Socioeconomic Complexity and the Sociological Tradition: New Wine in Old Bottles

Complexity is a purposeful integrating framework for interdisciplinary dialogue, namely between sociologists and economists. After presenting some properties of complex (social) systems, we consider the crucial role of the economic complexity research agenda in challenging the mainstream economic paradigm. This endeavor, we suggest, can greatly benefit from a neglected but relevant aspect, the concern regarding social complexity implicit in the sociological tradition, particularly the emphasis given by Durkheim to the idea of interdependence, a keystone of complexity studies nowadays. As we underline, instead of assuming interdependence/complexity and autonomy/simplicity in a tradeoff relationship, the French sociologist takes interdependence and autonomy as fundamentally complementary and positively correlated characteristics of modern societies. This fact suggests the convenience to conceptualize complexity as a broad socioeconomic, and not just a strict economic, phenomenon. Such a purpose is certainly more damaged than benefited by the existence of the economics/sociology academic divide.Socioeconomic complexity; interdependence; autonomy; sociological tradition; Durkheim

Beliefs, values and attitudes of Portuguese population and their relationship with human and social capital

Studying economic values and beliefs and their relationship with attitudes and behavior has been common in most social sciences throughout the world, at least since the 1960s. However, Portugal remained very much outside this research program and, contrary to the majority of European countries or the United States, it still lacks a coherent an integrative research on economic values, beliefs and behaviors. On the other hand, the existing data (European and World Value Surveys, Eurobarometer or the Portuguese Statistics Institute) only offers a partial view of the individual’s relationship with the economic system, namely consumer confidence or general ideas of trust. The studies already developed on this subject are normally restricted to the association of economic values and beliefs with socio-demographic characteristics, failing to include both the analysis of behaviors and the impact all these variables may have on economic performance indicators. The current study is intended as a first step towards a deeper comprehension of these phenomena.

MONETARY POLICY AND EXTERNAL VULNERABILITY IN BRAZIL

This paper analyses monetary policy in Brazil, investigating why interest rates were so high and volatile from 1995 to 1998. We identify in monetary policy an overreaction to external shocks, where exogenous changes in international liquidity triggered sharp movements on domestic interest rates. We also show that the Brazilian policy response to these shocks was far more intense than in Argentina and Mexico. We argue that Brazil was caught in a high interest rates trap, which culminated in a currency crisis in January 1999.

The economic performance of Portuguese and Spanish regions: A network dynamic approach

This paper contributes to further understanding the economic performance of Portuguese and Spanish regions, using a stochastic network approach. The empirical analysis is made at the territorial level of NUT 3 regions and covers the period 1995-2008. The performance of regions is based on GDP per capita at Purchasing Power Standards. The network analysis is based on a metric space built from the correlation coefficients between the log-difference of annual growth rates. The metric space and the corresponding topological coefficients are compared with the independent performance of randomly generated data. The metric space is graphically represented along the 3 dominant eigenvalues and the strongest connections are selected and represented in a network of Iberian regions. The main purpose of this research is to find the most relevant geographical and demographic determinants of regional development, namely a “border effect”, an “interiority (without border) effect”, a “coastal effect”, a “metropolitan effect” and an “ultra periphery effect”.

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF A HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION – THE STUDY CASE OF THE POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE OF BEJA, PORTUGAL

It is widely recognized that the investment in human capital, innovation, and knowledge transfer is essential to sustainable development and growth. Within this context, the role and action of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) are vital. This paper aims to reflect on the role and the economic impact of a higher education institution, based on the case study of a public HEIs in Portugal namely the Polytechnic Institute of Beja (IPBeja). This institution belongs to the subsystem of polytechnic higher education and is located in a region that has one of the lowest economic and population densities in Europ

