Wilfred Beckerman and Joanna Pasek
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199245086
- eISBN:
- 9780191598784
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199245088.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
In rich countries, environmental problems are seen as problems of prosperity. In poor countries, they are seen as problems of poverty. This is because the environmental problems in poor ...
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In rich countries, environmental problems are seen as problems of prosperity. In poor countries, they are seen as problems of poverty. This is because the environmental problems in poor countries—such as lack of clean drinking water or decent sanitation—are problems that affect them here and now, whereas in rich countries the environmental problems that people worry about most—largely as a result of current prosperity and economic growth—are those that seem likely to harm mainly posterity and hence violate our obligations to future generations.But what exactly are our obligations to future generations? Are they determined by some sort of ethical system, such as the ‘rights’ of future generations, or justice between generations, or intergenerational equity, or sustainable development? The first part of this book is addressed to these questions. It is argued that while ethical ‘systems’ do not provide much help, we still have moral obligations to take account of the interests that future generations will have. But an appraisal of these interests in the light of probable future developments suggests that, while environmental problems have to be taken seriously, our main obligation to future generations is to bequeath to them a more decent society in which there is greater respect for basic human rights than is the case today throughout most of the world.Furthermore, it cannot serve the interests of justice if the burden of protecting the environment for the benefit of posterity is born mainly by poorer people today. More resources devoted to the environment means fewer are devoted competing claims for, say, health care or education or housing, not to mention plain private consumption. And in poor countries millions of people suffer from acute lack of sanitation, clean drinking water, shelter, and basic infrastructures to prevent or cure widespread disease. Neither generations nor nations are homogeneous entities. The later chapters of this book, therefore, are addressed to the ethical aspects of the way that resources ought to be shared out between environmental protection and competing uses in all countries, and how the burden of dealing with global environmental problems ought to be shared out between rich and poor nations.Less
In rich countries, environmental problems are seen as problems of prosperity. In poor countries, they are seen as problems of poverty. This is because the environmental problems in poor countries—such as lack of clean drinking water or decent sanitation—are problems that affect them here and now, whereas in rich countries the environmental problems that people worry about most—largely as a result of current prosperity and economic growth—are those that seem likely to harm mainly posterity and hence violate our obligations to future generations.
But what exactly are our obligations to future generations? Are they determined by some sort of ethical system, such as the ‘rights’ of future generations, or justice between generations, or intergenerational equity, or sustainable development? The first part of this book is addressed to these questions. It is argued that while ethical ‘systems’ do not provide much help, we still have moral obligations to take account of the interests that future generations will have. But an appraisal of these interests in the light of probable future developments suggests that, while environmental problems have to be taken seriously, our main obligation to future generations is to bequeath to them a more decent society in which there is greater respect for basic human rights than is the case today throughout most of the world.
Furthermore, it cannot serve the interests of justice if the burden of protecting the environment for the benefit of posterity is born mainly by poorer people today. More resources devoted to the environment means fewer are devoted competing claims for, say, health care or education or housing, not to mention plain private consumption. And in poor countries millions of people suffer from acute lack of sanitation, clean drinking water, shelter, and basic infrastructures to prevent or cure widespread disease. Neither generations nor nations are homogeneous entities. The later chapters of this book, therefore, are addressed to the ethical aspects of the way that resources ought to be shared out between environmental protection and competing uses in all countries, and how the burden of dealing with global environmental problems ought to be shared out between rich and poor nations.
Antony Black
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199281695
- eISBN:
- 9780191713101
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199281695.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
The Achaemenid dynasty based its legitimacy on its relationship to the Zoroastrian deity. It saw its functions as the promotion of ‘love of truth’ and agricultural prosperity. They allowed the ...
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The Achaemenid dynasty based its legitimacy on its relationship to the Zoroastrian deity. It saw its functions as the promotion of ‘love of truth’ and agricultural prosperity. They allowed the peoples of their vast empire an unprecedented degree of autonomy, and advertised their religious toleration. Later, the Sasanian dynasty made Zoroastrianism the state religion.Less
The Achaemenid dynasty based its legitimacy on its relationship to the Zoroastrian deity. It saw its functions as the promotion of ‘love of truth’ and agricultural prosperity. They allowed the peoples of their vast empire an unprecedented degree of autonomy, and advertised their religious toleration. Later, the Sasanian dynasty made Zoroastrianism the state religion.
