A Meta-theoretical Assessment of the Decline of Scholastic Economics

The aim of this paper is to offer certain insights into the process of declining of scholastic economics in late medieval and early modern European intellectual circles. In this attempt, the paper adopts the metatheoretical framework of Laudan’s philosophy of science and introduces the concept of scientific research tradition in pre-classical economic thought. It then considers the features of scholastic research tradition, specifies its empirical and conceptual problems and indicates a general scenario of assessing its performance over time. Of primary importance, in this respect, becomes the issue of evaluating the external and internal factors of disintegrating of the scholastic tradition, whose constraints reflect its incorporation into a broader ethical analysis and necessitate its transformation into a more secular approach to economic phenomena.Laudan and Economics; Scholastic Economics; Research Traditions;economic ethics

Economic and Religious Choice: A Case-Study from Early Christian Communities

The aim of this paper is to elaborate an evaluative framework of religious choice within the early Christian communities reconstructed through the narrative of a New Testament Epistle, 2Peter, based on an economic approach to moral dilemmas identified in this context. Thus the work concentrates on the stances, attitudes and social practices of deviant members who engaged in free-riding within early Christian congregations and were exposed to serious self-control problems. In our attempt to employ economic theories of religion, we are in a position to better assess the efficiency of early Christian responses to the entry of competing groups in the religious market of this era, as well as to identify and explore the sort of criteria that determine the intertemporal choices of distinct religious actors.choice and markets, religious consumption, free-riding

Fostering inclusive organizations through virtuous leadership

The purpose of this chapter is to provide an integrative framework of virtuous behaviors and inclusion in a variety of organizations. In so doing, we draw on earlier virtuous leadership models in view of delineating the virtuous leadership construct and advancing extant theoretical developments in the field. We elaborate on research streams focusing on virtue theory in business and management and suggest fruitful ways to expand on these issues. The chapter is intended to explore precisely how virtuous leadership can claim conceptual distinctiveness with respect to related values-based leadership theories. The chapter specifies dispositional and situational predictors of virtuous leadership that in turn address employee needs for both self-actualization through, and belongingness to, a business community. Virtuous leadership is by nature inclusive insofar as it generates multilevel beneficial outcomes by placing an emphasis on how leaders enact virtuous behaviors from which a diversity of organizational stakeholders can significantly benefit. Furthermore, virtuous leadership is socially beneficial by fostering equitable, inclusive, and more humane workplaces, as well as by being more sensitive to a bundle of societal and communal expectations

A Meta-theoretical Assessment of the Decline of Scholastic Economics

The aim of this paper is to offer certain insights into the process of declining of scholastic economics in late medieval and early modern European intellectual circles. In this attempt, the paper adopts the metatheoretical framework of Laudan’s philosophy of science and introduces the concept of scientific research tradition in pre-classical economic thought. It then considers the features of scholastic research tradition, specifies its empirical and conceptual problems and indicates a general scenario of assessing its performance over time. Of primary importance, in this respect, becomes the issue of evaluating the external and internal factors of disintegrating of the scholastic tradition, whose constraints reflect its incorporation into a broader ethical analysis and necessitate its transformation into a more secular approach to economic phenomena

A Meta-theoretical Assessment of the Decline of Scholastic Economics

The aim of this paper is to offer certain insights into the process of declining of scholastic economics in late medieval and early modern European intellectual circles. In this attempt, the paper adopts the metatheoretical framework of Laudan’s philosophy of science and introduces the concept of scientific research tradition in pre-classical economic thought. It then considers the features of scholastic research tradition, specifies its empirical and conceptual problems and indicates a general scenario of assessing its performance over time. Of primary importance, in this respect, becomes the issue of evaluating the external and internal factors of disintegrating of the scholastic tradition, whose constraints reflect its incorporation into a broader ethical analysis and necessitate its transformation into a more secular approach to economic phenomena

Dietary meat fats and burden of cardiovascular disease risk factors, in the elderly: a report from the MEDIS study

Dietary fats have long been associated with human health, and especially cardiovascular disease (CVD). Some observational studies have shown that reduction in dietary fats, and particularly cholesterol is associated with lower cardiovascular risk; however, other prospective studies or randomized controlled trials of dietary fat reduction or modification have shown varying results on CVD morbidity and mortality. In this work we evaluated the relationships between dietary fats and a cluster of CVD risk factors (i.e., diabetes, obesity, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension), among elderly individuals without known CVD. In particular, dietary and clinical data from 1486 elderly (aged 65 to 100 years) men and women living in Cyprus, Mitilini, Samothraki, Cephalonia, Crete, Lemnos, Syros, Naxos, Corfu and Zakynthos islands, and participated in the MEDIS study, were analysed. Data analysis revealed that 18.5% of males and 33.3% of females had three or four cardiovascular disease risk factors; the major source of fat was olive oil (mean intake for men and women 50.0 ± 19.3 g/day and 46.0 ± 16.8 g/day, p < 0.001). In addition it was observed that a 5% increase in energy adjusted fat intake from meat was associated with a 21% increase in the likelihood of having one additional CVD risk factor (95%CI 6%-39%); no significant associations were observed regarding the other types of fat consumed by the elderly participants. These findings may state a hypothesis that the consumption of fat only from meat or its products seems to increase the burden of CVD risk factors among CVD-free, elderly people

