bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Information management and technology in England’s large acute NHS hospitals
Authors: Thomas Rod , Robinson John , Waring Teresa , Wainwright David , Maguire Stuart
Published: July 2002

Discusses the NHS Executive′s information management and technology
(IM&T) strategy and its relationship to the 1991 reforms. Examines
the recommendation for large acute hospitals to adopt integrated
hospital information support systems (HISS). Reports that a recent
census of these hospitals, undertaken by the authors, suggests that the
implementation of the strategy′s recommendations has been slow at the
local level. Attempts to diagnose the factors that are impeding
implementation, using the evidence provided by the census. Identifies
four main problem areas: the lack of success of past IM&T
initiatives undermines confidence in the current strategy; the strategy
is poorly aligned with other policy initiatives; the legacy of discrete,
proprietary information systems within hospitals makes the creation of
an integrative information environment difficult to accomplish without
massive investment in new systems; and there are implicit contradictions
between the following: the absence of a comprehensive
post‐implementation evaluation of the economic, technological and
cultural feasibility of HISS at any of the three HISS pilot sites; the
strategy′s advocacy of HISS as the way forward for large acute
hospitals; the requirement for a comprehensive business case to support
any substantial investment in IM&T. Concludes that a massive rethink
of policy is required, with a much greater emphasis on research,
development and independent evaluation.
Problems in the delivery of medical care to the frail elderly in
the community
Authors: Craig Gillian
Published: July 2002

Describes how closure of hospital long‐stay wards for the frail
elderly and their replacement by care in the community has led to a
mismatch of skills and patients. Restrictive practices within the
medical profession, and rigid adherence to the existing referral system
from general practitioner to hospital consultant can operate against the
interests of patients in the community. Some means must be found to
bring skilled medical care to patients in residential and nursing homes.
If this cannot be achieved within existing NHS structures, local
authorities and the private sector should consider appointing their own
consultants to liaise with NHS personnel as necessary.
Adapting a strategic management model to hospital operating
strategies
Authors: Swinehart Kerry , Zimmerer Thomas W. , Oswald Sharon
Published: July 2002

Industrial organizations have employed the process of strategic
management in their attempts to cope effectively with global competitive
pressures, while attempting to build and maintain competitive advantage.
With health‐care organizations presently trying to cope with an
increasingly turbulent environment created by the uncertainty as to
pending legislation and anticipated reform, the need for such
organizational strategic planning is apparent. Presents and discusses a
methodology for adapting a business‐oriented model of strategic planning
to health care.
Can the hospices survive the market?
Authors: Sims Margaret T.R.
Published: July 2002

Hospices are undergoing changes in the way they are funded by
health boards as a result of the change to a contract‐setting regime in
the NHS. This may have implications for the overall funding position of
the hospices; particularly there is a concern as to whether charitable
giving to these bodies will decrease as a result. Analyses the accounts
of Scottish voluntary sector hospices over the transition period as a
means of identifying any such changes. Finds no immediate threat to the
continued functioning of the hospices, on a financial basis.
A generalizable framework for information systems for physician
recruitment/referral
Authors: Prabhu Suresh S.
Published: July 2002

Hospital information systems have evolved from data processing
systems for patient billing and payroll to decision‐support systems
which support decision making at the middle and upper management levels.
With the advancements in the areas of database management, expert
systems and networks, important hospital functions such as physician
recruitment and referral which historically were performed using
traditional procedures, are now performed using these computer‐based
technologies. Develops a generalizable framework for information systems
for physician recruitment and referral using technologies of database
management, expert systems and networks. This GIS‐PRR system may be used
by hospitals and other health‐care providers to improve the efficiency
and effectiveness of the physician recruitment/ referral process.
Simulation of a hospital′s theatre suite
Authors: McAleer W.E. , Turner J.A. , Lismor D. , Naqvi I.A.
Published: July 2002

Describes a study of six operating theatres in a modern hospital
where management was concerned about the throughput of the system.
Senior medical staff were of the opinion that insufficient recovery
spaces had been provided when the suite of theatres had been built
which, if correct, was a physical constraint requiring considerable
financial investment to remedy. They also thought that shortage of
porters (“You can never find a porter when you need one!”)
and recovery nurses were current operational problems. The relationship
issues encountered when interfacing with the staff involved, the
collection and analyses of relevant data and the building of a visual
interactive simulation model are described.
Where the reforms did not reach: doctors as front line managers
Authors: Hadley Roger , Forster Don
Published: July 2002

