A Not-So-Dismal Science: A Broader View of Economies and Societies

Rating:
Summary: Not So Dismal
Review: Reviewer: Bill Roach ([e-mail])

'Traditional' economics, which focuses on overpopulation and shortages of capital and other resources, tends to offer a dismal outlook for underdeveloped countries. The title of the book stems from the premise that, if the scope of investigation is expanded to include institutions and economic policy, the outlook is less dismal. That is, changes in institutions and policies can have a very favorable impact on prospects for development in poor countries.

The book is a collection of papers by scholars in Economics, Law, Business, History and Social Sciences, on the effects of policies and institutions on development. From the preface, by Olson and Kakhonen:

"The chapters in this book illustrate the intellectual advances that are broadening economics and integrating the social sciences. They illustrate these advances in almost all of the fields in which they are occurring. This book was inspired in part by the belief that just such a book on the broader economics or integrated social sciences was needed - and that it would take a number of experts in different fields to illustrate the wide range of work being done. ... It is the shortcomings of the economic policies and institutions of the capital-short countries of the world that keep investors ... from putting much capital there. ... These shortcomings also blight the productivity of the indigenous resources of the poor countries. ... governance is a decisive determinant of economic performance, and ... with the right economic policies and institutions, countries as poor as India could grow at very rapid rates and become developed nations far sooner than is usually supposed."

From Chapter 10, by Pranab Bardhan:

"The New Institutional Economics points to some very important features of institutional failures that cause or prolong underdevelopment, particularly the legal and contractual structures and rules of third-party enforcement which are necessary for most arms-length market transactions. ... In Western societies, over time, complex institutional structures have been devised ... [which include] property rights, formal contracts and guarantees, trademarks, limited liability, bankruptcy laws, and large corporate organization with governance structures to limit problems of agency and ... of incomplete contracting and ex-post opportunism."

Contributors include Pranab Bardhan, Robert D. Cooter, J. Bradford De Long, Russell Hardin, Satu Kahkonen, Eric Moberg, Joel Mokyr, Edward Montgomery, Mancur Olson, and Oliver E. Williamson.

Rating:
Summary: Not So Dismal
Review: Reviewer: Bill Roach ([e-mail])

`Traditional' economics, which focuses on overpopulation and shortages of capital and other resources, tends to offer a dismal outlook for underdeveloped countries. The title of the book stems from the premise that, if the scope of investigation is expanded to include institutions and economic policy, the outlook is less dismal. That is, changes in institutions and policies can have a very favorable impact on prospects for development in poor countries.

The book is a collection of papers by scholars in Economics, Law, Business, History and Social Sciences, on the effects of policies and institutions on development. From the preface, by Olson and Kakhonen:

"The chapters in this book illustrate the intellectual advances that are broadening economics and integrating the social sciences. They illustrate these advances in almost all of the fields in which they are occurring. This book was inspired in part by the belief that just such a book on the broader economics or integrated social sciences was needed - and that it would take a number of experts in different fields to illustrate the wide range of work being done. ... It is the shortcomings of the economic policies and institutions of the capital-short countries of the world that keep investors ... from putting much capital there. ... These shortcomings also blight the productivity of the indigenous resources of the poor countries. ... governance is a decisive determinant of economic performance, and ... with the right economic policies and institutions, countries as poor as India could grow at very rapid rates and become developed nations far sooner than is usually supposed."

From Chapter 10, by Pranab Bardhan:

"The New Institutional Economics points to some very important features of institutional failures that cause or prolong underdevelopment, particularly the legal and contractual structures and rules of third-party enforcement which are necessary for most arms-length market transactions. ... In Western societies, over time, complex institutional structures have been devised ... [which include] property rights, formal contracts and guarantees, trademarks, limited liability, bankruptcy laws, and large corporate organization with governance structures to limit problems of agency and ... of incomplete contracting and ex-post opportunism."

Contributors include Pranab Bardhan, Robert D. Cooter, J. Bradford De Long, Russell Hardin, Satu Kahkonen, Eric Moberg, Joel Mokyr, Edward Montgomery, Mancur Olson, and Oliver E. Williamson.