http://www.relationshipsfoundation.org/ Reported here by: SPMG, 8 August 2009

This interim report considers aspects of current company structure, its strengths and weaknesses, and looks at what companies are for and their responsibilities to those who rely on them for their well-being. It considers various approaches to meet particular concerns and explains why these do not address some of the underlying issues. It then outlines an alternative model, the Relational Company, its founding principles and characteristics. Finally, it describes a proposal for a charter which could be adopted by companies.the Relational Company, its founding principles and characteristics. Finally, it describes a proposal for a charter which could be adopted by companies.

http://voxeu.org/  Reported here by: SPMG, 7 August 2009

Mortgage-backed securities have played a major role in the financial crisis and aren’t very popular as a result. This column documents macroeconomic benefits of these instruments, showing that economies with more developed markets for securitised mortgage debt share more consumption risk with other economies. 

http://voxeu.org/ Reported here by: SPMG, 3 August 2009

In numerous poor or stagnating countries, politicians are ineffective and corrupt, public goods are under-provided and public policies confer rents to privileged élites, law enforcement is inadequate, and moral hazard is widespread inside public and private organisations. There is not just one institutional failure. Typically, the countries or regions that fail in one dimension also fail in many other aspects of collective behaviour.

One of the main challenges of current research in economic growth and development is identifying the mechanism through which distant political and economic history shapes the functioning of current institutions. The author, a professor of economics at Bocconi University, claims that an important channel for this shaping is individuals’ morality (defined as individual values and convictions about the scope of application of norms of good conduct). It is an important factor in economic outcomes.

http://www.thinkingfaith.org/  Reported here by: SPMG, 3 August 2009 

What do we need to do in order to live a good life, and why should we want to do this? John Moffatt SJ looks at different approaches to developing an ethical framework, and examines the relationship of religion to various ethical traditions.

http://www.economist.com/  Reported here by: SPMG, 6 August 2009

http://voxeu.org/ Reported here by: SPMG, 6 August 2009

Aid critics have recently been blaming aid as the source of Africa’s poverty. This column explains how Africa has long been struggling with rural poverty, tropical diseases, illiteracy, and lack of infrastructure and that the right solution is to help address these critical needs through transparent and targeted public and private investments. This includes both more aid and more market financing. It refers to D. Moyo and her recent book “Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How there is a Better Way for Africa” see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dambisa-moyo/aid-ironies-a-response-to_b_207772.html 

http://www.ft.com/  Reported here by: SPMG, 6 August 2009

There is a risk that empirically dubious but emotionally attractive interpretations of the financial crisis, which condemn markets and call for more statism, could gain ground.

http://voxeu.org/ Reported here by: SPMG, 4 August 2009 

Bank bonuses have been blamed for contributing to the crisis, and regulators and politicians are now demanding changes in compensation arrangements. Most of these calls are based on a misconception of the nature of financial risk, an inflated view of the efficacy of risk models, and an incorrect view of the incentive issues facing financial institutions. This column proposes reforms that would discipline senior managers by exposing them to the dangers of junior managers’ risk taking. 

http://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/EconomicElephants 

http://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/Rainbows Reported here by: SPMG, 4 August 2009 

The Salvation Army NZ has released a thought-provoking discussion paper exploring consumerism and what we feel is rightly ours. It focuses on the concept of entitlement and the inherent dangers of framing entitlement in terms of our desires and inflated expectations. The Rainbow paper follows on from an earlier paper on Economic Elephants and the theology of enough.