Papers

Norms, Goals, and Stakeholders in Program Evaluation

P.J.M. Verschuren, & Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Norms, Goals, and Stakeholders in Program Evaluation.’ Human Systems Management , 1998, vol.17, no. 2, pp. 155-160 Evaluation research favours goal based evaluation. However, the achievement of the stated goals of interventionists, problem solvers or program managers is not a sufficient condition for a good decision or a successful program implementation. The value of a program, an intervention or a decision is determined not only by the achievement of its stated goals but also… Read More »Norms, Goals, and Stakeholders in Program Evaluation

Rationality Choice and the Diversity of Choices

Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Rationality Choice and the Diversity of Choices.’ Journal of Socio-Economics, 1998, vol.27, no. 5, pp. 613-622 The rational choice model has been criticised both on normative and descriptive grounds. It is obvious that self-interest maximising is not a universal rather a specific pattern of human choice behaviour. In economic and political life a great variation in people’s choice behaviour can be found. Using a broader analytic framework than the standard rational choice modelling, a rich typology… Read More »Rationality Choice and the Diversity of Choices

Transforming Sustainability Science to Generate Positive Social and Environmental Change Globally

Paul Shrivastava, Mark Stafford Smith, Karen O’Brien, and Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Transforming Sustainability Science to Generate Positive Social and Environmental Change Globally.’ One Earth, 2020, vol.2, no. 4 Despite the decades-long efforts of sustainability science and related policy and action programs, humanity has not gotten closer to global sustainability. With its focus on the natural sciences, sustainability science is not able to contribute sufficiently to the global transition to sustainability. This Perspective argues for transforming sustainability science into a… Read More »Transforming Sustainability Science to Generate Positive Social and Environmental Change Globally

Buddhist economics – an enlightened approach to the dismal science

Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Buddhist economics – an enlightened approach to the dismal science.’ Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion, 2019, vol.16, no. 2, pp. 231-233 Clair Brown is a well-established economics professor at UC Berkeley. Her new book provides a fresh, new insight into the field of Buddhist economics. What is the real novelty of Clair Brown’s book is that it connects Buddhist economic thought with the latest results of Western economics and presents a coherent and robust vision… Read More »Buddhist economics – an enlightened approach to the dismal science

Why Do We Need Contemplative Aproaches in Economics and Management?

Laszlo Zsolnai, Gabor Kovacs, & Andras Ocsai ‘Why Do We Need Contemplative Aproaches in Economics and Management?’ Society and Economy, 2018, vol.40, no. 4, pp. 493-496 Contemplative traditions (including meditation) are one of the oldest traditions of humanity. It has been present in all major religions in one way or another. Meditation is at the heart of contemplative traditions. It can be defined in various ways. Walsh and Shapiro (2006, 228-229) state that mediation refers to “a family of self-regulation… Read More »Why Do We Need Contemplative Aproaches in Economics and Management?

Buddhist Economics – An Overview

Clair Brown, & Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Buddhist Economics – An Overview.’ Society and Economy, 2018, vol.40, no. 4, pp. 497-513 Over the centuries, Buddhist monks applied economic models in the operations of their monasteries to make them sustainable while also observing Buddhist principles. The large variety of economic practices observed demonstrate the creativity of monastics in acquiring the resources to support their large monasteries in a way that was viewed as compatible with Buddhist ethics embodied in the Noble… Read More »Buddhist Economics – An Overview

Economic Actors and the Ultimate Goal of the Economy

Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Economic Actors and the Ultimate Goal of the Economy.’ , in Economic Objects and the Objects of Economics, eds. Peter Rona, and Laszlo Zsolnai, Springer, 2018. (This book may be available at: https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319945286) Mainstream economics employs a rather simplified picture of economic systems. Economic actors are grouped into three categories, namely individuals/households, firms, and the state. Among these actors only monetized transactions are considered. The ultimate goal of the economy is defined as maximization of individual income… Read More »Economic Actors and the Ultimate Goal of the Economy

Issues and Themes in Moral Economics

Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Issues and Themes in Moral Economics.’ , in Economics as a Moral Science, eds. Peter Rona, and Laszlo Zsolnai, Springer, 2017. (This book may be available at: Springer) This paper summarizes the main issues and themes in the development of moral economics. Zamagni suggests that we can harness market interactions by re-defining the market in a non-individualistic way, as a network of mutually beneficial relations, along the lines suggested by the civil economy paradigm. Bouckaert underlines that… Read More »Issues and Themes in Moral Economics

Economic Rationality versus Human Reason

Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Economic Rationality versus Human Reason .’ , in Economics as a Moral Science, eds. Peter Rona, and Laszlo Zsolnai, Springer, 2017. (This book may be available at: Springer) First the paper analyses the rationality assumptions of mainstream economics and shows that they are empirically misleading and normatively inadequate. It argues that the world ruled by self-interest based rationality of economic actors leads to ’unreason’ from a wider ecological and human perspective. The paper illuminates that human reason… Read More »Economic Rationality versus Human Reason

Buddhism and Economic Development

Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Buddhism and Economic Development.’ , in Teaching Buddhism, eds. Todd Lewis, and Gary DeAngelis, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2016. Buddhist Economics is not the same as Economics of Buddhism. The former is a modern discourse that utilizes elements of Buddhist thought to construct an alternative model of the economy and the latter is a study of how Buddhists organize their econimic life in real-world social settings, past or present. Buddhist Economics is essentially a normative enterprise… Read More »Buddhism and Economic Development