The moral and political economy of producers and consumers

There appears to be a kind of master discourse of consumption, consumers and consumer society, generated and sustained, primarily, by discourses of consumer sovereignty, and the customer-driven firm. To the extent that we, as consumers, accept (all or some of) this master discourse then we are partly responsible for the negative consequences that befall many workers producing the goods and services we consume - e.g. we often see relatively inexpensive commodities in terms of a 'bargain' rather than the result of someone else's low pay. There is, however, a contradiction at work because we often do not accept all (or some) of this master discourse. We often do care about the plight of those who produce the goods and services we consume. The problem is the master discourse does nothing to encourage these ethical predispositions or to challenge us to probe our ignorance. The aim of this paper is to explore this contradiction. After reminding ourselves, in part one, of some fundamental facts of political economic life, part two introduces moral economy. Part three uses this political and moral economic perspective to focus attention on the negative consequences that can arise for workers, when consumers accept (all or some of) this fetishized master discourse. Part four explores the contradiction by considering cases where consumers do care about the plight of those who produce the goods and services they consume

Growing soybeans in Missouri

May, 1953."Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics, University of Missouri, College of Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture cooperating."Title from caption

Bodies in High Places: Exploration, altitude sickness and the problem of bodily comparison in the Himalaya, 1800-50

Motivated by both science and empire, European explorers increasingly ventured into the high Himalaya after 1800, where they encountered the insidious yet little understood effects of altitude sickness. They did not, however, do so alone. Tensions arising from the highly unpredictable distribution of symptoms were exacerbated by explorers’ dependence on pre-existing networks of labour and expertise, which forced them to measure their bodies against those of their Asian companions. This article examines altitude physiology in the early nineteenth century, largely overlooked by scholars in favour of the more systematic scientific studies of the later period. I consider engagement with indigenous explanations (resulting from poisonous miasmas from plants), the tropes travellers used in their accounts to avoid inverting hierarchies around bodily performance, and attempts to quantify symptoms and instrumentalise bodies by measuring pulses. I argue that high mountains became spaces of comparison, intensified by uncertainty over the scientific status of altitude sickness, and use this to bring into focus the practical, everyday aspects of relationships between explorers, guides and porters. By considering comparisons at multiple scales, this article also historicises the formulation of high mountain medical topographies in the context of upland frontiers and imperial expansion.Cambridge Commonwealth, European & International Trust Clare College, Cambridg

Bronchiectasis: Pathophysiology and Management

Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory condition that can decrease the quality of life of patients with this disease. A persistent cough, increased sputum production, and recurrent chest infections that lead to damaged dilated and thickened bronchi characterizes this condition. Bronchiectasis can result from several conditions such as abnormalities of airway anatomy, immune deficiency, and infections; however, the cause may not always be identifiable. The damage done to the airways is irreversible and can cause complications in daily life and especially during surgical procedures. This poster evaluates the pathophysiology of bronchiectasis and discusses the surgical implications of having a patient with this disease. Also, the poster includes airway clearing techniques that health care providers can teach their patients to promote the excretion of mucus. Overall, the purpose of this poster is to educate, inform, and give suggestions to health care professionals to help manage patients with bronchiectasis

Critical realism and systematic dialectics: A reply to Andy Brown

In `Approach With Caution: Critical Realism in Social Research´, Andy Brown sets out a series of criticisms of critical realism from the perspective of systematic dialectics. This current article is one critical realist´s reply to Brown

Working Paper 8. Where do organisations end and labour markets begin?

The division of labour between labour economists and organisation theorists results in there being little or no (epistemic) connection between the disciplines of labour economics and organization theory, and little or no recognition of the (ontic) connection between the phenomena of labour markets and organizations. This paper transcends disciplinary boundaries to develop connections between organizations, especially business organisations, and labour markets

Working Paper 12. A trans-disciplinary (proto) model of labour markets

Building upon trans-disciplinary insights from the ‘socio-economics of labour markets’ tradition and drawing upon critical realist meta-theory, this paper outlines a trans-disciplinary (proto) model of labour markets as an alternative to the orthodox model

Working Paper 9. Insitutions and social structures: some clarifications

The objective of this paper is to continue the important task of clarifying two terms that are central to a great deal of social science, but often mired in confusion, namely, ‘institutions’ and ‘social structures’. The opening part of the paper uses recent insights in contemporary sociological and (Institutional) economic theory to explore the similarities between social structures and institutions, especially in the relation between them as a couple, and human agents

Making Process: The Search for a Personal Language Through a Shared Vocabulary of Painting and Design

As designers, everything we make is personal. The act of making is a learning experience, as well as a personal act. We learn through this act of making. Making spans many mediums, including painting and architecture. Every designer has a language that is unique and personal to them. There is however, a shared and fundamental basis, or vocabulary, for these languages that span mediums and designers. To better understand the making process, a careful study of the architectural work and personal paintings of two architects has been done. Le Corbusier and Alvar Aalto are two architects who practiced in the traditional sense and who also painted. These were two men who were makers throughout their lives. What does a life of making look like? Throughout their lives they were exploring, defining and redefining vocabulary, and clarifying their personal language. A shared vocabulary of painting and design serves as the lens through which a selection of the work is analyzed as well as categorized. Through this lens, one can start to draw connections through the work as a whole. It should be stated, that this is by no means the only way into the work or the designer’s process, but it is one way to start looking at the work and the language personal to each designer