Michael Foley
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199232673
- eISBN:
- 9780191716362
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199232673.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter discusses the importance of progress in American society. Change is conceived as being largely synonymous with vitality, purpose, and direction, and is viewed as an integral and ...
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This chapter discusses the importance of progress in American society. Change is conceived as being largely synonymous with vitality, purpose, and direction, and is viewed as an integral and imperative feature of an open society. Political, economic, and social forms of progress are generally thought to occur in tandem and, especially so, in a social order like that of the United States which is traditionally geared to the emancipation of human potential for individual action and collective enterprise.Less
This chapter discusses the importance of progress in American society. Change is conceived as being largely synonymous with vitality, purpose, and direction, and is viewed as an integral and imperative feature of an open society. Political, economic, and social forms of progress are generally thought to occur in tandem and, especially so, in a social order like that of the United States which is traditionally geared to the emancipation of human potential for individual action and collective enterprise.
John Kilcullen
- Published in print:
- 1988
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198266914
- eISBN:
- 9780191683114
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198266914.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
The chapters in this book reflect upon Pierre Bayle's Philosophical Commentary on the Words of the Gospel ‘Compel them to come in’, which appeared in parts in 1686–88, a classic statement of the case ...
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The chapters in this book reflect upon Pierre Bayle's Philosophical Commentary on the Words of the Gospel ‘Compel them to come in’, which appeared in parts in 1686–88, a classic statement of the case for toleration. The first two chapters are concerned with controversies about religious toleration in the 17th century, and the rest discuss philosophical questions relating to toleration and to the broader liberal idea of an open society. Three of the chapters originally appeared in the Philosophy Research Archives and are reproduced here with alterations.Less
The chapters in this book reflect upon Pierre Bayle's Philosophical Commentary on the Words of the Gospel ‘Compel them to come in’, which appeared in parts in 1686–88, a classic statement of the case for toleration. The first two chapters are concerned with controversies about religious toleration in the 17th century, and the rest discuss philosophical questions relating to toleration and to the broader liberal idea of an open society. Three of the chapters originally appeared in the Philosophy Research Archives and are reproduced here with alterations.
John Eekelaar
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199535422
- eISBN:
- 9780191707384
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199535422.003.0006
- Subject:
- Law, Family Law
This chapter proposes that rights are best seen as a complex amalgam comprising a claim of entitlement to an end-state necessary to protect an interest which has sufficient weight to activate action ...
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This chapter proposes that rights are best seen as a complex amalgam comprising a claim of entitlement to an end-state necessary to protect an interest which has sufficient weight to activate action to achieve it. A distinction is drawn between a strong and weak sense of rights. Examples are given of the assertion of rights claims through political and judicial processes. Particular attention is given to the nature of human rights and children's rights, and their place in personal law. The role of judicially protected rights within democracies is defended. It is argued that cultural rights should not be seen as the rights of groups to control members of the group, but of members of the group to choose to follow practices they see important to their identity. This should be respected as an aspect of the privileged sphere subject to observation of the pre-requisites of an open society.Less
This chapter proposes that rights are best seen as a complex amalgam comprising a claim of entitlement to an end-state necessary to protect an interest which has sufficient weight to activate action to achieve it. A distinction is drawn between a strong and weak sense of rights. Examples are given of the assertion of rights claims through political and judicial processes. Particular attention is given to the nature of human rights and children's rights, and their place in personal law. The role of judicially protected rights within democracies is defended. It is argued that cultural rights should not be seen as the rights of groups to control members of the group, but of members of the group to choose to follow practices they see important to their identity. This should be respected as an aspect of the privileged sphere subject to observation of the pre-requisites of an open society.
Jean-Fabien Spitz
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199559169
- eISBN:
- 9780191720956
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199559169.003.0013
- Subject:
- Law, Philosophy of Law, Constitutional and Administrative Law
This chapter argues that, as a political regime fighting for its consolidation, the French republic — in the immediate aftermath of one of the deepest crises it went through, (the Dreyfus case) — ...
