Heterodox Economics Newsletter

Issue 213 May 08, 2017 web pdf Heterodox Economics Directory

In the past weeks I have been asked several times, how the thesis of a single paradigm dominating current economics comes to grips with the observation that the economic mainstream (still) produces a huge variety of models and policy proposals. And indeed, nearly a decade after the collapse of Lehman Brothers opinions still range from „I don’t know what a credit bubble means" (Eugene Fama in The New Yorker) to "[it is all about] booms and busts; bubbles and crashes‘” (Baldwin/Giavazzi 2015, The Eurozone Crisis - A consensus view).

The rough answer to this question is that the dominant neoclassical paradigm supplies the mainstream with a framework of metaphors and corresponding formal techniques along the traditional line of neoclassical thought (i.e., scarcity-optimization-equilibrium). Models in contemporary research are then grouped around these dominant metaphors by varying specific aspects of standard textbook models, which continue to dominate large parts of teaching and policy advice.

This constellation exhibits several problematic features: one is theoretical arbitrariness, which has been recently emphasized in the blogosphere, e.g. by Lars P. Syll or Noah Smith. Another problem with this practice is that it maps the inconsistencies on the level of political utterings (as those quoted above) unto contemporary research (an issue, that can be traced in greather depth, e.g. here).

Aside from "a decade of crisis", 2018 will also witness the bicentennial of Karl Marx's birthday. Hence, I expect a surge of Marx-related items in the Heterodox Economics Newsletter throughout the upcoming months, starting today with these two entries (here and here) motivated specifically by this anniversary.

All the best,

Jakob

© public domain

Table of contents

Call for Papers

12th Annual Oxford Green Economics Conference (Oxford, Jun 2017)

10-12 June, 2017 | St Hugh's College, Oxford University, UK

Call for speakers – in particular for the ‘Reform of Economics’ subject stream

This year’s Green Economics Conference will have as a centre feature a Reform of Economics stream as part of the overall strategy of the Institute.

Please find a detailed list of subjects which give you an indication of what talks we are particularly looking for HERE. Feel free to make own suggestions along the lines indicated.

If you intend to take part in the conference you can take advantage of our "Early Bird" discounts and confirm your booking immediately through Eventbrite HERE

You can find more details of the conference HERE.

For further information, particularly about submitting papers, contact: greeneconomicsinstitute@yahoo.com

Website: greeneconomics.org.uk or greeneconomicsinstitutetrust.org

15th Globelics International Conference (Athens, Oct 2017): Deadline Extended

11-13 October, 2017 | Athens, Greece

The deadline for paper submissions got extended to 10th of May.

Globelics is a worldwide network of more than 2000 scholars engaged in research on how innovation and competence building contribute to economic and sustainable development. The network is open and diverse in terms of disciplines, perspectives and research tools.

It was conceived at the very beginning of the new millennium. Inspired by the work of Christopher Freeman and Richard Nelson, the network was initially developed through conversations among scholars in the South and in the North and developed by economists and experts on innovation systems. Over time the network has integrated expertise from a wider social science background and experts on broader aspects of development.

One of its main activities is the Annual Globelics Conference, which brings together around 400 leading and young scholars from all over the world. The Conference also aims at building research capacity and orienting research toward the local challenges of the host country.

The Conference will be organised by the Laboratory of Industrial and Energy Economics (LIEE) at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), the oldest (established in 1837) and most prestigious academic institution in Greece in the field of Technology and Engineering. LIEE/NTUA is a well-established academic unit, active in socioeconomic research with particular focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, ICTs, energy and sustainable development in Greece and Europe. The Laboratory has also developed particular competencies in policy analysis, and in the design and implementation of empirical research and has participated in more than 130 research projects during the last 25 years.

Athens will be the first European city to host the Globelics annual conference. This was considered as an opportunity to highlight the challenges for a country hit by the recent economic crisis. Innovation and competence building in the context of industrial and institutional change is considered to be of great importance when envisaging a strategy out of the crisis.

The general issues to be addressed during the annual conference are the following:

  1. Inequality in the age of Globalization: Widening disparities within countries, regions, and social classes. Do we need new approaches?

  2. Slowdown in the global economic growth, stagnation and depression in large parts of the globe. Has the era of easy economic growth ended?

  3. Do we need to tackle new challenges related to innovation and capacity building in addition to our systems of innovation approach? New challenges for open science and open innovation.

  4. What is the role of the different type of actors (State, local authorities, Continental entities, knowledge institutions, productive, political and social actors) in shaping innovation and capacity building in a context of uneven globalization, financialisation, austerity policies, environmental and social risk?

  5. How can innovating out of the crisis systems of policies be designed and implemented at different levels, and in different areas of the world?

An indicative conference track:

Paper submission

We encourage scholars at scientific institutions, universities, enterprises and public sector institutions to take this opportunity to present their work to leading scholars in the field of innovation and development. We especially encourage young researchers to submit papers.

Papers for oral presentations and poster presentation must be written in English, and the selected ones must be presented at the conference in English. Submission of full paper (in PDF) not exceeding 12,000 words (including notes, tables, appendices, list of references, etc.) should be made via the online submission form available at the Conference website: liee.ntua.gr/globelics2017.

The selection of papers is based on a peer review process that focuses on relevance, academic quality and originality. Globelics reserves the right to use available software to control for plagiarism and to take appropriate action in such cases.

Travel support

Faculty members and PhD students from developing countries with accepted papers to the conference can apply for travel support. Application for travel support must be submitted at the same time as submission of paper. Further information on procedure for application of travel support will be available on the conference website.

If you have any questions that cannot be answered using the website, please send an e-mail to: globelics.athens.2017@gmail.com

Please find further information can be found at the Globelics website.

Call for Streams @ Historical Materialism Annual Conference (London, Nov 2017): Deadline Extended

9-12 Novemeber, 2017 | SOAS University of London, UK

The deadline for the HM London Conference has been extended until 15 May.

Theme: Revolutions Against Capital, Capital Against Revolutions?

One hundred years ago, hailing the Russian Revolution, Antonio Gramsci characterised the Bolsheviks’ success as a ‘revolution against Capital’. As against the interpretations of mechanical ‘Marxism’, the Russian Revolution was the ‘crucial proof’ that revolution need not be postponed until the ‘proper’ historical developments had occurred.

2017 will witness both the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution and the 150th anniversary of the first publication of Marx’s Capital. Fittingly, the journal Historical Materialism will celebrate its own twentieth anniversary.

In his time, Gramsci qualified his title by arguing that his criticism was directed at those who use ‘the Master’s works to draw up a superficial interpretation, dictatorial statements which cannot be disputed’, by contrast, he argues, the Bolsheviks ‘live out Marxist thought’. From its inception, Historical Materialism has been committed to a project of collective research in critical Marxist theory which actively counters any mechanical application of Marxism qua doctrine. How the Russian Revolution was eventually lived out – with all of its aftershocks, reversals, counter-revolutions, and ultimate defeat – also calls not just for a work of memory but for one of theorisation. We might view the alignment of these anniversaries, then, as disclosing the changing fates of the Marxist tradition and its continued attempt to analyse and transform the world. Especially once it is read against the grain of the mechanical and determinist image affixed to it by many of the official Marxisms of the 20th Century, and animated by the liberation movements that followed in its wake, the work-in-progress that was Capital seems vitally relevant to an understanding of the forces at work in our crisis-ridden present. The Russian Revolution, on the contrary, risks appearing as a museum-piece or lifeless talisman. By retrieving Gramsci’s provocation, we wish to unsettle the facile gesture that would praise Marxian theory all the better to bury Marxist politics.

Gramsci also remarks that Marx ‘predicted the predictable’ but could not predict the particular leaps and bounds human society would take. Surveying today’s political landscape that seems especially true. Since 2008 we have witnessed a continuing crisis of capitalism, contradictory revolutionary upsurges – and brutal counterrevolutions – across the Middle East and North Africa and a resurgent ‘populist’ right represented by Trump, the right-wing elements of the Brexit campaign, the authoritarian turn in central Europe and populist right wing politics in France; the power of Putin's Russia and authoritarian state power in Turkey, Israel, Egypt and India. Even the ‘pink tide’ of Latin America appears to be turning. Disturbingly, we seem to face a wave of reaction, and in some domains a recrudescence of fascism, much greater in scope and intensity than the revolutionary impetus that preceded and sometimes occasioned it. There is a new virulence to the politics of revanchist nationalism, ethno-racial supremacy, and aggressive patriarchy, but its articulation to the imperatives of capital accumulation or the politics of class remains a matter of much (necessary) debate.

This year’s Historical Materialism Conference seeks to use the ‘three anniversaries’ as an opportunity to reflect on the history of the Marxist tradition and its continued relevance to our historical moment. We welcome papers which unpack the complex and under-appreciated legacies of Marx’s Capital and the Russian Revolution, exploring their global scope, their impact on the racial and gendered histories of capitalism and anti-capitalism, investigating their limits and sounding out their yet-untapped potentialities. We also wish to apply the lessons of these anniversaries to our current perilous state affairs: dissecting its political and economic dynamics and tracing its possible revolutionary potentials.

Start here to submit a paper to this conference.

Link to the preliminary program is available here. More details about the conference can be found here.

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Stream on "Green Revolutions?"

At the height of the Russian civil war, Bolsheviks from the besieged town of Astrakhan reached Moscow and appealed to Lenin to approve their plans for a nature reserve in the delta of the Volga, which he did, explaining that 'conservation of nature is of importance to the entire Republic; I attach urgent significance to it. Let it be declared a national necessity and appreciated by the scale of nation-wide importance.' One century later, the significance of conserving nature is no less urgent. The centenary of the Russian Revolution should prompt renewed, closer reflections on the relation between the revolutionary Marxist legacy and ecological struggles, including its historical parameters. How green were the Bolsheviks? Still only assembled in fragments, what lessons can be learned from the efflorescence of environmental science and politics between October and the onset of Stalinist industrialisation? Was adoration of modern technology and Promethean domination of nature inherent in the Soviet Union from the start, or were there other paths not taken? How did the fate of the revolution determine the trajectory of ecological thought within the working-class movement?