Milmon F. Harrison
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195153132
- eISBN:
- 9780199784578
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195153138.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Does God want us to be wealthy? Many people believe that God offers not only eternal joy in the hereafter but also material blessings in the here and now. Other Christians see this “prosperity ...
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Does God want us to be wealthy? Many people believe that God offers not only eternal joy in the hereafter but also material blessings in the here and now. Other Christians see this “prosperity theology”, as nothing more than vulgar materialism, incompatible with orthodox Christianity. This book examines the Word of Faith movement, an independent, non-denominational Christian movement that preaches the so-called “health and wealth gospel”. Drawing on the author's personal experiences as a former insider and in-depth interviews with members, this book takes the reader inside the movement, revealing what it is like to belong, and how people accept, reject, and reshape Word of Faith doctrines to fit their own lives. Analyzing the movement's appeal to African Americans, the book argues that because of their history of oppression and discrimination, African American religious institutions have always had to address the material ' as well as spiritual ' concerns of their members.Less
Does God want us to be wealthy? Many people believe that God offers not only eternal joy in the hereafter but also material blessings in the here and now. Other Christians see this “prosperity theology”, as nothing more than vulgar materialism, incompatible with orthodox Christianity. This book examines the Word of Faith movement, an independent, non-denominational Christian movement that preaches the so-called “health and wealth gospel”. Drawing on the author's personal experiences as a former insider and in-depth interviews with members, this book takes the reader inside the movement, revealing what it is like to belong, and how people accept, reject, and reshape Word of Faith doctrines to fit their own lives. Analyzing the movement's appeal to African Americans, the book argues that because of their history of oppression and discrimination, African American religious institutions have always had to address the material ' as well as spiritual ' concerns of their members.
Mary Ellen O'Connell
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195368949
- eISBN:
- 9780199871100
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195368949.003.0011
- Subject:
- Law, Public International Law
International law supports order in the world and the attainment of humanity's fundamental goals of peace, prosperity, respect for human rights, and protection of the natural environment. These goals ...
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International law supports order in the world and the attainment of humanity's fundamental goals of peace, prosperity, respect for human rights, and protection of the natural environment. These goals can best be realized through international law, which uniquely has the capacity to bind all states no matter how powerful. It is through international law that competing powers and divergent cultures can reach consensus. International law's power is based on acceptance. It is endowed with enforcement capacity and the hope of all humanity.Less
International law supports order in the world and the attainment of humanity's fundamental goals of peace, prosperity, respect for human rights, and protection of the natural environment. These goals can best be realized through international law, which uniquely has the capacity to bind all states no matter how powerful. It is through international law that competing powers and divergent cultures can reach consensus. International law's power is based on acceptance. It is endowed with enforcement capacity and the hope of all humanity.
Timothy Besley and Torsten Persson
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691152684
- eISBN:
- 9781400840526
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691152684.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, History of Economic Thought
“Little else is required to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism, but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice; all the rest being brought ...
