The Discretionary Economy: A Normative Theory of Political
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Tool, Marc R., PUBLISHER: Westview Press, ong>Theong> Discretionary Economy argues that we do in fact control our own political and economic destinies. As a community, we have discretion over policies that determine wheong>theong>r an economic process adequately provides for ong>theong> necessities ong>ofong> life. We also determine who participates in normative public judgments and wheong>theong>r decisions distinguish between what is and what ought to be. Tool argues that we must continuously organize ong>theong> institutional structures through which economic and political functions in ong>theong> social process are carried on. We must exercise discretion by creating and modifying institutions that coordinate our behavior. To exercise discretion effectively requires that we employ distinctively American economic, political, and philosophical ong>theong>ory. In this volume, ong>theong> pivotal twentieth-century contributors to this encompassing ong>theong>ory ong>ofong> political economy are Thorstein Veblen, John Dewey, Clarence Ayres, and R. Fagg Foster. This volume presents, in detail, ong>theong>ir analytical and philosophical perspective on social change. A major purpose ong>ofong> this volume is to compare and contrast ong>theong> American tradition with ong>theong> traditions ong>ofong> capitalism, Marxism, and fascism, demonstrating that ong>theong> former can resolve compelling economic and political problems and ong>theong> latter two cannot. This book explains how to identify and analyze social, economic, and political problems confronted in all communities, and how to go about framing and implementing structural adjustments in ong>theong> political economy. It will be ong>ofong> interest to students in non-traditional courses in political economy including institutional economics, contemporary social problems, economics and social policy, methodology, andcontemporary economic thought.