scholarly journals Radical Markets by Eric Posner and E. Glen Weyl: A Review Essay

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 471-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
David K. Levine
Keyword(s):  
Review Essay ◽  
Market Design ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Design Principles ◽  
Standards Of Living

At a time when standards of living have improved more than any time in history, this book makes a proposal for radical change. It is based—loosely—on market design principles. The plan for attacking overlapping ownership is reasonably well thought out. Most of the book, however, proposes to use mechanisms designed for a narrow purpose; to attack real or imagined problems that they are ill—suited to solve. I conclude that while market design has a lot to offer when properly applied, the proposals here are not sufficiently well thought out to constitute a serious plan of action.(JEL D44, D47, D72, D82, P14)

Radical Change in Israel: A Review Essay

2001 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 447-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
MYRON J. ARONOFF
Keyword(s):  
Review Essay ◽  
Radical Change

scholarly journals The Paradoxical Malthusian. A Promethean Perspective on Vaclav Smil’s Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities (MIT Press, 2019) and Energy and Civilization: A History (MIT Press, 2017)

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 5306
Author(s):  
Pierre Desrochers
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Review Essay ◽  
Environmental Remediation ◽  
Private Property ◽  
Environmental Movement ◽  
Private Property Rights ◽  
Standards Of Living ◽  
Value Judgements ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Comprehensive Study

Prolific energy writer Vaclav Smil’s “Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities” (MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA, 2019) is marketed as the most comprehensive study of the modalities of growth in Earth’s life systems in their many natural, social, and technological forms. While the book reflects Smil’s strength as a polymath, it also brings into focus his Malthusian outlook. Smil’s Malthusianism is puzzling in light of much empirical evidence to the contrary and of his own detailed histories of human technological achievements, including his recent massive synthesis “Energy and Civilization: A History” (MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA, 2017). In keeping with Smil’s historical emphasis, in this review essay, the Malthusian assumptions, assertions, and conclusions of these books are challenged through the Promethean insights of numerous writers whose output long predates the modern environmental movement and can thus avoid charges of “greenwashing”. I make a case that, in the context of market economies (i.e., competition, price system, and private property rights), humans’ unique propensity to trade physical goods and to (re)combine things in new ways have long delivered both improved standards of living and environmental remediation. I further suggest that it is not the volume of materials handled, but rather how they are handled that determines the impact of economic growth on the biosphere. While Professor Smil is fond of saying that “numbers don’t lie”, his work illustrates that they are sometimes made to tell an unduly pessimistic story through the intellectual filters created by an author’s assumptions and value judgements.

A Review Essay on Alvin Roth’s Who Gets What—and Why

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 1602-1614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward L. Glaeser
Keyword(s):  
Review Essay ◽  
Market Design ◽  
Law Clerks

Alvin Roth's Who Gets What—And Why provides a richly accessible introduction to his pioneering work on market design. Much of economics ignores the institutions that allocate goods, blithely assuming that the mythical Walrasian auctioneer will handle everything perfectly. But markets do fail and Roth details those failures, like the market for law clerks that unravels because clerks and judges commit to each other too quickly. Roth combines theory and pragmatic experience to show how the economist can engineer successful markets. He has even enabled welfare-improving trades in kidney exchanges, where law and social repugnance forbids cash payments. (JEL C78, D47)

A peek in the micro-sized world: a review of design principles, engineering tools, and applications of engineered microbial community

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 399-409
Author(s):  
Baizhen Gao ◽  
Rushant Sabnis ◽  
Tommaso Costantini ◽  
Robert Jinkerson ◽  
Qing Sun
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Environmental Remediation ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Design Principles ◽  
Microbial Interactions ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
New Gene ◽  
Global Biogeochemical Cycles ◽  
Synthetic Microbial Communities

Microbial communities drive diverse processes that impact nearly everything on this planet, from global biogeochemical cycles to human health. Harnessing the power of these microorganisms could provide solutions to many of the challenges that face society. However, naturally occurring microbial communities are not optimized for anthropogenic use. An emerging area of research is focusing on engineering synthetic microbial communities to carry out predefined functions. Microbial community engineers are applying design principles like top-down and bottom-up approaches to create synthetic microbial communities having a myriad of real-life applications in health care, disease prevention, and environmental remediation. Multiple genetic engineering tools and delivery approaches can be used to ‘knock-in' new gene functions into microbial communities. A systematic study of the microbial interactions, community assembling principles, and engineering tools are necessary for us to understand the microbial community and to better utilize them. Continued analysis and effort are required to further the current and potential applications of synthetic microbial communities.

Transitioning Business for a Circular Economy

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan EVANS
Keyword(s):  
Professional Practice ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Virtual Space ◽  
Professional Experience ◽  
Operational Model ◽  
New Vision ◽  
To Come ◽  
Space Requirements

This case study explores the strategic business opportunities, for Lane Crawford, an iconic luxury department store, to transition in a circular economy towards sustainability. A new experimentation framework was developed and conducted among cross departmental employees, during a Design Lab, with intention to co-create novel Circular Economy business concepts towards a new vision: the later was a reframe of the old system based on the principles of sustainability; to move beyond a linear operational model towards a circular economy that can contribute to a regenerative society. This work draws on both academic and professional experience and was conducted through professional practice. It was found that innovative co-created concepts, output from the Design Lab, can create radical change in a circular economy that is holistically beneficial and financially viable; looking forward to extract greater value a)Internal organization requires remodeling to transform towards a circular economy; b)Requirement for more horizonal teams across departments vs solely vertical; c)New language and relationships are required to be able to transition towards a circular economy; d)Some form of physical and virtual space requirements, for cross-disciplinary teams to come together to co-create; e)Ability to iterate, learn and evolve requires agency across the business

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