A12 - Relation of Economics to Other DisciplinesNávrat zpět

ThDr. Bernard Bolzano (1781-1848) was not only a mathematician and logician of European stature, a theologian, philosopher, teacher and educator, but also a critical social thinker and reformer, whose work also has distinct economic dimensions. Economic aspects play an important role in Bolzano's vision, and this does not rest on foundations that are only naively fanciful. The star- ting point of his economic considerations is the category of property. In the work of Bolzano, one can trace the vision of the welfare state, the public sector, or the germs of elements of welfare economics. It is possible to appreciate the thoughtfulness, logic and precision of the purposefully established state project. Thanks to the work On the Best State - which Bolzano refused to publish during his lifetime, and which was created in parallel with the logical treatise Vědosloví and other works - he became the most famous Czech utopian. The work remains the first original, and to this day the only, comprehensive and systematic Czech utopia.

The author's main objective is to point out the existence of the paradox of involuntary improvement and to present a solution to this paradox. The paradox of involuntary improvement appears when a subject which suffers an injustice involuntarily still gets better off by this change. The suggested solution consists in the decomposition of the total effect of the pseudo-contract into the effect of the basic contract (which is desirable for the subject) and the effect of the super-contract (which is undesirable for the subject). Such a decomposition is not arbitrary, in the author's view, but necessary because it reflects the self-contradictory nature of the pseudo-contract, such as usury and sale/purchase at an unjust price. The author argues that the contract of usury and sale/purchase at an unjust price do not represent cases of Pareto improvement but rather cases of Kaldor-Hicks improvement (Kaldor, 1939; Hicks, 1939). The author's complementary objective is to show that the positive - normative dichotomy is an artificially created distinction which is supposed to cut off economics from its mother discipline, philosophy, and which moral sceptics used to deprive moral philosophy of the status of science.

The aim of the paper is twofold: to point out important milestones in the development of the relationship between ethics and economics, and to present some examples of approaches aiming at re-integrating disciplines often perceived as antagonistic. There is, however, a wide variety of concepts and views trying to bring both disciplines closer, and the paper gives the reader a taste of different points of view, especially those less known and not mirrored in the Czech economic literature. The author is of the view that these concepts could inspire reflections on and efforts to tackle economic and societal problems that are becoming increasingly complex and interdisciplinary. Despite many calls to develop holistic approaches to knowledge acquisition and dealing with complexity in the contemporary world, we are witnessing continuous specialization of individual scientific disciplines, including the detachment of economics and ethics.

This paper aims to shed some light on the real convergence process among EU economies in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis in comparison to the real convergence in 2008, when the last financial crisis erupted. According to entropy method results, the most pronounced difference between effects of the current pandemic and the global financial crisis are registered in the unemployment rate, while the difference in the current account balance and GDP per capita are much less noticeable. The results of the entropy method also suggest that the greatest difference among EU economies in 2020 is registered in the current account deficits; a slightly lower difference is registered in the unemployment rate, while the divergence in GDP is much less pronounced. To explain the results of the entropy method, a hierarchical cluster analysis is performed and three clusters are derived. Based on the identified characteristics of the derived clusters, some policy recommendations for overcoming the current crisis are defined.

Quo Vadis, Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences? The so-called Nobel Prize in Economics is not one of the original Nobel Prizes according to the testament of A. B. Nobel. Although it has been the target of various critics since its inception in 1969, it has become the most prestigious economic award. The paper summarizes more than 50 years of the history of this award, including the focus of the laureates, and asks - sometimes provocative - questions about the perspectives of economic science in the 21^st century.

Consumer choice theory uses continuous utility function, representing the consumer preference relation, as a traditional matter of course. However, there are alternative ways of defining consumer's optimum and proving its existence even without introducing such function. Contrasting both approaches raises question about aspects and limitations of economic interpretation of the mathematical form used in the theory. This article investigates economic interpretation in microeconomics as a relation of mathematical model and economic concepts and, using the example of consumer choice theory, formulates a model of economic interpretation based on the properties of analogical thinking, as defined by contemporary psychological literature. Model provides a framework for identifying risks coupled with economic interpretation of mathematical objects, their properties and relations.

The purpose of the paper is to examine the methodology of Max Weber and outline its relation to the economic science. The fi rst part analyses Weber's article "Objectivity in Social Science and Social Policy" (1904). The second part examines the paper titled "Meaning of Ethical Neutrality in Sociology and Economics" (1917). The third part discusses the Weber's lecture "Science as a Vocation" (1918/19). The fourth part deals with the question in what respects Max Weber can be close to modern economists.

The purpose of the paper is to map the economic theory of Gary Becker. The first part outlines the life of Gary Becker. The second part analyses his economic approach to human behaviour. The third part covers the economics of discrimination. The fourth part examines the human capital theory. The fifth part is concerned with crime and punishment. The sixth part deals with economics of the family. The seventh part outlines economics of life.

In recent years, economic approach to human behavior has been challenged by contributions of cognitive science under the name of behavioral economics. As a result, two methodological strands in economics discord with each other: objectivistic (naturalistic) approach refuses the role of motivations in human behavior, adopting methods of natural science; subjectivistic (interpretative) approach, on the other hand, takes the teleological structure of human action as its corner stone. It is argued that position of the latter (esp. rational choice theory) has been undermined because it builds upon primitive version of human teleological structure. The paper shows that phenomenology offers a promising solution. Phenomenology identifies typical, invariant structures of human action and social world, with various degrees of their anonymity. If economic approach is founded on those structures adequately, then both rational choice theory and bounded rationality theories become compatible, as they differ in their degrees of anonymity only; they both belong to the body of (subjectivistic) economic approach to human behavior.