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This chapter argues that, as a political regime fighting for its consolidation, the French republic — in the immediate aftermath of one of the deepest crises it went through, (the Dreyfus case) — tried to articulate a political philosophy of its own that clearly distanced itself from authoritarian and illiberal features. This political philosophy stresses that modern freedom requires some material and social equality as a precondition and, in this aspect, it has an undeniable republican flavour. But the main point is that it also tries to demonstrate that such a combination of civil freedom and equality in material conditions is the kind of social and political regulation which is required by industrializing modern societies, so that the republic is clearly a proposition for the future and a form of open society, not a ‘closed community’ marred with archaism and nostalgia for tradition, brotherhood, and narrow patriotism.Less
This chapter argues that, as a political regime fighting for its consolidation, the French republic — in the immediate aftermath of one of the deepest crises it went through, (the Dreyfus case) — tried to articulate a political philosophy of its own that clearly distanced itself from authoritarian and illiberal features. This political philosophy stresses that modern freedom requires some material and social equality as a precondition and, in this aspect, it has an undeniable republican flavour. But the main point is that it also tries to demonstrate that such a combination of civil freedom and equality in material conditions is the kind of social and political regulation which is required by industrializing modern societies, so that the republic is clearly a proposition for the future and a form of open society, not a ‘closed community’ marred with archaism and nostalgia for tradition, brotherhood, and narrow patriotism.
Gerald Gaus
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691183428
- eISBN:
- 9781400881048
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691183428.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This chapter considers the question of whether there can be a moral, liberal framework for the Open Society, which itself abjures the pursuit of the ideal while providing a framework for diverse ...
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This chapter considers the question of whether there can be a moral, liberal framework for the Open Society, which itself abjures the pursuit of the ideal while providing a framework for diverse individual perspectives on justice. It argues that such a framework of liberal diversity seems most likely when our public social world is shaped by a set of characteristic features of the Open Society. We now have had sufficient experience of life in diverse societies that we can at least draw some tentative conclusions about the sorts of institutional structures and principles that are friendly to diversity per se. However, even these diversity-friendly arrangements cannot make room for all perspectives. The chapter attempts to identify the limits of liberal diversity, and why these limits make sense in the context of defending the Open Society.Less
This chapter considers the question of whether there can be a moral, liberal framework for the Open Society, which itself abjures the pursuit of the ideal while providing a framework for diverse individual perspectives on justice. It argues that such a framework of liberal diversity seems most likely when our public social world is shaped by a set of characteristic features of the Open Society. We now have had sufficient experience of life in diverse societies that we can at least draw some tentative conclusions about the sorts of institutional structures and principles that are friendly to diversity per se. However, even these diversity-friendly arrangements cannot make room for all perspectives. The chapter attempts to identify the limits of liberal diversity, and why these limits make sense in the context of defending the Open Society.
Chandran Kukathas
- Published in print:
- 1989
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198273264
- eISBN:
- 9780191684029
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198273264.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This chapter examines why Hayek's defence of a liberal political philosophy did not succeed. Hayek failed to provide a coherent and plausible defence of the liberal social order because his thought ...
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This chapter examines why Hayek's defence of a liberal political philosophy did not succeed. Hayek failed to provide a coherent and plausible defence of the liberal social order because his thought is governed by two incompatible attitudes. The first embraces a brand of anti-rationalism and the suggestion that there is a connection between an appreciation of the nature of mind and society as the unintended products of evolution as spontaneous orders, and the liberal ideal of an ‘Open Society’, which is precisely the connection Hayek did not establish. This chapter also discusses Hayek's contribution to modern liberalism. Hayek's political thought is worthy of attention not because he has generated novel solutions to the traditional problems of political philosophy, but because he offered a distinctive conception of the liberal social order, one which presents an important challenge to liberalism's critics, and to many of its self-proclaimed defenders.Less
This chapter examines why Hayek's defence of a liberal political philosophy did not succeed. Hayek failed to provide a coherent and plausible defence of the liberal social order because his thought is governed by two incompatible attitudes. The first embraces a brand of anti-rationalism and the suggestion that there is a connection between an appreciation of the nature of mind and society as the unintended products of evolution as spontaneous orders, and the liberal ideal of an ‘Open Society’, which is precisely the connection Hayek did not establish. This chapter also discusses Hayek's contribution to modern liberalism. Hayek's political thought is worthy of attention not because he has generated novel solutions to the traditional problems of political philosophy, but because he offered a distinctive conception of the liberal social order, one which presents an important challenge to liberalism's critics, and to many of its self-proclaimed defenders.
