Special issue Kant scholarship and the economics of governance and regulation

Citation

(2007), "Special issue Kant scholarship and the economics of governance and regulation", International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 34 No. 11. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijse.2007.00634kaa.001

Special issue Kant scholarship and the economics of governance and regulation

Guest EditorsProfessor Patrick McNutt, Manchester Business School, UK and Professor Frank Peddle, Dominican University College, Canada

A special issue of the International Journal of Social Economics on the topic of "Kant scholarship and the economics of governance and regulation" is being planned for publication in 2008. The final issue publication date will depend on the number and quality of papers submitted, and the usual peer review procedures will be followed.

Increasing economic interaction, allied to the social and political changes evident in many parts of the world, has created a need for more sophisticated understanding of the social, political and cultural influences which govern our societies. International Journal of Social Economics provides its readers with a unique forum for the exchange and sharing of information in this complex area. Philosophical discussions of research findings combine with commentary on international developments in social economics to make a genuinely valuable contribution to current understanding of the subject and the growth of new ideas.

The economics of governance is an important topic for economists and other social scientists. Increasingly more aspects of the topic are raising issues germane to philosophy and a Kantian perspective. A key driver of the literature on the economics of "good" governance is the search for an ethical code of practice with an organisation. The debate centres on answering the question: what is business ethics? Is it a behavioural rule, and thus a company's value is aligned to its behaviour or is it an ethical standard to be adhered to by all.

While the notion of Kant as a rule-bound philosopher has generally been dissipated by Kant scholars, Kant did lay down the categorical imperative in three forms, the first of which urged us to act so that our acts can be understood to exemplify universal laws. Kant is relevant to economic regulation and papers relating to Kant's views about democratic government and the notion of a federated world order are welcome.

Underlying Kant scholarship are the notions of reason and the postulates of pure practical reason which Kant described as "as good as knowledge". Kant's theses about transcendental publicity and "universal hospitality" also come into play. Submissions with regard to Kant's theses about "transcendental publicity" "cosmopolitan law" and "universal hospitality" in relation to the economics of governance and globalisation are encouraged.

Submission and review of papers

Papers should be written in the English language, be between 3,000 and 6,000 words and be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word format by 31 December 2007 to slinacre@emeraldinsight.com. All papers will be subjected to the usual peer review process.

Notice of acceptance

Authors will be notified of acceptance for the special issue by30 April 2008.