Although theologians and economists communicate their ideas to different professional audiences in different ways, we agree on many basic points. We agree, for instance, that all too often, a large gap appears between "what is" and "what should be." We agree, more specifically, that unregulated...

This paper provides an introduction to the concept of social capital, and carries out a critical review of the empirical literature on social capital and economic development. The survey points out six main weaknesses affecting the empirics of social capital. Identified weaknesses are then used...

The monography considers laws and mechanisms of social development from positions of positivism, dialectic materialism and the theory of systems. The methodology of the author is based on causality in relations of a society and social institutes. Social development is considered as result of...

This work is focused on identifying the relationship an economic system and its policies have with the environment. The biosphere is chosen in particular as object of analysis but this can be extended by means of an ecosystem recursive properties. The common factor involved in the relationship...

Fast and shared growth in East Asia was ascribed to strong states and their peculiar institutional arrangements, free-market policies, and Asian values, respectively. This paper provides a critical overview of these rival accounts explaining the miracle and on post-crisis retrenchement. As...

In this paper the monitoring of the Lisbon Strategy is analysed. In order to do that, in a first stage a summary of the Lisbon Strategy is made, with an analysis of its objectives, list of structural indicators and an overall evaluation. A brief summary is made on the relaunch of the Agenda and...

This paper examines the role of institutions in economic growth and the role of the institutions created by the Russian state in particular. The author stresses the finding that growth-supporting institutions vary according to the level of economic development in a country. In a post-industrial...

This paper seeks to critically examine recent debates on global governance, albeit from a human development perspective. In doing so it identifies and describes two important principles for building institutions for the advancing of human development: what may be termed the imperative of...