The importance of the behavioural dimension of the management of
front line teams in the health service has been neglected both in the
training of doctors and in the recent reforms of the health service.
Drawing on three case studies carried out by doctors, explores the
influence of the level of understanding of behavioural factors in
determining the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of management at this
level. Concludes by considering some implications of the discussion for
giving a more central place to these factors in the selection, training
and promotion of doctors.
The impact of environmental turbulence on American hospital
strategies
Authors: Green Ronald F. , Wayne Rockmore B. , Zimmerer Thomas W.
Published: July 2002

It is clear that dramatic changes are taking place in the way
health care organizations are being managed. Health care executives are
having to make the transition from managing with a “pass the cost
along to the consumer” perspective to one of extreme competitive
pressure to reduce costs while maintaining appropriate levels of
quality. Reports the results of a survey of 135 American hospitals′
executives. Uses factor analysis to uncover four distinct strategies
being operationalized. Classifies hospitals′ strategies as: strategic
analysers, externally focused and offensively proactive; quality
providers, internally‐focused and defensive reactors; price negotiators,
externally‐focused and offensively reactive; or cost efficiency
providers, internally focused and defensively proactive.
The effect of dental insurance on the demand for dental services in
the USA: a review
Authors: Bendall Dawn , Asubonteng Patrick
Published: July 2002

Examines the primary studies which have contributed to dental care
research. By reviewing background information, lays a foundation for the
review of the current empirical evidence, which examines the effect of
dental insurance coverage on the oral health of the American population,
as well as the utilization and demand for dental services. Raises
questions and implications for future research and practice.
The remuneration of dentists in a special project of the Israeli Defence Forces
Authors: Levy Rachela , Rosen Bruce , Wiener Michael , Mann Jonathan
Published: July 2002

The behaviour of health care professionals is known to be influenced, in part, by their method of remuneration and the financial incentives they face. Describes how the Medical Corps of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) went about choosing a reimbursement method to increase incentives for dentists and decrease waiting time for the public. Based on a questionnaire sent to all 23 dentists working in a unique IDF civilian dental clinic, and on other information which was available on the productivity and income of these dentists, a new method of remuneration was suggested and accepted, by which a combined method of fee‐for‐service and salary will be introduced. The base hourly pay and per crown fee were set on levels which provide for a larger compensation range and increase the incentive for improved productivity levels. This suggested method will be investigated further and re‐evaluated one year after its implementation.
Decentralization in a sick fund: lessons from an evaluation
Authors: Gross Revital , Rosen Bruce
Published: July 2002

In 1988, Israel’s largest sick fund embarked on a process of decentralization, which consisted of the delegation of authority from central management to two regions that were chosen as demonstration sites. Aims to examine the extent to which the decentralization plan was implemented, to identify the major difficulties in implementation and to evaluate the process of implementing organizational change. Contends that the demonstration programme was implemented in part only, and that difficulties did arise during implementation. Our evaluation of the decentralization process led us to develop conceptual diagnoses of the various problems that might arise during decentralization and derive lessons for successful implementation. Evaluation taught us that when implementing a plan of decentralization, it is beneficial to make a clear division of responsibilities; develop control instruments and an information infrastructure; improve the skills of managers; appoint a team responsible for implementing decentralization, and establish a joint forum for working out problems between central management and sub‐units; and clarify organizational policy on the central operational issues facing sub‐units. Expresses the hope that the conclusions drawn here will help other organizations in Israel and abroad in planning and implementing decentralization.
Strategic alliances and hospitals: a US perspective
Authors: Cardwell Russell , Bolon Douglas
Published: July 2002

The number of hospital providers in the USA is shrinking and the market is becoming increasingly competitive. Many financially challenged hospital institutions are searching for a better way to compete. Contends that strategic alliances offer many attractive solutions for hospital management which include: scale economies, relative low cost for risk sharing and improved efficiency. Argues that the future of alliances focuses on capitation, quality information systems for co‐ordination, and the continuum of care which a strategic alliance can provide to a community.
Patients’ complaints as a management tool for continuous quality improvement
Authors: Javetz Rachel , Stern Zvi
Published: July 2002

Continuous quality improvement focuses on the customer and, therefore, requires attention to customers’ feedback as a vital input. Customers’ feedback in general hospitals includes utilization statistics of various services, patient satisfaction surveys and patients’ complaints. The role of complaint data as a management tool, and particularly as applied to quality improvement, has received little attention in the literature. As a quality control tool, complaints are investigated on the individual, unit and organizational levels. Repeated complaints about the same units, procedures or individuals, are especially important for quality review. The role of the hospital administration is to draw on the human, technological and procedural resources at its disposal, along a solution time interval (immediate, short and long term), in designing its policy for quality improvement. Presents three examples of policy changes. The aggregate of complaint data serves, in addition, for follow‐up of the effect of changes introduced by policy decisions.
Determining priorities for purchasers: The public response to rationing within the NHS
Authors: Richardson Ann
Published: July 2002