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“Little else is required to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism, but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice; all the rest being brought about by the natural course of things.” So wrote Adam Smith a quarter of a millennium ago. Using the tools of modern political economics and combining economic theory with a bird's-eye view of the data, this book reinterprets Smith's pillars of prosperity to explain the existence of development clusters—places that tend to combine effective state institutions, the absence of political violence, and high per-capita incomes. To achieve peace, the book stresses the avoidance of repressive government and civil conflict. Easy taxes, the book argues, refers not to low taxes, but a tax system with widespread compliance that collects taxes at a reasonable cost from a broad base, like income. And a tolerable administration of justice is about legal infrastructure that can support the enforcement of contracts and property rights in line with the rule of law. The book shows that countries tend to enjoy all three pillars of prosperity when they have evolved cohesive political institutions that promote common interests, guaranteeing the provision of public goods. In line with much historical research, international conflict has also been an important force behind effective states by fostering common interests. The absence of common interests and/or cohesive political institutions can explain the existence of very different development clusters in fragile states that are plagued by poverty, violence, and weak state capacity.Less
“Little else is required to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism, but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice; all the rest being brought about by the natural course of things.” So wrote Adam Smith a quarter of a millennium ago. Using the tools of modern political economics and combining economic theory with a bird's-eye view of the data, this book reinterprets Smith's pillars of prosperity to explain the existence of development clusters—places that tend to combine effective state institutions, the absence of political violence, and high per-capita incomes. To achieve peace, the book stresses the avoidance of repressive government and civil conflict. Easy taxes, the book argues, refers not to low taxes, but a tax system with widespread compliance that collects taxes at a reasonable cost from a broad base, like income. And a tolerable administration of justice is about legal infrastructure that can support the enforcement of contracts and property rights in line with the rule of law. The book shows that countries tend to enjoy all three pillars of prosperity when they have evolved cohesive political institutions that promote common interests, guaranteeing the provision of public goods. In line with much historical research, international conflict has also been an important force behind effective states by fostering common interests. The absence of common interests and/or cohesive political institutions can explain the existence of very different development clusters in fragile states that are plagued by poverty, violence, and weak state capacity.
Randall L. Schweller
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199240975
- eISBN:
- 9780191598999
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199240973.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
Offers an appraisal of the democratic peace theory from the perspective of both classical and structural realism. It argues that while democracy can ameliorate some of the causes of war cited by ...
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Offers an appraisal of the democratic peace theory from the perspective of both classical and structural realism. It argues that while democracy can ameliorate some of the causes of war cited by realists, it cannot entirely eliminate them, and that the validity of the democratic peace proposition seems to depend on democracies being prosperous, satisfied, and developed states.Less
Offers an appraisal of the democratic peace theory from the perspective of both classical and structural realism. It argues that while democracy can ameliorate some of the causes of war cited by realists, it cannot entirely eliminate them, and that the validity of the democratic peace proposition seems to depend on democracies being prosperous, satisfied, and developed states.
Andrew M. Yuengert
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199739813
- eISBN:
- 9780199866120
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199739813.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter discusses the character of “sustainable prosperity for all”. Although the Catholic social tradition is reluctant to give unqualified practical advice about how to achieve prosperity, it ...
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This chapter discusses the character of “sustainable prosperity for all”. Although the Catholic social tradition is reluctant to give unqualified practical advice about how to achieve prosperity, it is more confident in its discussion of human fulfillment, in its expertise about what is good for human beings living in community. The chapter proceeds as follows. Section 2 reflects on the nature of the human person. Section 3 outlines the place of income and material wealth in the Catholic vision of true prosperity. Section 4 presents a description of true prosperity in four parts: the personal and social virtues, the quality of social relations, personal initiative, and material wealth. Section 5 compares the Catholic vision of prosperity to alternative theories. Section 6 offers some concluding thoughts on the value of this approach and its empirical implementation.Less
This chapter discusses the character of “sustainable prosperity for all”. Although the Catholic social tradition is reluctant to give unqualified practical advice about how to achieve prosperity, it is more confident in its discussion of human fulfillment, in its expertise about what is good for human beings living in community. The chapter proceeds as follows. Section 2 reflects on the nature of the human person. Section 3 outlines the place of income and material wealth in the Catholic vision of true prosperity. Section 4 presents a description of true prosperity in four parts: the personal and social virtues, the quality of social relations, personal initiative, and material wealth. Section 5 compares the Catholic vision of prosperity to alternative theories. Section 6 offers some concluding thoughts on the value of this approach and its empirical implementation.
Ogbu Kalu
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195340006
- eISBN:
- 9780199867073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195340006.003.0017
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter begins with a discussion of the relationship between African Pentecostalism and fundamentalism. It then discusses prosperity theology, prosperity in African imagination and theology, ...
