From the two premises that (1) economies are complex systems and (2) the accumulation of knowledge about reality is desirable, I derive the conclusion that pluralism with regard to economic research programs is a more viable position to hold than monism. To substantiate this claim an...

This paper is the keynote speech delivered by Professor William Baumol at the First World Congress of Environmental Economists that was held in Venice on June 25-27, 1998. It analyses the situation of the environment under different economic regimes: the feudal society, Marxism and capitalism....

Does democracy promote economic development? This paper reviews recent attempts to address this question that exploited within-country variation. It shows that the answer is largely positive, but also depends on the details of democratic reforms. First, the sequence of economic vs political...

Charles L. Griswold Jr. (1999, 26) legt seiner bemerkenswerten Studie über den Beitrag von Adam Smith zur Aufklärung das nach seinen Worten auf Platon zurückgehende Interpretationsprinzip der "charity" zu Grunde, das bei aller Zeitbedingtheit und aller gedanklichen Weiterentwicklung im Laufe...