There is currently great interest in how best to consult the public on purchasing priorities, but little information about the results of such activity. Based on health panels set up by Somerset Health Authority, intends to rectify this gap. The public were found to strongly favour universality of treatment, regardless of the cause of a condition, the age of the patient or the cost, although people should take some responsibility for their own health. There is a reluctance to purchase treatment for people who are not ill, although resources are well spent on health promotion and advice services. Argues that ordinary members of the public are capable of exploring complex funding priorities. A qualitative approach is essential to provide time for reflection, as the process of deliberation affects the decisions reached.
Administration to innovation: the evolving management challenge in primary care
Authors: Laing Angus , Marnoch Gordon , McKee Lorna , Joshi Rita , Reid John
Published: July 2002

The concept of the primary health‐care team involving an increasingly diverse range of health care professionals is widely recognized as central to the pursuit of a primary care‐led health service in the UK. Although GPs are formally recognized as the team leaders, there is little by way of policy prescription as to how team roles and relationships should be developed, or evidence as to how their roles have in fact evolved. Thus the notion of the primary health‐care team while commonly employed, is in reality lacking definition with the current contribution of practice managers to the operation of this team being poorly understood. Focusing on the career backgrounds of practice managers, their range of responsibilities, and their involvement in innovation in general practice, presents a preliminary account of a chief scientist office‐funded project examining the role being played by practice managers in primary health‐care innovation. More specifically, utilizing data gained from the ongoing study, contextualizes the role played by practice managers in the primary health‐care team. By exploring the business environment surrounding the NHS general practice, the research seeks to understand the evolving world of the practice manager. Drawing on questionnaire data, reinforced by qualitative data from the current interview phase, describes the role played by practice managers in differing practice contexts. This facilitates a discussion of a set of ideal type general practice organizational and managerial structures. Discusses the relationships and skills required by practice managers in each of these organizational types with reference to data gathered to date in the research.
Myth‐management in the NHS
Authors: Thorne Marie L.
Published: July 2002

Reviews the role of clinical directors from outside the usual managerial framework to challenge the managerial myth applied to professionals who take on these roles. Defines management, managing, managerialism and leadership and develops an empirical framework to compare the roles of doctors and managers. Uses the framework to identify the cognitive map that clinical directors use and how they perceive their role. An emergent model illustrates how clinical directors combine a new cognitive map with their existing professional behaviours to undertake their role. Clinical directors both perceived and described their role in terms of leadership rather than management reinforcing the inappropriateness of using managerial frameworks. Instead clinical directors should be developed and evaluated as professional leaders. This raises wider questions of whether management and the language of management are either useful or appropriate for professionals in the NHS or whether their value is really a myth.
Between physician and manager: new co‐operation models in Dutch hospitals
Authors: Scholten G.R.M. , van der Grinten T.E.D.
Published: July 2002

Analyses the way hospital organisation models handle the relationship between medical specialists and hospital management. All models that have been developed during the last ten years seek to integrate the medical specialists in the hospital organisation by formally subordinating them to the hospital management. However, recently a new model has come to the fore ‐ the “co‐makership” ‐ in which the hospital management and the medical specialists are assigned a position alongside each other.
Stakeholders’ views of management development as a cultural change process in the Health Service
Authors: Currie Graeme
Published: July 2002

Illustrates the failure of a competence‐based management development programme in a hospital trust to achieve organisational objectives. The approach and content of the management development programme is resisted by participants despite the facilitators drawing on management theory to legitimate it. The question posed in this paper, building on an earlier study by Holman and Hall (1996), is whether the generic approach of competence‐based management development is appropriate in the UK NHS. The theoretical inspiration for the research is what may be termed a “processual” or “contextualist” approach which is clearly influenced by “negotiated order” literature.
Towards development of professional management in Indian hospitals
Authors: Amin Tabish Syed
Published: July 2002

Hospitals consume the largest share of government health resources, yet, until recently, they have not been a focus of health policy and research in developing countries, where the resources are in negative proportion to the demands placed on services of health care institutions, and where the possibility of resources being increased in the short run is very remote, the only hope for the increase in the effectiveness of the health care system being the effective management of hospitals. A professional administrator with multidisciplinary training would ensure the optimal use of resources. We live in the age of perfection at all levels. Hence, professional training is the basic requirement for the personnel to function effectively in a hospital. Professional training is required to be imparted by the institutions specialised in professional training. Professional management has an immense scope and a bright future market on account of the increasing demand for specialised and quality health care. Better management or lack of it will determine the future of health service. This paper focuses on development of management and the requirement for professional administrators in India.
Kindly technicians: hospital administrators immediately before the NHS
Authors: Learmonth Mark
Published: July 2002