Ecological Marxism is by now a well-established current of research, but it sometimes falls into the trap of academic theorising, with little connection to Marxist politics. Can there be an ecological Leninism (or Luxemburgism, or autonomism, or Maoism...)? What are the most promising tendencies in environmental movements around the world today? Does Marxist thought have anything to offer activists on the frontlines, from Standing Rock via the divestment campaigns to the struggle against new coal-power plants in Bangladesh? The ecological emergencies of the twenty-first century seem to call for extraordinary measures to maintain a habitable biosphere. What would they look like? In the increasingly dangerous climate of 2017, however, neither red nor green forces dominate the political agenda – instead, the centenary comes with a worldwide surge in brown-tinged reactionary nationalism. From the United States via Poland to India, this ascendant right is waging a general onslaught on what remains of wild nature, denying climate change, speeding up the production of fossil fuels and, apparently, synthesising aggression against the environment with attacks on undesirable others. This conjuncture has yet to be met with a consistent analysis – and response – from the radical left.

The ecology stream at the HM annual conference of 2017 in London invites papers and panels on the above and related themes, in the entire field of environmental theory and politics as practiced through the lens of Marxism.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Stream on "Marxist-Feminist"

The contribution of women in mass/popular/class/revolutionary uprisings has often been overlooked, even in cases where women played a leading role. Following the Call for Papers of the 14th HM London conference in commemorating the Marxist legacy in revolutions of the past at the centenary of the October Revolution while thinking about present struggles, this is then also an opportune time to highlight and reflect on the role of women and feminist ideas in revolutionary situations.

Processes of excision, of silencing, of sidelining help explain the sway of a (neo)liberal feminism in the so-called West that places feminism as an emancipatory possibility engendered by capitalism rather than socialism or communism. This suppression of women's revolutionary histories has been successful in establishing neoliberal feminism as the mainstream. Marxist-feminists need to revisit and reclaim their histories, not only to set the record straight but to move beyond them by critically engaging with other anti-racist, anti-colonialist, revolutionary feminisms. A new generation of feminist activists and theorists is challenging neoliberal feminism and placing feminist struggles again squarely within anti-capitalist and anti-racist agendas. All across the globe, 2016 and 2017 have been years of struggle for abortion rights (as in Poland's Black Monday) and women's self-determination as well as years of resurgence of significant feminist movements (as in the case of the Women's March in the USA and the Women's Strike in many parts of the world).

In 2017, the HM London conference's Marxist feminist stream invites critical Marxist feminist thinking on the processes and strategies of excision and silencing as described above, but also on elaborating on the ways in which the important struggles of the past years can lead to the emergence and consolidation of revolutionary feminist movements worldwide. We invite papers that re-work Alexandra Kollontai's question 'what has the October Revolution done for women in the West?' (1927) to which we add the question 'what has the October Revolution done for Women in the East?' as well as a series of other questions:

We hope that contributors to the Marxist feminist stream will bring their own critical questions, of relevance to research and to everyday struggle, to be added to the above provisional list of questions – not least in relation to what and who the social category 'woman' may encompass today as a revolutionary subject beyond a normative biologism. We invite panels, papers, and platforms where such questions can be openly debated with the sense of urgency our times command.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Stream on "Marxism, Sexuality and Political Economy: Looking Forwards, Looking Backwards"

The Sexuality and Political Economy network (HMSPEN), affiliated to Historical Materialism (HM), invite paper/panel proposals for a stream of panels at HM London 2017 on the theme of Marxism, Sexuality and Political Economy: Looking Forwards, Looking Backwards

Whilst we welcome any papers and panels that illuminate, debate and develop the relationmship between Marxism, sexuality and political economy, whether theoretical, analytical or empirical, from any disciplines or trans-disciplinary, we are particularly seeking paper and panel proposals on the theme of 'looking forwards, looking backwards'.

The 100th Anniversary of the Russian Revolution reminds us that there is a rich corpus of insight and vision from past Marxist scholarship and politics to complement the more recent explosion of high quality scholarship and political synergies between Marxism and the radical critiques and politics of sexuality. We want to celebrate this moment by seeking papers clustered around the following questions:

Papers are sought that explore those themes and enrich our understanding of the political economy of sexuality from a Marxist perspective. At the same time, this does not preclude submissions along a range of additional and complementary themes:

Paper should be submitted to the HM conference website in the normal fashion but clearly marked in the submission title MSPEN in order to be considered for these panels.

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Stream on "The Great War, the Russian Revolution and Mass Rebellions 1916-1923"

Mass rebellions against Capital and Empire shook the globe in the wake of World War One and the Russian Revolution. To friend and foe alike, the seizure of power by insurgent workers and organised socialists in October 1917 constituted the advanced outpost of an international offensive against the capitalist order. From the 1916 insurrections in Ireland and Central Asia, to the revolutionary proletarian insurgencies in Western and Central Europe, to the countless anti-colonial rebellions of dominated peoples in the Americas, Africa, and Asia, it seemed for a brief historical moment that imperial capitalism was on the verge of defeat.

Few people today would deny the enormous social, political, and cultural impact of these popular rebellions. Yet a major question mark hangs over their current relevancy, as well as the various radical traditions they expressed and engendered. The rise and collapse of Stalinism, the defaults and defeats of revolutionary nationalism, and the triumphant neoliberal onslaught have cast a pall over the promise of the 1916-23 upsurge and the anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist project(s) it came to represent.

Capital, with all its crises and contingencies, remains. As the political centre collapses, space is opening for new forces to fill the void. But, one century later, it remains to be seen whether the Russian Revolution and the international insurgencies of the era can recapture the imaginations of those seeking to radically overhaul existing social relations.

It is in this open and uncertain context that the Annual Historical Materialism Conference will mark the centennial anniversary of 1917 by hosting the stream 'The Great War, the Russian Revolution and Mass Rebellions 1916-1923'.

We invite submissions for papers that take a fresh look at look at the 1916-1923 insurgencies; the impact of these events throughout the Twentieth Century; and their reverberations on (or relevancy for) the world today.

A vast uncharted intellectual and historiographic territory lies beyond the lifeless established paradigms of so much academic and activist literature. Much of the story of these multifarious popular upheavals remains to be told. Many questions long thought settled – from classical Marxist analysis and strategy, to the early dynamics of class, nationality, gender, and sexuality in mass struggle and state power, to the divergent trajectories of revolutionary and counter-revolutionary social transformations – merit serious re-examination. Uncovering how these legacies can speak to our current realities is no less vital a task.

It is our hope that this stream can mark a major moment for a collective reinvigoration of Marxist and radical engagement with the experiences of the highest point in the Twentieth century's revolutionary tide.

Submissions for papers and proposed panels should be submitted by 15 May 2017.

Conference on Alternative Economic Policy in Europe: "Can the EU still be saved?" (Athens, Sept 2017): Deadline Extended

28-30 September, 2017 | Harokopio University, Athens, Greece

We would like to inform you that the deadline for the submission of paper proposals has been extended to 20 May 2017.

This year’s EuroMemo Group conference will be jointly hosted with the Department of Geography at Harokopio University and the Nicos Poulantzas Institute in Athens, from 28-30 September 2017 (Thursday-Saturday). The conference venue is the Harokopio University in Athens, Department of Geography.

The programme is as follows:

Thursday, September 28 2017 15.00 – 19.00 (Registration at 14.30)

Friday, September 29 2017

Saturday, September 30 2017 9.00-12.00

Call for Papers

We would like to invite you to attend the conference and to submit proposals for contributions to the workshops.

All papers that present an alternative economic perspective on the conference theme 'Can the EU still be saved? The implications of a multi-speed Europe' are welcomed. In particular, we encourage submissions specific to one of the following topics on which the workshops will be based. Please find attached details on the topics.

Proposals for papers together with a short abstract (maximum 250 words) should be submitted by 20 May 2017 to info@euromemo.eu. If possible, please indicate the topic which the proposal is intended for. If accepted, completed papers should be submitted by 3 September 2017 so that they can be read before the conference.

We strongly encourage participants to submit short papers (10-12 pages) and to explicitly address policy implications.

Early Career Researcher Workshop "Taking the next step: new frontiers in the interdisciplinary study of finance" (Coventry, Sept 2017)

25-26 September, 2017 | University of Warwick, Coventry, UK

Organised by Warwick Critical Finance (WCF) Group

WCF is a study group based at the University Warwick which takes a critical approach to new and emerging trends in global finance. We are interested in the ways that finance intersects and interacts with key dimensions such as development, class, gender, race or geography. We hope to create a constructive environment for early career scholars to present and discuss their research on finance.

Agenda

It is a strange moment for early career researchers to research finance. The furore of the Great Financial Crisis and the Eurozone Crisis has faded, yet the risks and uncertainties of finance remain the same. Rampant speculation and asset bubbles continue to thrive. Public debt and private debt is back to pre-crisis levels, and the financialization of virtually all aspects of economic and social spheres is deepening further. Meanwhile, research efforts in recent years have unveiled finance as a richly heterogenous field reaching far beyond what is commonly assumed to be financial. A large amount of work across disciplines has uncovered new ways in which finance is changing both itself as well as economies, societies and politics more broadly.

The purpose of the Early Career Researcher’s Workshop is to reflect on the current juncture of finance research, to understand the complexities of finance and to discuss the changes and continuities in a research agenda gradually moving on from the overriding concern with the crisis. Therefore, the workshop seeks to address several new research areas within finance which we believe can benefit from interdisciplinary engagement and it aims to cultivate an academic sensitivity to the plurality of approaches that sustain the current lines of finance research.

The workshop is designed for early career scholars, PhD students as well as Post-docs to exchange ideas and lay the basis for a sustained conversation about the changing horizons of finance research. It addresses scholars from a variety of fields, such as political science, sociology, political economy, economics, business studies, anthropology, geography, organization studies, history, gender studies, and more, that share an interest in finance and a curiosity for the many viewpoints built for its understanding.