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This chapter begins with a discussion of the relationship between African Pentecostalism and fundamentalism. It then discusses prosperity theology, prosperity in African imagination and theology, healing, and hermeneutics and homiletics.Less
This chapter begins with a discussion of the relationship between African Pentecostalism and fundamentalism. It then discusses prosperity theology, prosperity in African imagination and theology, healing, and hermeneutics and homiletics.
Christine Folch
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780691186603
- eISBN:
- 9780691197524
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691186603.001.0001
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology
This book is a ground-breaking investigation of the world's largest power plant and the ways the energy we use shapes politics and economics. Itaipu Binational Hydroelectric Dam straddles the Paraná ...
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This book is a ground-breaking investigation of the world's largest power plant and the ways the energy we use shapes politics and economics. Itaipu Binational Hydroelectric Dam straddles the Paraná River border that divides the two countries that equally co-own the dam, Brazil and Paraguay. It generates the carbon-free electricity that powers industry in both the giant of South America and one of the smallest economies of the region. The book reveals how Paraguayans harness the dam to engineer wealth, power, and sovereignty, demonstrating how energy capture influences social structures. During the dam's construction under the right-wing military government of Alfredo Stroessner and later during the leftist presidency of liberation theologian Fernando Lugo, the dam became central to debates about development, governance, and prosperity. Dams not only change landscapes; the book asserts that the properties of water, transmuted by dams, change states. It argues that the dam converts water into electricity and money to produce hydropolitics through its physical infrastructure, the financial liquidity of energy monies, and the international legal agreements managing transboundary water resources between Brazil and Paraguay, and their neighbors Argentina, Bolivia, and Uruguay. Looking at the fraught political discussions about the future of the world's single largest producer of renewable energy, the book explores how this massive public works project touches the lives of all who are linked to it.Less
This book is a ground-breaking investigation of the world's largest power plant and the ways the energy we use shapes politics and economics. Itaipu Binational Hydroelectric Dam straddles the Paraná River border that divides the two countries that equally co-own the dam, Brazil and Paraguay. It generates the carbon-free electricity that powers industry in both the giant of South America and one of the smallest economies of the region. The book reveals how Paraguayans harness the dam to engineer wealth, power, and sovereignty, demonstrating how energy capture influences social structures. During the dam's construction under the right-wing military government of Alfredo Stroessner and later during the leftist presidency of liberation theologian Fernando Lugo, the dam became central to debates about development, governance, and prosperity. Dams not only change landscapes; the book asserts that the properties of water, transmuted by dams, change states. It argues that the dam converts water into electricity and money to produce hydropolitics through its physical infrastructure, the financial liquidity of energy monies, and the international legal agreements managing transboundary water resources between Brazil and Paraguay, and their neighbors Argentina, Bolivia, and Uruguay. Looking at the fraught political discussions about the future of the world's single largest producer of renewable energy, the book explores how this massive public works project touches the lives of all who are linked to it.
Yuri Pines
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691134956
- eISBN:
- 9781400842278
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691134956.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
Established in 221 BCE, the Chinese empire lasted for 2,132 years before being replaced by the Republic of China in 1912. During its two millennia, the empire endured internal wars, foreign ...