Presents the results of a qualitative analysis of copies of The Hospital, a journal for UK hospital administrators, from 1946‐1948: immediately prior to the establishment of the NHS. Characterises administrators in that period as kindly technicians. Analyses administrators’ ways of thinking; spheres of influence and level of education. Also notes their concern for the running of support services; their implicit and unexamined deference to medical staff and an explicit belief in the need to carry out their role with kindliness. Concludes by highlighting the changes in managerial thinking between the 1940s and today and speculates that these changes may be best understood, following Foucault, as phenomena of rupture and discontinuity rather than as linear progression.
Changing domains in the management process
Authors: Forbes Tom , Prime Neil
Published: July 2002

Examines a group of radiographers developing management roles within the backdrop of a changing NHS. A comparative study of 25 Scottish and English radiographer managers were interviewed using semi‐structured interviews. Interviews were based on a number of issues associated with moving from a clinical professional to a clinical manager and were analysed using domain theory. The interviews formed a number of emerging themes, which included management, professionalism, management style, conflicts between the role of both manager and professional, and role change. Radiographer managers are forming new “hybrid” manager roles, which have been developing within a changing NHS. A definite tension was seen in this role change. This transition was not easy for this group of radiographer managers. However, they have shown resilience in undertaking both operational and strategic management decisions, while using their clinical background to inform their decision making.
Making bureaucracy work
Authors: Ballé Michael
Published: July 2002

What gives bureaucracy such a bad name? Is it bureaucracy in itself, or the ghosts in the system who, in a million minor drifts, contribute to turning efficiency into red‐tape? Undesirable side‐effects need not be confused with necessary first‐level effects. There is nothing wrong with the bureaucratic system as such. Ultimately we could not work without it as it is the only known way of co‐ordinating vast numbers of people to treat mass problems. However, like any tool, it is only as good as the people who use it, and its results are largely linked to the very agendas of the users. Understanding what makes bureaucracy work requires a good look at the implicit biases in the bureaucratic model, mostly seeded by its various founders and theoreticians, as well as tackling pragmatic issues of creating and applying rules – and where and when to change them.
Factors affecting the level of success of community information systems
Authors: Coombs C.R. , Doherty N.F. , Loan‐Clarke J.
Published: July 2002

The factors that influence the ultimate level of success or failure of systems development projects have received considerable attention in the academic literature. However, previous research has rarely targeted different instances of a common type of system within a homogeneous organisational sector. This paper presents the results of a survey of IM&T managers within Community Trusts to gain insights into the factors affecting the success of Community Information Systems. The results demonstrate that the most successful operational systems were thoroughly tested prior to implementation and enjoyed high levels of user and senior management commitment. Furthermore, it has been shown that there is a relationship between the level of organisational impact and systems success, with the most successful systems engendering changes to the host organisation’s culture, level of empowerment and clinical working practices. In addition to being of academic interest, this research provides many important insights for practising IM&T managers.
Identifying the management development needs of senior executives in Iran’s teaching hospitals
Authors: Elsey Barry , Eskandari Mansour
Published: July 2002

This research paper reports the findings of the first comprehensive survey of senior executives in Iran’s teaching hospitals. It is based on an analysis identifying the continuing professional development (CPD) needs of the total population of the two senior levels of teaching hospitals management‐presidents of physician‐managers and administrative‐managers. Four key areas of management knowledge were selected as the focus of the need identification: operational; financial; human resource; and organization change. The findings reveal a pent up demand for introductory level, formal knowledge in all four areas of management theory, to complement and extend the practical experience they have acquired in managing the complex environment of teaching hospitals. The paper goes on to propose a curriculum design and overall framework of provision to meet these genuinely felt CPD needs.
A third‐generation circuit printing process
Authors: Evans P.S.A. , Harrey P.M. , Harrison D.J. , Begum Z.
Published: July 2002

This paper concerns a novel process for forming additive copper interconnect on flexible substrates via printing and plating processes. Building on the established conductive lithographic film and CLF plating seeding technologies, the described process enables low‐cost substitutes for existing flexible electronic wiring boards to be manufactured without precious metals.
Microvias effect on high‐frequency signal integrity
Authors: Holden Happy
Published: July 2002