We are calling for papers that recognize the need to mobilize new heritages and perspectives, in order to create a common vantage point for academic debate. We are seeking contributions that broadly address one (or several) of the following research streams:

The individual streams are explained in detail here (PDF).

The format of the workshop consists of two parts. During the first part, papers of early career researchers will be presented and discussed. Each paper will be introduced by a discussant who presents the paper to the group, providing comment and feedback, followed by a reply from the paper’s author. During the second part, the individual research streams will meet to kick-start a collaboration aimed at producing publishable output.

Paper proposals should be about 250 words long and be submitted by June 1st 2017 to: wcf@warwick.ac.uk. Proposals should clearly indicate the research question and address one of the research streams as outlined below.

Funds are available to support travel expenses for a number of unfunded participants. If you would like to apply for financial assistance, please indicate this when submitting your abstract.

Timeline:

For further information, please visit the event page.

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung International Conference on "200 Years of Karl Marx" (London, Sept 2017)

8 September, 2017 | London

Call for papers: "200 Years of Karl Marx"

The Ebert Foundation requires short papers (2-4 pages), until the end of May. Travel costs for the selected paper givers will be borne by the foundation.

For any questions please refer to (ernst.hillebrand@fes.de) or (michael.braun@fes-italia.org).

‘Modern bourgeois society [...] that has conjured up such gigantic means of production and exchange, is like the sorcerer who is no longer able to control the powers of the nether world whom he has called up by his spells.’

It was almost 200 years ago in May 1818 that one of the most influential thinkers of the modern era was born: Karl Marx. In September 2007, almost 10 years ago now, the world experienced the start of one of the longest and deepest crises of modern capitalism – a crisis that is still ongoing in many parts of Europe. With the ‘populist backlash‘ of recent years, this economic crisis has also taken on a political dimension. Increasingly the legitimacy of the political-economic order itself looks as if it is in crisis, with many people feeling that their interests are no longer safeguarded by it. At the same time yet another technological revolution – digitalisation and the advent of smart machines – threatens to unsettle almost all established forms of production and work.

As a prelude to the 2018 commemoration of Karl Marx’s birth, the Friedrich- Ebert-Stiftung is organising an international conference in London on the topicality of Marxist thinking in the light of the crisis (or crises) facing Europe.

We invite you to submit short papers for a colloquium that we wish to organise in London on 8 September 2017. Please send the papers to ernst.hillebrand@fes.de or to the FES-office in your country.

The Call for Papers is also available as PDF here.

International Confederation of Associations for Pluralism in Economics (ICAPE) Conference (Philadelphia, Jan 2018)

4 January, 2018 | Drexel University, Philadelphia, US

Topic: Pluralism and Economics 10 Years after the Crisis (and 200 Years after Marx’s Birth)

Call for Papers, Panels and Workshops

It has now been 10 years since the financial crisis, but there have been very few changes in mainstream economics. Meanwhile, pluralist economists have been developing sophisticated ideas aimed at addressing the major problems confronting contemporary society. It is also interesting that the 10 year anniversary of the financial crisis finds us at the 200 anniversary of Marx’s birth. Marx, of course, railed against the flaws of the mainstream economics of his day, setting the stage for heterodox attempts to move beyond narrowly conceived mainstream approaches to a richer, historical approach to the discipline.

This year’s ICAPE conference has multiple themes regarding what pluralist economists have to offer the economics profession and society in general in 2018. Specifically,

This is a crucial juncture for pluralistic economists to discuss robust alternatives to mainstream economics and to bolster pluralistic approaches to teaching and research.

This ICAPE conference will occur on the day before the 2018 ASSA meetings from 7AM to 5PM at Drexel University near downtown Philadelphia. Drexel is located within a short cab or train ride from the convention hotels. The conference registration fee is $120 ($60 for graduate students/low income), which includes breakfast and lunch, along with coffee and refreshments throughout the day.

One of the purposes of the conference is to bring together economists from a variety of heterodox perspectives. There will be multiple opportunities for people to come together, including breakfast, coffee breaks, and a lunch plenary. Please plan on spending the entire day at the conference. In general, requests to schedule sessions at particular times of the day cannot be granted.

We welcome work from all strands of heterodox economic theory, including evolutionary, ecological, complexity, institutional, feminist, Austrian, Marxian, Sraffian, Post-Keynesian, behavioral/psychological, social, radical political economy, critical realism, agent-based modeling, and general heterodox. We are particularly interested in material from graduate students, sessions on pluralistic teaching, and material on the state of pluralism in economics. And, we are interested in research from any of the perspectives listed above.

Submissions:

The deadline for submitting proposals is Tuesday, September 5, 2017. We welcome proposals for individual papers, full sessions, teaching workshops, research workshops and roundtables. Proposals for complete sessions or workshops with a coherent theme are encouraged, especially those that are pluralistic in nature, reflecting multiple perspectives in the discipline. Those who make a submission will be informed whether their proposal has been accepted by the 20 of September 2017.

Anyone needing an early decision on their submission to secure travel funding should indicate the need for an early decision as part of their submission. Submissions will be accepted beginning June 12, 2017.

ICAPE member associations are encouraged to submit entire sessions or workshops. Current dues-paying ICAPE member associations include: AFEE, AFIT, ASE, IAFFE, and URPE.

For individual papers, please include: Your name, your title and affiliation, an abstract of 300 words or less, 3 keywords, a short abstract of 50 words, and contact information (address, phone, email). For full sessions consisting of papers, roundtables, workshops, and other formats, please include the above for each contribution, as well as a title for the session, the names of the chair and discussants (if any), and the name and contact information of the session organizer.

All proposals should be submitted by email to Geoff.Schneider@Bucknell.edu as a Word or RTF document. Your email subject should be titled using the corresponding author’s last name, “ICAPE,” and a brief title in the subject line (e.g., “Schneider.ICAPE.Teaching Roundtable”). Please also title the Word or RTF document containing your submission in a similar fashion.

Authors who present at the ICAPE conference are encouraged to submit their papers to the American Review of Political Economy (http://www.arpejournal.com/submissions/), edited by Michael Murray and Nikolaos Karagiannis. Papers from the conference will be published in a special issue of the ARPE.

Please address your questions to Geoff Schneider (Geoff.Schneider@Bucknell.edu), Executive Director of ICAPE.

ICAPE is looking for locations for future conferences in Atlanta on January 3, 2019, and in San Diego on January 5-6, 2020. If you know of a potential location in any of these cities, please contact us.

International Conference on "Developments in Economic Theory and Policy" (Bilbao, June 2017)

29-30 June, 2017 | University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Bilbao, Spain

The Department of Applied Economics V of the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU (Spain) and the Cambridge Centre for Economic and Public Policy, Department of Land Economy, of the University of Cambridge (UK), are organizing the 14th International Conference Developments in Economic Theory and Policy. The Conference will be held in Bilbao (Spain), the days 29th and 30th of June 2017.

At the conference there will be a Special Session with Invited Speakers on the topic of “Economic Policies since the Global Financial Crisis” and two Keynote Speakers: Professor Stephany Griffith-Jones (University of Columbia and University of Sussex) and ProfessorAntónio Afonso (University of Lisbon).

Proposals of papers and Organized Sessions on all areas of economics are welcome. An Organized Session is one session constructed in its entirety by a Session Organizer and submitted to the conference organizers as a complete package. A proposal of an Organized Session must include the following information:

Papers and proposals of Organized Sessions coming from members of the Association for Evolutionary Economics (AFEE), the Association for Social Economics (ASE), the European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy (EAEPE) and the Post Keynesian Study Group (PKSG) are welcome. Members of these organizations will pay a reduced conference fee.

Besides Plenary, Organized and Normal Parallel sessions, there will also be Graduate Student Sessions (where students making MSc or PhD programme can present their research) and parallel sessions of Presentation of New Books. Papers and sessions about innovative practices in the Teaching of Economics are also welcome

The deadline to submit proposal of papers and sessions is 26th May 2017.

The Journal Panoeconomicus (http://www.panoeconomicus.rs) will publish a special issue with a selection of papers presented at the conference. The selection of the papers will be made by the Scientific Committee of the Conference. The final decision about the papers to be published will be subject to a process of anonymous evaluation.

For more information, you can contact with Jesus Ferreiro (jesus.ferreiro@ehu.eus) or visit the conference website: www.conferencedevelopments.com

International Conference on "Intersections of finance and society" (London, Nov 2017)

2-3 November, 2017 | City University London, UK

Organised in association with the Finance and Society Network at the University of Sydney and the City Political Economy Research Centre (CITYPERC) at City University London.

In the wake of the global financial crisis, the various political responses it has triggered, and the emergence of new forms of fiscal and monetary policy, the need for a more sophisticated encounter between economic theory and the social sciences has become pressing. The growth of new forms of money and finance is increasingly recognised as one of the defining developments of our time, and it is beginning to yield innovative research across the humanities and social sciences.

Following on from the success of our inaugural conference last year, this two-day event aims to foster the further development of dialogue between the diverse camps that make up the new field of ‘finance and society’ studies. In particular, it seeks to identify new synergies between heterodox political economy and various sociological, historical, and philosophical perspectives on the intersections of finance and society.

Confirmed keynotes

Submissions are invited in two formats

Themes on which we encourage submissions include

Please submit abstracts and proposals by 1 August 2017 to Martijn Konings and Amin Samman at the following address: intersectionsfinancesociety@gmail.com

Finance and Society are encouraging paper submissions from conference participants. If you would like to discuss this further then please contact one of the journal editors. The full programme for last year’s event is available from the 2016 conference website.

International Conference on "Productive Ability of Nations: the Case of Ukraine" (Kyiv, June 2017)

29-30 June, 2017 | Institute of International Relations, Kyiv, Ukraine

Ukrainian Association of International Economics and Institute of International Relations of Taras Shevchenko national university of Kyiv are organizing the International Conference Productive Ability of Nations: the Case of Ukraine.

The main aim of the conference is to answer the question why Ukraine performs so poor compared to other European countries and to find out what reforms (especially in the field of productivity improvement) to be done.

