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This contribution examines Sismondi's money, banking and credit theories and explores his public debt analysis (1803–1838) to connect the instability of market economy with his vision of the social contract. A detailed analysis is offered of the evolution in Sismondi's opinion on the nature of money and the banking system, and the part it plays in his trade cycle theory. Sismondi's monetary thought is then contextualised with a discussion of his policy-mix in relation to the Napoleonic war financing in Continental Europe. Connections with the upcoming flood of literature in England on the bullion controversy are also offered. Remarks are then suggested on the progressive emergence of an "art of public borrowing" according to which the people who provide the money also control the government. Finally, some reflections are proposed on the explicit connection established by Sismondi between budget deficits, the (ab-)use of inconvertible paper money and the partial collapse of the social contract initiated by banks and the governments using it. The entrenched instability of a market economy (discussed in an earlier article) is reinforced by the banking/credit system that works along similar line than any wealth-producing firm. Hence, thanks to the financial system, wealth does grow faster but at the expense of social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this special issue we present the conference papers by the study group “Crisis and Crisis Scenarios: Normativity, Possibilities and Dilemmas” at the 2014 NSU Summer Session, held between 24th July and 31st July 2014 in Sauðárkrókur, Northern Iceland.

Background: Job satisfaction is one of the most critical and influential parameters to increase the productivity and efficiency of any organization. Crisis management during disasters is one of the most influential factors, and because disasters put pressure on health care systems, all medical staff, including those working in Rehabilitation, must have the necessary experience and skills to manage in an emergency. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between job satisfaction and crisis-related factors in the staff of non-governmental rehabilitation centers under the supervision of the Tehran Welfare Organization with a preventive approach. Materials and Methods: The present study is a descriptive-correlational study, in which 1403 people from 28 rehabilitation centers in Tehran Province in 2018 were surveyed and selected by the census. We used the data recorded in the demographic section of the standard Employee Satisfaction Survey. This questionnaire consists of 39 items and 5 subscales to measure job status (10 questions), supervisor (8 questions), coworkers (10 questions), promotion (5 questions), and payment (6 questions). It included components of job activity, management, group activities, incentive system, and payment system. The study demographic characteristics were age, gender, level of education, work experience, and the number of working hours. Besides, a researcher-made questionnaire was used to assess the relationship between general safety status and firefighting as a criterion for crisis management and job satisfaction. In different cases, different tests were used. Finally, the data were analyzed using SPSS v. 20. Results: In this study, 657 (46.8%) men and 746 (53.2%) women participated. Findings showed that the average job satisfaction of employees was 3.12, which was at a moderate to high level (maximum score in each department was 5). There was no significant relationship between demographic information (such as age, work experience, level of education, and the number of working hours) and job satisfaction. However, there was a significant relationship between gender and job satisfaction, so that men had higher job satisfaction than women. Also, there was a significant relationship between public safety and firefighting and job satisfaction, so that an increase in the score of general safety and firefighting as an indicator of crisis management led to a significant increase in job satisfaction. Conclusion: According to the results of the researcher-made and validated questionnaires, the level of job satisfaction of employees in the studied centers is in a relatively good condition. Although the level of job satisfaction of the studied employees was moderately high, it needs to be improved. Job satisfaction in crisis management in emergencies can be very effective and improve the performance of the organization. Thus, it is recommended to implement programs for job satisfaction and crisis management in the centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]