Microvias or high density interconnects (HDI) printed circuits are now being designed in ever increasing quantities. HDI brings some interesting new solutions to age‐old signal integrity (SI) concerns, and concerns that will grow as rise‐times continue to drop.This article focuses on five major areas of SI concerns—(1) noise: (a) noise‐reflections, (b) noise‐crosstalk, (c) noise‐simultaneous switching; (2) electro‐magnetic interference (EMI); (3) interconnect delays.In each case, HDI offers improvements and alternatives—but it is not a panacea. A couple of “cautions” are listed that can be a major stumbling block to HDI implementation, fortunately, they are not SI based. Important to SI is the materials used in HDI. Although not the focus of this article, the materials selected, as well as the dimensional stack‐up and PCB design rules, will influence SI and electrical performance (impedance, crosstalk and signal conditioning). Miniaturization provided by HDI will be a major contributor to SI performance.Finally, the SI example is also a case study in cost reduction. The “before” and “after” conditions are reviewed to emphasize the cost reduction and “time‐to‐market” advantages of HDI technology.
Improvements in PCB innerlayer bonding technology
Authors: Oglesby Dave
Published: July 2002

Alternatives to conventional oxides were introduced in the mid‐1990s as part of innerlayer bonding processes that were significantly less expensive than reduced oxides. This was due to their lower equipment costs, shorter cycle times, and lower chemistry costs. However, the first offerings of these processes forced printed circuit board suppliers to accept some performance compromises in the areas of waste treatment, filtration costs, process control, and peel strength.As chemical suppliers further refined their alternative oxide process chemistries, many of these deficiencies were overcome and a second generation was introduced. The second generation improvements have addressed the earlier deficiencies and present the so called “alternative oxides” as a cost effective, reliable process for innerlayer bonding.
Centering economic affairs on justice and the person
Authors: O’Boyle Edward J.
Published: July 2002

Václav Havel in 1994 expressed great concern that the Maastricht Treaty and other public documents which constitute the formal basis for the economic unification of Europe pay too little heed to the social values which for more than 2,000 years have shaped and formed European civilization and culture. What is missing is a vision for the European economic union beyond the specifics, as Havel puts it, of “how many carrots can be exported”. Drawing heavily from the public statements of John Paul II, this article seeks to offer such a vision by making those social values more visible. Centrally important to this vision are justice and person about which John Paul has written extensively. The rights and duties set forth in this article derive from these two concepts, and are intertwined with them. Indeed, there is no justice without rights which are respected and duties which are lived, and human beings are not fully persons if their rights are not affirmed. Further, while rights and duties may be expressed somewhat differently from one cultural setting to the next, they are the same in principle for all.
Codifying the principles of a welfare state
Authors: Mixon Franklin G. , Wilkinson James B.
Published: July 2002

The present study provides a comparison of the Confederate Constitution of 1861 and the Japanese Constitution of 1946, with emphasis on the role of constitutional constraints on pork‐barrel legislation and increasing rates of federal spending. Because the Japanese Constitution, by all accounts, was produced by Americans (American General Douglas MacArthur and the SCAP), it provided a second possibility for Americans, who had the benefit of hindsight regarding the shortcomings of the US Constitution, to potentially make an improvement. Unlike the view maintained by the Confederate States of America in the drafting of a constitution, MacArthur’s product actually relaxed constraints on central government spending. The result, the apparent product of the new dealism and progressivism ideologies which were prevalent in 1940s America, has produced an open door to increased levels of special interest spending in Japan.
A theological economics
Authors: Oslington Paul
Published: July 2002

Over the past century explicit discussion of theology has all but disappeared from economic discourse, while economics has been largely ignored by theologians. This paper argues that this separation is neither desirable nor possible, and calls for a theological economics. The argument is in two parts – a primary argument for the necessity and primacy of theology coming from the nature of orthodox Christian theology, and a secondary argument based on points of contact between economics and theology. Acceptance of the argument does not lead to a separatist “Christian” economics, but rather to discussion of theology implicit in contemporary economics and better relations between the two disciplines. Some existing work along these lines is briefly surveyed.
State, public sector and theoretical prerequisites to a model of an “economy without taxes”
Authors: Papava Vladimer
Published: July 2002

The paper offers a new view of the role of state based on recognition of the economic ability of the state as a separate factor of production. Recognizing the state’s economic ability is as a fifth factor of production and correspondingly gives indirect taxes the status of factor income as state profit. Direct taxes play two roles: they fund expenditure that is necessary for the production of public goods and at the same time they are in effect the latter’s price. If we were to apply the mechanism of producing and purchasing private goods to public goods, direct taxes would be replaced by the state loans that are non‐repayable, but yield interest, or by irretrievable loans with computed interest. In this case, which is illustrated by the budgetary equations in the model of an economy “without taxes”, indirect taxes become analogous to state profit and direct taxes are replaced by irretrievable loans with computed interest.
The nature of Islamic socio‐scientific inquiry Theory and application to capital markets
Authors: Alam Choudhury Masudul
Published: July 2002

