Milan Zafirovski

This study explores whether marginal utility theory particularly in the form of diminishing marginal utility conception during the Marginal Revolution of the 1870s was a redundant statement and elaboration of obvious facts, so a truism or self-evident principle. Related, it examines whether marginal utility theory was a restatement and re-elaboration of prior statements and elaborations of the same obvious facts by its anticipations prior to the Marginal Revolution. In addition, the study investigates whether the representatives of the Marginal Revolution and its exponents deemed marginal utility theory a new ultimate truth and final discovery in economics. The study finds both the first and the second and therefore suggests that its exponents committed a logical error or inconsistency in their construction and presentation of marginal utility theory.

This article seeks to define and conceptualize the concept of a capitalist dictatorship by identifying its characteristics and indicators. It argues that these features emerge primarily from and relate to the extreme concentration of wealth and power in capital, resulting in the systemic control, domination and coercion of non-capital factors. The article contrasts this form of economic non-democracy with models of industrial and political democracy, drawing attention to indicators such as low levels of unionization, limited union coverage, the absence of collective bargaining and the lack of labour collective representation in corporate governance (i.e., codetermination). It also introduces and considers certain approximations or manifestations of capitalist dictatorship. The article aims to make both theoretical and practical contributions to the literature by introducing and elaborating on the concept to get a better understanding of capitalist dictatorship.

The article poses and attempts to address the question of whether, how, and to what extent political democracy influences income distribution and, more broadly, economic inequality in current Western and comparable societies such as OECD countries. It first reviews the sociological and related literature concerning the relations between political democracy and economic inequality, including income and wealth distribution. Considering theoretical arguments and empirical observations, it then states hypotheses concerning the influence of political democracy on income distribution and specifies the data, methods, and variables of the empirical analysis. It presents the findings of empirical exploratory and regression analyses. Last, it discusses the findings and offers conclusions and directions for further research. The findings largely corroborate the hypotheses that political democracy inversely relates to, and negatively influences, income distribution by providing preliminary, suggestive, though not conclusive, definitive evidence for this.Related Articles: Adegboye, A., K. Adegboye, U. Uwuigbe, et al. 2023. “Taxation, Democracy, and Inequality in Sub‐Saharan Africa: Relevant Linkages for Sustainable Development Goals.” Politics & Policy 51, no. 4: 696–722. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12547.Nchofoung, T., S. Asongu, V. Tchamyou, and O. Edoh. 2022. “Gender, Political Inclusion, and Democracy in Africa: Some Empirical Evidence.” Politics & Policy 51, no. 1: 137–55. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12505.Wang, Y. 2017. “Why Tax Policy Is Not Politics in China: Public Finance and China's Changing State‐Society Relations.” Politics & Policy 45, no. 2: 194–223. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12200.

The article examines the relationship between cultural phenomena and the emergence and expansion of ascetic Protestantism. More specifically, it explores the cultural roots and conditions of original, early Calvinism, as distinguished from its own influences and ramifications in culture and society in general mostly emphasized in the current sociological literature. Calvinism is therefore treated not only as a conditioning and explanatory factor in cultural and other social respects, as largely done in the literature, but also as a culturally and socially overall conditioned and explained variable. This article posits and shows that the overarching and cardinal cultural root and condition of orthodox Calvinism is pre-modern medieval irrationalism, including religious and related superstitions and fanaticism. It therefore rediscovers Calvinism in the new light (or rather darkness) of being originally the effect and subsequently the system of perpetuation of medieval cultural irrationalism, in particular religious superstition and fanaticism. The intent of this article is to contribute to a better understanding, explication, and prediction of the cultural and related social causes and effects of Calvinism in the sociological literature.