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Established in 221 BCE, the Chinese empire lasted for 2,132 years before being replaced by the Republic of China in 1912. During its two millennia, the empire endured internal wars, foreign incursions, alien occupations, and devastating rebellions—yet fundamental institutional, sociopolitical, and cultural features of the empire remained intact. This book traces the roots of the Chinese empire's exceptional longevity and unparalleled political durability, and shows how lessons from the imperial past are relevant for China today. The book demonstrates that the empire survived and adjusted to a variety of domestic and external challenges through a peculiar combination of rigid ideological premises and their flexible implementation. The empire's major political actors and neighbors shared its fundamental ideological principles, such as unity under a single monarch—hence, even the empire's strongest domestic and foreign foes adopted the system of imperial rule. Yet details of this rule were constantly negotiated and adjusted. The book shows how deep tensions between political actors including the emperor, the literati, local elites, and rebellious commoners actually enabled the empire's basic institutional framework to remain critically vital and adaptable to ever-changing sociopolitical circumstances. As contemporary China moves toward a new period of prosperity and power in the twenty-first century, this book argues that the legacy of the empire may become an increasingly important force in shaping the nation's future trajectory.Less
Established in 221 BCE, the Chinese empire lasted for 2,132 years before being replaced by the Republic of China in 1912. During its two millennia, the empire endured internal wars, foreign incursions, alien occupations, and devastating rebellions—yet fundamental institutional, sociopolitical, and cultural features of the empire remained intact. This book traces the roots of the Chinese empire's exceptional longevity and unparalleled political durability, and shows how lessons from the imperial past are relevant for China today. The book demonstrates that the empire survived and adjusted to a variety of domestic and external challenges through a peculiar combination of rigid ideological premises and their flexible implementation. The empire's major political actors and neighbors shared its fundamental ideological principles, such as unity under a single monarch—hence, even the empire's strongest domestic and foreign foes adopted the system of imperial rule. Yet details of this rule were constantly negotiated and adjusted. The book shows how deep tensions between political actors including the emperor, the literati, local elites, and rebellious commoners actually enabled the empire's basic institutional framework to remain critically vital and adaptable to ever-changing sociopolitical circumstances. As contemporary China moves toward a new period of prosperity and power in the twenty-first century, this book argues that the legacy of the empire may become an increasingly important force in shaping the nation's future trajectory.
Russell Hardin
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199232567
- eISBN:
- 9780191715976
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199232567.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This chapter focuses on what the state does (for us). It contends that once empowered by the dual convention of acquiescence by the citizenry and cooperation among government officials, a government ...
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This chapter focuses on what the state does (for us). It contends that once empowered by the dual convention of acquiescence by the citizenry and cooperation among government officials, a government has the capacity to do many things, including ancillary things unrelated to the purpose of maintaining social order. In Hume's view, the first element of social order in the kind of world in which we live is the establishment of stable principles for dealing with property and social cooperation. If we first achieve order, then we can go on to achieve liberty, justice, and prosperity.Less
This chapter focuses on what the state does (for us). It contends that once empowered by the dual convention of acquiescence by the citizenry and cooperation among government officials, a government has the capacity to do many things, including ancillary things unrelated to the purpose of maintaining social order. In Hume's view, the first element of social order in the kind of world in which we live is the establishment of stable principles for dealing with property and social cooperation. If we first achieve order, then we can go on to achieve liberty, justice, and prosperity.
Phillip Brown, Hugh Lauder, and David Ashton
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199731688
- eISBN:
- 9780199944125
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199731688.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Occupations, Professions, and Work
For decades, the idea that more education will lead to greater individual and national prosperity has been a cornerstone of developed economies. Indeed, it is almost universally believed that college ...
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For decades, the idea that more education will lead to greater individual and national prosperity has been a cornerstone of developed economies. Indeed, it is almost universally believed that college diplomas give Americans and Europeans a competitive advantage in the global knowledge wars. Challenging this conventional wisdom, this book forces us to reconsider our deeply held and mistaken views about how the global economy really works and how to thrive in it. Drawing on cutting-edge research based on a major international study, the chapters show that the competition for good, middle-class jobs is now a worldwide competition—an auction for cut-priced brainpower—fueled by an explosion of higher education across the world. They highlight a fundamental power shift in favor of corporate bosses and emerging economies such as China and India, a change that is driving the new global high-skill, low-wage workforce. Fighting for a dwindling supply of good jobs will compel the middle classes to devote more time, money, and effort to set themselves apart in a bare-knuckle competition that will leave many disappointed. The chapters urges a new conversation about the kind of society we want to live in and about the kind of global economy that can benefit workers, but without condemning millions in emerging economies to a life of poverty. The book is a radical rethinking of the ideas that stand at the heart of the American Dream. It offers an expose of the realities of the global struggle for middle class jobs, a competition that threatens the livelihoods of millions of American and European workers and their families.Less
For decades, the idea that more education will lead to greater individual and national prosperity has been a cornerstone of developed economies. Indeed, it is almost universally believed that college diplomas give Americans and Europeans a competitive advantage in the global knowledge wars. Challenging this conventional wisdom, this book forces us to reconsider our deeply held and mistaken views about how the global economy really works and how to thrive in it. Drawing on cutting-edge research based on a major international study, the chapters show that the competition for good, middle-class jobs is now a worldwide competition—an auction for cut-priced brainpower—fueled by an explosion of higher education across the world. They highlight a fundamental power shift in favor of corporate bosses and emerging economies such as China and India, a change that is driving the new global high-skill, low-wage workforce. Fighting for a dwindling supply of good jobs will compel the middle classes to devote more time, money, and effort to set themselves apart in a bare-knuckle competition that will leave many disappointed. The chapters urges a new conversation about the kind of society we want to live in and about the kind of global economy that can benefit workers, but without condemning millions in emerging economies to a life of poverty. The book is a radical rethinking of the ideas that stand at the heart of the American Dream. It offers an expose of the realities of the global struggle for middle class jobs, a competition that threatens the livelihoods of millions of American and European workers and their families.
