Economic history Books

Book SynopsisBenjamin A Rogge''s ability to speak and write about serious economic topics with humour, humility, and wit, but without difficult jargon, math, or diagrams, places him in a category all his own. This new collection of fifty-three essays, many of which have never before been published, gathers some of Rogge''s most interesting talks and writings spanning the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. This volume encompasses a vast array of topics including the case for individual liberty and responsibility in maintaining the free-market economy, the nature of economics, the business system, labour markets, money and inflation, and education. By organising the volume thematically, the editor, Dwight R Lee, has been able to highlight and place in context the many different areas of economics that compose Professor Rogge''s extensive output.

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Book SynopsisA regional mining community that won a national reputation, Wonthaggi came to be admired by many, and disliked by others. For sixty years the town's highly unionised miners successfully worked the thin, broken seams of a state coal mine that would have been regarded as insufficiently profitable by most Australian mine owners. At times, through the national Miner's Federation, they exerted a powerful influence within the Australian coal industry and beyond. For the residents of Wonthaggi, their mine and their union helped them understand and define who they were, these things playing a role in their everyday lives, understandings and imaginations that thoroughly transcended the workplace. In an age of private accumulation and social fragmentation, Up from the Underworld brings to light this important history.

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Book SynopsisIn the aftermath of the French Revolution, advocates of protection against foreign competition prevailed in a fierce controversy over international trade. They succeeded by portraying free trade as a British ideology and French free traders as traitors. This groundbreaking study is the first to examine this 'protectionist turn' in full.Trade Review'Reading David Todd's excellent well-researched monograph, I found it simply impossible not to think of the astonishing parallels between Anglo-French debates on free trade in the early decades of the nineteenth century and today's increasingly pressing arguments about possible British exit from the EU and France's parlous recent economic performance … Todd's concluding remarks give us much to think about. Protectionism after 1870, he suggests, contributed to the enduring stability of the Third Republic and arguably remained a force of stability in French society until its abandonment in the 1980s. Todd's contribution to the 'intellectual history of globalization' makes us realize that these issues are not about to go away.' Jeremy Jennings, H-France Forum'This is not a book of economic history but rather a history of economic ideas and political economy, namely, the debates that took place in France on international trade between 1814 and 1851 … This book is important insofar it shows a return to political economy in historical context without the abstractions and a-historical analyses of mainstream economic history.' Alessandro Stanziani, H-France Forum'Using a wide range of archival and printed primary sources in English, French and German, Todd provides the reader with an exhaustive analysis of the economic debates within France and stresses their connection with the globalizing economy of the nineteenth century.' Christopher Guyver, European History QuarterlyTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. The reactionary political economy of the Bourbon Restoration; 2. Economists, winegrowers and the dissemination of commercial liberalism; 3. Completing the revolution: political and commercial liberty after 1830; 4. Inventing economic nationalism; 5. The contours of the national economy; 6. The Englishness of free trade and the consolidation of protectionist dominance; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisAgainst the backdrop of England''s emergence as a major economic power, the development of early modern capitalism in general and the transformation of the Mediterranean, Maria Fusaro presents a new perspective on the onset of Venetian decline. Examining the significant commercial relationship between these two European empires during the period 14501700, Fusaro demonstrates how Venice''s social, political and economic circumstances shaped the English mercantile community in unique ways. By focusing on the commercial interaction between Venice and England, she also re-establishes the analysis of the maritime political economy as an essential constituent of the Venetian state political economy. This challenging interpretation of some classic issues of early modern history will be of profound interest to economic, social and legal historians, and provides a stimulating addition to current debates in imperial history, especially on the economic relationship between different empires and tTrade Review'Two empires, Venice already old and past its peak, England adolescent and ambitious, met in mingled rivalry and co-operation in the early modern Eastern Mediterranean. English-speaking historians have long regarded the Venetian Empire as a maritime empire prefiguring the British Empire, but their view of Venice and its transactions with England has generally been based on English sources. For the first time Maria Fusaro gives us the English among the creeks and islands of the Venetian empire, as seen by the Venetians themselves. Using archives hitherto little-known or wholly unknown, she paints a lively picture of Anglo-Venetian commerce, diplomacy and war.' Nicholas Rodger, University of Oxford'This is an innovative work of comparative history that makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the early modern world. By considering the rise of England and the decline of Venice in tandem, Fusaro is able to cast fascinating new light onto these familiar historical questions, and to show their importance to broader issues, such as the rise of capitalism, globalization and empire.' Eric Dursteler, Brigham Young University, Utah'Fusaro is determined to remind her readers, contrary to mainstream historiography, that Venice was indeed an empire and one whose imperial glories, preoccupations and costs acted as a model to those capitalist successors which have lasted into the twentieth century and beyond.' Richard Bosworth, History Today'Every scholar interested in imperial history and the English mercantile community should read Political Economies of Empire in the Early Modern Mediterranean as Maria Fusaro proposes a stimulating re-interpretation of the role of Venice and the English within the early modern Mediterranean. This book is an excellent response to the quantitative-econometric approach now unfortunately too common among economic historians that, by overlooking the social aspect of commerce, fail to grasp fully the early modern maritime world. Instead, Fusaro's work enriches recent literature on social history of trade … Fusaro presents a novel view on imperialism and a different narrative on trade that I hope economic historians will develop in future scholarship.' Giada Pizzoni, Global Intellectual History'Fusaro explores this complex of issues through a dense, source-rich analysis of the commercial, diplomatic, and social links between Venice and England from the late Middle Ages through the seventeenth century.' Dennis Romano, The Journal of Modern History'Political Economies offers much to a broad range of readers. Those interested only in Venice will garner a new understanding of her political and economic history, especially for those to whom Italian historiography has been inaccessible. Scholars interested in the rise of England will also find much that is new in this book (although its primary research into English sources is much less rich than the evidence of Italian archives). For economic and political historians, Fusaro has revealed a concrete example of the interplay between politics, trade, economics and warfare. Of course readers in any of those camps may well be maritime historians, all of whom will find this book a valuable contribution to our expanding range of interest. As its title implies, Political economies of empire in the early modern Mediterranean is very much a maritime history, too.' Adrian Leonard, The International Journal of Maritime History'The volume of research initiated for the production of this book is impressive, and has enabled Fusaro to create an imposing study that will prove vital for the early modern maritime historian. … The book is a valuable and authoritative contribution to the fields of early modern state formation, maritime studies, and economic history.' Benjamin W. D. Redding, The Mariner's MirrorTable of ContentsIntroduction: political economies of empire; 1. The medieval background; 2. The reversal of the balance; 3. The Ottoman Levant; 4. Genoa, Venice and Livorno (a tale of three cities); 5. Trade, violence and diplomacy; 6. Diplomacy, trade and religion; 7. The Venetian peculiarities; 8. The English mercantile community in Venice; 9. The English and other mercantile communities; 10. The goods of the trade; 11. Empires and governance in the Mediterranean; 12. Coda and conclusions; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisAlthough the economy has always been changing, ever more innovations now seem to accelerate the transformation process. Are there any laws governing the incessant global change? Does it accord with our intentions and desires and make us happier? Do our institutions and our democracies cope with the challenges? How does economic theory explain what is going on? In this volume, experts in the field discuss the advances that evolutionary economics has made in exploring questions like these. The broad range of topics include a review of the development of the field: its conceptual and methodological characteristics are outlined; problems posed by macroeconomic evolution and the institutional challenges are highlighted; and, last but not least, the implications of the evolution of the economy for wellbeing and sustainability are addressed. Taken together, the contributions demonstrate the potential of an evolutionary paradigm for making sense of economic change and for assessing its consequTrade Review'This welcome collection of essays offers a rich perspective on the history and philosophy of evolutionary economics. It delves deep into core themes such as generalized Darwinism, institutions and bounded rationality, long-run economic development and evolutionary welfare theory, while also offering original applications to land use conflicts and unsustainable consumption.' Jeroen van den Bergh, ICREA Research Professor, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona'As Ulrich Witt and Andreas Chai put it in their introduction, it is time for some stocktaking concerning progress in evolutionary economics. This excellent collection of essays performs that task admirably: a number of leading authors review developments in the field with erudition and careful criticism. This is a milestone volume.' Geoffrey M. Hodgson, University of Hertfordshire'Evolutionary economics is in transition following a very productive and enlightening era when Nelson and Winter's 'replicator dynamics' perspective was its reference point. The past decade has witnessed the rise of competing perspectives such as: rule based complex systems; game theoretical micro-foundations; general Darwinian theory; socio-biological models, where biology is not just used as an analogy. Although there is general agreement that economic evolution should be modelled, explicitly, as a historical process, methodological differences have become more marked. In this volume a very prominent set of contributors explain their different positions. The result is a very interesting and stimulating set of essays that are well-written and accessible to both evolutionary and mainstream economists and their students. Anyone who wishes to know what the key issues and debates are in evolutionary economics today need look no further than this excellent volume.' John Foster, University of Queensland'More than one century after Thorsten Veblen coined the label evolutionary economics there is still no consensus on what constitutes the core of an evolutionary approach in economics. This volume will be welcome by readers interested in learning about the current state of the field and its prospective development. The essays collected represent the principal versions of evolutionary thinking in contemporary economics, covering methodological, theoretical and normative issues. The editors' Introduction provides helpful guidance in tracing the history of the field, placing the collected essays into a broader context and pointing to prospects for theoretical convergence and integration.' Viktor J. Vanberg, University of Freiburg, GermanyTable of ContentsPart I. Introduction: 1. Evolutionary economics: taking stock of its progress and emerging challenges Ulrich Witt and Andreas Chai; Part II. Conceptual and Methodological Problems: 2. Missed connections and opportunities foregone: a counterfactual history of twentieth century economics Brian J. Loasby; 3. Science, technology, and knowledge: what historians can learn from an evolutionary approach Joel Mokyr; 4. Generalized Darwinism in evolutionary economics: the devil is in the details Jack Vromen; Part III. Perspectives on Evolutionary Macroeconomics: 5. Macroeconomic evolution: long run development and short run policies Richard H. Day; 6. Evolutionary micro-founded technical change and the Kaldor-Verdoorn law: estimates from an artificial world André Lorentz; Part IV. Advances in Explaining and Assessing Institutional Evolution: 7. Democracy, rationality and religion Dennis C. Mueller; 8. On the evolution of organizational governance: divided governance and survival in the long run Roger D. Congleton; 9. Strategic interaction and externalities: FD-games and pollution Reinoud Joosten; 10. Fairness in urban land use: an evolutionary contribution to law and economics Christian Schubert; Part V. Evolutionary Perspectives on Welfare and Sustainability: 11. As innovations drive economic change, do they also improve our welfare? Martin Binder and Ulrich Witt; 12. Sustainable consumption patterns and the malleability of consumer preferences: an evolutionary perspective Andreas Chai.