Structure of the conference

Participation condition:

Keynote Speakers (June 29, 2017):

Roundtable/Panel: on "ACTION PLAN FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH AND RADICAL REFORM AGENDA"

The conference welcomes proposals for sessions and presentations of any of the following themes:

  1. Marginal productivity theory
  2. Fundamental productivity theory
  3. Theory and methodology of productive ability of nations
  4. Productive efficiency
  5. Main models of multifactor productivity (MFP)
  6. Productivity of resources
  7. Productivity and welfare of nations
  8. Current state of productivity in Ukraine
  9. Sector productivity in Ukraine (industry, agriculture, infrastructure etc.)
  10. Productivity of regions in Ukraine
  11. Difference in productivity between countries. Cross-country comparison
  12. The study and application of models of productive efficiency: International experience
  13. Productive ability of nation as a key problem of Ukrainian reforms

We welcome individual paper proposals and panel/round table proposals as well.

To submit your abstract please send it by 10 June 2017 to following email: ugouaem@ukr.net. Abstract should be in English and up to 500 words (word or pdf-document). It should be single spaced and use 14 point Times New Roman font. They should consist the author or authors’ fullname, affiliation and e-mail address.

Important Dates:

For more information, do not hesitate to contact with Ms. Maryna Khmara by following email: ugouaem@ukr.net

More information will be available soon on the website and in the facebook-group of Ukrainian Association of International Economics.

Newly founded think-tank "Autonomy" calls for research proposals

Call for Research Proposals (Working Paper Series)

We are setting up a think-tank called 'Autonomy' (launching June 2017) which will focus on work - aiming to contribute to changing the common sense around the place of work in our societies in the face of growing underemployment, precarity and job eradication.

We believe that in order to face the new challenges that technology and the global economy pose to our working lives, we cannot draw on out-dated analyses or put forward traditional responses: the state of work today requires new thinking on the ground that seeks concrete and progressive solutions. We see the reorganisation of work and society as an opportunity for us to propose programs and policy for a more autonomous world. We seek cutting-edge empirical and theoretical expertise from different disciplines – political economy, philosophy, cultural studies, sociology, robotics and beyond – in order to build alternative models. To that end, Autonomy is a laboratory for new ideas and a platform for innovation on the issue of work.

We ask for potential contributions in the form of theoretical research papers for our online Working Paper Series, of up to 6,000 words in the areas of (but not limited to) Economics; Philosophy; Sociology; Political Science; History; Communication and Journalism.

Proposals can be sent to Autonomy’s chief editor, Will Stronge – w.stronge@chi.ac.uk.

Yours,

Follow at autonomyinstitute.org or @Autonomy_UK on Twitter.

Palgrave Studies in Sustainability, Environment & Macroeconomics: Call for monographs and edited collections

Edited by Ioana Negru, SOAS, UK

Editorial Board:

What happens when macroeconomic theory and policy is orientated towards promoting economic growth without considering natural resources or sustainable development? Why does economics tend to focus on the microeconomics of environmental issues? This series provides a novel and original bridge between these two major gaps in existing research outputs.

Palgrave Studies in Sustainability, Environment and Macroeconomics offers a mixture of theoretical and policy-oriented work that highlights the relevance of, and urgency for, an engagement with sustainability across macroeconomics. Books featured in the series will draw together a variety of different frameworks and approaches to highlight the diversity of approaches available for understanding scarcity and sustainability in economics. They will pose questions such as: is growth and sustainability compatible?; are there limits to growth?; what kind of macroeconomic theories and policy are needed to green the economy?; what analytical and practical alternatives to the capitalist economy especially under the umbrella term of “degrowth”?

We invite monographs and edited collections that take critical and holistic views of sustainability by exploring new grounds that bring together progressive political economists, on one hand, and ecological economists, on the other.

Submissions are ideally between 60,000 and 90,000 words, although shorter submissions (25,000-50,000 words) will be considered for our Palgrave Pivot publication format.

Authors interested in submitting a proposal should contact the series editor directly (Ioana Negru: in8@soas.ac.uk).

Young Scholars Pre-Conference Announcement and Special Sessions @ 29th Annual EAEPE Conference (Budapest, Oct 2017)

Pre Conference: 18-19 October, 2017| Budapest, Hungary

Conference: 19-21 October, 2017 | Budapest, Hungary

Information about the conference and the general call for papers is available here.

Below you find Special Call for Papers of EAPE Research Area: [P] - Economic History and the Pre-Conference (18-19 October, 2017)Announcement

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Call for Papers for Sessions of Research Area [P] - Economic History

The Economic History research area of the European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy (EAEPE) is pleased to announce its call for panels and papers to the 29 annual conference to be held in Budapest, Hungary. The Economic History section is dedicated to providing a forum for the presentation of a plurality of theoretical and methodological approaches, as well as substantive concerns, in the area of historical scholarship in political economy.

In light of this year’s conference theme, the Economic History section is especially keen to solicit proposals for papers and panels (re)examining the history of the State in Economic Development: papers focusing with particular emphasis on the role of state capacity, state autonomy and economic development more generally during the 18, 19 and 20 centuries. Moreover, we would also expressly mention interest in such accounts concerned with Central and Eastern Europe.

Beyond the conference theme itself, the Economic History research area is interested in encouraging panels, papers or special sections focusing on historically informed, theoretical contributions to political economy. Moreover, we would also encourage submissions for prospective contributions from all substantive areas of historical political economy to submit abstracts for panels or papers. In that vein the following questions help to orient, but do not exhaust, the kinds of questions for which we aim to provide a forum:

  1. What role can social, economic, and political theories play in producing historical knowledge about political economies?
  2. For what purpose should history be interrogated, and to what end can history be mobilised, for theoretical investigation?

The research area is not limited in its interest of time periods, and welcomes proposals dealing with political economy issues from temporal periods as distant as antiquity, and as contemporary as the Global Financial Crisis. Moreover, the research coordinators do not discriminate between research that has engaged in primary historical research, or is limited to theoretical reflection on existing secondary sources.

Panel proposals should include between 4 and 5 paper proposals. Paper abstracts should be between 300-400 words in length.

The submission deadline for abstracts will be May 15th 2017; authors of accepted abstracts will be notified on June 15th.

Link to the submission website (please indicate [P] Economic History) is available here.

Questions, queries or comments can be addressed to Matthieu Hughes (matthieu.hughes@gmail.com), Ioanna Sapfo Pepelasis (ipepelasis@aueb.gr) or Anna Spadavecchia (a.spadavecchia@henley.ac.uk).

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pre-Conference: 18-19 October 2017

The European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy (EAEPE) welcomes young scholars of all levels (students – early Post-Docs) who are involved in or want to learn more about pluralist, heterodox, real world-oriented, and/or interdisciplinary research. Young scholars are invited to submit papers for presentation at the annual meeting, but could also participate with own paper presentations. In addition, we invite interested students and young researchers to join us for the Young Scholars Pre-Conference.

Young Scholars Pre-Conference

Prior to the annual EAEPE conference in Budapest in October 2017, young researchers and students are welcome to attend seminars and workshops in a series of pre conference workshops. The workshops will last between three and six hours and will be held over a period of two half days. Participants will be assigned a few reading materials prior to the pre-conference to facilitate the workshops and to help sustain the network.

The promotion of young researchers in the arena of critical pluralistic, non-orthodox and interdisciplinary research in today’s world is of prominent importance. As teaching and research outside ‘mainstream’ economics continues to be exceptional in most European countries, it remains important for us to organize and promote such seminars, workshops, and coordinated trainings. EAEPE as a longstanding pluralist association and a prominent actor in this field is thus an excellent support institution for young scholars in order to promote new economic thinking.

Pre-Conference Keynote Lecture on Wednesday, Oct 18, 12pm

Wilfred Dolfsma (Glendonbrook Institute for Enterprise Development, Loughborough University, London):

Government Failure: Institutions and Development

Workshops and Lecturers at the Pre-Conference, Wednesday, 18 October (afternoon) & Thursday, 19 October (morning)

Young Scholar Papers at the Main Conference

Young Scholars and students are invited to present research papers in the regular paper sessions at the main conference. Conference sessions are organized according to EAEPE’s Research Areas, to a special conference topic, and a number of special sessions. Presentation topics might be related to the conference main theme The Role of the State in Economic Development: State Capacity, State Autonomy and Economic Development (please see General Call for Papers) or to any of the usual topics covered by EAEPE’s Research Areas. Abstract submission needs to be done through our website and closes on 15 May 2017. You will need to create a user account to submit an abstract. Please see the Conference CfP for further instructions.

The Herbert Simon Prize

Young scholars are encouraged to submit their research paper for consideration for the Herbert Simon Prize. The prize is awarded for the best conference paper of scholars younger than 35 years. Please note that you need to submit your paper to the conference and for the prize separately.

Application to the Pre-Conference and Conference

Please register for the pre-conference workshops through the EAEPE website. Registration opens in June. To register, you need to be a paid up EAEPE member. Membership for students and young researchers is 25€/year and gives you access to the Journal of Institutional Economics, besides other benefits. As a PhD member, you will be able to register for the conference (first) and pre-conference (second). Upon registration, you will be asked to select your choice of parallel workshops. In case workshops fill up, priority will be given to conference participants with accepted papers.

Registration Fees

In order to avoid last minute cancellations and to cover part of the costs (catering, conference material and rooms etc.), there is a registration fee of 90€ payable upon web registration. This fee gives you access to both pre-conference and main conference.

Fee Waivers

There is a fee waiver policy for a limited number of students and young researchers without other funding opportunities. Applicants must provide a written statement of their supervisor or a faculty member of their study or PhD program (or similar) confirming that they do not have financial support. In addition, participants with a paper presentation at the main conference need to upload their full paper. Fee waivers will be awarded according to the quality of the papers. Students without paper presentation need to submit a motivation letter, explaining how participation could potentially benefit their academic development.

