Compensation for industrial accidents and incentives for prevention: a theoretical and empirical perspective

This paper examines the compensation systems for industrial accidents in Belgium, Germany and Great Britain, thereby taking into account some recent empirical data on industrial accident rates and (although hardly available) amounts of compensation paid out to employee victims. The key question of this paper, derived from past research in law and economics, is whether these particular compensation systems include elements that may contribute to the prevention of industrial accidents. While the three countries examined here all have at least some incentive-based elements, notably in the way those systems are financed, there appears to be room for improvement both in Belgium and Great Britain. The German case study leads to the proposition that giving an organisation the responsibility for both compensation and prevention may have a beneficial effect on the accident rate.     

Collective identities,public spheres,civil society and citizenship in the contemporary era – with some observations on the Israeli scene

This paper falls into two sections. In the first certain macro-social changes that have transformed the nature of collective identities in the modern period are considered. In the second, how these have had an impact on Israeli society is considered.

In the contemporary era there have been taking place in Europe – indeed throughout the world – far-reaching changes and transformation of public spheres, civil society and conceptions of citizenship, in close relation to the crystallization of new patterns of collective identity – processes which entail far-reaching transformations of some aspects of what has been envisaged as the ‘classical’ nation-state or the decomposition of some of its components.

These far-reaching changes, decline or transformation of the ideological and institutional premises of the modern nation state developed in a specific historical context. The most important characteristic of this new context was the combination of first, changes in the international systems and shifts of hegemonies within them; second, processes of internal ideological changes in Western societies; third, the development of new processes of globalization; and fourth, far-reaching processes of democratization, of the growing demands of various social sectors for access into the centers of their respective societies, as well as into international arenas.     

South Asia and the Asiatic Mode of production: Some conceptual and empirical problems

Abstract

The resurgence of dialectical sociology has stimulated a renewed interest in the investigation of political and economic developments in third world countries with the aid of Marxist paradigms. In this connection a substantial volume of literature has been produced recently, mostly by western scholars, on Marx's definition of the Asiatic Mode of Production (AMP) or its related genre, such as Oriental Despotism. Hopefully the revival of this interest will open up lines of investigation hitherto ignored or inadequately developed. At the same time numerous difficulties arise on the theoretical, empirical and ideological levels when one attempts to explain the dynamics of change in countries and regions of South Asia with the above mentioned concepts in mind.     

The terrorists' dilemmas: Some implicit rules of the game 1

Abstract

Knowledge of certain dilemmas faced by terrorists may serve to narrow the options available to the opposing parties and aid in varying government response to terrorist acts. Such dilemmas are the identification with violence, the problem of attacking or seeking a negotiated incident, choice of level of terror, maintenance of one's objectivity within a group characterized by conformity, and retaining one's identity as a historic victim.     

Financial market liberalisation in LDCs: The incidence of risk allocation effects of interest rate increases

’High’ deposit interest rates are central to the financial liberalisation argument. The article investigates the relatively neglected issue of who must pay. Two issues are stressed. If loan charges increase the incidence falls on (typically), highly geared businesses and overall financial saving may not rise as claimed. Second, although loan charges need not increase (and enhanced credit availability may compensate borrowers if they do), the financial risks of banks increase. These risks are pertinent to monetary policy and may force actions contrary to the liberalisation approach. Institutional developments to foster the supply of risk‐bearing capital are emphasised in conclusion.     

Rent seeking and hidden in-kind resource distortion: Some empirical evidence

We wish to thank John Jackson, Robert Hebert, Gordon Tullock and an anonymous referee for helpful comments on earlier draft of the paper.