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Book SynopsisThis book provides the first edition with an extensive introduction and full commentary of a unique land survey written on papyrus in Greek which derives from that area of southern (Upper) Egypt known as the Apollonopolite (or Edfu) nome and is now preserved in Copenhagen. Dating from the late second century BC, this survey provides a new picture of both landholding and taxation in the area which differs significantly from that currently accepted. The introduction sets this new evidence in its contemporary context, drawing particular attention to what it reveals about the nature of the relations of the Ptolemaic royal administration with local grandees, Egyptian temples and the army. No student of Hellenistic Egypt can afford to ignore this text, which importantly extends our knowledge of Upper Egypt under the Ptolemaic kings and involves some modification to the prevailing picture of landholding in Hellenistic Egypt.Table of ContentsPart I. Introduction to the Edfu Land Survey: 1. The Edfu land survey in context; 2. Acquisition and physical description; 3. Date and nature of the survey; 4. Survey operations and the officials involved; 5. Fiscal land categories; 6. Taxes; 7. Condition and use of the land; 8. Historical discussion; 9. Overview of the Edfu land survey; Part II. Text and Translation: Part III. Commentary.

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Book SynopsisIn this accessible new study, Toby Lincoln offers the first history of Chinese cities from their origins to the present. Despite being an agricultural society for thousands of years, China had an imperial urban civilization. Over the last century, this urban civilization has been transformed into the world''s largest modern urban society. Throughout their long history, Chinese cities have been shaped by interactions with those around the world, and the story of urban China is a crucial part of the history of how the world has become an urban society. Exploring the global connections of Chinese cities, the urban system, urban governance, and daily life alongside introductions to major historical debates and extracts from primary sources, this is essential reading for all those interested in China and in urban history.Trade Review'A well-written and much-needed overview of China's 2000-year urban history connecting local developments and international influences. Exploring the complex intersection of urban system, form and governance, urban culture and daily life, Toby Lincoln's comprehensive study of Chinese cities is an important addition to the growing field of global urban history.' Carola Hein, Delft University of Technology'Lincoln captures China's urban history in rich detail, including changes in conceptions of cities, urban form, and urban life over the centuries. Enlivened with excerpts from fiction and memoirs, this book is both a sweeping historical overview and a great introduction to scholarship on Chinese cities past and present.' Kristin Stapleton, University at Buffalo, SUNY'A good teaching text both reviews and engages with the literature … the author whets the reader's appetite for more, which is exactly what an introductory academic text should do.' Michael Hebbert, The China Quarterly'It is a fascinating read, entertaining a new perspective on the course of Chinese history … Highly recommended.' Q. E. Wang, Choice Connect'Lincoln's textbook is an extremely useful tool … I admire how Lincoln foregrounds the historical legacies of administrative central-ization, economic interconnection, and cultural production in China today while still conveying the many transformations of Chinese urban forms.' Chuck Wooldridge, Journal of Chinese HistoryTable of Contents1. Introduction; 2. The emergence of China's imperial urban civilization (antiquity to 220 CE); 3. Expansion of China's imperial urban civilization to the south (220–755); 4. The Tang-Song transition and its effects on China's imperial urban civilization (907–1402); 5. The flowering of Chinese imperial urban civilization (1402–1799); 6. The seeds of urban modernity (1800–1895); 7. Urban modernity in Republican China (1895–1949); 8. The Maoist period (1949–1976); 9. The Reform Era and the present; 10. Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisIndonesia is often viewed as a country with substantial natural resources which has achieved solid economic growth since the 1960s, but which still faces serious economic challenges. In 2010, its per capita GDP was only nineteen per cent of that of the Netherlands, and twenty-two per cent of that of Japan. In recent decades, per capita GDP has fallen behind that of neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Thailand, and behind China. In this accessible but thorough new study, Anne Booth explains the long-term factors which have influenced Indonesian economic performance, taking into account the Dutch colonial legacy and the reaction to it after the transfer of power in 1949. The first part of the book offers a chronological study of economic development from the late nineteenth to the early twenty-first century, while the second part explores topics including the persistence of economic nationalism and the ongoing tensions between Indonesia''s diverse regions.Trade Review'Booth deploys her deep and sustained knowledge to trace Indonesia's seventy year transition, from colonization and conflict to middle-income and membership in the G-20 group of leading world economies. She combines narrative economic history with rigorous yet accessible analysis of major economic and development challenges, including nation-building, poverty alleviation, democratization, and interactions with volatile world markets. This masterful account should become the go-to source on the development of the modern Indonesian economy.' Ian Coxhead, University of Wisconsin, Madison'Anne Booth is an eminent economic historian with a profound understanding of the complexity of economic and social challenges in Indonesia. This book contains her carefully professional assessment of Indonesia's economic progress over more than a century. The book offers valuable lessons from history for anyone who is interested in learning about key development challenges and the changing role of government in Indonesia.' Siwage Dharma Negara, Indonesian Institute of Sciences'Anne Booth has written an authoritative and penetrating account of how Indonesia's economy has undergone dramatic change in recent decades. With her superior knowledge of Indonesian economic history both in colonial times and since independence, she provides a compelling and insightful analysis of Indonesia's great economic potentials and its long-term resilience to short-run economic failure. Compulsory reading for students of Indonesian economic history and the Indonesian economy today.' Thomas Lindblad, Leiden University'Anne Booth writes with great authority across a broad canvas in this magisterial work on Indonesian economic history. The volume will certainly come to be regarded as the seminal work on the subject, combining rigorous analysis, careful empirics and insightful 'big picture' judgements.' Hal Hill, Australian National University, Canberra'Anne Booth has once again written an authoritative, comprehensive economic history of Indonesia. … there is much to recommend here. Scholars of Indonesia will greatly appreciate Booth's balanced and commanding evaluation of key economic debates in Indonesia to which the book's second half is devoted. For those with less prior knowledge of the country and who are looking for an incisive introduction, a careful reading of Economic Change in Modern Indonesia will be richly rewarding.' James S. Davidson, Journal of Southeast Asian EconomiesTable of Contents1. Introduction: Indonesia's three watersheds; 2. The colonial legacy; 3. Occupation, liberation and the challenges facing the new republic, 1942–66; 4. Suharto's economic record: successes and failures; 5. The 1997/98 crisis and its legacy: dropping out again?; 6. The SBY years: building a new Indonesia?; 7. Economic nationalism, economic rationalism and the development of private business after 1950; 8. Trends in poverty and income distribution: the Suharto era and beyond; 9. The changing role of government from the colonial era to the post-Suharto