Louis Hyman
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691140681
- eISBN:
- 9781400838400
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691140681.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter examines postwar consumer credit. Many in the postwar United States achieved a material prosperity that, in debt's absence, they could not have attained. Indeed, this postwar prosperity ...
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This chapter examines postwar consumer credit. Many in the postwar United States achieved a material prosperity that, in debt's absence, they could not have attained. Indeed, this postwar prosperity enabled suburbanites with good incomes to live as well as their perhaps wealthier neighborhoods, even if they had little savings. However, this equality of consumption reinforced inequalities of wealth. While the amount loaned grew tremendously in the postwar period, the growth rate for outstanding debt remained relatively flat. Borrowing remained a viable strategy, not only because of rising incomes, but also because all consumer credit remained tax deductible. In such a favorable climate for borrowing, Americans borrowed their way to prosperity.Less
This chapter examines postwar consumer credit. Many in the postwar United States achieved a material prosperity that, in debt's absence, they could not have attained. Indeed, this postwar prosperity enabled suburbanites with good incomes to live as well as their perhaps wealthier neighborhoods, even if they had little savings. However, this equality of consumption reinforced inequalities of wealth. While the amount loaned grew tremendously in the postwar period, the growth rate for outstanding debt remained relatively flat. Borrowing remained a viable strategy, not only because of rising incomes, but also because all consumer credit remained tax deductible. In such a favorable climate for borrowing, Americans borrowed their way to prosperity.
Phillip Brown, Hugh Lauder, and David Ashton
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199731688
- eISBN:
- 9780199944125
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199731688.003.0025
- Subject:
- Sociology, Occupations, Professions, and Work
This chapter reviews the discussions that have been presented in previous chapters, including the concept of the American Dream. It considers the question of whether the American democracy will lead ...
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This chapter reviews the discussions that have been presented in previous chapters, including the concept of the American Dream. It considers the question of whether the American democracy will lead to another experiment that is needed to bring together prosperity and justice using new ways based on a generally different set of social priorities. It identifies the future prospects for American families and workers and discusses the neoliberal opportunity bargain and a new opportunity bargain.Less
This chapter reviews the discussions that have been presented in previous chapters, including the concept of the American Dream. It considers the question of whether the American democracy will lead to another experiment that is needed to bring together prosperity and justice using new ways based on a generally different set of social priorities. It identifies the future prospects for American families and workers and discusses the neoliberal opportunity bargain and a new opportunity bargain.
Daniel Finn (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199739813
- eISBN:
- 9780199866120
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199739813.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Roman Catholic social thought has had much to say about economic life: about virtues and moral principles, about individuals, communities, and institutions. Catholic social thought (CST) is a complex ...
