Monnaie et richesse chez John Locke une politique de l'économie

Locke's works on money are not the clumsy outline of the liberal economic theories that developed later on but they are part and parcel of his philosophy. This study will then show that Locke's works on money are at the crossroads of three distinct lines of research. Firstly, inspired by the mercantilist analysis of wealth and its circulation, Locke endeavours to define the categories proper to monetary analysis. Secondly, metallic money being defined both as commodity and symbol, the problem then stands on the ground of a philosophical analysis of the notion of representation which brings into play the distinction, established in theEssay concerning human understanding, between substance, mixed mode and relation. Lastly, money provides the link between private activity and the whole of social life; so Locke examines its role from the point of view of property, labour and the collective aims both must fulfil. On the whole, money does appear to be a crucial issue in the thought of Locke, not a subsidiary theme due to circumstances.     

Winding Down in a Quebec Mining Town: a Case Study of Schefferville

The pattern of decline in a mining region is examined using a case study of Schefferville. A critical examination is made of Lucas's model of youth to maturity in community development, and a further two stages are suggested - winding down and closure of a town. The discussion centres on the characteristics of community and corporate winding down in Schefferville: the restructuring of the local workforce, disinvestment, relocation of capital, and company withdrawal from housing, municipal affairs, and public services.
Les auteurs entreprennent une étude du processus de déclin dans les régions minikres en se servant de l'exemple de Schefferville. En partant d'une critique du modtle fait par Lucas sur les stages d'évolution et de maturation d'une communauté, les auteurs proposent d'y ajouter deux autres Ctages, soit celui de déclin et celui de la fermeture définitive d'une ville. La période de déclin est donc caractérisée par la restructuration de la main d'ceuvre, par la diminution des investissements, par la relocalisation de capitaux, et par le retrait de la sociktk minikre au niveau du logement, des affaires municipales, et des services publics dans la ville.     

Toward Conceptualizing Trip-Chaining Behavior: A Review

This paper critically reviews the existing literature on multiple-trip journeys, and clarifies the need for an improved conceptualization and modeling strategy. It also suggests different ways that trip chaining can be treated and a theory constructed. Exploratory studies, from the 1960s and 1970s, are briefly surveyed (Section I). While they developed the existence and complexity of travel patterns, they lacked any comprehensive theoretical framework. However, they were useful in that they supported the conceptual framework of various kinds of stochastic processes used by transportation scientists to replicate trip-chaining behavior (Section II). Scientists subsequently improved their conceptualization of the issue by grounding individual behavior on the principle of utility maximization. In this latter area the economists have emphasized theoretical concerns while transportation researchers have emphasized operationality (Section III).     

All that Glitters is not Gold. The Political Economy of Randomized Evaluations in Development

Randomized control trials (RCTs) have a narrow scope, restricted to basic intervention schemes. Experimental designs also display specific biases and political uses when implemented in the real world. Despite these limitations, the method has been advertised as the gold standard to evaluate development policies. This article adopts a political economy approach to explore this paradox. It argues that the success of RCTs is driven mainly by a new scientific business model based on a mix of simplicity and mathematical rigour, media and donor appeal, and academic and financial returns. This in turn meets current interests and preferences in the academic world and the donor community.     

The Social Regulation of Markets: Why Microcredit Fails to Promote Jobs in Rural South India

There is growing evidence that microcredit does little to support self‐employment. Two main explanations are typically emphasized: from a microeconomic perspective, the poor have been argued to lack the skills, resources and motivation to start their own businesses; from a macroeconomic perspective, local markets are often saturated. This article uses first‐hand data from rural South India to explore a third explanation which focuses on the social regulation of markets. Drawing on a household survey, the authors show that self‐employment and microcredit are uncorrelated, and that women and lower castes have a significantly lower chance of starting up a business. The businesses they do start tend to be smaller, less profitable and based in very specific sectors. Qualitative insights into the workings of local economies show that caste and gender‐based social regulations influence local markets determining who can produce or sell what, to whom, and at what price. The authors observe that real markets are affected by power relations and structured through social institutions rather than being the sum of interactions between free and competitive individuals. These findings show the importance of integrating self‐employment programmes into broader policies for transforming the social regulation of markets and for eradicating discrimination against women and lower castes.