years; 10. Conclusions; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisBetween the end of the Middle Ages and the early nineteenth century, the long-established structures and practices of European trade, agriculture, and industry were disparately but profoundly transformed. Revised, updated, and expanded, this second edition of Transitions to Capitalism in Early Modern Europe narrates and analyses the diverse trends that greatly enlarged European commerce, permanently modified rural and urban production, gave birth to new social classes, remade consumer habits, and altered global economic geographies, culminating in capitalist industrial revolution. Broad in chronological and geographical scope and explicitly comparative, Robert S. DuPlessis'' book introduces readers to a wealth of information drawn from throughout Eastern, Western and Mediterranean Europe, as well as to classic interpretations, current debates, new scholarship, and suggestions for further reading.Trade Review'A sweeping and compelling account of the changing contours of Europe's economy from the mid-fifteenth century to the early-nineteenth century. With a deep and abiding interest in a broad interpretation of capitalism, Robert DuPlessis weaves together with exceptional clarity and fairness debates and polities both well-known and obscure. This book will become a focus of debate and a prod to research.' David Hancock, University of Michigan'This is considerably more than a survey of the economic history of early modern Europe. Based on sure control of the relevant scholarly literature, it is a lucid analysis of Europe's agricultural, industrial and commercial sectors and how the changes they underwent from the fifteenth century to the nineteenth made modern capitalism possible.' Martha Howell, Miriam Champion Professor of History, Columbia University'A state-of-the-art survey of the fundamental changes that European economies and societies experienced in the centuries before the Industrial Revolution. Its sensitivity to regional and temporal variations, and to historians' conflicting interpretations of these variations, makes this book an ideal introduction to this fascinating topic.' Maarten Prak, Utrecht University'With this second addition DuPlessis raises his already fine analysis to a higher level. Extended bibliographies reflect the proliferation of recent research on global trade networks (including slavery), patterns of consumption, and women's work. DuPlessis gives full weight to regional variations in economic development. Altogether, this is an outstanding account, lucidly and fluently written.' Tom Scott, University of St AndrewsTable of ContentsPreface; Part I: 1. Issues and interpretations; 2. European economies on the eve of globalization; Part II: Introduction: the long sixteenth century; 3. Goods and people on the move; 4. The limits of agricultural growth; 5. Industrial tradition and innovation; Part III: Introduction: from seventeenth-century crisis to long eighteenth century; 6. Commerce, capital, consumption; 7. Agriculture: divergence, development, disappointment; 8. Proto-industry to early Industrial Revolution; 9. Transitions; Appendices.

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Book SynopsisThe first comprehensive synthesis of Chinese economic history, past and present, in English. Volume II covers the period from 1800 to the present in twenty-one thematically and chronologically organized chapters, charting the development of the institutions, ideas, technologies, and social and political forces that shaped China's modern economy.Trade Review'I greatly enjoyed this work, as much as the first volume. The research is incisive, clearly presented, and the volume is very cogently organized.' Jamin Andreas Hübner, EH.net (Economic History Association)Table of ContentsIntroduction to Volume II Debin Ma and Richard von Glahn; Part I. 1800–1950: 1. Ideology and the contours of economic change Debin Ma; 2. Economic transition in the nineteenth century William Rowe; 3. Agriculture Debin Ma and Kaixiang Peng; 4. Handicraft and modern industries Linda Grove and Toru Kubo; 5. The state and enterprises in late Qing China Chi-kong Lai; 6. State enterprises during the first half of the twentieth century Morris L. Bian; 7. Money and macro-economy Dan Li, Hongzhong Yan; 8. Public finance Elisabeth Kaske and May-li Lin; 9. Financial institutions and financial markets Bret Sheehan and Yingui Zhu; 10. Chinese business organization Madeleine Zelin; 11. The economic impact of the West: A reappraisal James Kung; 12. Foreign trade and investment Carol Shiue and Wolfgang Keller; 13. Transport and communication infrastructure Elisabeth Köll; 14. Education and human capital Pei Gao, Bas van Leeuwen, Meimei Wang; Part II. 1950–Present: 15. The origin of China's communist institutions Chenggang Xu; 16. China under the command economy in 1950–1977 Dwight H. Perkins; 17. Living standards in Maoist China Chris Bramall; 18. The political economy of China's Great Leap Famine James Kung; 19. China's external economic relations during the Mao era Amy King; 20. Chinese economy in the reform era Barry Naughton; 21. China's great boom as a historical process Loren Brandt and Thomas G. Rawski.

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Book SynopsisThe First World War left a legacy of chaos that is still with us a century later. Why did European leaders resort to war and why did they not end it sooner? Roger L. Ransom sheds new light on this enduring puzzle by employing insights from prospect theory and notions of risk and uncertainty. He reveals how the interplay of confidence, fear, and a propensity to gamble encouraged aggressive behavior by leaders who pursued risky military strategies in hopes of winning the war. The result was a series of military disasters and a war of attrition which gradually exhausted the belligerents without producing any hope of ending the war. Ultimately, he shows that the outcome of the war rested as much on the ability of the Allied powers to muster their superior economic resources to continue the fight as it did on success on the battlefield.Trade Review'World War I became a tragedy when victory became an end in itself rather than a means of achieving some prewar objective. In his lucid and insightful Gambling on War, Roger L. Ransom draws on history and economics to explain why that happened, why World War I upended the world's institutions, and why its tragic effects persist even today.' Philip T. Hoffman, author of Why Did Europe Conquer the World?'The First World War remains with us. Ransom, an economic historian, places it within an age of extremes that ran from Bismarck to Clemenceau. The war resolved no rivalries. It led to no new normalcy. The book jars the reader into that reality. It shocks. It angers. It is a must-read.' Holger H. Herwig, author of The First World War: Germany and Austria-Hungary 1914–1918'Economists think of people as rational but this is belied by experience. From that perspective, economic historian Roger L. Ransom shows persuasively how over-confidence, fear and reckless gambles make sense of a sequence of bad decisions that led to the First World War, and to catastrophic outcomes that nobody planned for.' Avner Offer, author of The First World War: An Agrarian Interpretation'The general interest reader learns a lot, and about many things. … a great read for general interest readers with a standard background in economics … It should also have its place as a core reading for an undergraduate course on the economics of war.' Victor Gay, EH.Net'The great strength of the book is the application of behavioral economic theories to decision-making in the First World War. It offers a variation on the argument that the war swept away the restrained political mores of the late nineteenth century. Once one power 'speculated' by initiating aggression, others had to react, and this changed expectations of future behavior, creating a path dependency toward the Second World War.' William Mulligan, H-DiploTable of ContentsPrologue; 1. Confidence, fear, and a propensity to gamble; 2. Otto von Bismarck and the changing paradigm of war; 3. Schlieffen's gamble; 4. A war of attrition; 5. Economies at war; 6. War and revolution; 7. The last gamble; 8. The chaos of victory; Epilogue: the tragedy of a world war.

