Railroads, engineers, and the developement of spatial economics in France

This articles traces a little-known French tradition in spatial economics that was advanced by state engineers who were trained at the Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées and worked for the State Corps engineers. Spurred in part by changes in power technology, especially the advent of the railroad, these engineers pioneered the spatial aspects of competition in a macroeconomic framework. The contribution of Jules Dupuit (1804 - 1866) and Emile Cheysson (1836 - 1910) are especially singled out for analysis, and are shown to have anticipated later important developments in spatial economic theory.

Dynamic thoracohumeral kinematics are dependent upon the etiology of the shoulder injury

[EN] Obtaining kinematic patterns that depend on the shoulder injury may be important when planning rehabilitation. The main goal of this study is to explore whether the kinematic patterns of continuous and repetitive shoulder elevation motions are different according to the type of shoulder injury in question, specifically tendinopathy or rotator cuff tear, and to analyze the influence of the load handled during its assessment. For this purpose, 19 individuals with tendinopathy and 9 with rotator cuff tear performed a repetitive scaption movement that was assessed with stereophotogrammetry. Furthermore, static range of motion (ROM) and isometric strength were evaluated with a goniometer and a dynamometer, respectively. Dynamic measurements of maximum elevation (Emax), variablility of the maximum angle (VMA), maximum angular velocity (Velmax), and time to maximum velocity (tmaxvel) were found to be significantly different between the tendinopathy group (TG) and the rotator cuff tear group (RTCG). No differences were found in the ROM assessed with goniometry and the isometric strength. The effect of increasing the load placed in the hand during the scaption movement led to significant differences in Emax, VMA, tmaxvel and repeatability. Therefore, only the dynamic variables showed sufficient capability of detecting differences in functional performance associated with structural shoulder injury. The differences observed in the kinematic variables between patients with tendinopathy and rotator cuff tear seem to be related to alterations in thoracohumeral rhythm and neuromuscular control. Kinematic analysis may contribute to a better understanding of the functional impact of shoulder injuries, which would help in the assessment and treatment of shoulder pain.This work was funded by the Spanish Government, Secretaria de Estado de Investigacion, Desarrollo e Innovacion, and co-financed by EU FEDER funds (Grant DPI2013-44227-R). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Lopez Pascual, J.; Page Del Pozo, AF.; Serra Añó, P. (2017). Dynamic thoracohumeral kinematics are dependent upon the etiology of the shoulder injury. PLoS ONE. 12(8). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183954S12

Économie, utopisme et l’abbé de Saint-Pierre

Une étude attentive de ses œuvres révèle que l’abbé de Saint-Pierre est beaucoup plus un économiste qu’on ne le pense généralement. Si, avant le XIXe siècle, l’économie ne se distinguait pas clairement de la politique ou de la philosophie morale, nous ne devons pas sous-estimer pour autant l’importance des contributions de ses pères fondateurs au XVIIIe siècle ni le fait qu’ils ont jeté les bases des perfectionnements analytiques qui ont suivi.A close study of Saint-Pierre’s works reveals that he was much more an economist than is commonly thought. Before the 19th century there was no real distinction between economics and politics or moral philosophy and yet one cannot underestimate the importance of the contributions that its founding fathers made in the 18th century nor the fact that it was the basis for the analytical improvements that followed

Adam Smith and the Political Economy of American Independance

It is generally recognized that Adam Smith argued in The Wealth of Nations in favor of independence for the American colonies. The explicit grounds on which Smith based this argument have not been held to close scrutiny, however. In recent years, Donald Winch has attempted to right the balance between studies of Smith's economics and his politics. Which raised the following questions : Did Smith favor independence of the American colonies on political or economic grounds ? Since Smith was not always explicit in this regard, what particular grounds can be inferred from what is generally known about Smith's politics and/or his economics ? This paper analyzes and explains the grounds for Smith's argument in favor or American independence. It adopts a holistic approach that seeks to integrate Smith's political and economic thought, and utilizes a benefit-cost framework to explicate Smith's final position on the question of American independence.II est généralement admis que Smith plaide en faveur de l'indépendance américaine dans la Richesse des Nations. Les fondements explicites de l'argumentation de Smith n'ont pas cependant été examinés avec soin. Récemment Donald Winch a tenté de corriger l'équilibre entre les études de l'économie de Smith et celles de sa politique. Ceci conduit à poser les questions suivantes : Smith est-il favorable à l'indépendance des colonies américaines pour des raisons économiques ou pour des raisons politiques ? Comme Smith n'est guère explicite sur ce point, pouvons-nous nous référer à ce que l'on sait de la position générale de Smith tant dans le domaine politique économique ? Cet article analyse et explique les fondements de l'argumentaire de Smith en faveur de l'indépendance américaine. Il adopte une position holiste pour chercher à intégrer les pensées économique et politique de Smith, et utilise un modèle coût-bénéfice pour expliquer la positon ultime de Smith à propos de l'indépendance américaine.Hebert Robert F. Adam Smith and the Political Economy of American Independance. In: Cahiers d'économie politique, n°27-28, 1996. Le libéralisme à l'épreuve : de l'empire aux nations. (Adam Smith et l'économie coloniale) sous la direction de Francis Demier et Daniel Diatkine. pp. 73-88

David S. Landes, Joel Mokyr, and William J. Baumol (eds), The Invention of Enterprise: Entrepreneurship from Ancient Mesopotamia to Modern Times

“Enterprise” is both a noun and a verb, so at the outset it is not clear whether the editors of this ambitiously titled volume set out to explain the earliest successful business ventures or the originative actions of their creators. To paraphrase what one disingenuous U.S. politician said of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (informally referred to as Obamacare), one has to read this book in order to find out what’s in it. But reading this book is more enjoyable than por..