A/ We have discussed Liberalism, Mercantilism/Nationalism, Marxism and Christian Social Thoughts are theoretical schools of IPE . Explain the evolution of either GATT or International Monetary Regimes for each theoretical school by identifying:
1. For each theoretical school, what are the most important actors and what are interests/ preferences/ goals of the actors?
In the discipline of International Political Economy, there are four main schools of thoughts that are often at odd with each other. While Liberalism identifies individuals or private firms as the most important actors and maximizing individual wealth as a main interest, Mercantilism identifies the states as the main actors in the economy and maximizing the state’s power through self-sufficiency as the main goal. On the other hand, Marxism rejects the view of both Liberalism and Mercantilism. Marxism identifies the capitalist class as the most important actors with the goals of maximizing class interests. The Christian Social Thought rejects the views of Liberalism, Mercantilism and Marxism. Christian Social Thought focus on the religious institutions as the most important actors while identifies the promotions of common good as the main economic goals.
Liberalism views actors as independent, atomistic, and individualistic entity. Actors are assumed to have interests and pursue those interests rationally. Furthermore, in Liberalism, actors are assumed to be equal with equal opportunity. There is an assumption that resources are limited. These assumptions about the actors in the market set the foundation for actors’ behaviours in the market. In Liberalism, property rights are the essential. Liberalism identifies individuals as the most important actors in economic ac...
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...igher than property law. In the argument of Christian social thoughts, the workers and the capitalist have rights and duties to each other. The Christian argue that just wage and just price is the center of the economy. Thus, the goals of the actors are not to maximize benefits but to promote common good of the society. It also condemns the thirst for power in the mercantilist theory. The Christian social thought rejects the idea that market can adjust itself because market is a human institution which is less than perfect. Since the state’s role is to promote the common good, it is important for the state to intervene in the market. However, the most important actor in the economy is the church because the church provides moral guidance for individuals who are active member of the market. Thus, the most important boundaries in the market are one set by the church.
The author of the article believes that through the social and productive cooperation, the society can reach its wealth and prosperity. The production cooperation has two main elements, freedom and good health. However, the author emphasizes that freedom is more important than good health and wealth as well. He points out that "the sick people can be productive, but without freedom the productive cooperation of the marketplace is impossible." He also clarified that the rich people could not enjoy their wealth without freedom. Moreover, Professor Dwight mentions that there is mutual dependence among the production and freedom. He clarified this idea in two points. First, "Markets requires freedom". The author attacks the centralized government that prevents the freedom and dominates the information flows, which is an important element of the market economy. Second, "freedom requires markets". Professor Lee emphasizes that privatization protects individual freedom. In this context he mentions for an important example that we might experience in everyday life, "the pollution problems." These are real problems in our world today, especially in the over populated cities and countries such as Mexico City and Cairo.
The Bible clearly explains the role of government in society and the framers of our nation built America on Biblical principles. Since economics is the science that deals with production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, Christian economics entails how men use God-given resources, ideas, and energy to meet their human needs and to glorify the Lord. Christianity produces internal liberty in man, which is the foundation for a Christian economy. The internal change of heart that Christ brings produces Christian character and self-government which is necessary for an economy to be prosperous. Christian character and self-government produce people who do not steal, who have a strong work ethic, and who save and invest to
Health care in America tends to be a gray area for citizens without prior experience with medical issues. Michael Moore an American filmmaker discusses in his documentary “Sicko” the unpleasant experience some Americans had to go through because of our health care system. Moore implements humor to his documentary by inserting comical music, images, and narration in spots that help his argument gain attention. He also travels abroad to places like Canada, France, and Cuba, where universal health care is supported. He does this in order to provide reason why universal health care is a good ideas by capturing the different emotions and opinions of individuals in those countries versus what people think in America. In addition, Moore provides evidence on why the United States should adopt a different health care system by providing facts like the life expectancy and cost of health care in America compared to other countries. Michael Moore’s main goal is to inform the audience as well as introduce his argument that our health care system is inadequate and that better solutions are out there like universal health care.
The major weaknesses of his book is the absence of contextual analysis. Since the principles he presents are fundamental for Protestantism, it could be necessaire to show in what context these principle were developed. The contextual analysis could help to understand the motivation of the leader of protestant movement and could allow to make a reel analysis of the impact of Protestantism ethic on the spirit of capitalism. Without the knowledge of the context it can be subjective to conclude that Protestantism influenced the capitalism. For example, in the United States, the spirit of self-confidence was necessary for the survival of the first immigrants. Since, they had not any protection, in order to survive, they should have a self-confidence. When the context in which each principle were developed are understanding, it become easy to appreciate their
Bastiat writes, “Each of us has a natural right - from God – to defend his person, his liberty, and his property.” He makes the point that that this individual right can be used collectively; a common force as a substitution of individual forces, to protect persons, liberties, and properties, and therefore cannot conversely be used for the purpose of destroying persons, liberties, and properties. Bastiat, when describing his ideal “simple, easy to accept, economical, limited, non-oppressive, just and enduring government” summarizes his economic principles simply as “the non-intervention of the state in private affairs”. For he believes that “a science of economics must be developed before a science of a science of politics can be logically formulated.” He summarizes that science simply; “if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime…then abolish this law without delay.” The [Catholic] Church, and its followers, share the same ideals. For the Church teaches us that, “the free market is the most efficient instrument for utilizing resources and effectively responding to needs” and that “to safeguard…a free economy…the State must adopt suitable legislation…in such a way that it does not become abusively involved in the various market activities, the carrying out of which is and must
In the early 1870s Andrew Carnegie became the largest steel producer in the nation and one of the richest men in America. According to lecture 3, Andrew Carnegie had few regulations, which made him a wealthy and dominant force in the U.S. Carnegie’s steel mill was located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Carnegie’s steel worker made to work in a dangerous and a poor work environment. The working conditions at the steel mill were so dangerous that it was likely they would lose their life. Carnegie forces his worker to work a twelve-hour workday. The steel workers wanted to work in a better work environment; they organized a steel worker’s union.