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Book SynopsisSince 1960, Brazil has become a major producer of agricultural products and one of the most important agricultural exporters in the world. Feeding the World provides a detailed account of this transformation, drawing heavily on historical and economic social science research.Trade Review'This is a superb study about the emergence of Brazil as a global leader in the agri-business. Based on careful empirical research, Klein's and Luna's book provides a comprehensive and balanced analyses of the social-economic and environmental impacts of an extraordinary transformation that led Brazil to rank among the top-3 exporters of various grains and animal proteins. A transformation that dates back to the final quarter of the last century and is still in motion, in a country of continental scale.' Boris Fausto, Brazilian Academy of Sciences'Not only do Klein and Luna chart Brazil's stunning emergence as an agricultural giant with global reach, they also explain how it happened. Richly detailed, and drawing from an extraordinary array of data, the book blends aggregate analyses and enlightening case studies to uncover the factors accounting for sustained advance in agriculture and agri-business in Brazil s southern and western regions. Klein and Luna provide the definitive study of Brazil's dramatic agricultural modernization over the last sixty years.' William R. Summerhill, University of California, Los AngelesTable of ContentsList of maps; List of graphs; List of tables; Introduction; 1. Antecedents; 2. The new agricultural economy post 1960; 3. Causes for the modernization of Brazilian agriculture; 4. Productivity, technology, and sustainability; 5. Regional pattern of agriculture; 6. The case of Mato Grosso; 7. Rio Grande do Sul; 8. São Paulo; 9. The Agrarian question; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book showcases the history of commodity production in the British Empire and its impact on the natural and human worlds. Focused on the tea plantation economy of east India, it highlights the ecological consequences, legal workings, and labor conditions of this early form of global capital and monopoly trade.Trade ReviewAdvance praise: 'This book breaks new ground by interleaving the human history of tea plantation in colonial Assam with the natural history of the plant and its pathogens. The result is a fresh and original perspective that emphasizes the role of the nonhuman in the making of modern South Asia.' Dipesh Chakrabarty, University of ChicagoAdvance praise: 'Arnab Dey writes a new kind of history of tea plantations in Assam by focusing on the tea plant, its ecological environments, and their entanglements with science, policy, politics, and labor in British colonial tropics. The materiality of plantation ecology takes center stage here in the imperial drama of agrarian capitalism.' David Ludden, New York UniversityAdvance praise: 'The plantation is a critical subject in imperial and world history, but only rarely have scholars provided such a thorough and nimble history of the entangled human and environmental complexities and instabilities of a specific plantation culture as Arnab Dey does in his important new book. Tea Environments and Plantation Culture is a masterful agro-ecological history.' Paul S. Sutter, University of Colorado, Boulder'… Dey has produced an excellent, century-long, agroecological history of tea production in India's hilly northeast province of Assam.' Michael H. Fisher, Journal of Interdisciplinary History'Arnab Dey's Tea Environments and Plantation Culture offers a compelling way to rethink the place of the peripheral figure of the indigene in tea's expansive career in Assam … an important contribution to the emerging body of environmental histories on South Asia.' Abhilash Medhi, Environmental History'Arnab Dey's Tea Environments and Plantation Culture adds a new, empirically rich account to [the] global plantation studies conversation.' Sarah Besky, Agricultural HistoryTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Planting empires; 2. Agriculture or manufacture?; 3. Bugs in the garden; 4. Death in the fields; 5. Conservation or commerce?; 6. Plant and politics; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisAt times of Western crisis, such as the 2007–8 financial crisis, there has been a sudden growth of Afro-optimism, seemingly predicting Africa's 'rise'. Gabay examines British imperial attitudes towards Africa and shows that this phenomenon of positive coverage of Africa is neither unique, unexpected nor unpredictable.Trade Review'Clive Gabay employs a wide-angled lens to focus on the ways in which Euro-American idealisations of 'Africa' - its past, present and future - have continued to underpin the white-dominated racial order over the past hundred years. This painstakingly researched book will help to jolt contemporary conceptualisations of whiteness out of the narrow confines of identity politics (in which it is so often enmired).' Vron Ware, Kingston University'Is it possible to be optimistic about Africa? In this beautifully sculpted book, Clive Gabay argues that whiteness frames both negative and positive impressions of the continent. Via a set of empirically rich historical and contemporary investigations, Gabay comprehensively reveals the extent to which whiteness, in international relations, is a narcissism of the highest order.' Robbie Shilliam, The John Hopkins University'From black and savage Dark Continent to dynamic rising consumerist titan of the future, Africa has long occupied a special place in the Western imaginary. What Clive Gabay's boldly revisionist and impressively original text demonstrates is that the psychic interplay between maps and mapmakers has always been more complex and subtle than assumed - a dialectic reflecting the ongoing evolution of Whiteness itself from exclusionary phenotypical and eugenicist racial supremacy to putatively colourless institutional placeholder that even blacks (the right kind, of course) can now occupy.' Charles Mills, City University of New YorkTable of ContentsAcknowledgements; 1. Whiteness, the Western gaze and Africa; 2. Finding anti-civilisation in Africa; 3. Native rights in colonial Kenya: the symbolism of Harry Thuku; 4. 'Exploding Africa': Of post-war modernisers and travellers; 5. The Age of Capricorn: bridging the past to the present; 6. Afropolitanism, and the White-Western incorporation of Africa; 7. Africa rising, whiteness falling; 8. Making whiteness strange; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book studies pitfalls in value added accounting of sectoral growth in real terms in the context of liberalisation of the Indian economy. Growth of sectoral gross value added can systematically deviate from that of final expenditure (and gross output), even maintaining the broad national accounting identity between the aggregates. For an investigation along these lines, input-output transactions tables provide invaluable information. The book discusses at length tricky questions of data handling and issues in interpretation of data. As the growth rate of the economy accelerated, economists observed that growth of value added came mostly from the service sector. Can the service sector maintain the momentum if manufacturing fails to get charged up in spite of all reforms aimed at this objective? The book studies this question in depth and addresses an audience interested in studying the Indian economy.Table of ContentsList of tables and figures; 1. The take-off; 2. Growth and structural change since 1978–9: issues in measurement; 3. Sectoral shares in Indian GDP: how to regard it?; 4. Sectoral growth: GVA – output dichotomy; 5. Manufacturing sector in the Indian economy: paradox of growth and stagnation; 6. Growth and sectoral GVA adjustments; 7. Growth of intermediate services; 8. Linkages and key sectors in the Indian economy; 9. Conclusion: a perspective of Indian economic growth; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisTrading floors are a thing of the past. Thanks to a combination of computers, high-speed networks and algorithms, millions of financial transactions now happen in fractions of a second. This book studies the automation of stock markets in the United Kingdom and the United States of America, identifying the invisible actors, devices, and politics that were central to the creation of electronic trading. In addition to offering a detailed account of how stock exchanges wrestled with technology, the book also invites readers to rethink the nature of markets in modern societies. Markets, it argues, are sites for the creation of relations, and in studying how these relations changed through technology, the book highlights the sources, dynamics, and consequences of automation. In this respect, the book is both a history of automation in finance and a sociological analysis of the way in which automation gradually changed the lives and work of key financial actors.Trade Review'Automating Finance is relevant for researchers and students of economic sociology, but its contributions travel beyond this with tremendous implications for other fields, including management,organisational sociology, public administration and public policy. Finance professionals would also enjoy the book, as they could learn how technical entrepreneurs manoeuvred through institutional,structural and organisational dynamics in automating finance.' M. Kerem Coban, LSE Review of Books'… the book is wide-ranging in both its theoretical inspirations and the empirical details it develops. What the book conveys extremely well is precisely how modern markets are produced by multiple moral, political, and organizational struggles.' Nahoko Kameo, American Journal of SociologyTable of ContentsPreface; 1. Markets in milliseconds; 2. Infrastructures of kinship; 3. The power of invisibility; 4. The hubris of platforms; 5. The wizards of king street; 6. Making moral markets; 7. Rabbits guarding the lettuce; 8. Infrastructures, kinship, and queues.

