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Top5itis is a disease that currently affects the economics discipline. It refers to the obsession of the profession of academic economists with the so-called “top5” journals, also referred to as “top general-interest” journals. This paper offers some thoughts regarding the notion of “general-interest” in economics and discusses some of the practices in these journals.

The public law theorists have been attempting to determine the meaning of the concept of 'public servant' on the basis of various criteria. The existing theoretical views often reflect the dynamics of administrative development of individual countries, which directly affects the status and the role of a public servant. Given the lack of a 'universal definition', the objective of this paper is to point to the diverse theoretical definitions of the notion of the public servants, which are often associated with the role and characteristics of an individual country's public administration, legal tradition, and political and social system. Notwithstanding the existing theoretical differences, the paper also aims to establish the common and essential elements of the concept of a public servant, which transcend the national differences. Although the theoretical concept of the public servants offered by legal science often relies on a definition of positive law, the divergences of scientific opinions keep shaping the normative reality as well.

Context: In the last decades, one has the impression that the term sustainable development has evolved towards social responsibility and that the activities carried out by organizations and institutions are very similar. Nevertheless, this paper presents a theoretical discussion of the contribution of social responsibility. The question of this research is: through indicators of general interest and scientific production, it is possible to determine the evolution of sustainable development towards social responsibility? Methodology: Using the non-participatory method of secondary data analysis, secondary data from articles in the Redalyc, WorldCat, Microsoft Academic, Scopus, and Web of Science databases and specialized books on the topics were analyzed. Google Ngram Viewer and Google Trends were used to compare the variations of the indicators of scientific production and interest. Results: Through secondary data analysis, it was possible to establish indicators of general interest and scientific production. A discussion is presented on the evolution of sustainable development towards social responsibility. Conclusions: The results showed that the evolution of sustainable development towards social responsibility was not surpassed over time, except at some moments and in specific geographical locations. Method: Using the non-participatory method of secondary data analysis, secondary data from articles in the Redalyc, WorldCat, Microsoft Academic, Scopus, Web of Science databases and specialized books on the topics were analyzed. The Google Ngram Viewer and Google Trends software were used to compare the variations of the indicators of scientific production and interest. Results: Through secondary data analysis, it was possible to establish indicators of general interest and scientific production. A discussion is presented on the evolution of sustainable development towards social responsibility. Conclusions: The results showed that the evolution of sustainable development towards social responsibility was not overcome through time, except in some moments and geographical places.

By making the individual rights the anthropological premise of society, modernity subverted the essence of the common good which is now defined with regard to individual aspirations. The general interest can no longer be regarded as an end. Rather it is a means that reconciles individual rights and personal interests through the social contract. Therefore the project of a general interest complying with both individual rights and personal interests is compromised by their original reciprocity. Studying Hobbes and Locke, who focus respectively on general utility of society and on justice, allows us to understand that two radically different political philosophies emerge whether the author prioritizes one or the other when aiming at defining the general interest. As on the one hand the satisfaction of personal interests may threaten individual rights while on the other hand the protection of those rights tends to organize personal interests into a hierarchy, this paper discusses the dichotomous nature of the general interest which might explain why this notion is so hard to comprehend today.