Weber also took the same approach, but credited the rise of capitalism to the religious discipline of the Protestant faith. In fact, Weber believed that there was a connection between Protestantism and capitalism. Now, let’s not forget, that these people lived during a time of uncertainty, and if they felt protected and safe about their future they would invest in it. A central theme for the Protestant faith is the ...
In about ½ of a page (single-spaced), please state whether you agree, disagree, or have a mixed opinion regarding the following statement and argue, via evidence and claims from what you have learned in class, why you have picked your stated position. Be sure to comprehensively explain and support your reasoning.
... between the theory of liberalism and realism to find which one of the theory gives better explanation and prediction of the international relations. For instance, each theories would approach the explanation for the peaceful relations between Republic of Korea and Japan different. If the reason for the friendly relation between the two countries are due to the balance of power to counter the Chinese interest, this would be the perspective of the realist. But if the economic interdependence between the Japan and Korea caused the peaceful relations, this is the view of the liberalism. Contemporary society analyze certain issues of international relations with different perspective, but it is utterly important for individuals to approach issues of international relations from one perspective and approach from contrasting critic view to study international politic.
Following the Industrial Revolution in 19th century Europe, change was in full swing and religion began to have different meanings for different people. The upper-class citizens used Religion, namely Christianity, and the power that it possessed in an attempt to keep their high status in society, while the lower class turned to faith so that their lives could possibly improve. Instead of religion being the cornerstone of faith and worship amongst all people, it was being used for power and money by the upper class. Even worse, religious leaders were using the upper class people as well, gaining money and authority from their endorsement. A man by the name of Karl Marx saw what was happening and thus spoke out about it, declaring religion as “the opium of the people.”[1] He had a vision for equality, and wrote it down in the form of the Communist Manifesto; however nowhere in this document were aspirations of religious harmony. Religion was becoming the catalyst for class separation and social mayhem in 19th century Europe, and according to Karl Marx, equality was only possible with the abolition of it as a whole.
The creation of the study of international relations in the early 20th century has allowed multiple political theories to be compared, contrasted, debated, and argued against one another for the past century. These theories were created based on certain understandings of human principles or social nature and project these concepts onto the international system. They examine the international political structure and thrive to predict or explain how states will react under certain situations, pressures, and threats. Two of the most popular theories are known as constructivism and realism. When compared, these theories are different in many ways and argue on a range of topics. The topics include the role of the individual and the use of empirical data or science to explain rationally. They also have different ideological approaches to political structure, political groups, and the idea that international relations are in an environment of anarchy.
...By tying the church to the government, people expect the government to behave ethically, but often times, an entirely moral ruler will be overthrown. People expect rulers to act differently than themselves. A ruler cannot show any weakness, or else he will no longer be feared enough to keep him in power, and he will be overthrown. Everybody sees what a ruler seems to be, but few really know who he is. A ruler must seem determined and moral to the people, and show positive results from his leadership. The most important thing for a ruler to do is to avoid being hated or despised by the people, which could occur if a ruler took people's property. For the people, more than the form of power, their perception of power may be the most important for a ruler to maintain his position. “If a ruler wins wars and holds on to power, the means he has employed will always be judged honorable, and everyone will praise him.”(pg.55) Therefore, a ruler should look mainly to winning and to the successful protection of his country. The ways he utilizes for this will always be considered honorable and will be praised by everybody.
According to Max Weber religion is an institution that is based on cultural needs of man and has added capacity to human development and human life. In his book “Protestant Ethics and the Spirit of Capitalism” Weber argues that the values of the protestant institution and its ethics played an important role in the economy of Western countries. His study focused on how a religious sect can influence the economic behavior of its attendants. The main concern of Weber was to know until what extension the religious conceptions of the world of existence have an impact on the economic behavior of Western societies. The strongest influences according to Weber on the development of capitalism was the Calvinist sect of Protestant religion. Weber examines
The study of international relations takes a wide range of theoretical approaches. Some emerge from within the discipline itself others have been imported, in whole or in part, from disciplines such as economics or sociology. Indeed, few social scientific theories have not been applied to the study of relations amongst nations. Many theories of international relations are internally and externally contested, and few scholars believe only in one or another. In spite of this diversity, several major schools of thought are discernable, differentiated principally by the variables they emphasize on military power, material interests, or ideological beliefs. International Relations thinking have evolved in stages that are marked by specific debates between groups of scholars. The first major debate is between utopian liberalism and realism, the second debate is on method, between traditional approaches and behavioralism. The third debate is between neorealism/neoliberalism and neo-Marxism, and an emerging fourth debate is between established traditions and post-positivist alternatives (Jackson, 2007).
Modern day society is engrossed in a battle for protection of individual rights and freedoms from infringement by any person, be it the government or fellow citizens. Liberalism offers a solution to this by advocating for the protection of personal freedom. As a concept and ideology in political science, liberalism is a doctrine that defines the motivation and efforts made towards the protection of the aforementioned individual freedom. In the current society, the greatest feature of liberalism is the protection of individual liberty from intrusion or violation by a government. The activities of the government have, therefore, become the core point of focus. In liberalism, advocacy for personal freedom may translate to three ideal situations, based on the role that a government plays in a person’s life. These are no role, a limited role or a relatively large role. The three make up liberalism’s rule of thumb. (Van de Haar 1). Political theorists have