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Book SynopsisThis first comprehensive account of revolutionary and socialist thought after France's nineteenth-century revolution with new interpretations of the French revolutionary tradition. Drawing together material from around the world, Nicholls pieces together the nature and content of French revolutionary thought in this often overlooked era.Trade Review'Revolutionary Thought after the Paris Commune is an excellent contribution to the scholarship on revolutionary ideas and our understanding of 1871 … the book is well written, based upon a command of primary and secondary sources, and fairly balances both the successes and failures of the post-1871 revolutionary movement.' Casey Harison, European History Quarterly'This is an important contribution to intellectual and modern French history collections.' G. P. Cox, ChoiceTable of ContentsIntroduction; Part I. The Paris Commune and Accounting for Failure: 1. The commune as Quotidian event; 2. The commune as violent trauma; Part II. Revolution and the Republic: 3. The French revolutionary tradition; 4. Rehabilitating revolution; Part III. Marx, Marxism, and International Socialism: 5. Texts in translation; 6. The origins of Marxism in modern France; Part IV. Empire and Internationalism: 7. Deportation, imperialism, and the Republican State; 8. Exile and universal solidarity; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisIn this major new study, Margherita Zanasi argues that basic notions of a free market economy emerged in China a century and half earlier than in Europe. In response to the commercial revolutions of the late 1500s, Chinese intellectuals and officials called for the end of state intervention in the market, recognizing its power to self-regulate. They also noted the elasticity of domestic demand and production, arguing in favour of ending long-standing rules against luxury consumption, an idea that emerged in Europe in the late seventeenth and early nineteenth centuries. Zanasi challenges Eurocentric theories of economic modernization as well as the assumption that European Enlightenment thought was unique in its ability to produce innovative economic ideas. She instead establishes a direct connection between observations of local economic conditions and the formulation of new theories, revealing the unexpected flexibility of the Confucian tradition and its accommodation of seemingly unoTrade Review'Economic Thought in Modern China is an ambitious exploration of the evolution of indigenous Chinese economic thought, rooted in a critical re-evaluation the foundations of imperial political economy and extending into the ideas that shaped Chinese attempts at economic improvement in the twentieth century. Zanasi mines a wide range of sources rarely used by economic historians, and reads them with an iconoclastic sensibility and a thorough grounding in the social and political contexts in which they were written.' Madeleine Zelin, Columbia University'Bold and combative, this study of the history of Chinese political economy in general and ideas about luxury consumption in particular will be of interest to historians of economic thought who are curious about the intellectual pathways followed outside Europe and open to the possibility that it was for good reason that these pathways were often anything but parallel with their European counterparts.' Helen Dunstan, University of Sydney'Zanasi demonstrates that China in the early modern period possessed pro-market ideas and the belief that luxury consumption promotes economic development. Furthermore, her timely book offers the best explanation yet for why China in the past one hundred years turned to state intervention in the market to encourage thriftiness.' Wu jen-shu, Academia Sinica, Taipei'This fascinating title is suitable for students interested in political economy and economic thought … Highly recommended.' D. Li, ChoiceTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. The political and intellectual framework: the Minsheng mandate and China's economy of scarcity; 2. Efficient markets and productive consumption (1500–1800); 3. Scarcity revisited: population growth, frugality, and self-strengthening (1800–1911); 4. Nation-building, strategic markets, and frugal modernity: the early decades of the Republic of China (1912–1930s); Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisThe global financial crisis in 2008 brought central banking to the centre stage, prompting questions about the role of national central banks and - in Europe - of the multi-country European Central Bank. What can central banks do, and what are their limitations? How have they performed? Currency, Credit and Crisis seeks to provide a coherent perspective on the functions of a central bank in a small country by assessing the way in which Ireland''s financial crisis from 2010 to 2013 was handled. Drawing on his experiences as Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland and in research and policy work at the World Bank, Patrick Honohan offers a detailed analytical narrative of the origins of the crisis and of policy makers'' conduct during its most fraught moments.Trade Review'A fine account of these extraordinary events.' Colm McCarthy, Sunday Independent'A valuable and very readable insight into the work of an institution so important that its independence is protected by law …' Irish Times'Honohan's perspective as a policy-maker in one of the worst-affected countries would be valuable in any case. But this book is especially valuable for the unfailingly analytical approach Honohan brings to what he witnessed. It will be required reading for all who wish to understand what happened in the global financial crisis, and how that crisis did not become a calamity.' Dan Hardie, Central Banking Journal'Ireland has overcome its financial crisis with exemplary success, and Professor Honohan's account is readable, clear and fascinating. He clearly believes that the euro area's troubles are not yet over, and it is impossible not to agree.' William A. Allen, Society of Professional EconomistsTable of ContentsIntroduction; Part I. Currency: 1. Fixed or floating; 2. Toward the euro; 3. The euro area crisis; Part II. Credit: 4. Safe and sound banking; 5. Faults in financial services; 6. The role of the central bank; Part III. Crisis: 7. The guarantee; 8. The race to stabilize the banks; 9. The bailout; 10. Cleaning-up; Part IV. Taking Stock: 11. The European decade of bank failure; 12. The Irish economy in boom and bust; 13. Lessons learnt.

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Book SynopsisThe fifth volume on the history of the Reserve Bank of India covers the years from 199798 to 200708. During this period, it introduced key institutional and financial market reforms in a rapidly changing economic environment and facilitated faster integration of the Indian economy. The Bank rationalised and introduced innovative instruments of monetary control; strengthened regulatory and supervisory processes for both banking and non-banking sectors; adjusted its approach to achieve and sustain financial stability; focussed on building financial market institutions and infrastructure; and spurred legal and other amendments in the larger public interest as also for achieving flexibility with stability in the economy. It also worked to improve the rural credit system, financial inclusion and customer protection. This volume is a narrative history of the Bank and also a rich resource for understanding how an emerging market central bank manages change and shapes the economy to face futurTable of ContentsForeword; Preface; Acknowledgements; List of Abbreviations; 1. Introduction: Managing Liberalisation; 2. The Macroeconomic Context; 3. Monetary Management; 4. Foreign Exchange Market and Management of the Capital Account; 5. Foreign Exchange Reserves Management; 6. Financial Markets; 7. Public Debt Management; 8. The Payment and Settlement Systems; 9. Currency Management; 10. Regulation of the Financial System – Part I: Commercial Banks; 10. Regulation of the Financial System – Part II: Other Financial Institutions; 11. Supervision of the Financial System; 12. Rural Credit; 13. Financial Inclusion; 14. Communication Policy; 15. Organisational Change; Appendices; Photographs; Select Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisAt the turn of the second millennium, Koreans face multiple challenges at home and abroad. South Korea is still in the throes of democratisation and economic reforms, while North Korea faces food shortages and other economic difficulties. The two Koreas need to manage the unification process so as to bring about national harmony and promote economic prosperity. The Korean people need to devise a new security strategy for a unified Korea to ensure its survival and independence in the early 21st century. This collection is divided into three parts, and each addresses an important issue area confronting the Korean people in the 21st century. Part I examines South Korea''s democratisation and economic reforms against the backdrop of the East Asian financial crisis. Part II discusses the problems and prospects for inter-Korean relations and the characteristics of North Korea''s foreign policy behaviour. Part III analyses South Korea''s security relations with the four major powers at the turn of the new millennium. All chapters are written by renowned experts in their fields and offer valuable insights into the dynamics of the two Korean''s domestic politics and foreign policy.

