The theme of this article is the importance – and the many causes – of lowlevel equilibrium “traps.” Rosenstein-Rodan pointed out that spillovers may cause the return to an activity to increase with the number of others who undertake that activity. If spillovers are strong enough, both lowand high-level equilibria are possible, with no tendency of market forces to lead from the worse to the bet...

For many decades the euthanasia debate is particularly controversial in modern societies. Indeed, in the northern European tradition, as well as in countries of Anglo-American influence, euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide and other end-of-life decisions are an important source of social debate. It is well known that in many circumstances, medical decision-making often contributes to hasten ...

In this paper we empirically try to estimate productivity and growth of the world's economies by selected indicators measuring sustainability, equity, and the state of democratic rights and civil liberties. We use models from the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) literature to compare productivity levels in a multiple output setting. This productivity level can then be interpreted as a new human ...

Social scientists strongly believe that cultural norms and values shape, stimulate, direct, and influence all activities of human societies. This study attempts to provide a sociological analysis of cultural components, in particular the content of the proverbs included in Dehkhoda's Amsal va Hekam (Proverbs and Parables) and their role in Iran's underdevelopment. This book was chosen ...

WHEN WE SPEAK OF MODERNITY and of modern societies, we seem to mean one of two things. [1] First, we may speak as if we were giving an encompassing name to a whole epoch in world history, the modern age, as distinct from, say, the medieval age or classical antiquity. Such a terminology makes it legitimate to discuss questions as to when exactly the modern age may be said to have come into exist...