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Roman Catholic social thought has had much to say about economic life: about virtues and moral principles, about individuals, communities, and institutions. Catholic social thought (CST) is a complex body of ideas that has real consequences, well-described by Hans Urs von Balthasar as “symphonic” in its multiple principles and approaches, nonetheless producing an integrated vision. This tradition can best be understood if it is taken most seriously. This book begins with a fundamental proposition: that the economic and cultural criteria identified in the tradition of Catholic social thought provide an effective path to sustainable prosperity for all. Two chapters undertake the challenge of specifying the means CST recommends and the goals for which it aims. Five are historical studies: of the change in worldview from the medieval to the present, of the medieval Franciscan roots of markets, of the empirical impact that Christian democratic parties and labor unions have had on European society, and of the legal and moral analysis of “the unjust contract”. Six chapters examine CST and the fundamental proposition from diverse perspectives: from Africa, Latin America, sociology, the economics view of women, and eco-feminism. Finally, two chapters provide an introduction and a conclusion addressing the question of how practically to think of the potential implementation of CST in a world rarely open to change.Less
Roman Catholic social thought has had much to say about economic life: about virtues and moral principles, about individuals, communities, and institutions. Catholic social thought (CST) is a complex body of ideas that has real consequences, well-described by Hans Urs von Balthasar as “symphonic” in its multiple principles and approaches, nonetheless producing an integrated vision. This tradition can best be understood if it is taken most seriously. This book begins with a fundamental proposition: that the economic and cultural criteria identified in the tradition of Catholic social thought provide an effective path to sustainable prosperity for all. Two chapters undertake the challenge of specifying the means CST recommends and the goals for which it aims. Five are historical studies: of the change in worldview from the medieval to the present, of the medieval Franciscan roots of markets, of the empirical impact that Christian democratic parties and labor unions have had on European society, and of the legal and moral analysis of “the unjust contract”. Six chapters examine CST and the fundamental proposition from diverse perspectives: from Africa, Latin America, sociology, the economics view of women, and eco-feminism. Finally, two chapters provide an introduction and a conclusion addressing the question of how practically to think of the potential implementation of CST in a world rarely open to change.
Albino Barrera, O.P.
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199739813
- eISBN:
- 9780199866120
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199739813.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
It is remarkable that during the long history of Catholic social thought (CST) no one seems to have attempted to list all its recommendations for how economic life should be conducted. Because the ...
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It is remarkable that during the long history of Catholic social thought (CST) no one seems to have attempted to list all its recommendations for how economic life should be conducted. Because the True Wealth of Nations project sets out to investigate the claim that implementing Catholic social thought would put us on a path to sustainable prosperity for all, this chapter attempts to set out what it is that Catholic social thought recommends for the economy. It begins with the notion of the economic common good as the way into understanding what CST recommends. It reviews the scriptural foundations for the Catholic view of economic life, and then moves to more concrete identification of those recommendations.Less
It is remarkable that during the long history of Catholic social thought (CST) no one seems to have attempted to list all its recommendations for how economic life should be conducted. Because the True Wealth of Nations project sets out to investigate the claim that implementing Catholic social thought would put us on a path to sustainable prosperity for all, this chapter attempts to set out what it is that Catholic social thought recommends for the economy. It begins with the notion of the economic common good as the way into understanding what CST recommends. It reviews the scriptural foundations for the Catholic view of economic life, and then moves to more concrete identification of those recommendations.
Stefano Zamagni
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199739813
- eISBN:
- 9780199866120
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199739813.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter is a preliminary test of the fundamental hypothesis of the True Wealth of Nations project:“The economic and cultural criteria identified in the tradition of Catholic social thought (CST) ...
More
This chapter is a preliminary test of the fundamental hypothesis of the True Wealth of Nations project:“The economic and cultural criteria identified in the tradition of Catholic social thought (CST) provide an effective path to sustainable prosperity for all”. By adopting a history of ideas approach, it shows that in the era of civil humanism during the 13th through 15th centuries, the principles of CST were able to inspire and shape an institutional order, a civil economy, aimed at the common good.Less
This chapter is a preliminary test of the fundamental hypothesis of the True Wealth of Nations project:“The economic and cultural criteria identified in the tradition of Catholic social thought (CST) provide an effective path to sustainable prosperity for all”. By adopting a history of ideas approach, it shows that in the era of civil humanism during the 13th through 15th centuries, the principles of CST were able to inspire and shape an institutional order, a civil economy, aimed at the common good.