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Book Synopsis Over the last few years, there has been a noticeable increase in studies on the postwar period of Germany, reflecting the crucial importance of these years for an understanding of the developments in the two Germanys. With her study of U.S. occupation policy and its effects on German social and political developments in Frankfurt, Munich, and Stuttgart, Rebecca Boehling offers a most valuable contribution to this debate. She examines the decisions made by the U.S. Military Government regarding German municipal personnel from the first year of the occupation, when all city officials were appointed directly by Military Government of with its explicit approval, through the first postwar municipal elections in 1946 and 1948, when democratic self-government was gradually restored. Boehling explores the far-reaching effects of personnel decisions on German political life within the framework of U.S. policies intended to denazify and democratize Germany. The conclusion she draws is that the early local-level German developments under U.S. occupation facilitated economic recovery in a manner that restricted the implementation of political and social goals of democratization.Trade Review "A well-written and informative source ... a useful contrast to much of the existing literature." · H-Net Reviews (H-German) "... a much appreciated contribution to the current discussions about the reunification of Germany and what it can mean for its economy and relationships to the other European powers." · Wisconsin Bookwatch "... most welcome as the first detailed analysis of political reconstruction in major postwar German cities available in English." · Choice ... unique quality. There is really nothing in English - and relatively little in German - that explores the early days of the occupation of Germany with this degree of detail or with such an extensive knowledge of the interaction between Germans and Americans at the local level." · Thomas Schwartz, Vanderbilt UniversityTable of Contents List of Abbreviations Preface Introduction Chapter 1. American Preparations for Postwar German Self-Government Chapter 2. Structure, Jurisdiction, and Policies of the Office of Military Government – U.S. Zone (OMGUS) Chapter 3. From Resistance and Liberation to Conquest and Occupation Chapter 4. The Stunde Null: American Occupiers, German Appointees, and Pre-democratic Municipal Administration Chapter 5. German Grassroots Democracy and U.S. Military Government: Early Manifestations of Local Self-Government Chapter 6. U.S. Military Government in Retreat: The Return of German Self-Government and the Results of Democratization Initiatives Chapter 7. Conclusion: The Legacy of the U.S. Occupation Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisCapitalism has lifted millions out of poverty. Under its guiding hand, living standards throughout the Western world have been transformed. Further afield, the trail blazed by Japan is being followed by other emerging market countries across the globe, creating prosperity on a breathtaking scale.And yet, capitalism is unloved. From its discontents to its outright enemies, voices compete to point out the flaws in the system that allow increasingly powerful elites to grab an ever larger share of our collective wealth.In this incisive, clear-sighted guide, award winning Financial Times journalist John Plender explores the paradoxes and pitfalls inherent in this extraordinarily dynamic mechanism - and in our attitudes to it. Taking us on a journey from the Venetian merchants of the Rennaissance to the gleaming temples of commerce in 21st-century Canary Wharf via the South Sea Bubble, Dutch tulip mania and manic-depressive gambling addicts, Plender shows us our economic creation through the eyes of philosophers, novelists, poets, artists and the divines.Along the way, he delves into the ethics of debt; reveals the truth about the unashamedly materialistic artistic giants who pioneered copyrighting; and traces the path of our instinctive conviction that entrepreneurs are greedy, unethical opportunists, hell-bent on capital accumulation, while manufacturing is innately virtuous. Thoughtful, eloquent and above all compelling, Capitalism is a remarkable contribution to the enduring debate.Trade Review'A superbly erudite excursion through the theory and practice of market economies down the ages.' - Dominic Lawson, The Sunday Times; 'In this thoughtful and stimulating intervention, John Plender [...] offers a tour d'horizon of the debate, enlivened by a deep knowledge of the global economy and an interest in history, together with an open-minded willingness to place capitalism on the scales of justice and see which way they tip.' - David Priestland, Financial Times; 'John Plender is one of capitalism's more thoughtful observers. His erudition and lifelong curiosity come together beautifully in this wise and wide-ranging book.' - Stephanie Flanders; 'Plender is neither dogmatic nor prescriptive; if you like to read something that furnishes ideas for debate, then this book is for you.' - Richard Walker, CapX; '[John Plender] approaches the quandaries of capitalism with a shrewd eye for detail.' - The Economist; 'It [Capitalism] does a better job of bringing together all the key issues facing today's global economy than any other book I've read... a delight to read.' - Tim Montgomerie, The Times

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Book SynopsisThrough economics, our politicians have the power to transform people's lives for better or worse. Think Deng Xiaoping who lifted millions out of poverty by opening up China; Franklin D Roosevelt whose 'New Deal' helped the USA break free of the Great Depression. Or Peron and his successors in Argentina who brought the country to the brink of ruin.In this magisterial history, economist and politician Vince Cable examines the legacy of 16 world leaders who transformed their countries' economic fortunes and who also challenged economic convention. From Thatcher to Trump, from Lenin to Bismarck, Money and Power provides a whole new perspective on the science of government. Examining the fascinating interplay of economics and politics, this is a compelling journey through some of the most significant people and events of the last 300 years.Trade ReviewVince Cable brings economics to life in this thrilling history, revealing how 16 leading politicians over the last 250 years have used it in their own totally different ways to make the world anew. * Sir Anthony Seldon, author of May at 10 *A wonderful journey through the economic ideas that have shaped leading politicians throughout history. * Dame Minouche Shafik, Director of LSE *Impressive... The essay on Robert Peel lucidly explains his pioneering influence on the politics of trade. Similarly, thechapter on Juan Peron is an excellent summary of his political career as prime minister and the Peronist model of government and economics. * Irish Times *From Hamilton and Lenin to Abe and Trump, these brilliant essays are true to the dictum that 'people don't believe in ideas, they believe in people who believe in ideas'. This is a book which will change the way you think about politics and the leaders and ideas which have driven it forward in the last three centuries. * Lord Andrew Adonis *Vince Cable brings out with spectacular clarity how important and radical leaders end up combining economic theory, political ideology and practical administration. This book needs to be read by anyone who is interested in how the world's economies are really run. * Sir Oliver Letwin *Money and Power provides a masterly analysis of how economic policy has determined the success and failure of political leaders through the ages. * Vicky Pryce, former Joint Head of the UK Government Economic Service *As a former policymaker, Cable has an eye for the sort of political detail that brings a historical episode to life. It's an accessible read that helps us see the long-standing links between money and power all over the world. * Linda Yueh, author of The Great Economists: How Their Ideas Can Help Us Today *Cable shows the influence of leaders in the course of history and the influence of economic ideas on their thoughts and actions. A brilliant project and splendidly delivered. * Professor Lord Nicholas Stern, LSE *A fast-paced, highly readable account of political leaders who transformed their countries - for better or worse - through the economic ideologies of their time. As an economist turned politician, Vince Cable is uniquely placed to provide a critical, but fair judgment of those who have shaped today's major economies. * Dame DeAnne Julius, senior adviser, Chatham House *A lucid, erudite analysis of the global economy, and Britain's place in it. * Observer on After the Storm *A remarkably rounded work... Cable has produced a book that makes a serious and relevant contribution to the continuing debate about banking, infrastructure, housing, China, executive pay, short-termism and many of the other topics which continue to top the business and political agenda. * Evening Standard on After the Storm *The undisputed heavyweight champion of the credit crunch in parliament'. * Robert Peston *Table of Contents0: Introduction: Politicians and the Politics of Economics 1: Hamilton: The Economic Founding Father 2: Peel: Free Trade 3: Bismarck: The Economics of 'Iron and Blood' 4: Lenin: From War Communism to State Capitalism 5: Roosevelt: The Keynesian Revolution Without Keynes 6: Erhard: The Social Market and Ordoliberalism 7: Erlander: The Social Democratic Model Made Real 8: Perón: Peronism and Economic Populism 9: Park: The Development State and Hypergrowth 10: Lee: The Eclectic Economics of Lee Kuan Yew 11: Thatcher: Thatcherism and Its Cousin, Reaganomics 12: Deng: China's Economic Architect 13: Manmohan Singh: The Quiet Reformer 14: Balcerowicz: Big Bang Theory and Practice 15: Abe: Japan Pioneers Abenomics 16: Trump: Trumponomics, Economic Nationalism and Pluto-populism 17: Conclusion: Sixteen Politicians: Sixteen Varieties of Economics

