Kant and Hegel on Purposive Action

This essay discusses Kant and Hegel’s philosophies of action and the place of action within the general structure of their practical philosophy. We begin by briefly noting a few things that both unite and distinguish the two philosophers. In the sections that follow, we consider these and their corollaries in more detail. In so doing, we map their differences against those suggested by more standard readings that treat their accounts of action as less central to their practical philosophy. Section 2 discusses some central Kantian concepts (Freedom, Willkür, Wille, and Moral Law). In Section 3, we take a closer look at the distinction between internal and external action, as found in Kant’s philosophy of morality and legality. In Section 4, we turn to Hegel and his distinctions between abstract right (legality), morality, and ethical life, as well as the location of his account of action within his overall theory of morality. We discuss the distinction between Handlung and Tat, and non-imputable consequences. The overall aims of our essay are to shed light on some puzzles in Kant and Hegel’s conceptions and to examine where their exact disputes lie without taking a stand on which philosophy is ultimately the most satisfactory.Peer reviewe

Scale and conservation planning in the real world

Conservation planning is carried out on a variety of geopolitical and biogeographical scales. Whereas considerable consensus is emerging about the most appropriate procedures for identifying conservation areas, the spatial implications of conducting conservation planning at divergent scales have received little attention. Here we explore the consequences of planning at different geopolitical scales, using a database of the mammalian fauna from the Northern Provinces of South Africa. The conservation network resulting from treating the region as one unit is compared with networks generated separately for the provinces nested in that region. These outcomes are evaluated in terms of (i) their land use efficiencies, (ii) their spatial overlap, and (iii) the impact of algorithm attributes. Although land use efficiencies are greater on broader scales, on average the spatial congruence between the broad-scale regional network and fine-scale provincial networks was less than 14%. Algorithms using different selection rules fail to improve this disturbing outcome. Consequently, scale has an overwhelming influence on areas identified as conservation networks in geopolitical units. This should be recognized in conservation planning

Openness and inflation

This paper reviews the evidence on the relationship between openness and inflation. There is a robust negative relationship across countries, first documented by Romer (1993), between a country's openness to trade and its long-run inflation rate. However, a key part of the standard explanation for this relationship—that central banks have a smaller incentive to engineer surprise inflations in more-open economies because the Phillips curve is steeper—seems at odds with the facts. While the United States is still not a very open economy by conventional measures, there are channels through which global developments may influence the nation's inflation. We document evidence that global resource utilization may play a role in U.S. inflation and suggest avenues for future research.Inflation (Finance) ; Trade ; Phillips curve

Combining multi-agent simulations and cost-benefit analysis to evaluate policy options for the management of livestock effluents in Réunion Island

This study uses a multi-agent system to simulate the behaviour of economic players in a context of rapidly evolving environmental policy. The area under study is represented by a sector of a French overseas Department, Réunion Island, with a high concentration of pig farms in the upland region and extensive sugarcane plantations in the coastal zone. We first simulate local pig farmers' reactions to several policy options aimed at reducing the pollution coming from pig rearing. Multi-agent simulations are then coupled with cost-benefit analysis in order to calculate the net present value of different policy options. Advantages and limits of the use of the proposed methods to support decision-making are finally discussed. (Résumé d'auteur

The Relationship Between Entrepreneurial Intensity and Shareholder Value Creation

Innovation and entrepreneurship have long been regarded as sources of value and wealth creation. Previous research has shown that there is a positive relationship between enterprises’ levels of entrepreneurship and their financial performance. Little research, however, has hitherto focused on measuring the relationship between entrepreneurship and shareholder value creation. In this study the relationship between the entrepreneurial intensity and the shareholder value created by an enterprise is investigated. An adapted corporate entrepreneurship (CE) measurement instrument is applied in order to gauge entrepreneurial intensity, while shareholder value creation is measured by the market adjusted total share return (TSR) and the value based financial performance measure Economic Value Added (EVA). The study is conducted for a sample of enterprises listed in the industrial sector of the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE) for the period 2003–2005. The contribution of the study is the focus on the relationship between entrepreneurial intensity and shareholder value creation, rather than purely on the accounting-based financial performance of an enterprise.entrepreneurial intensity, value based financial performance measures, economic value added

A new species of Dammaroxylon Schultze-Motel, D. Natalense sp. nov. from the Cretaceous of Natal, South Africa

Main articleIn the Cretaceous rocks of the M'hlosinga district, Zululand, Natal a new species of the form genus Dammaroxylon Schultze-Motel, D. natalense sp. nov., has been discovered. New evidence regarding the structure of the marginal ray parenchyma cells has been obtained. The conclusion is reached that Dammaroxylon could possibly take an intermediate phylogenetic position between the Araucariaceae and Podocarpaceae.Non

On tile anatomy of Dadoxylon arberi Seward with some remarks on the phylogenetical tendencies of its tracheid pits

Main articleA well preserved specimen of Dadoxylon arberi Seward has been discovered in the Beaufort Series (Upper Karroo System) of the Empangeni district in Natal, South Africa. The species is characterized by the tracheid pits which are araucaroid in the multiseriate condition, but which are more often circular and separately arranged or appear in stellate groups. The cross field pits tend to be aligned in horizontal pairs. Dadoxylon arberi shows a relationship with several species of the recent Araucariaceae. Its resemblance to other Gondwana woods from other Southern Hemisphere countries suggests a great uniformity in the elements of the coniferous flora of that time. It is suggested that Dadoxylon arberi represents an intermediate form between the Araucariaceae and Podocarpaceae. The reduction in the seriation of the tracheid pits and a drifting thereof seems to stand in close correlation with the formation of annual rings.Non

The globalization of U.S. business investment

This paper documents some key facts about foreign direct investment flows by U.S. businesses overseas and foreign businesses in the United States. We show how the pattern of flows has evolved, examine the sources and destination of these flows, document associated employment and productivity gains, and show how investment-related sales compare with traditional exports. While the United States is a net debtor to the rest of the world, direct investment overseas by U.S. businesses exceeds direct investment in the U.S. by foreign businesses. Furthermore, U.S. businesses seem to earn more on their foreign investments than foreign firms earn on their U.S. investments. The globalization of business investment is a long-standing phenomenon, but it has accelerated in recent years and become a source of concern for some, as it is intimately related to the debate on offshore outsourcing. Yet contrary to what some think, the bulk of U.S. investment overseas is in other high-income countries. And foreign investment in the U.S. has been an important source of employment growth in recent years.Investments, Foreign - United States