Vera Negri Zamagni
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199739813
- eISBN:
- 9780199866120
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199739813.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter sketches the beginning stages of modern Catholic social thought (CST) in Europe between the 19th century and World War II. It then discusses the flourishing of Christian Democratic ...
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This chapter sketches the beginning stages of modern Catholic social thought (CST) in Europe between the 19th century and World War II. It then discusses the flourishing of Christian Democratic parties after the end of World War II, their crucial contribution to the launching of the process of European integration and to the “economic miracles” of many European nations, and their subsequent decline. The concluding section will look at some of the issues that Catholics must face if they want to uphold their testimony of the Christian message today.Less
This chapter sketches the beginning stages of modern Catholic social thought (CST) in Europe between the 19th century and World War II. It then discusses the flourishing of Christian Democratic parties after the end of World War II, their crucial contribution to the launching of the process of European integration and to the “economic miracles” of many European nations, and their subsequent decline. The concluding section will look at some of the issues that Catholics must face if they want to uphold their testimony of the Christian message today.
Mary L. Hirschfeld
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199739813
- eISBN:
- 9780199866120
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199739813.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter examines the fundamental hypothesis of the True Wealth of Nations project—that the economic and cultural criteria identified in the tradition of Catholic social thought provide an ...
More
This chapter examines the fundamental hypothesis of the True Wealth of Nations project—that the economic and cultural criteria identified in the tradition of Catholic social thought provide an effective path to sustainable prosperity for all—from a Thomistic perspective. After pointing out some key features of Thomas's theological framework and contrasting it with the modern day more secular perspective, it focuses on three issues. First, it discusses how Thomas understood the end of this-worldly (earthly) human flourishing in relationship to our final end, which for Thomas lies in the beatific vision. Second, turning to the question of how prosperity is understood, it discusses Thomas's understanding of the relationship between material well-being and virtue, which Thomas identifies with human flourishing. Third, it examines Thomas's understanding of material well-being in itself. The chapter concludes with an assessment of the degree to which we could or should incorporate Thomas' s perspective.Less
This chapter examines the fundamental hypothesis of the True Wealth of Nations project—that the economic and cultural criteria identified in the tradition of Catholic social thought provide an effective path to sustainable prosperity for all—from a Thomistic perspective. After pointing out some key features of Thomas's theological framework and contrasting it with the modern day more secular perspective, it focuses on three issues. First, it discusses how Thomas understood the end of this-worldly (earthly) human flourishing in relationship to our final end, which for Thomas lies in the beatific vision. Second, turning to the question of how prosperity is understood, it discusses Thomas's understanding of the relationship between material well-being and virtue, which Thomas identifies with human flourishing. Third, it examines Thomas's understanding of material well-being in itself. The chapter concludes with an assessment of the degree to which we could or should incorporate Thomas' s perspective.
John A. Coleman, S.J.
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199739813
- eISBN:
- 9780199866120
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199739813.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter investigates the notion of “social capital”, beginning with its development among sociologists and its eventual employment by economists and others. It urges a conversation between ...
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This chapter investigates the notion of “social capital”, beginning with its development among sociologists and its eventual employment by economists and others. It urges a conversation between Catholic social thought and theorists of social capital. On the one hand, the sociological notion of social capital includes elements (such as the claim that social capital is essential for wealth creation) that would be helpful to make more visible within Catholic social thought and, on the other hand, Catholic social thought includes insight into communal life and the common good that could enrich the notions of social capital as employed within social science.Less
This chapter investigates the notion of “social capital”, beginning with its development among sociologists and its eventual employment by economists and others. It urges a conversation between Catholic social thought and theorists of social capital. On the one hand, the sociological notion of social capital includes elements (such as the claim that social capital is essential for wealth creation) that would be helpful to make more visible within Catholic social thought and, on the other hand, Catholic social thought includes insight into communal life and the common good that could enrich the notions of social capital as employed within social science.