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Book SynopsisThe interdisciplinary chapters in this volume explore and engage the work of Vincent and Elinor Ostrom, along with the Bloomington School of political economy more generally.The book emphasizes the continuing relevance of the Ostroms’ work for our understanding of collective action, self-governance, and institutional diversity for interdisciplinary research in the social sciences and humanities. The wide array of topics and approaches will make the volume of interest to readers in a variety of fields, including: political science, economics, philosophy, sociology, public administration, environmental studies, and political economy.Table of Contents Introduction – Peter Boettke, Bobbi Herzberg, Brian Kogelmann Two Faces of Culture in the Ostroms, Mili Kalia Payoffs that Pay Off: Methodological Pluralism in the Work of Elinor Ostrom, Alexander Schaefer Network of Cantinas from Terra do Meio, Miranda Chase Under Emergency Management: Community Responses to the Flint Water Crisis, Sarah Phinney Unbundling Post-Disaster Aid Package, Veeshan Rayamajhee Governing the (Banking) Commons: Polycentric Solutions to Bank Runs, Pablo Paniagua Prieto An Institutional Analysis of Wage Setting in the Prison Labor Industry, Joanna Carroll The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend: Multilevel Governance and Migration Policy, Emily VanMeter Ostromian Lessons for the Welfare State, Roland Fritz Community among State and Market: Rethinking Social Capital in Authoritarian Regimes,Wanlin Lin Party Organizations and Polycentric Governance: Political Party Reform, Administrative Consolidation, and Geographic Polarization in the Ostroms’ Political Science, Nicholas Jacobs The Political Economy of the European Union: An Exploration of EU Institutions and Governance from the Perspective of Polycentrism, Jan Vogler

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Book SynopsisThings Still Fall Apart shows that Africa is a neglected and exploited continent. Since it was invaded c.1500 by Europeans, it has accumulated only 1 per cent of the world’s wealth, despite containing 16 per cent of the world’s population and immense natural and human resources. This collection of memories by a Brazilian economist, from his 20 years working on the continent, explains that this relative stationary situation is caused mostly by political decisions. Political decisions made on behalf of domestic rulers and rich countries; meanwhile, the poor have no voice or power. The book challenges many historical narratives of the continent and unveils issues such as negative primitive accumulation and the politics of sexuality. The findings of this book reflect the reality of the poor and may be considered alarming and challenging – they need special attention and funding. If not, further stagnation, civil conflicts and migratory waves will persist. As a result, suffering for poor and future costs for rich countries will increase.

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive guide to the evolution of the medieval English customs system

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Book SynopsisThis volume studies the links between politics and science during the 20th century, based on the example of the large US foundations. If the 20th century can be regarded in many ways as the "American Century", then the large US foundations such as Carnegie, Rockefeller and Ford played a major role in this development. And yet they weren't simply stooges for official US power politics. The circumstances surrounding their actions were much more complicated and made great demands of the philanthropy of the day. This volume with articles in English and German shows the course of US philanthropy in Europe in the time between the world wars and following World War II; it demonstrates how Europe became the setting for continually new versions of the postwar political and scientific landscape.

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Book SynopsisWhat does "creativity" mean in the context of IT and what happens when IT acts in its name? Jan Sebastian Zipp examines the concept of creativity in large IT companies in times of digital change, including new ways of working or potential artificial creativity with no human interaction. Drawing on constitutive elements like Silicon Valley or its connection to counterculture, his analysis of the representation and organisation of creativity as a social practice provides insights into the inherent logic of the creativity narrative of IT. This study contributes vital foundations for a critical engagement with today's prevailing understanding of the concept of creativity.

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Book SynopsisThis open access book considers a pivotal era in Chinese history from a global perspective. This book’s insight into Chinese and international history offers timely and challenging perspectives on initiatives like “Chinese characteristics”, “The New Silk Road” and “One Belt, One Road” in broad historical context. Global History with Chinese Characteristics analyses the feeble state capacity of Qing China questioning the so-called “High Qing” (shèng qīng 盛清) era’s economic prosperity as the political system was set into a “power paradox” or “supremacy dilemma”. This is a new thesis introduced by the author demonstrating that interventionist states entail weak governance. Macao and Marseille as a new case study aims to compare Mediterranean and South China markets to provide new insights into both modern eras’ rising trade networks, non-official institutions and interventionist impulses of autocratic states such as China’s Qing and Spain’s Bourbon empires.Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Implementation of the New Global History in China.- The “Global History Paradox” in China: Sinocentred Approaches along the Silk Road.- The Mandate of Heaven, the Rule of the Emperor: Self-sufficiency of the Middle-Kingdom.- Silver, Rogues, and Trade Networks: Sangleyes and Manila Galleons connecting the Spanish Empire and Qing China.- Conclusions.

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Book SynopsisA beautiful new cover for one of Fontana Press’s hardiest perennials.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThe Industrial Revolution has sometimes been regarded as a catastrophe which desecrated the English landscape and brought social opporession and appalling physical hardship to the workers. In this book, however, it is presented as an important and beneficial mark of progress. In spite of destructive wars and a rapid growth of population, the material living standards of most of the British people improved, and the technical innovations not only brought economic rewards but also provoked greater intellectual ingenuity. Innovation is therefore seen by Ashton not just as an economic course but as a social and cultural process influenced by factors such as war and peace and the framework of law and institutions. Lucidly argued and authoritative, this bookplaces the phenomenon of the Industrial Revolution in a stimulating perpsective. A new Preface by Professor Pat Hudson outlines the results of recent research precipitated by Ashton''s themes: the true causes of population growth in the eiTable of ContentsPreface ; Introduction ; 1. The Earlier Forms of Industry ; 2. The Technical Innovations ; 3. Capital and Labour ; 4. 'Individualism' and 'Laisser-faire' ; 5. The Course of Economic Change ; Bibliography; Index; Map

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Book SynopsisIn this important study, Janet Abu-Lughod presents a groundbreaking reinterpretation of global economic evolution and provides a new paradigm for understanding the evolution of world systems by tracing the rise of a system that, at its peak in the opening decades of the fourteenth century, involved a vast region stretching between northwest Europe and China. Writing in a clear and lively style, Abu-Lughod explores the reasons for the eventual decay of this system and the rise of European hegemony. She concludes with a provocative analysis of our current world economy, suggesting that we may be moving towards a pluralistic world similar in important respects to that of the thirteenth century.Trade Review'Abu-Lughod's humanity is evident throughout this work as she describes in personalized yet dignifying prose the variety and commonalty of cultures acorss space and time. This book is both a gem and a landmark study.' Philip McMichael, Cornell University, Theory and Society, 22, 1993

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Book SynopsisWhy are some nations more technically creative than others and why do some highly innovative societies eventually stagnate? In this provocative study of the value and meaning of technological advance, Joel Mokyr considers how past physical and social conditions have influenced the development and reception of new ideas, and shows how these trends can guide future industrial strategies at a time when more countries than ever before are competing for the rewards of technical ingenuity.Trade ReviewThis is an important book about the determinants of technological creativity and why the West has been successful in promoting and adopting new technology for economic progress. The Lever of Riches is a valuable book that every economist should read. * Gary D. Libecap, University of Arizona, Journal of Comparative Economics 15 (1991) *it brings together a wealth of information on the development of technology and the means of analysing it ... it is so splendidly provocative * Roger Burt, University of Exeter, Economic History Review, Aug '91 *This is an ambitious and intriguing book ... What marks it out is the sophisticated handling of the theory of techonological change, within an evolutionary theoretical paradigm ... this is an important, erudite and engrossing book, and is lifely to be one of the key works in the emerging evolutionary analysis of technological change. It is essential reading for those interested in both economic history and the development of evolutionary economics. * Geoff Hodgson, University of Cambridge *Table of ContentsPart I: Introduction; Part II: Classical antiquity; The Middle Ages; The Renaissance and beyond; The years of miracles: the Industrial Revolution; The later Nineteenth century; Part III: Understanding technological progress; Classical and medieval technology; China and Europe; The industrial revolution: Britain and Europe; Part IV: Evolution and the dynamics of technological change