A theoretical methodology premised on the epistemology of divine unity as the world view of all Islamic socio‐scientific inquiry, is introduced. This general theory based on the knowledge‐centred interactive, integrative and evolutionary process of social becoming is next formulated for the specific case of capital markets. The methodology premised on unity and unification of knowledge is shown to be a universal application interconnecting science and society through a process‐oriented knowledge‐centred model. Finally, the generalized theoretical methodology and its specification to the case of Islamic capital market is used to critically evaluate Malaysia’s Islamization program, specially during the heady days of her stock market and currency turmoils. Alternative policy recommendations are provided for a newer outlook on Malaysian development and capital market Islamization programs. A general inference is thus derived and conveyed to the field of capital market stability arising from a direct linkage between real sectoral activities and endogenous money as store of value of real transactions. The approach of this paper being epistemological in nature, it undertakes a fundamental look at Qur’an and Sunnah for developing shari’ah‐rules (Islamic law), i.e. ahkam as‐shari’ah (rules derived from shari’ah), in the area of socio‐scientific inquiry in general and Islamic capital market in particular.
Tourism as a passport to development in small states: reflections on Cyprus
Authors: Ayres Ron
Published: July 2002

Cyprus is now an important destination for international tourism and in the last 20 years there has been a remarkable growth in tourist arrivals. Initially it was thought to offer an easy option for economic progress and this was supported by the direct and indirect impact of tourism on job creation, foreign exchange earning and economic growth. However, as tourism has grown the enthusiasm for it as a costless means to development has given way to doubt and uncertainty about the scope and desirability of further tourist growth. There is apprehension over growing problems of dependency and concern for the social, cultural and environmental costs imposed by tourism. If sustainable tourism is to be achieved it will be necessary to limit its future rate and form of expansion. Tourism will remain an important sector of activity in Cyprus but there is uncertainty over what are likely to be the main growth segments of the market and it will require continued investment to raise and maintain the quality of the product and the service provided. The industry must be prepared to be flexible, innovative and responsive to emerging market trends.
The command economy cometh
Authors: Wellington Donald C.
Published: July 2002

The paper is a philosophical discourse on capitalism and its intellectual rationalization, economic theory. Both blithely ignore the most fundamental character of the human condition. Both may pay a price: capitalism through being replaced by an alternative economic system and economic theory through concomitantly disappearing from the intellectual firmament.
How a natural scientist sees socio‐economic problems and their solution
Authors: Rugina Anghel N.
Published: July 2002

Sir Julian Huxley (1887‐1975) was one of those rare scientists who, beyond professional training and contribution in biology, was very much concerned with the future of man and humanity. As a social thinker, he strongly believed in eugenics, that science which, in his view, should investigate analytically and practically how to improve the quality of the human race by careful selection of parents. On the other hand, he was aware that practically the attainment of such a goal requires full powers to control social and economic development. He knew that such an attitude may come in conflict with the existing political arrangement in the West but he persisted. As a philosopher he shared a more flexible conception about a better world of tomorrow, leaving room also for the unexpected. He believed that a “New Man” will come from the East, but the judgment of history up to now was not on his side.
Concessional sales, open market demand and consumption of rice in Sri Lanka
Authors: Gunawardana P.J.
Published: July 2002

Analyses the impact of concessional sales of rice under public food distribution schemes on the open market demand and total consumption of rice in Sri Lanka from 1953 to 1989. The results show that, on average, 73 per cent of the concessional issues of rice under the non‐targeted (universal) rationing scheme during 1953‐1977 has served to replace a potential quantity that would have otherwise been demanded by consumers in the open market. The remaining 27 per cent has served as an addition to the total quantity of rice consumed in the country. Under the rationing and food stamp schemes targeted towards low‐income households, the annual average replacement of the quantity of open market rice was 51 per cent during 1978‐1989, while the addition to the total consumption of rice was 49 per cent. This suggests that the targeting of public rice distribution during 1978‐1989 was fairly successful in maintaining the consumption of rice, particularly by low‐income households.
Right to property
Authors: Riha Tomas J.F.
Published: July 2002

