International Journal of Social Economics: Volume 23 Issue 7

Self‐interest and sympathy in economic behaviour

Kjell Hausken

Analyses self‐interest and sympathy in game‐theoretic terms. Evaluates the relative weight of self‐interest and sympathy in the theories of Hobbes, Hume and Adam Smith in an…

Public‐to‐private organizational transition: A reconceptualization of conventional paradigms

Sonny Nwankwo

Argues that conceptually, privatization entails changing organizational status from public to private and from a monopoly to a competitive situation. In practice, the outcome may…

Jean‐Baptiste Say (1767‐1832): Between the labour theory of value and utility

A.H.G.M Spithoven

Postulates that politicians and economists again seem to believe in Say’s “law of markets” (la loi des “débouchés”). Discusses this law and its applicability in the present…

On the relativity of the concepts of needs, wants, scarcity and opportunity cost

Ernest Raiklin, Bülent Uyar

Starts from the premiss that the concept of scarcity is the cornerstone of economics. Discusses concepts of needs and wants. Reviews some views on the differences between needs…

Reflections on labour market deregulation in South Africa

David Tajgman

Discusses how, from 1919 the ILO (International Labour Organization) has been meeting the call for labour market deregulation with the plea that “labour is not a commodity” and…