John Eekelaar
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199535422
- eISBN:
- 9780191707384
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199535422.003.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Family Law
Following on from the Preface, this chapter establishes the book's intention to critique the exercise of power of family practices against the values of an open society. As a background to ...
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Following on from the Preface, this chapter establishes the book's intention to critique the exercise of power of family practices against the values of an open society. As a background to understanding modern forms of family governance, it outlines the ‘welfarism’ thesis which maintains that family governance has moved from an era of instrumentalism, in which the legal form of family relationships was designed to promote the interests of the dominant member, through a welfarist phase, to an era where rights claims have attempted to re-align the sources of power over people's personal lives. This is illustrated by reference to divorce law and the legal treatment of homosexuality. Rights claims however rest on a fragile institutional basis. Nevertheless, the fragmentation of family forms they have precipitated suggests it may be better to see family law as the law relating to the personal lives of individuals, and therefore be more appropriately termed ‘personal’ law.Less
Following on from the Preface, this chapter establishes the book's intention to critique the exercise of power of family practices against the values of an open society. As a background to understanding modern forms of family governance, it outlines the ‘welfarism’ thesis which maintains that family governance has moved from an era of instrumentalism, in which the legal form of family relationships was designed to promote the interests of the dominant member, through a welfarist phase, to an era where rights claims have attempted to re-align the sources of power over people's personal lives. This is illustrated by reference to divorce law and the legal treatment of homosexuality. Rights claims however rest on a fragile institutional basis. Nevertheless, the fragmentation of family forms they have precipitated suggests it may be better to see family law as the law relating to the personal lives of individuals, and therefore be more appropriately termed ‘personal’ law.
Anthony P. Maingot
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780813061061
- eISBN:
- 9780813051345
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813061061.003.0011
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Latin American Studies
Barbados has long been severely criticized––or ignored––because of its adherence to British political and cultural traditions. Much of this censure and neglect was a result of its having had the most ...
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Barbados has long been severely criticized––or ignored––because of its adherence to British political and cultural traditions. Much of this censure and neglect was a result of its having had the most racially segregated social relations among the Caribbean nations. Paradoxically, the island has evolved to have the best educated populace and the most politically stable and economically open of societies in the Caribbean. The growth of a black business bourgeoisie is one of the paramount features of the island’s modernization.Less
Barbados has long been severely criticized––or ignored––because of its adherence to British political and cultural traditions. Much of this censure and neglect was a result of its having had the most racially segregated social relations among the Caribbean nations. Paradoxically, the island has evolved to have the best educated populace and the most politically stable and economically open of societies in the Caribbean. The growth of a black business bourgeoisie is one of the paramount features of the island’s modernization.
Paola Marrati
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- March 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780823226443
- eISBN:
- 9780823237043
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fso/9780823226443.003.0030
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter raises the question of what light the evolutionary perspective set out by Henri Bergson in his The Two Sources of Morality and Religion might shed on the ...