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Book SynopsisThis book examines why certain countries have achieved, at some period in their history, economic superiority over all other countries. The author is particularly interested not only in the factors that lead to this primacy, but also the factors that cause the primacy to end. The study begins in 1350 with Italian city-states, and continues through Portugal, Spain, the Low Countries, Great Britain, and the United States. Additional chapters treat France as a perennial challenger, Germany which twice waged war to attain primacy, and Japan.Trade ReviewA valuable addition to all libraries. * Choice *

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Book SynopsisThis book is a reassessment of the international monetary crises of the post-World War I period that led to the Great Depression of the 1930s. It also analyses the responses of the world economic powers to the Depression and how new monetary policies set the stage for the watershed post-World War II system established at Bretton Woods. It offers new theories of what effect the Great Depression had on the collapse of the world monetary system, and what effect the collapse had on deepening and prolonging the Depression, by exploring the link between global economic crisis and the the gold standard (the framework for international monetary affairs until 1931). The events described had a profound effect upon twentieth-century history: the Depression abetted the rise of Hitler and the demise of the gold standard is a historical cause of inflation.Trade Review`brilliant new book' Newsweek`This is a first-rate book. It should become an instant classic in the field.' Peter Temin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology`Eichengreen illuminates the role of the gold standard in his masterly analysis of the global economic and political forces that produced the Great Depression and economic recovery after 1933.' Anna J. Schwartz, National Bureau of Economic Research`Golden Fetters compels us to re-examine familiar ideas about economic pathology in the interwar period and the way the gold standard functioned before the First World War ... This is the most important contribution to the subject since the works of Brown and Nurske, more than four decades ago.' Peter B. Kenen, Princeton University`It looks to me to be quite a tour de force, by the outstanding contemporary scholar of the 20th century history of the international monetary system.' John Williamson, Senior Fellow, Institute for International Economics`Professor Eichengreen has succeeded in providing a rare blend of well-balanced economic and historical analysis ... There is no doubt in my mind that historians will see Golden Fetters as the standard work on the subject for years to come.' Gianni Toniolo, University of Venice`[Eichengreen's] book provides new and insightful analyses of how the gold standard worked and its role in the economic crisis of the interwar years.' David Hale, Chief Economist and Senior Vice President, Kemper Financial Services Corporation`Anyone tempted to make historical parallels between the EMS and the gold standard should read Barry Eichengreen's scholarl account ... his book is written with a clarity that allows one to identify both elements of the gold standard that were unique and those that are common to any regime of fixed exchange rates.' Times Literary Supplement`will quickly become the standard work ... it is superbly written and achieves its objective of being accessible to the general reader ... this is an excellent book and ... quite compelling reading' Business HistoryThis new international history of the inter-war gold standard, which will quickly become the standard work and should have immediate publication in paperback to encourage the widest readership, succeeds at a number of levels ... it is superbly written and achieves its objective of being accessible to the general reader ... it shows how national histories can be knitted together into a coherent analysis of an international economic crisis ... it breaks new ground in two important respects ... this is an excellent book and ... quite compelling reading.' Business History'This is a complex, densely argued and nuanced book, whose argument and flavour can scarcely be conveyed in a short review. Eichengreen's argument is important, and once absorbed will change the historical terrain. This is a wonderfully stimulating book ... a book which all interested in the period should read, and which will be of particular interest to readers of this journal. It is not, however, one to read on the Costa Brava with a bottle of wine.' Kathleen Burk, University College, London, Financial History ReviewIt is superb monetary history ... The great strength of Eichengreen's historical analysis is his enormously wide knowledge of, and sympathy for, economic and political conditions in all the major countries concerned ... a marvelous book. It is, in addition, beautifully written, and fully accessible to general readers (no mathematics, and lots of contemporary cartoons). A real pleasure to read, the work of a master economic historian. * International Journal of Finance and Economics *

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Book SynopsisEight essays by Euclides da Cunha, author of Os Sertoes, about his trip through the Amazon in 1905, written to bring to life the Brazilian hinterlands to the urban citizens.Table of ContentsSeries Editors' General Introduction Translator's Note Introduction by Lucia Sa The Amazon Glossary Notes Bibliography

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Book SynopsisBy the mid-eighteenth century, the transatlantic slave trade was considered to be a necessary and stabilizing factor in the capitalist economies of Europe and the expanding Americas. Britain was the most influential power in this system which seemed to have the potential for unbounded growth. In 1833, the British empire became the first to liberate its slaves and then to become a driving force toward global emancipation. There has been endless debate over the reasons behind this decision. This has been portrayed on the one hand as a rational disinvestment in a foundering overseas system, and on the other as the most expensive per capita expenditure for colonial reform in modern history. In this work, Seymour Drescher argues that the plan to end British slavery, rather than being a timely escape from a failing system, was, on the contrary, the crucial element in the greatest humanitarian achievement of all time. The Mighty Experiment explores how politicians, colonial bureaucrats, pampTrade Review""Seymour Drescher's magnificent book on the British Act of Emancipation of 1833, and many other things besides, explains the role of the eighteenth-century scince of political economy in the anti-slavery movement."-EH-NET

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Book SynopsisMilitary and defence related procurement has been an important source of technology development across a broad spectrum of industries that account for an important share of United States industrial production. Changes in the structure of the defence industries and of the U.S. industrial economy make it unlikely that military and defence related procurement would again become an important source of revolutionary new technologies in the absence of a major war.Trade ReviewWe owe Ruttan a debt of gratitude for demonstrating yet again the importance of public sector support in the development of many major technologies. * Journal of Economic Literature *

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Book SynopsisThe European Economy between the Wars, (OUP, 1997) has become the definitive economic history of Europe in the inter-war period. Placing the Great Depression of 1929-33 and the associated financial crisis at the center of the narrative, the authors comprehensively examined the lead-up to and consequences of the depression and recovery. Peter Temin and Gianni Toniolo (their former co-author, Charles H. Feinstein, has died) now expand their scope to include the entire world economy, and have created a new edition: The World Economy between the Wars. New material focuses on the structure of the world economy in the 1920s, including a special focus on the United States, Japan, and Latin America. In addition, chapters that discuss the post-depression recovery now cover The New Deal and recovery in general in the United States and Japan. This new edition is a necessary update, and invaluable resource for those who desire an overview of the inter-war area beyond the usual discussion of the 19Trade ReviewWhen the Charles Feinstein, Peter Temin, and Gianni Toniolo published The European Economy Between the World Wars over ten years ago, it immediately became the standard history of European economic developments in the 1920s and 1930s. Now the authors have expanded the previous work very substantially to the international economy as a whole. The World Economy Between the World Wars is, like its predecessor, destined to be an instant classic. It is a comprehensive and balanced account of one of the most important and perplexing periods in world economic history. The authors analyze the economics, and the political economy, of the global and national trends that culminated in the Great Depression and eventually World War Two. In doing so, they provide both an insightful historical account of a crucial era, and thoughtful observations on its implications for the contemporary age. * Jeff Frieden, Professor of Government, Harvard University *Table of ContentsChapter 1: The interwar economy in a secular perspective ; Chapter 2: The legacy of the First World War ; Chapter 3: The crises of the 1920s ; Chapter 4: Output, productivity and technical progress in the 1920s ; Chapter 5: International capital movements ; Chapter 6: The onset of the great depression ; Chapter 7: Unemployment ; Chapter 8: The fragmented world of the 1930s ; Chapter 9: Industrial progress and recovery ; Chapter 10: Epilogue: the past and the present ; Guide to further reading ; References ; Index

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