Para uma Nova Abordagem sobre o Desenvolvimento e a Cooperação Internacional

O debate sobre o desenvolvimento tem evoluído ao longo do tempo. No centro das controvérsias está o papel da cooperação técnica internacional, desconhecido pelos não actuantes e sobreavaliada por muitos dos seus actores principais. A verdade, como sempre, está um pouco no meio. Neste texto o autor tenta traçar a evolução de conceitos que moldaram a discussão sobre a cooperação técnica terminando com um apelo para que o desenvolvimento visto como transformação considere os dilemas da apropriação como centrais. Para tanto é necessário fazer recurso às diferentes dimensões de poder que reflectem os papéis entre doadores e recipientes, aceitar a inclusão de novos actores sociais, como as ONGs e outros organismos da sociedade civil, e rever o papel do Estado. Aceitar o princípio de que o desenvolvimento é um processo de transformação significa igualmente aceitar a centralidade do papel dos indivíduos, instituições e sociedade, cada um com um papel diferenciado mas complementar. Esses três níveis de envolvimento estão igualmente presentes no debate sobre capacitação (Capacity Development). Trata-se de uma aproximação do debate de gestão daquele que mais tradicionalmente é feito pela cooperação técnica.

What Effects From Peace in Reducing Poverty? A perspective from empirical records collected in the cities of Huambo and Luanda

Este documento é uma tradução do livro publicado em português, “Pobreza e paz nos PALOP”, Sextante Editora (2009), ISBN 978-989-676-007-6Based on narratives made by Angolans living in the cities of Huambo and Luanda, the present article, anchored fundamentally on the assembled empirical records, searches for clues pointing to an answer (even if provisory) to the question posed in the title. Has peace in the Angolan context endorsed substantial progression in the reduction of poverty? This article explores, from the perspective of the interviewed individuals, several analytical axis: some consequences of the military conflict constituting impoverishment factors; benefits produced by war; self-attribution from the actors about their living conditions (how they position themselves in regard to their situation/condition of poverty and in relation to others) and respective expectations about the future. The article is the outcome of an investigation produced for the research project ‘Poverty and Peace in the PALOP, focused on the connections between poverty and war/peace in these countries and the manner this relation is perceived by the social actors

Revitalization and the church: a study of the renewalmovement in the Sixth Conference of the Brazillian Methodist Church

https://place.asburyseminary.edu/ecommonsatsdissertations/1705/thumbnail.jp

THE PUBLIC SECTOR, MIGRATION, AND HETEROGENEITY

Questions on the optimal size of government always provoke intense political debate. At the center of this is the public goods problem, where certain goods and services are “under-provided” by the market due to problems with rivalry and excludability. These goods are usually provided by the public sector and financed through taxes. Questions emerge over the optimal level of provision, as different individuals value these goods differently. This dissertation consists of two studies which address preferences for the size of government from different perspectives. The first study provides a method that can be used to estimate demand for changes in levels of public provision. Using individual level Census data on migration from 1990 and 2000, I demonstrate how preferences are revealed through migration responses. Though policy convergence precludes the estimation of optimal levels for different demographic groups, I find that balanced-budget increases in education expenditures tend to attract most demographic groups while other expenditures tend to repel most individuals. Young, college educated, relatively high-income individuals tend to be more responsive to, and therefore appear to have higher preference intensity for, fiscal changes. This is true even when controlling for their increased propensity to migrate. Evidence inconsistent with welfare migration is found, suggesting that policies intended to address the race-to-the-bottom in welfare benefits may be counterproductive. In addition, the ability of the Tiebout migration process to homogenize a jurisdiction is limited by relatively small fiscal changes among jurisdictions and similar migration responses among demographic groups. The second study empirically explores the effect of ethnic heterogeneity on government size for countries throughout the world. In the developed world, heterogeneity is found to reduce the size of budgetary government, consistent with previous studies and predictions in the literature. In the undeveloped world, however, heterogeneity is found to increase the size of non-budgetary government and may increase the overall size of government

Looking at the informal economy: a case study concerning Luanda's minibus taxi industry

The role, characteristics and increasing factors of the minibus taxi industry in urban economies (Kenya, Senegal, and Nigeria, among others) have been studied in various African countries. Many studies have been carried out on these matters with the support of the World Bank, through SSTAP or in the context of SITRASS research programs. There has been almost no research on this subject in Lusophone Africa.subject in Lusophone Africa. Machimbombo is the Angolan expression for bus. The machimbombos was the only means of transport providing urban mobility in Luanda, the Angolan capital city, at the time of independence and in the first years which followed. Over the last 25 years there have been significant changes in the urban landscape due to the prolonged civil war and the political and economic transformations.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superio