To apply for the fee waiver, please use the conference registration site, choose “Fee waiver” and upload your documents. Please note that you may have to go through online registration several times:

Important Dates

We are looking forward to your participation and lively discussions in Budapest! Please check our website for more detailed information and updates about the conference. For any questions, please contact the pre-conference organizing team – Madeleine Böhm, Merve Burnazoglu, Olga Mikheeva, Madeleine Jonsson, Adam Kerenyi, Charles Dannreuther, Krisztina Szabó and Steffen Bettin – at madeleine_boehm@yahoo.com. If you have questions about your participation at the main conference, please write to EAEPE Young Scholars officer Svenja Flechtner (svenja.flechtner@uni-flensburg.de).

The Pre-Conference enjoys financial support by the Institute for New Economic Thinking Young Scholars Initiative (INET YSI) and the FEED Charity.

Download CfP (PDF)

Call for Participants

ESHET summer school on "The Evolution of the Economic Theory of Decision-making" (Como, Aug-Sept 2017)

28 August – 1 September, 2017 | Lake Como School of Advanced Studies, Villa del Grumello, Como, Italy

The school is co-organized by ESHET (European Society for the History of Economic Thought), PHARE (Centre for the Philosophy, History and Analysis of Economic Representation, University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne), University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, University of Insubria, and University of Milan.

Topic: The Evolution of the Economic Theory of Decision-making

The economic theory of value and prices is strictly interwoven with a theory of human decision-making. Roughly speaking, economists see the economic value of a good as determined by the demand of that good. Therefore, understanding why people decide to demand a good, why they decide to demand a specific quantity of it, or why they decide to pay a certain price for it, is an important part of an economic theory of value.

In the late 19th century, economic decision-making was modelled as the result of utility maximization. Over the last century, however, this rather simple utility-maximization model has been subjected to a number of criticisms, revisions, integrations, and methodological re-interpretations. The state of the art of the economic theory of decision-making could be summarized as follows. The utility-maximization model still constitutes, although in a very sophisticated form, the orthodox economic model of decision-making. But this model is increasingly challenged by other models of decision-making, such as behavioral models and bounded-rationality models, which attempt to capture the complexity of actual human decision making in a way that the utility-maximization model seems incapable to do.

The summer school offers PhD students and young scholars specializing in economics, history of economics, economic methodology and related fields an overview of the evolution of the economic theory of decision-making, beginning with the early, simple utility-maximization model to the more recent and complex behavioral and bounded-rationality models.

PhD students and young scholars (PhD degree obtained after January 2016) who wish to attend the school should submit an extended abstract proposal in English of 750 to 1,000 words, or a full-paper proposal of up to 7,500 words. Papers can be in any topic in the history or methodology of economics, also a topic different from the summer school’s main theme. Each student attending the school will present her/his research paper. Another student will discuss the paper, and the members of ESHET’s scientific committee as well as the invited speakers attending the school will provide further feedback. A general discussion open to floor will follow each presentation.

The deadline for submissions is May 15, 2017. Decisions about applications will be communicated by June 1, 2017.

Program

More information about the topic, the program, the speakers and the location is available at: etdm.lakecomoschool.org

International Conference "Valuing The Infrastructure of Cities, Regions and Nations" (Leeds, Apr 2017)

26-27 April, 2017 | University of Leeds, UK

The conference will showcase the power of pluralist economics in addressing key issues regarding valuing, financing and funding the provisioning of the infrastructure that is essential to economy and society.

The conference includes many world leading pluralist economists and social scientists such as Malcolm Sawyer, Ann Pettifor, Karel Williams, Julie Froud, Ron Martin, Andy Pike, David Hall, Paul Nightingale, Andy Gouldson, Francesca Medda and Julia Steinberger; it includes the Behavioural Insights Team; and it includes representatives of organisations and Depts. connected to National and Local Government, as well as key stakeholders and funders. It also includes many world leading engineering and environmental scientists. Further details and links below.

Note that attendance for PhD students and postgraduates is free of charge (advanced notification will be required). Attendance for local authority representatives is also free of charge.

Aims and Objectives

Core Themes: Valuing, financing and funding infrastructure from local and national perspectives ; the future of local infrastructure in the face of crisis in Local Government funding and finance

Sectors: Digital-Smart Infrastructure ; Water, waste and circular economy ; Transport ; Energy

Topics: Business Models for Infrastructure ; Governance and infrastructure value ; Finance ; Urban living ; Cultural and Social Value; Sustainability ; Financialisation ; Industrial Strategy and Regeneration ; Modelling of infrastructure assets ; How Universities can aid local infrastructure funding, finance and value creation

Interactive Sessions: Networking; Conference dinner; World Café: Discussing grand infrastructure challenges; Feedback, synthesis and next steps

The conference aims be a catalyst for a step-change in the recognition and measurement of all forms of value arising from city, regional and national infrastructure, by connecting partners from academia, government, business and civil society operating at the local, national and international levels to debate, inform policy and shape plans for future research.

Interactive and panel sessions will be interspersed by presentation of the latest and most valuable findings in the area from three major research programmesː iBUILD, ICIF and ITRC-MISTRAL. The conference, hosted by the University of Leeds, develops an interdisciplinary ‘systems of systems’ approach to sustainable and resilient infrastructure. These ideas developed originally in engineering are now applied universally, exemplified in HM Treasury’s Valuing Infrastructure Spend. This approach recognises the importance of identifying and measuring all forms of value that can be realised from infrastructure at city, regional and national scales, in order to meet diverse challenges such as climate change, austerity, geo-political instability and financial fragility.

The conference will show how the ‘system of systems’ approach to infrastructure value is indispensable for:

During the conference we will be exploring some key questions such as:

Queries to: ValuingInfrastructure@leeds.ac.uk.

Link to the conference website (registration, program & more) is available here.

Joint HPPE – Notre Dame Summer Workshop: "Economists in Action: Policy & Practice" (London, May 2017)

26 May, 2017 | University of Notre Dame London Campus, London, UK

The HPPE at LSE and the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, University of Notre Dame are organising a Summer Workshop on Economists in Action: Policy & Practise in the History of Economics on 26 May 2017 (please see full preliminary programme attached). The workshop is cosponsored by the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, University of Notre Dame, and the HPPE at LSE.

The workshop will take place at the University of Notre Dame London Campus, 1 Suffolk St, London SW1Y 4HG in Room 1.06. Lunch will be provided for attendees, but space is limited. Please register on or before 17 May 2017 at this link: https://goo.gl/forms/BMhJyJ6NL0t3k4qq1

For any additional information, please contact any of the conveners: Thomas Stapleford (tstaplef@nd.edu), Maria Bach (maria.bach@kcl.ac.uk), and/or Chung-Tang Cheng (C.Cheng9@lse.ac.uk).

PhD Course "Contemporary conditions of critique: power, value(s), economy": Call for Applications

20-22 September, 2017 | Oslo, Norway

A course organised by the Research School on Peace and Conflict

The Research School on Peace and Conflict invites applications for the course Contemporary conditions of critique: power, value(s), economy to take place in Oslo on20-22 September 2017.

What does it mean to be critical today? Starting from emblematic scenes of critique in the modern imaginary such as the topos of theEmperor's New Clothes, this course explores (post)modern and post-crisis relations of power, value(s)/ valuation, economy and critique. A central focus will be on the prolific debate between structural or systemic approaches and micro-level approaches of performativity and Actor-Network Theory. The course seeks to address the difficulty of both accounting for and criticising power/ the economy and will work with students to refine the critical position of their project in relation to a characteristic debate of our time. The 3-day course is available to PhD students across the social sciences, law and humanities and will be limited to 12 participants.

The course is organised by Nina Boy (Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)) and Kristin Asdal (TIK, University of Oslo). Guest lecturers include Brett Christophers (Uppsala University), Angus Cameron (University of Leicester), Fabian Muniesa (Centre de sociology de l'innovation, Paris) and Kristoffer Lidén (PRIO).

The Research School on Peace and Conflict offers a limited number of accommodation stipends.

The deadline for applications is 9 June 2017.

Please visit the research school course page for further information about the course program and admission.

PhD Lecture Series in Selected Topics: "Post-Keynesian, Institutionalist, Feminist and Marxian Political Economy" at Greenwich University (London, 2017)

The Greenwich Political Economy Research Centre (GPERC, University of Greenwich), Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) and Political Economy Research Group (PERG, Kingston University) are jointly organising a series of lectures in advanced macroeconomics based on a political economy approach combining institutionalist, feminist, Keynesian and Marxist traditions. The lecture series builds on the research expertise of staff in political economy at both universities.

This lecture series is designed primarily for the two institutes’ PhD students; however, PhD or Masters students from other universities, who wish to explore more advanced topics, are welcome, too.

The detailed programme is available here (pdf).

Summer school on "Modern Monetary Policy and European Macroeconomics" at University of Maastricht (Maastricht, Aug 2017)

14-18 August, 2017 | University of Maastricht, Netherlands

Modern Monetary Theory and European Macroeconomics

The course introduces students to modern monetary theory. The balance sheets and transactions that are relevant for understanding modern money are examined, with a focus on the Eurozone. Alternative explanations are brought forward that include the idea that banks can create money, that governments spend first and collect taxes later and that central banks use a set of interest rates as their main tool of policy instead of manipulating the money supply.

This is the 2nd edition of the class, with the first one scoring 8.83/10 in the evaluation of last year.

Goals

Recommended literature: Ehnts, Dirk. 2017. Modern Monetary Theory and European Macroeconomics, Abingdon: Routledge (ISBN hardcover and ebook: 978-1-138-65477-8 and 978-1-315-62303-0)

Link the summer school is available here.

Application for the summerschool can be made here.

YSI Conference on "Innovation, Institutions and Governance" (Tallinn, Sept 2017)

16–19 September, 2017 | Tallin, Estonia

The YSI Economics of Innovation Working Group in partnership with the Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance, Tallinn University of Technology is hosting a YSI Conference on “Innovation, Institutions and Governance”.