Is parental longevity associated with the cardiovascular risk and the successful aging of their offspring? Results from the multinational MEDIS study

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of parental longevity and parental cardiovascular disease (CVD) history in CVD risk and successful aging of a random sample of older adults living in the Mediterranean basin and who participated in the MEDiterranean Islands (MEDIS) study. During 2005 to 2011, 2663 elders were voluntarily enrolled. A multidimensional successful aging index consisting of 10 components was used. Paternal and maternal longevity was defined as those older participants of whom both parents lived above the age of 90. The burden of CVD-related factors (CVD-RFs) was calculated as the total score of 4 major CVD-RFs (range 0-4). After adjustment, parental longevity was inversely associated with the burden of CVD-RFs ( P = .04). Moreover, parental longevity was positively associated with the older adults' successful aging score (β-coefficient [95% confidence interval]: .38 [0.06-0.71]). Parent's long living was revealed as an important factor for successful aging and for reduced CVD risk, suggesting that further research is needed in the genetic predisposition of longevity

The impact of the financial crisis on lifestyle health determinants among older adults living in the Mediterranean region : the multinational MEDIS study (2005-2015)

Objectives: By the end of the 2000s, the economic situation in many European countries started to deteriorate, generating financial uncertainty, social insecurity and worse health status. The aim of the present study was to investigate how the recent financial crisis has affected the lifestyle health determinants and behaviours of older adults living in the Mediterranean islands.Methods: From 2005 to 2015, a population-based, multi-stage convenience sampling method was used to voluntarily enrol 2749 older adults (50% men) from 20 Mediterranean islands and the rural area of the Mani peninsula. Lifestyle status was evaluated as the cumulative score of four components (range, 0 to 6), that is, smoking habits, diet quality (MedDietScore), depression status (Geriatric Depression Scale) and physical activity.Results: Older Mediterranean people enrolled in the study from 2009 onwards showed social isolation and increased smoking, were more prone to depressive symptoms, and adopted less healthy dietary habits, as compared to their counterparts participating earlier in the study (p<0.05), irrespective of age, gender, several clinical characteristics, or socioeconomic status of the participants (an almost 50% adjusted increase in the lifestyle score from before 2009 to after 2009, p<0.001).Conclusions: A shift towards less healthy behaviours was noticeable after the economic crisis had commenced. Public health interventions should focus on older adults, particularly of lower socioeconomic levels, in order to effectively reduce the burden of cardiometabolic disease at the population level.peer-reviewe

The association between sleeping time and metabolic syndrome features among older adults living in Mediterranean region. The MEDIS study.

Background: Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) as a combination of features has been known to significantly increase Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) risk, whilst MetS presence is linked to lifestyle parameters including physical activity and dietary habits; recently, the potential impact of sleeping habits has also become an issue under consideration. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of sleep quantity in several MetS components. Methods: Design:Cross-sectional observational study. Setting: 26 Mediterranean islands and the rural Mani region (Peloponnesus) of Greece. Participants: during 2005-2017, 3130 older (aged 65-100 years) Mediterranean residents were voluntarily enrolled. Measurements: Dietary habits (including MedDietScore assessment), physical activity status, socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle parameters (sleeping and smoking habits) and clinical profile aspects including Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) components (i.e., waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, triglycerides, LDL and HDL-cholesterol) were derived through standard procedures. Results: The number of daily hours of sleep was independently associated with greater waist circumference (b coefficient per 1 hour=0.91, 95% Confidence Interval (CI); 0.34, 1.49), higher LDL-cholesterol levels (b per 1 hour=3.84, 95%CI; 0.63, 7.05) and lower diastolic blood pressure levels (b per 1 hour=-0.98, 95%CI; - 1.57, -0.39) after adjusting for participants’ age, gender, body mass index, daily walking time, level of adherence to Mediterranean diet and smoking status. No association was revealed between hours of sleep per day and fasting glucose, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and systolic blood pressure. Conclusions: Increased hours of sleep is an indicator of metabolic disorders among elderly inviduals, and further research is needed to identify the paths through which sleep quantity is linked to MetS features in different age-groups