning likely to eventuate in a new protectionism. Analogous to the supply side economics ideology, industrial policys' adoption by many leading Democrats could drive many Keynesian economists from the Democratic party.
Do Urban Tax Rates Converge?
Authors: Stokes Charles J.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Using a multiple regression model that seeks to explain why tax rates vary, the hypothesis is tested that similarly sized cities with similar economic functions would tend to have property tax rates that converged. What variations there are in an array of urban tax rates of 20 cities in the 100,000 to 200,000 class seem to be explained by density of settlement and by the extent to which non‐property tax sources bulk importantly in total urban revenues. The inference is drawn that convergence is in fact observable. Convergence would, of course, imply tax competition as among these cities.
Taxation, Incentives and Disincentives, and Human Motivation
Authors: Harriss Lowell
Published: July 2006

Abstract. In the national tax debate, many ignore the effect of taxes on human motivation. High—and rising—marginal tax rates must be depressing, hampering and frustrating. They do not spur people on to better performance nor do they reward socially necessary or desirable economic behavior. What they encourage is distortion of resource allocation, legal avoidance and illegal evasion, as well as decline in human and capital resources. At both ends of the income scale they approach confiscation. Land apart from its improvements is taxed lightly when it should be the revenue source of choice taxed the most heavily, while the heaviest exactions discourage labor, enterprise and all human effort as well as savings. Equity and fairness along with the social consequences argue for large cuts in high tax rates at the top and at the bottom of the income scale.
Energy Development and Security and Supply‐side Ideology
Authors: Groth Philip G.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Should energy development, of any form, be encouraged by the federal govemment? Inasmuch as conventional economic theories all are inapplicable, incomplete, or unrealistic as descriptions and explanations of real world energy markets, they cannot illuminate this value question. To date, American energy policies generally have manipulated supplies and prices of energy. If the objectives of energy policy are to conserve fuel, To reduce vulnerability to energy‐related inflation, to control expenditures on energy, and to tree Western Europe, Japan, and the United States from dependence upon hostile or potentially hostile suppliers, then an effective policy would have to alter both demand and supply for energy. Advocates of simplistic deregulation, unwilling or unable to anticipate the undesirable consequences of that policy, invite the very governmental interference from which they recoil.
Halt the New Satellite Give away
Authors: Forkosch Morris D.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. The geostationary arc is an orbit in space in which a satellite, 22,300 miles up, moving at the speed at which the earth revolves, can continue to hover over a continent on earth, monitoring weather and military activities, rebroadcasting entertainment and information programs, newspaper and magazine printing plates and particularly communications. In the latter use it replaces surface microwave relay transmitters every 30 miles (which replaced the much more expensive long landlines), at an estimated savings of more than half a billion dollars annually for this use alone. Because the orbit cannot accommodate all the applicants for slots within it, the Federal Government should grant, for an adequate fee, three year licenses, raising the fee on renewal to absorb the annual economic rent.