Capitalist economies are dynamic systems that evolve while putting into motion structural, technological, and socio-political changes. Not only Veblen believed that Economics is an evolutionary science but also Sombart, Schmoller, Marx, Schumpeter, Nelson and to some extent Keynes, Braudel, Galbraith among others. Yet, the recognition of historical nature of capitalist configurations and of interdependence between various spheres (economy, polity, society) keeps being disregarded by self-regulated market ideology. To move away from such a constraining vision we seek to bring together scholars working on various types and aspects of innovation, which is a multi-faceted phenomenon.

It's free for graduate students and postdocs and selected applicants will receive a travel stipend. In addition to papers' presentations, there will be interactive workshops with the following scholars:

More details are available here.

Job Postings

Copenhagen Business School, DK

Job Title: Postdoc in agent-based modelling of algorithmic finance

Copenhagen Business School invites applications for a post-doc position at the Department of Management, Politics and Philosophy. The position is connected to the research project ‘Algorithmic Finance: Inquiring into the Reshaping of Financial Markets’ (AlgoFinance), led by Professor Christian Borch. The project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) through a Consolidator Grant.

The post-doc position is a 24 months, non-tenured full research position. The expected starting date is 1 September 2017.

The aim of the AlgoFinance research project is to examine how and with what consequences the deployment of fully automated algorithms is changing financial markets. Among other things, the AlgoFinance project seeks to develop an agent-based model of algorithmic finance in order to simulate how fully automated algorithms might be interacting with one another. Input for model specification will be provided by sociologists in the research team who will conduct qualitative interviews with actual algo-trading firms. The post.doc. position is tasked with developing the agent-based model, which should be developed in Python or a similar programming language.

For further information about the AlgoFinance project, please go here or contact Professor Christian Borch (cbo.mpp@cbs.dk).

AlgoFinance is conceived as a collaborative research project, and the post-doc will be part of an interdisciplinary team (including people from the social sciences), so applicants should appreciate working in such an interdisciplinary research environment.

Qualifications

The ideal applicant should have strong programming skills, experience with agent-based modelling or similar types of simulation, and have a background in physics, computer science, econophysics, mathematics, etc. Ideally, the applicant should be familiar with financial markets, but this is not a necessity.

The applicant must:

To fulfill the research requirements of the position, the applicant chosen is expected to be physically present on a regular basis and actively participate in the research activities of the department.

Copenhagen Business School has a broad commitment to the excellence, distinctiveness and relevance of teaching and research programs. Candidates who wish to join us should demonstrate enthusiasm for working in an organization of this type (highlighting, for example, relevant business, educational and dissemination activities).

Appointment and salary will be in accordance with the Danish Ministry of Finance’s agreement with the Central Academic Organisation.

For further information please contact Professor Christian Borch, tel.: +45 3815 3627, e-mail cbo.mpp@cbs.dk.

Application

Application must be sent via the electronic recruitment system, using the link below.

Apply online

Application must include:

  1. A summary of the candidate’s main strengthens and abilities.
  2. A complete, numbered list of publications (indicating titles, co-authors, page numbers and year) with an * marking of the academic productions to be considered during the review. A maximum of 5 publications for review are allowed. Applicants are requested to prioritise their publications in relation to the field of this job advertisement.
  3. Copies of the publications marked with an *. Only publications written in English (or another specified principal language, according to research tradition) or one of the Scandinavian languages will be taken into consideration)
  4. Information indicating experience in research management, industry co-operation and international co-operation.
  5. Documentation of relevant, significant, original research at an international level.
  6. Transcript(s) and a full CV

Recruitment procedure

The Recruitment Committee will shortlist minimum two applicants; when possible five or more applicants will be shortlisted. The shortlisted applicants will be assessed by the Assessment Committee. All applicants will be notified of their status in the recruitment process shortly after the application deadline.

The applicants selected for assessment will be notified about the composition of the Assessment Committee and later in the process about the result of the assessment.

Once the recruitment process is completed each applicant will be notified of the outcome of their application.

Closing date: 9 June 2017.

Copenhagen Business School must receive all application material, including all appendices (see items above), by the application deadline.

Details about Copenhagen Business School and the department are available at www.cbs.dk.

Link to the job advert can be found here.

European Parliament, EU

Job Title: Campaigner for the Tax Justice Priority

The Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament is looking for a Campaigner for the Tax Justice Priority. The post is a fixed- term contract for 2 years as a contractual agent of the EP (FG III). A prolongation of the contract is possible.

The group has decided to establish five policy priorities, one of which is the "Tax Justice" priority. This priority targets corporate tax avoidance practices, tax avoidance and evasion by rich individuals as well as tax dumping by member states. With this priority the group aims at increasing pressure inside and outside the institution to abolish such practices.

The initial phase will have a special focus on the work in the recently established inquiry committee on the Panama Papers, money laundering, and tax evasion.

Tasks to be performed

Requirements

In case of equal appreciation on competence and suitability for the position, preference will be given to female applicants.

In case of interest in this position, send a motivation letter with your CV and supporting documents by e-mail only to the Deputy Secretary General of the Group Jan-Paul.Brouwer@ep.europa.eu (with copy to Greens/EFA HR department Greens.HR@ep.europa.eubefore 9th May 2017 end of business (7PM GMT+1).

New Economics Foundation, UK

Job Title: JUST TREATMENT ORGANISER

Part time – two days per week – £30,000 pro rata. Fixed term contract to end of March 2018 (with possibility of extension)

Location: Preferably Bristol, but other locations including London will be considered

Just Treatment is a new campaign fighting to ensure everyone gets access to the medicines they need by demanding that the government takes action to secure fair prices and deliver reforms that will give us better new medicines. We believe the only way we can achieve these changes is by building a patient-led movement to challenge the power of the pharmaceutical industry.

We need an organiser to join our small team and help lead this work.

You will construct trusting relationships with people directly affected by the failings of the current medical R&D system and empower them to lead effective campaigns for change. You will be a skilled and experienced organiser with a passion for connecting with new people and identifying opportunities for impactful collaboration. You’ll need to work well to deadlines, be able to think strategically, and communicate complex issues with clarity to a variety of people. You’ll enjoy designing and managing projects and implementing a strategy to win change at a local and national level.

The closing date for the role is midnight, Sunday 14 May 2017.

Interviews will take place on Monday 22 May in London.

Link to the job advert is available here.

Positive Money, UK

Job Title: Economist

We are looking for an Economist who will contribute to an ambitious research agenda which has a significant impact on economic policymaking. With support from the rest of the team, the economist will take responsibility for specific research projects, and work to develop and implement the research strategy.

This will include researching how the current money and banking system contributes to economic, social, and environmental problems, and researching Sovereign Money and developing Sovereign Money proposals. The economist will work with the team to identify how to broaden Positive Money’s analysis of the dysfunctional money and banking system, and the role of central banking.

Positive Money aims to become globally-recognised thought-leaders on monetary policy and central banking and we want our research to have significant political impact.

About Positive Money

Positive Money is a fast-growing organisation that combines the activities of a think-tank, pressure group, and international movement. Our mission is to restore democratic control and transparency over the creation of money. Current monetary policy and the money system cause a wide range of economic, social and environmental problems; most notably house price bubbles, high levels of debt, and rising inequality. Our vision is a fair, democratic, and sustainable money system.

About you:

You’ll have a strong economics / research background. Ideally you would have published work demonstrating research and writing ability. You are a clear, creative thinker with developed influencing skills, who can build relationships with and influence key players across academia and the private and public sectors. You have experience in public speaking, and would be comfortable explaining complex economic concepts to a range of audiences. You are able to work in an open-minded way, understanding the complexity of the money and finance system, being open to criticisms of Positive Money’s research. You are able to help the organisation’s thinking evolve and build on criticisms.

Read the full job description here

Application:

Please send a CV (max 2 pages, including links to any published work) & cover letter (max 2 pages) answering the questions below to recruitment@positivemoney.org

Closing date for applications: 2pm Monday 15th May 2017

Interview dates: 19th and 22nd May 2017

Positive Money is committed to providing equal opportunities for everyone regardless of their background. We welcome applications from everyone irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, disability and ethnicity but, as women and Black, Asian and minority ethnic people are currently under-represented within the Positive Money network, we would encourage applications from members of these groups.

Link to the job advert is available here.

Sarah Lawrence College, US

Job Title: Guest position (1 year)

Sarah Lawrence College invites applicants for a one-year Guest Faculty position in economics for the academic year 2017-18. Sarah Lawrence is a small liberal arts college just north of New York City with a unique pedagogy based on small classes and individual tutorials; interdisciplinary work is a central component of the curriculum.

We are seeking an economist with expertise in a range of fields including environmental/ecological, development, microeconomics, and quantitative methods. The successful candidate will be familiar with both mainstream and heterodox economic theory and be able to include historically-based and institutionally-grounded approaches in their work. Applicants with either a PhD or advanced ABD status will be considered.

The application should include the following: cover letter; statement of educational philosophy, teaching and research interests; curriculum vitae; two letters of reference; course descriptions and syllabi for two proposed courses. Applications should be sent both to Jamee Moudud at jmoudud@sarahlawrence.edu and Kim Christensen at kchristensen@slc.edu. Deadline for receipt of applications is 5:00 on Tuesday, May 16th, 2016.

For information on Sarah Lawrence College, our curriculum, teaching methods, and philosophy of education, please see our Web site at: http://www.slc.edu. SLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to achieving a racially and culturally diverse community.”

University of Lausanne, CHE

Job Title: Postdoctoral Researcher

The Institute of political, historical and international studies (IEPHI) from the Faculty of social and political sciences (SSP) offers a Postdoctoral Researcher SNSF

Job information

Your responsibilities

A detailed job description is available here.

Your qualifications

Your application

Deadline: 6th of June 2017

Interested candidates are kingly requested:

Only applications through this website will be taken into account.(Please, send your full application in Word or PDF)

Contact for further information: Dr Rahel Kunz: Rahel.Kunz@unil.ch

Awards

Karl Marx Awards 2018

On the occasion of Karl Marx's bicentennial, the austrian association "transform!at" awards 3 outstanding academic works in the field of marxist social science with an amount of 10.000€.