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This chapter raises the question of what light the evolutionary perspective set out by Henri Bergson in his The Two Sources of Morality and Religion might shed on the subject of the theologico-political. It brings out Bergson's conception of philosophy's necessary conversion—to a different understanding of the power of time, together with its implications for “invention” in religion, ethics, art, and politics. It examines Bergson's “ontological pragmatism”, recalling that, for this thinker, “if time does nothing, it is nothing”. The morality and religion that Bergson describes in their function of providing social cohesion belong to closed societies: they would have no role to play in an open society. The chapter claims that Bergson's work should be interpreted as an endeavor to understand the age-old mystical impulse, at least in the definition he gives of mysticism.Less
This chapter raises the question of what light the evolutionary perspective set out by Henri Bergson in his The Two Sources of Morality and Religion might shed on the subject of the theologico-political. It brings out Bergson's conception of philosophy's necessary conversion—to a different understanding of the power of time, together with its implications for “invention” in religion, ethics, art, and politics. It examines Bergson's “ontological pragmatism”, recalling that, for this thinker, “if time does nothing, it is nothing”. The morality and religion that Bergson describes in their function of providing social cohesion belong to closed societies: they would have no role to play in an open society. The chapter claims that Bergson's work should be interpreted as an endeavor to understand the age-old mystical impulse, at least in the definition he gives of mysticism.
Frank Dikötter
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789622099203
- eISBN:
- 9789882206595
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789622099203.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This chapter explores the cultural and social aspects of China's cosmopolitan age. Open borders resulted not only in large flows of people moving in ...
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This chapter explores the cultural and social aspects of China's cosmopolitan age. Open borders resulted not only in large flows of people moving in and out of the country, but also in active participation in international conferences and international covenants. There is no standard text in English on the diplomatic history of twentieth-century China. The extent to which China was an active agent seeking full participation in the international community — despite a very negative appraisal of its achievements in conventional history — is emphasized. In addition, it looks in more detail at the intellectual links forged at home with the rest of the world by cosmopolitan scholars in virtually every field of knowledge, from avionics to zoology. The existence of an open society allowed controversial styles to be explored, for instance nude photography.Less
This chapter explores the cultural and social aspects of China's cosmopolitan age. Open borders resulted not only in large flows of people moving in and out of the country, but also in active participation in international conferences and international covenants. There is no standard text in English on the diplomatic history of twentieth-century China. The extent to which China was an active agent seeking full participation in the international community — despite a very negative appraisal of its achievements in conventional history — is emphasized. In addition, it looks in more detail at the intellectual links forged at home with the rest of the world by cosmopolitan scholars in virtually every field of knowledge, from avionics to zoology. The existence of an open society allowed controversial styles to be explored, for instance nude photography.
Gerald Gaus
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691183428
- eISBN:
- 9781400881048
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691183428.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This chapter argues that the well-ordered society is a dangerous illusion. The very aim that the ideal theorist cherished, to know justice and just social states as well as possible, requires an ...
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This chapter argues that the well-ordered society is a dangerous illusion. The very aim that the ideal theorist cherished, to know justice and just social states as well as possible, requires an open, diverse society, in which innumerable perspectives simultaneously cooperate and compete, share and conflict. In this society there will be a crisscrossing network of communities exploring and refining moral ideals and gaining insights into their own ideals by their interactions with others. In order to be successful and robust, the Open Society must be based on a moral constitution that provides the basis of a practice of responsibility and accountability among a maximally wide array of perspectives, allowing us to reap the fruits of the cooperation and competition that diversity allows.Less
This chapter argues that the well-ordered society is a dangerous illusion. The very aim that the ideal theorist cherished, to know justice and just social states as well as possible, requires an open, diverse society, in which innumerable perspectives simultaneously cooperate and compete, share and conflict. In this society there will be a crisscrossing network of communities exploring and refining moral ideals and gaining insights into their own ideals by their interactions with others. In order to be successful and robust, the Open Society must be based on a moral constitution that provides the basis of a practice of responsibility and accountability among a maximally wide array of perspectives, allowing us to reap the fruits of the cooperation and competition that diversity allows.
