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on History and Philosophy of Economics |
| By: | Heinz, Frederik R. |
| Abstract: | Debates on democratic backsliding have prompted public administration scholars, notably Kutsal Yesilkagit and Michael Bauer, to argue that administrations facing illiberal populism must abandon neutrality and actively resist — even against electoral majorities. This paper examines Bauer's recent attempt to ground such resistance in Hegel's philosophy of right, which recasts bureaucracy as an ethical mediator embodying practical reason rather than a mere instrument of political rule. Through a close reading of Hegel's original text, this paper argues that Bauer's Hegelian turn imports more than a theory of administrative ethics: it imports Hegel's broader project of a "sovereignty of reason" directed against arbitrariness in politics as such, not merely against its populist variant. Read against contemporary diagnoses that locate liberalism's crisis in excessive depoliticization rather than its absence, this suggests that Bauer's strategy risks reinforcing the very populist grievances it seeks to counter. The paper concludes by outlining the need for a normative foundation of public administration that supports a politics of freedom without positioning itself against politics itself. |
| Date: | 2026–09–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:hnjcw_v1 |
| By: | Ali Zeytoon-Nejad |
| Abstract: | This paper provides a clear philosophy on codes of human conduct within economic and social institutions like markets and government. It categorizes these codes into ethics and morals: ethics involve nonmaleficence (avoiding harm), while morals involve beneficence (doing good). Ethics, such as honesty, respecting property, and keeping promises, are universally accepted minimal norms essential for the functioning of social institutions. In contrast, morals, including altruism, self-sacrifice, and generosity, are subjective and context-dependent, linked to individual virtues and influenced by character, culture, and religion. The paper argues that ethical behavior is a necessary condition for an act to be considered moral. Accordingly, human acts can be classified into four categories: unethical-immoral, solely ethical, perceived moral, and truly moral, with examples provided for each type. It posits that the free market system, unlike socialism or communism, requires only ethical agents to succeed, as they ensure the market's mission of improving human well-being. These agents do not necessarily need to be moral for the market to function effectively. Furthermore, the paper discusses that voluntary morality, in the sense of helping others out of compassion, can greatly benefit any human-based institution, including markets, by enhancing social capital alongside ethics and the justice system. However, the forced incorporation of personal moral principles into the economic system can be detrimental to the virtuousness of intended moral acts, economic efficiency, individual liberty, responsibility, and social cohesion. |
| Date: | 2026–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2610.00023 |
| By: | Pier Francesco Asso (University of Palermo); Marcello Messori (European University Institute in Florence) |
| Abstract: | This paper analyzes the evolution of Banca d'Italia during Luigi Einaudi's governorship. Einaudi was appointed in January 1945, and pursued a very broad mandate: to restore the Bank's autonomy across monetary policy, exchange-rate policy and supervision policy; to contribute to the reintegration of the Italian economy into the new international economic order; to reaffirm the Bank's role as the "bank of banks" while reducing its role as the "bank of the Treasury"; and to strengthen its technical reputation in order to help shape the key economic policy decisions in Italy. Before long, bringing excessive inflationary pressures under control became the primary objective. Einaudi chose to postpone the launch of the stabilization intervention until 1947, considering support for economic recovery through an expansion of bank credit to be a national priority. Once implemented, monetary policy proved to be effective in achieving stabilization. Our reconstruction shows how Einaudi's governorship prepared the Bank to play a crucial role in the evolution of the Italian economy in the subsequent decades. |
| Keywords: | Luigi Einaudi; History of Banca d'Italia; Post-war Reconstruction of the Italian Economy; History of Monetary Policy |
| JEL: | B31 E58 N14 N24 |
| Date: | 2026–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bdi:workqs:qse_58_eng |
| By: | Sanchez, Alfredo Antonio Perez |
| Abstract: | La presente investigación analiza el rol de la Iglesia católica como aparato ideológico durante la dictadura de Trujillo, 1930-1961. El estudio parte del interés por comprender la relación establecida entre la Iglesia y el Estado, así como la influencia que dicha vinculación ejerció en la legitimación del régimen y en la difusión de valores, prácticas y discursos orientados a fortalecer el poder político durante la Era de Trujillo. La investigación se desarrolló desde un enfoque cualitativo, mediante un estudio histórico-documental sustentado en el análisis crítico de documentos oficiales, legislación, publicaciones periódicas, correspondencia, obras historiográficas y otras fuentes primarias y secundarias relacionadas con el tema. El análisis realizado permitió establecer que la Iglesia católica ocupó un lugar importante dentro de la estructura ideológica del régimen, al ejercer una influencia significativa en los ámbitos educativo, moral y simbólico de la sociedad dominicana. Además, se observó que esta relación no permaneció estática, ya que en los años finales de la dictadura comenzaron a manifestarse diferencias entre la jerarquía eclesiástica y el poder político, motivadas por el incremento de la represión y el deterioro de la situación nacional. En ese sentido, la investigación ofrece una interpretación histórica que amplía la comprensión de las relaciones entre religión, poder e ideología durante el trujillato y aporta una visión integral sobre este proceso de la historia dominicana. Palabras clave: Iglesia católica; dictadura de Trujillo; aparato ideológico del Estado; legitimación política; ideología. |
| Date: | 2026–09–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:ym9vr_v1 |
| By: | Arthur SANCHEZ |
| Abstract: | Les « prolétaires saint-simoniennes » sont souvent considérées comme les fondatrices du premier mouvement féministe de l’histoire. Dans leurs écrits, elles dénoncent plusieurs dimensions matérielles de l’oppression des femmes et développent notamment une critique féministe de l’héritage. Plus qu’un vecteur d’inégalités entre individus, ces jeunes ouvrières l’analysent comme un mécanisme participant à la perpétuation de la domination masculine. Sous cet angle, elles dénaturalisent l’héritage, le soumettent à la critique, et envisagent sa disparition au sein d’une société plus juste et égalitaire. En remobilisant le cadre analytique de la pensée de Christine Delphy sur l’héritage, il est possible de jeter la lumière sur ce qui constitue, dès 1832, une des premières et des plus radicales critiques féministes de l’héritage. |
| Keywords: | Héritage, féminisme, saint-simoniennes, Démar, Delphy |
| JEL: | B1 J16 D31 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ulp:sbbeta:2026-33 |
| By: | Lata Gangadharan (Monash University); Jona Krutaj (University of Nottingham); Maria Claire Villeval (University of Lyon) |
| Abstract: | Heterogeneous returns from contributions to a public good create a normative conflict between equality and efficiency. In a laboratory experiment, we proposed an indicative menu of contribution principles including one featuring a decentralized redistribution mechanism ensuring earnings equality in exchange for fully efficient contributions. Although a majority of individuals, when in the position of an impartial observer, considered this principle to be the most appropriate and expected others to agree, they failed to act on it. Designating a leader who endorsed this principle and made non-binding recommendations enabled a majority of groups to adopt it successfully. This resulted in full contributions and earnings equalization through redistribution from advantaged to disadvantaged members, effectively resolving the conflict. |
| Keywords: | Normative conflict; Redistribution; Efficiency; Leadership; Reciprocity; Experiment |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:not:notcdx:2026-03 |