The prize is awarded to a paper, that best exemplifies scholarly work in the following areas:

  1. Marxist feminism
  2. Persepectives of eco-socialism (paths of sustainability in a democratic society)
  3. Marx's Theory of Value

The academic work is required to be written in english or german and is not allowed to be older than 2 years (effective date: 1 January 2018).

Maximum amount of characters: 500.000. A one-page abstract in german and english is also required.

Contact email: welcome@karl-marx-2018.eu

More information (in german) is available here: www.karl-marx-2018.eu

Journals

Accounting, Organizations and Society, 57

Eija Vinnari, Matias Laine: The moral mechanism of counter accounts: The case of industrial animal production

Publisher's Note

Marcus Caylor, Mark Cecchini, Jennifer Winchel: Analysts' qualitative statements and the profitability of favorable investment recommendations

Scott A. Emett, Mark W. Nelson: Reporting accounting changes and their multi-period effects

Xudong (Daniel) Li, Lili Sun, Michael Ettredge: Auditor selection following auditor turnover: Do peers' choices matter?

American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 76 (3)

Editor's Introduction: Revisioning Higher Education

Marcus Ford: The Functions of Higher Education

Stephen C. Rowe: Liberal Education: Cornerstone of Democracy

Howard Woodhouse: The Contested Terrain of Academic Freedom in Canada's Universities: Where Are We Going?

Daniel J. Royer: Rhetorical Styles in University Accreditation: Judgmental Rules or Collaborative Creation?

Stephen Mulkey: Higher Education in the Environmental Century

Earnest N. Bracey: The Significance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the 21 Century: Will Such Institutions of Higher Learning Survive?

Meijun Fan, Hengfu Wen, Li Yang and Jing He: Exploring a New Kind of Higher Education with Chinese Characteristics

Capitalism Nature Socialism, 28 (2)

House Organ

Ethemcan Turhan & Marco Armiero: Cutting the Fence, Sabotaging the Border: Migration as a Revolutionary Practice

Ecosocialist Thought

Michael Löwy: Marx, Engels, and Ecology

Damian F. White, Brian J. Gareau & Alan P. Rudy: Ecosocialisms, Past, Present and Future: From the Metabolic Rift to a Reconstructive, Dynamic and Hybrid Ecosocialism

Conversations in Environmental Justice

Naomi Ambriz, David Correia & Laura Pulido: Conversations in Environmental Justice: Two Interviews

Laura Pulido: Conversations in Environmental Justice: An Interview with David Pellow

Naomi Ambriz & David Correia: Conversations in Environmental Justice: An Interview with Julie Sze

Contradictions and Struggles

Levi Van Sant: When Local Comes to Town: Governing Local Agriculture in the South Carolina Lowcountry

Andriana Vlachou & Georgios Pantelias: The EU’s Emissions Trading System, Part 1: Taking Stock

Alternatives

Christina Gerhardt: Germany’s Renewable Energy Shift: Addressing Climate Change

Jacques Treiner: Comment on Christina Gerhardt’s “Germany’s Renewable Energy Shift: Addressing Climate Change”

Poetry

Carol Mirakove: I Want To Live Close To You

European Journal of Economics and Economic Policies: Intervention, 14 (1)

Editorial

Eckhard Hein: Interview with Heinz D. Kurz: ‘In search of a better economics’

Christoph Ellermann, Fabian Lindner, Severin Reissl and Ruben Tarne: A third era of credit theory? Endogenous money from Wolfgang Stützel's balance mechanics perspective

Wolfgang Stützel: The arithmetic relations between total expenditure and the resulting current and financial account balances as determinants of the revenue-related need for means of payment in an economy

Jan Priewe: Review of exchange-rate theories in four leading economics textbooks

Reiner Franke: A simple approach to overcome the problems arising from the Keynesian stability condition

Franklin Serrano and Fabio Freitas: The Sraffian supermultiplier as an alternative closure for heterodox growth theory

Leila E. Davis, Charalampos Konstantinidis and Yorghos Tripodis: A proposal for a federalized unemployment insurance mechanism for Europe

Industrial and Corporate Change, 26 (2)

Giovanni Dosi; Marcelo C. Pereira; Maria Enrica Virgillito: The footprint of evolutionary processes of learning and selection upon the statistical properties of industrial dynamics

Joseph Amankwah-Amoah; Yaw A. Debrah: Toward a construct of liability of origin

Lili Wang; Huub Meijers; Adam Szirmai: Technological spillovers and industrial growth in Chinese regions

Jianmin Tang: Industrial structure change and the widening Canada–US labor productivity gap in the post-2000 period

SPECIAL SECTION: WHAT WE KNOW AND WHAT WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT INTERNATIONAL KNOWLEDGE SOURCING

Keld Laursen; Grazia D. Santangelo: The role of “non-economic” endowments: introduction to the special section on what we know and what we should know about international knowledge sourcing

Carolin Haeussler; Bastian Rake: The changing geography of clinical research: a critical analysis of its drivers

Francesco Ciabuschi; Lingshuang Kong; Cong Su: Knowledge sourcing from advanced markets subsidiaries: political embeddedness and reverse knowledge transfer barriers in emerging-market multinationals

Alessandra Perri; Vittoria G. Scalera; Ram Mudambi: What are the most promising conduits for foreign knowledge inflows? innovation networks in the Chinese pharmaceutical industry

PSL Quarterly Review, 70 (280)

Alessandro Roncaglia, Carlo D'Ippoliti: Editorial: change and continuity

Massimo Egidi: Paths in contemporary economics and sciences of artificial that originate from Simon’s bounded rationality approach

Guilherme Riccioppo Magacho: Structural change and economic growth: Advances and limitations of Kaldorian growth models

Gianni Vaggi: The rich and the poor: A note on countries’ classification

Review of Behavioral Economics, 4 (1)

Roger Koppl: Rules vs. Discretion Under Computability Constraints

Camila C. S. Caiado and Paul Ormerod: Market Structure with Interacting Consumers

Tönu Puu: A New Approach to Modeling Bertrand Duopoly

Felix Dossing, Marco Piovesan and Erik Wengstrom: Cognitive Load and Cooperation

Review of International Political Economy, 24 (2)

Editorial Note

Jacqueline Best, Paul Bowles, Rachel Epstein, Kathryn Hochstetler, John Ravenhill & Wesley Widmaier (lead editor): International Political Economy meets the unexpected: Brexit, Trump and global populism

Commentaries

Erica Owen & Stefanie Walter: Open economy politics and Brexit: insights, puzzles, and ways forward

Mark Blyth & Matthias Matthijs: Black Swans, Lame Ducks, and the mystery of IPE's missing macroeconomy

Henry Farrell & Abraham Newman: BREXIT, voice and loyalty: rethinking electoral politics in an age of interdependence

Vivien A. Schmidt: Britain-out and Trump-in: a discursive institutionalist analysis of the British referendum on the EU and the US presidential election

Aida A. Hozić & Jacqui True: Brexit as a scandal: gender and global trumpism

Original Articles

Leonard Seabrooke & Kevin L. Young: The networks and niches of international political economy

Heike Döring, Rodrigo Salles Pereira dos Santos & Eva Pocher: New developmentalism in Brazil? The need for sectoral analysis

Review of Keynesian Economics, 5 (2)

Mark Setterfield: Wage- versus profit-led growth after 25 years: an introduction to the third special issue

Thomas I. Palley: Inequality and growth in neo-Kaleckian and Cambridge growth theory

Amitava Krishna Dutt: Income inequality, the wage share, and economic growth

José Barrales and Rudiger von Arnim: Longer-run distributive cycles: wavelet decompositions for the US, 1948–2011

Eckhard Hein: The Bhaduri–Marglin post-Kaleckian model in the history of distribution and growth theories: an assessment by means of model closures

Daniele Tavani and Luca Zamparelli: Government spending composition, aggregate demand, growth, and distributio

Lance Taylor, Armon Rezai, Rishabh Kumar, Nelson Barbosa and Laura Carvalho: Wage increases, transfers, and the socially determined income distribution in the USA

Søren Harck: Wage increases, transfers, and the socially determined income distribution in the USA

Review of Social Economy, 75 (2)

Michael J. Roy & Michelle T. Hackett: Polanyi’s ‘substantive approach’ to the economy in action? Conceptualising social enterprise as a public health ‘intervention’

Damiano Fiorillo & Nunzia Nappo: Formal volunteering and self-perceived health. Causal evidence from the UK-SILC

Tiago Neves Sequeira, Ricardo Viegas & Alexandra Ferreira-Lopes: Income and religion: a heterogeneous panel data analysis

Michael E Martell & Mary Eschelbach Hansen: Sexual identity and the lesbian earnings differential in the U.S.

Yawo Agbényégan Noglo: Non-monetary poverty in Togo: a multidimensional approach

Giacomo Degli Antoni & Fabio Sabatini: Social cooperatives, social welfare associations and social networks

Robert H. Scott & Steven Pressman: House arrest: the effects of underwater and low-equity mortgages on small business failure and mobility

World Social and Economic Review of Contemporary Policy Issues, 8

Special Issue on "The Political Economy of the University INC."

Devrim Yilmaz, Susan Feiner, Rex McKenzie: The Political Economy of the University INC.: Introduction

Jean François Bissonnette, Christian Laval: Gambling with “Human Capital”: on the Speculative Logic of the “Knowledge Economy”

Sasha Breger Bush, Lucy Ware McGuffey, Tony Robinson: Neoliberalism in the Academy: Dispatch from a Public University in Colorado

César Guzmán-Concha: Undoing the Neoliberal Higher Education System? Student Protests and the Bachelet Reforms in Chile

Cecilia Rikap: The Corporization of a Public University with Free Undergraduate Education: Endangering Autonomy at the University of Buenos Aires

Cathy Wagner, Theresa Kulbaga, Jennifer Cohen: Imperial Partitioning in the Neoliberal University

Taavi Sundell, Teivo Teivainen: Fuzzy Privatization and Decline of Democracy at the University of Helsinki

Books and Book Series

A Modern Guide to Rethinking Economics

Edited by Louis-Philippe Rochon and Sergio Rossi | 2017, Edward Elgar

Since the beginning of the 21st century, there has been an unprecedented move towards ‘rethinking economics’. This book contributes to this worldwide discussion by providing readers at all levels with thoughtful contributions on a range of economic topics. The book includes chapters on rethinking fiscal and monetary policies, international trade, the role of the state, money, growth, the environment, development policies, energy, healthcare and more. Written by top experts in their respective fields, this book will be useful to students and faculty who want to not only rethink economics, but also to offer an alternative and coherent economic analysis to the orthodoxy.