The paper aims to show a comprehensive insight into the history of business economics science in the Czech Republic, marginally also on the European continent and worldwide. It depicts business economics in its beginning as a doctrine that was largely underestimated. This science was, for a very long time, a part of economics (national/public); only slowly has it gradually become an autonomous branch of science. This article shows historical attitudes to the theory of business in Bohemia as well as abroad since the end of the nineteenth century up to this day. It describes the period of statism in Bohemia within the context of business economics, it focuses on fundamentals of this science and depicts consecutively aspects from which the theory of business economics as a science arises in the transition period to free market economy. The paper discusses the future of business economics as a science that, considering current economic conditions worldwide, has a huge potential to grow. The article contributes to the worldwide discussion about its further development.

The study analyzes Mises's approach to the question of apriorism in a broader methodological context. It shows that it is not inevitable to advocate the aprioristic character of economics (resp. science of human action), as Mises does, to maintain the subjectivist-individualist methodology and the effort to adequately grasp the general laws of human action from its perspective. The present redefinition of apriorism is developed on the basis of thoughts of Barry Smith and Alfred Schutz. It suggests abandoning the apodictic character of apriori (which is untenable) and move closer to a broadly defined empiricism. The methodological insights developed in the paper are finally used to contribute to the debate between the behavioral economists and the proponents of rational choice theory.

The article deals with sex discrimination prohibition in the European community law as well as in the Czech law and it describes antidiscrimination juridical practise in the Czech Republic. It judges selected institutes of the antidiscrimination act from the point of view of their economic consequences. It shows to which behaviour the economic subjects are forced and analyses whether this behaviour is in accordance with economic rules of market economy, with principle of private property and free choices. It pays attention to equal opportunities and affirmative action as measures to ensure them, and the institute of burden of proof transfer to the accused. It concludes that the antidiscrimination act does not respect the natural rules of people's behaviour in real economic relations and it seems to be an artificial authority construct, which serves special purposes.

This paper inquires into beginnings of a gift economy as well as related contemporary institutions. Gift economy and the gift as a complex phenomenon was a common base for institutions of markets, credits, taxation, alms or social security. Inquires of origins, development and contemporary forms are consequently important contributions to our understanding to contemporary social institutions. We can also inquire with economists into present forms of a gift and look for reply to different questions about efficiency of a gift: Why to give, how to give and what way give a gift.

The author addresses the question of interdisciplinary studies based on his own experience. His negative experiences are confirmed by the results of a quantitative survey demonstrating that the proportion of citations from other disciplines is very low in four examined fields (economics, law, political science and sociology). But the overall picture is colored by positive examples: the theory of rational choice and game theory have broken the bounds of economics. Also multivariable regression analyses of time series of a large number of countries are not confined to economic phenomena. The spread of interdisciplinary studies is also shown in the way system paradigm has become a widely applied general approach. The author ends with three proposals: let us have a minimum conversancy with other disciplines, support interdisciplinary work, and promote the emergence of a new type of "social scientist".

Currently, if speaking about the theoretical background of the environmental policy, most of environmental economists have neoclassical economics in their minds. State regulation of private activities by means of restrictions, commands, taxes and fees is usually seen as the only one way to reach the high quality of the environment. It is believed, that due to market failures market forces are not able to solve the environmental problems. Actually, these are the main arguments for state interventions into the private negotiations about environmental issues. But are these assumptions correct from the methodological point of view? Is the state regulation really the only one way to solve the environmental problems? In this paper we try to signify the main methodological problems of neoclassical economics and to identify, how to solve environmental problems from the point of view of other economic school of thoughts. The development of theoretical aspects of environmental issues was not fetched up in 60's. and 70's with neoclassical conclusions, but it continued in 80's and 90's with free-market-environmentalism. This theoretical background contains the methodology of Austrian school of thoughts, Public Choice theory and new institutional economics. In the present environmental policy, theoretical conclusions of these school of thoughts are (intentionally) marginalized. At the end of this paper we discuss the interdependence between environmental degradation and economic growth. Is the economic growth bad or good for environmental protection? To answer this question we follow the modeling approach.

The author raises doubts about a sense of "catching up" and an idolatry of HDP's growth. His argumentation is based on the longitudinal international research of the link "economics-happiness" at the frontier between economics and psychology. The rationality of economic science "more is better" is bounded by environmental and relational externalities: it is just what a "theory of happiness" argues against a "joyless economy". The family-household is an old istitution esp. loosing in a competition with the market economy. The article stresses a role of "relational goods" explaining why more is sometimes less. The loss of happiness in market democracies (R.Lane) is the reason for a crisis of economic paradigm; it has a chance to be healed by a switch from the principle of imperial equivalence to a reciprocity (economy of communion). Implications for economic policies based on a "science of happiness" reverse the link "economics-happiness" making from HDP growth a by-product of our effort for happiness.

The article presents Max Weber as an economist. Weber's relation to economics is discussed. His inaugural speech in Freiburg "National State and Economic Policy" (1895), "Lectures on General (Theoretical) Economics" (1898), writings about stock exchange (1893-1898) as well as his article "Marginal Utility Theory and Psycho-physic Law" (1908) show that economics had been always especially close to him. The methodological paper "Roscher and Knies. The logical problems of historical economics" is mentioned as well.

The article describes the nature and importance of the concept of private property. It traces back the logical necessity of the respect for property as a safeguard of both peace and prosperity. Then, it surveys arguments in favor of intellectual property that allegedly coincide with those of the tangible property. It shows, however, that after careful research into the origin of patents and copyrights many problems arise. The analysis shows that there are no parallels between private property in tangible goods and property in intangible goods (ownership of ideal objects). Intellectual "property" fails in bringing about both peace and prosperity. The last part of the article suggests how a truly free market - a system that does not recognized intellectual property - might function.