Property is considered paramount to one’s existence, as a natural, absolute and inalienable right. Occupancy is required for man to secure what his thoughts have already made his. Property is realized in use but the right of occupancy and the status of res nullius are not established by the absence of use only, but in addition there must be also the absence of will of original owners. Arguing that appropriation precedes production dismisses the assertion that property is the fruit of labour. In contrast to the followers of the “state of nature” point of view, it is argued that common property is not natural and as such it is only transitory. Private property is at the root of man’s universality because it is common to all and individuals recognize each other only as owners. To base the origin of property in a social contract is erroneous because any contract must be based on the mutual recognition of parties involved who are already property owners. It is necessary that everybody have property not only in his or her persons but also to provide for subsistence. This would be regarded by natural law as just. Justice does not require the equality of property. Perpetual inequalities in property rights are not natural but the result of man‐made institutions which would not in themselves be right and would not have the obligatory power in virtue of their rightness. As such they would not be morally binding. Society that systematically consigns whole classes to conditions of poverty undermines the rationality of the ethical order and as such heads towards self‐destruction. Today, people are generally convinced that a person’s happiness depends on the satisfaction of that person’s actual desires. Property in things and enjoyment of one’s possessions, is often perceived as prerequisites for happiness. Individual happiness as an outcome derived from the distribution of property rights should be demoted from its status as the final good in preference to freedom.
An introduction to economics as a moral science
Authors: Alvey James E.
Published: July 2002

Mainstream economists now consider their discipline to be a technical one that is free from ethical concerns. I argue that this view only arose in the twentieth century. In this paper I set out a brief history of economics as a moral science. First, I sketch the evolution of economics before Adam Smith, showing that it was generally (with the exception of the mercantilists) conceived of as a part of moral philosophy. Second, I present elements of the new interpretation of Smith, which show him as a developer of economics as a moral science. Third, I show that even after Smith, up to the beginning of the twentieth century, a number of leading economic theorists envisioned economics as a moral science, either in theory or in practice. Fourth, I sketch the decline of economics as a moral science. The key factor was the emergence and influence of positivism. Overall, I show that the current view of the detachment of economics from morals is alien to much of the history of the discipline.
Transaction costs of collective action in Hong Kong high rise real estate
Authors: Walters Megan
Published: July 2002

Hong Kong is a wealthy part of China, home to some of the tallest buildings, on some of the most expensive real estate in the world. Yet the living and working conditions of its residents are a cause for concern following a spate of fires and falling debris from poorly maintained blocks of residential and commercial flats, which have resulted in multiple fatalities. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has set up a number of initiatives to examine fire and building repairs, after the result of its own survey of 27,000 private buildings found the majority to be unsafe with respect to fire safety. Looks at the role of government in reducing the social cost of the real estate management system. Based on a theory of collective action between flat owners, using a transaction cost approach, identifies the formal laws and informal social culture in the management system of high rise property. Develops a framework to show how government intervention would alter the high transaction costs of collective action and reduce social costs.
CEO profits: the Berle and Means thesis revisited
Authors: Brinkman Richard L. , Brinkman June E.
Published: July 2002

The Berle and Means thesis focuses on a managerial revolution in which corporate control came to be transferred from owners to managers. Currently, it is arguable that control of corporate policy has shifted back to owners in what has come to be called “investor capitalism.” Stock market manipulators, as owners, have currently come to assert increased levels of control over CEO autonomy. This empirical reality appears in a vicious circle culminating in excessive CEO profits. The result has been to give support to a basic Veblenian assertion that imbecile business institutions hold sway to direct and dominate the economic process. In this process, the making of money rather than the production of goods serviceable for basic human needs have increasingly come to prevail over the US economy and culture.
Ayn Rand versus Karl Marx
Authors: Machan Tibor R.
Published: July 2002

What sets Rand apart from other critics of Marx is that she is a
philosophical/ethical/ political individualist who rejects the claim by
Marx that “The human essence is the true collectivity of man” and
advances, instead, a neo‐Aristotelian theory to the effect that each of
us is a human individual – that being human is essentially to be
self‐directed and that the kind of society that is truly suited to human
living must secure the individual his or her sovereignty.
What Remains of Communism Now?
Authors: Machan Tibor R.
Published: July 2002

Some claim Marx was proved wrong by the collapse of the USSR but there
is reason to think Marxism is more powerful than this view assumes. For
example, the USSR never satisfied Marx′s view that socialism must be
built on capitalism. Arguably, Marx is being borne out by some Western
developments – e.g. the erosion of the principle of private property,
socialization of land and even labour, etc. Still, a better way to
understand these matters would seem to be the bourgeois position of
individualism, whereby individual human beings can make first choices
and influence the direction of events, slowly but surely. The result of
such an understanding is just the mixed‐up world of human life we
witness.
The Current Crisis in the Former Soviet Union and the Perspectives of
Its Resolution
Authors: Raiklin Ernest
Published: July 2002