Fred Powell
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781447332916
- eISBN:
- 9781447332930
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447332916.003.0008
- Subject:
- Social Work, Social Policy
Modernisation produced a collision of incompatible ways of life in Ireland. The resulting ‘cultural collisions’ between local and global, modern and traditional, religious and secular, urban and ...
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Modernisation produced a collision of incompatible ways of life in Ireland. The resulting ‘cultural collisions’ between local and global, modern and traditional, religious and secular, urban and rural — and most significantly personal and political — have produced a profound cultural transition, based on a search for liberty. During the 1960s and 1970s, the rise of new social movements unleashed demands for greater personal liberty in the form of a relaxation of moral codes (notably in relation to the control of sexuality), of censorship, and of restrictions on personal freedom. This chapter explores the role of new social movements as agents of change and transformation, and examines how they contributed to a more open society.Less
Modernisation produced a collision of incompatible ways of life in Ireland. The resulting ‘cultural collisions’ between local and global, modern and traditional, religious and secular, urban and rural — and most significantly personal and political — have produced a profound cultural transition, based on a search for liberty. During the 1960s and 1970s, the rise of new social movements unleashed demands for greater personal liberty in the form of a relaxation of moral codes (notably in relation to the control of sexuality), of censorship, and of restrictions on personal freedom. This chapter explores the role of new social movements as agents of change and transformation, and examines how they contributed to a more open society.
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226764023
- eISBN:
- 9780226763903
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226763903.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, American Philosophy
The conjunction of the terms “Platonic” and “liberalism” may seem oxymoronic. The most influential interpretation of Plato in the second half of the twentieth century held him to be an intransigent ...
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The conjunction of the terms “Platonic” and “liberalism” may seem oxymoronic. The most influential interpretation of Plato in the second half of the twentieth century held him to be an intransigent enemy of liberalism and the “open society.” His harsh proposals for a closed caste system and for the censorship of poetry and literature, his radical measures to eliminate the family and private property, and his investiture of political authority in an all-wise and all-powerful philosopher-king must strike even a sympathetic reader as radically opposed to liberal beliefs in freedom of thought and expression, a robust sphere of civil society and private life, the importance of limited constitutional government supported by a system of checks and balances, and a skeptical disposition toward the rule of experts. Critics of Strauss's Plato have attacked the methodological premises of Straussian hermeneutics. The method of esoteric reading, taken originally from the Jewish and Arabic Platonists of the middle ages, is said to be inherently arbitrary and nonverifiable.Less
The conjunction of the terms “Platonic” and “liberalism” may seem oxymoronic. The most influential interpretation of Plato in the second half of the twentieth century held him to be an intransigent enemy of liberalism and the “open society.” His harsh proposals for a closed caste system and for the censorship of poetry and literature, his radical measures to eliminate the family and private property, and his investiture of political authority in an all-wise and all-powerful philosopher-king must strike even a sympathetic reader as radically opposed to liberal beliefs in freedom of thought and expression, a robust sphere of civil society and private life, the importance of limited constitutional government supported by a system of checks and balances, and a skeptical disposition toward the rule of experts. Critics of Strauss's Plato have attacked the methodological premises of Straussian hermeneutics. The method of esoteric reading, taken originally from the Jewish and Arabic Platonists of the middle ages, is said to be inherently arbitrary and nonverifiable.
John Eekelaar
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- November 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198814085
- eISBN:
- 9780191851742
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198814085.003.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Family Law
This chapter establishes the book’s intention to critique the exercise of power of family practices against the values of an open society. As a background to understanding modern forms of family ...