Link to the book is available here.

Can We Avoid Another Financial Crisis?

By Steve Keen | 2017, Wiley

The Great Financial Crash had cataclysmic effects on the global economy, and took conventional economists completely by surprise. Many leading commentators declared shortly before the crisis that the magical recipe for eternal stability had been found. Less than a year later, the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression erupted.

In this explosive book, Steve Keen, one of the very few economists who anticipated the crash, shows why the self-declared experts were wrong and how ever-rising levels of private debt make another financial crisis almost inevitable unless politicians tackle the real dynamics causing financial instability. He also identifies the economies that have become The Walking Dead of Debt , and those that are next in line ‒ including Australia, Belgium, China, Canada and South Korea.

A major intervention by a fearlessly iconoclastic figure, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the true nature of the global economic system.

Link to the book is available here.

Currencies: New Thinking for Financial Times (Book Series)

Edited by Melinda Cooper and Martijn Konings (University of Sydney) | 2018, Stanford University Press

Announcing a new book series published by Stanford University Press

In the wake of recent events such as the global financial crisis, the Occupy Wall Street Movement, and the rise of anti-student debt activism, the need for a more sophisticated encounter between economic theory and social and political philosophy has become pressing. The growth of new forms of money and finance, which has only accelerated since the financial crisis, is recognized as one of the defining developments of our time. But even as finance continuously breaches limits and forces adjustments, much scholarly commentary remains focused on the limits of the market and the need to establish some prior state of political stability, thus succumbing to a nostalgia that blunts its critical edge.

Not content to adopt a defensive posture, books in this series move beyond well-rehearsed denunciations of out-of-control markets and seek to rethink the core institutions and categories of financialized capitalism. Currencies will serve as a forum for work that is situated at the intersection of economics, the humanities, and the social sciences. It will include conceptually driven historical or empirical studies, genealogies of economic ideas and institutions, and work that employs new or unexplored theoretical resources to rethink key economic categories and themes.

The first title in this series will publish in January 2018.

For more information (and pre-order), please go here.

Economics and Its Discontents

By Jędrzej Malko | 2017, Atropos Press

Already too many spectres have haunted the people, and for too longthe people have unreflectively worshipped various spectres. Countlessmanifestos have fruitlessly promised to lead the people on the road fromserfdom, out of the dark tunnel of necessity, and into the daylight ofabundance. And yet, few people have asked: what is this spectre? Andhow is it possible that the more unwaveringly it promises to unchain the people, the heavier are the shackles which ultimately bind them?

Link to the book is available here (free PDF download).

Finance Capital Today: Corporations and Banks in the Lasting Global Slump

By François Chesnais | 2017, Brill

Finance Capital Today presents a rich new analysis of the specific features of contemporary capitalism, notably its truly global nature and its financialisation, calling on Marxist analyses of the concentration, centralisation and globalisation of capital and Marx’s theory of interest-bearing and fictitious capital. Chesnais shows how financial globalisation and the exponential growth of financial assets have developed alongside the globalisation of productive capital, paying special attention to the contemporary operations of transnational corporations and global oligopoly. He argues that the macroeconomic perspective is one in which large amounts of capital are looking for profitable investment in a setting of underlying overproduction and low profits. The outcome will be low global growth, repeated financial shocks and the growing interconnection between the environmental and economic crises.

Link to the book is available here.

The Creation of Wealth and Poverty: Means and Ways

By Hassan Bougrine | 2017, Routledge

There is a failure of governments to provide the citizens of developing countries with the necessary ingredients for growth and development. This can only be explained by their inability to secure the sources of financing which ultimately allow them to "command" these ingredients.

The Creation of Wealth and Poverty is a study of the means and ways by which wealth and poverty are created in both developed and developing countries. It puts a particular emphasis on the role played by economic policy in shaping the stratification of modern societies through specific programmes dealing with issues of job creation, poverty and environmental degradation. This book is concerned with the social effects of the ongoing crisis in finance, development and the environment. By focusing on the political, legal and financial institutions that govern society and the economy, the book provides an analysis of wealth and poverty from a historical perspective. It shows how economic and social policies of the neoliberal model have led to a rise in unemployment, poverty and inequality and, therefore, made societies more polarized.

This volume will be of great interest to policymakers, academics and students who study political economy, development economics and macroeconomics.

Link to the book is available here.

Transnational Activism, Global Labor Governance, and China

By Sabrina Zajak | 2017, Palgrave Macmillan

This book explores rising labor unrest in China as it integrates into the global political economy. The book highlights the tensions present between China’s efforts to internationalize and accept claims to respect freedom of association rights, and its continuing insistence on a restrictive, and often punitive, approach to worker organizations. The author examines how the global labor movement can support the improvement of working conditions in Chinese factories. The book presents a novel multi-level approach capturing how trade unions and labor rights NGOs have mobilized along different pathways while attempting to influence labor standards in Chinese supply chains since 1989: within the ILO, within the European Union, leveraging global brands or directly supporting domestic labor rights NGOs. Based on extensive fieldwork in Europe, the US and China, the book shows that activists, by operating at multiple scales, were on some occasions able to support improvements over time. It also indicates how a politically and economically strong state such as China can affect transnational labor activism, by directly and indirectly undermining the opportunities that organized civil societies have to participate in the evolving global labor governance architecture.

Link to the book is available here.

Varieties of Alternative Economic Systems: Practical Utopias for an Age of Global Crisis and Austerity

Edited by Richard Westra, Robert Albritton, Seongjin Jeong | 2017, Routledge

In this age of overlapping and mutually reinforcing deep global crises (global warming, mass migrations, militarism, inequality, selfish nation-states, etc.) there needs to be more realistic dialogue about radical alternatives to the status quo. Most literature produced heretofore has focused on the surface causes of these crises without much attention given to the sorts of major societal changes needed in order to deal with the crises we face.

This book moves the debate beyond the critiques and the false or not fully realised alternatives, to focus on what can be termed “practical utopias”. The contributors to this book outline a range of practical proposals for constructing pathways out of the global economic, ecological and social crisis. Varieties of Alternative Economic Systems eschews a single blueprint but insists on dealing directly with the deep structural problems and contradictions of contemporary global capitalism. It provides a diverse array of complementary proposals and perspectives that can inform both theoretical thinking and practical action.

Link to the book is available here.

Heterodox Graduate Programs, Scholarships and Grants

Joan Robinson Research Fellowship in Heterodox Economics at Cambridge University

Applications are invited for the Joan Robinson Research Fellowship in Heterodox Economics tenable for five years from 1st October 2017, a post jointly supported by the College and the Cambridge Political Economy Society Trust. This is a Research Fellowship under College Statutes with the condition that, in addition to pursuing his or her own research, the Fellow will undertake up to four hours of undergraduate supervision teaching on behalf of the College per week of Full term. Applicants must therefore be able to teach a range of topics from the Cambridge Economics Tripos, particularly those within the core Microeconomics and/or Macroeconomics papers.

The position is open to graduates of any university with no age limit, but is principally intended to support researchers at an early stage in their academic careers, and will usually be awarded to a candidate who has recently completed a Ph.D.

The competition includes assessment of candidates’ submitted work and interview. Those interested should note that the standard needed to progress to the later stages of the competition is extremely high. Overseas candidates should also note that the College cannot be responsible for payment of international air fares should they be short-listed for interview, though interview by skype may be possible

The emoluments of a Fellowship are reviewed annually. The present stipend is £20,400 a year, rising by two annual increments to £22,912 a year, for a post-Ph.D. Fellow. The teaching element of the appointment will be recognised by a further payment based on the College Lecturer Category A stipend scale which is currently on a scale ranging from £5,796 to £7,554 per annum. Research expenses up to a total of £2,500 over the five years of the Fellowship may be paid.

The closing date for applications is noon on 22 May, 2017. Short-listed candidates will be required to submit a sample of their work by 29 MAY 2017; interviews are at Girton College on 22 June, 2017.

Further details of the appointment and the online application process are available from the College Website.

Please note that the College has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

More details about the fellowship are available here (PDF).

URPE 2017-2018 Disseration Fellowship

2017-18 Dissertation Fellowship Application

The Union for Radical Political Economics invites doctoral candidates in any discipline with an approved dissertation proposal in the area of radical political economics to apply for the URPE Dissertation Fellowship. The URPE dissertation fellow will receive $5,000 to support their dissertation writing during the 2017-18 academic year. Applicants are asked to submit:

  1. A cover letter describing their background in radical political economics and explaining how the fellowship would contribute to the completion of their dissertation;
  2. Curriculum Vitae;
  3. Their approved dissertation proposal;
  4. Two letters of reference (one of which should be from the dissertation committee chair).

Questions and application material should be submitted by email to urpe@urpe.org. Letters of reference should be submitted directly by the letter writer.

Previous applicants who were not selected may re-apply.

Deadline for submissions is May 31, 2017.

The recipient will be announced by July 1, 2017.

More details are available here.

Newsletters

WEA Commentaries, 7 (2)

(Formerly the World Economics Association Newsletter)

Steve Keen: Discussing Can we avoid another financial crisis?

John Latsis: Reflections on 5 years of the WEA journal Economic Thought

Maria Alejandra Madi: Realism in Economics: ontological indeterminism and methods of inquiry

Merijn Knibbe: Double deflation: Double Distilled or Double Dutch? Some remarks about the estimation of real economic production – Part 2

Grazia Ietto-Gillies: Food for thought from a Calabrian childhood—An interview with Grazia Ietto-Gillies

Peter Söderbaum, Judy Brown, Małgorzata Dereniowska: Positional analysis: what it is and why economists need it