Gives a brief account of what has happened, what is happening and what
is going to happen in the country formerly called the Soviet Union.
Analyses the socio‐economic nature of the Soviet system and its
evolution prior to Gorbachev′s reforms. Presents the causes for the
emergence of perestroika and for the collapse of the system and the
State. Discusses the reasons for the arrival of Yeltsin and his
policies to the political scene. Examines the core of the current
crisis and the means to resolve it. Speculates on the country′s distant
future.
The Stages of Economic Evolution and the Russian/USSR/Russian Experience
Authors: Brinkman Richard L. , Bovt Georgy
Published: July 2002

Demonstrates the relevance of a stages methodology as a basis for
understanding and analysing the evolutionary metamorphosis leading to
the current Russian malaise. Addresses the advantages and disadvantages
of the methodology, such as the unilinear fallacy, and analyses economic
stagnation and decline in the context of the dynamics of culture
evolution in the stage of modern economic growth. Given the Kuznetsian
emphasis on a science‐fed technology, how then to explain the lack of
Russian permeability to that technological flow? Many variables, such as
excessive military spending, nationalism, rigid centralization,
ideology, and so on, enter into such an analytical purview. It appears
that neither tsarist nor Soviet Russia was able to create a culture
adequately permeable to the dynamics of an ongoing science‐fed
technological flow. The basic problem for Russia to overcome today is
one of a cultural lag. A greater democratization of social and economic
organization, concomitant with the needs of a modern industrial society,
appears in order.
A Note on Misconceptions about Market and Non‐market Economies
Authors: Raiklin Ernest , Yousefi Mahmood
Published: July 2002

The traditional analysis of the Soviet‐type economies denies the
existence of markets to these economies. The usual argument is that
these economies lack freedom and are characterized by the absence of
private property. Additionally, the conventional analysis implies that
theory of markets is a theory of free markets, one characterized by free
economic interaction among economic units (individuals or businesses)
regardless of the degree of market perfection. Argues that the
conventional economic analysis is wrong in denying the existence of
markets and capitalism to certain modern societies (e.g. the former
Soviet bloc countries). The central thesis is that the environment in
which buyers and sellers interact does not have to be free in the
Western sense to be considered as a market. Points out that the economic
systems of the former Soviet Union, China, Cuba and others may be
characterized as totalitarian state capitalism.
Elegance in Economics
Authors: Duhs Alan
Published: July 2002

Elegance in economic modelling is one determinant of the professional
acceptability of “scientific” contributions to the economics literature.
Just what determines the profession′s definition of “elegance” is a
question less frequently asked. Social economists commonly appeal to
questions of teleology or the implicit philosophy underscoring
mathematically rigorous and elegant models. The particular difficulty
they face, however, is that the socialization process which occurs in
graduate schools inculcates regard for mathematical technique to a much
greater extent than it heightens awareness of philosophical issues.
Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn and the Evils of Soviet Communism
Authors: Conway O’Brien John
Published: July 2002

Solzhenitsyn, former Zek and Nobel Laureate, found the causes of the
cruelty of which the Communists were capable to lie in the
Marxist‐Leninist ideology. The atheistic Communists had substituted
their ideology for the values of Christianity which had stood the
Russians in good stead and had perdured the test of time. The
Communists were bent on stamping out religion. They arrested priests,
nuns and those who practised their beliefs. Solzhenitsyn sees in
religion the anodyne to Russia′s ills.
A Social Economist Examines the Moral Poverty of Twentieth Century Europe
Authors: Conway O′Brien John
Published: July 2002

The belief in the endless progress of men materially and morally has not stood the test of time. The wars and atrocities of the twentieth century have shown that evil resides within man himself. Discusses the role of Darwinism and science; despite much criticism, the evolutionists continue to ride high in the fields of education and science. The gradual displacement of religion as a subject worthy of study has now reached its zenith. Discusses the Nazi Holocaust and the Gulag Obletion. Solzhenitsyn attributed all the evils of Soviet Communism to Marxist‐Leninist ideology and the rejection of traditional religion and moral values. Concludes that Western society is like a ship without a rudder.
Population growth
Authors: Jackson William A.
Published: July 2002

Economists are divided about population growth: the pessimism of
neo‐Malthusians contrasts strongly with the optimism of cornucopians.
Despite their differences, however, both schools of thought reject
economic orthodoxy and prefer evolutionary forms of theory. Their
interpretations of evolution are different: the neo‐Malthusians appeal
to the entropy law, whereas the cornucopians emphasize human creativity
expressed through markets. Argues that both schools are right to adopt
an evolutionary outlook, but that they are too restrictive in their
conception of evolution. A more complete evolutionary view, which allows
properly for social institutions, could give a more balanced account of
population growth.