More
This chapter establishes the book’s intention to critique the exercise of power of family practices against the values of an open society. As a background to understanding modern forms of family governance, it outlines the ‘welfarism’ thesis which maintains that family governance has moved from an era of instrumentalism, through a welfarist phase, to an era of scepticism about institutional structures, and claims for individual empowerment where rights claims have attempted to re-align the sources of power over people’s personal lives. The fragmentation of family forms suggests it may be better to see family law as the law relating to the personal lives of individuals, rather than related to specific social forms, and therefore be more appropriately termed ‘personal’ law.Less
This chapter establishes the book’s intention to critique the exercise of power of family practices against the values of an open society. As a background to understanding modern forms of family governance, it outlines the ‘welfarism’ thesis which maintains that family governance has moved from an era of instrumentalism, through a welfarist phase, to an era of scepticism about institutional structures, and claims for individual empowerment where rights claims have attempted to re-align the sources of power over people’s personal lives. The fragmentation of family forms suggests it may be better to see family law as the law relating to the personal lives of individuals, rather than related to specific social forms, and therefore be more appropriately termed ‘personal’ law.
Price V. Fishback
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- February 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226251271
- eISBN:
- 9780226251295
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226251295.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Economic History
The American economy has provided a level of well-being that has consistently ranked at or near the top of the international ladder. A key source of this success has been widespread participation in ...
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The American economy has provided a level of well-being that has consistently ranked at or near the top of the international ladder. A key source of this success has been widespread participation in political and economic processes. This book chronicles the significance of America's open-access society and the roles played by government in its unrivaled success story. America's democratic experiment, the book shows, allowed individuals and interest groups to shape the structure and policies of government, which, in turn, have fostered economic success and innovation by emphasizing private property rights, the rule of law, and protections of individual freedom. In response to new demands for infrastructure, America's federal structure hastened development by promoting the primacy of states, cities, and national governments. More recently, the economic reach of American government expanded dramatically as the populace accepted stronger limits on its economic freedoms in exchange for the increased security provided by regulation, an expanded welfare state, and a stronger national defense.Less
The American economy has provided a level of well-being that has consistently ranked at or near the top of the international ladder. A key source of this success has been widespread participation in political and economic processes. This book chronicles the significance of America's open-access society and the roles played by government in its unrivaled success story. America's democratic experiment, the book shows, allowed individuals and interest groups to shape the structure and policies of government, which, in turn, have fostered economic success and innovation by emphasizing private property rights, the rule of law, and protections of individual freedom. In response to new demands for infrastructure, America's federal structure hastened development by promoting the primacy of states, cities, and national governments. More recently, the economic reach of American government expanded dramatically as the populace accepted stronger limits on its economic freedoms in exchange for the increased security provided by regulation, an expanded welfare state, and a stronger national defense.
Pierre Salmon
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190499167
- eISBN:
- 9780190499198
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190499167.003.0006
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Public and Welfare
This chapter’s discussion of yardstick competition among national governments is less about substance than about the puzzle raised by its almost complete neglect by researchers. It poses the question ...
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This chapter’s discussion of yardstick competition among national governments is less about substance than about the puzzle raised by its almost complete neglect by researchers. It poses the question why, since there is much circumstantial evidence of the relevance of the mechanism in reality, there is so little work on it in the empirical literature. Admittedly, moving from the propitious setting of fiscal federalism to the relationship among national governments encounters technical difficulties. But it also encounters ideological and sociological obstacles. For instance, the specific situation of the United States with regard to the possible impact of yardstick competition, taken together with the well-deserved worldwide influence of US scholarship, may have something to do in the puzzling lack of attention that is also given to yardstick competition in the context of small open economies or societies such as the European ones.Less
This chapter’s discussion of yardstick competition among national governments is less about substance than about the puzzle raised by its almost complete neglect by researchers. It poses the question why, since there is much circumstantial evidence of the relevance of the mechanism in reality, there is so little work on it in the empirical literature. Admittedly, moving from the propitious setting of fiscal federalism to the relationship among national governments encounters technical difficulties. But it also encounters ideological and sociological obstacles. For instance, the specific situation of the United States with regard to the possible impact of yardstick competition, taken together with the well-deserved worldwide influence of US scholarship, may have something to do in the puzzling lack of attention that is also given to yardstick competition in the context of small open economies or societies such as the European ones.
