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Book SynopsisThis open access book examines the challenges and issues caused by a move to a marketized education system in Sweden. Observing the introduction of the school voucher system and a postmodern social constructivist view of knowledge, the move away from objective knowledge is identified as the core reason for Sweden’s current education crisis. The impact of declining education standards on the labor market is also discussed.This book highlights the issues seen in Sweden and suggests policies that can improve education in the rest of the Western world as well. It will be relevant to students and researchers interested in education and labor economics. Table of Contents1. Introduction: The Rise and Puzzling Fall of the Swedish Educational System.- 2. The Silver Age of Swedish Education.- 3. Educational Performance in Swedish Schools—What Are the Facts?.- 4. The Malaise in the School System.- 5. Two Views of Knowledge and Teaching.- 6. The Rise of “Post-Truth” Schooling.- 7. The Deinstitutionalization and Fragmentation of the Swedish School System.- 8. A Perfect Storm.- 9. The Way Forward for Sweden and Other Western Countries.

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Book SynopsisIncome inequality is a serious problem confronting not only the developed world but also developing countries. Recently, financialization has been one of the culprits identified in literature as one of the cause of income inequality. This book offers the only detailed presentation of the how financialization aided the spread of income inequality in Organization of Islamic Cooperation, OIC countries. Finance has taking a center stage in the affairs of most developing economies, surpassing the real sector of the economy. The result is the creation of an indebted society in which people are comfortable with financing their financial needs through credit. This creates a debt laden society that is trapped in the cycle of debt. This book represents a comprehensive and indispensable source for students, practitioners and the general public at large. It presents data which shows the buildup of debt and the rising income inequality in Muslim countries. It includes discussion of the rise in rentier income, financialization of everyday life, decline in physical capital accumulation and deregulation of the financial sector. The book therefore, proffers solutions on how Muslim countries can come out of the present economic problem facing them. The promotion and adoption of Islamic principles, which promotes risk sharing based contracts as against debt based transaction is the way to go. When financial contracts are based on the principles of risk sharing, any gains from economic activities get to be shared equitably. Hence, not only capital owners get to enjoy the benefit from the income derived from investments, but rather, all parties that partake in the contract. Distinguished by its clarity and readability as it is written in a very easy to understand language, it is an important reference work for any concerned individual interested on the recent causes of income inequality in Muslim World.

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Book SynopsisThe core tenets of a capitalist system that dominated the world for more than a century are being challenged as never before. Narratives about the failures of capitalism, the greed of the 1 percent, and the blindness of corporations to public need have made their mark and are driving change. These aren't the superficial cosmetic fixes that generated so much cynicism in the past, but a revolution in the way corporations are imagined and run. Tomorrow's Capitalist reveals how corporate CEOs-the ultimate pragmatists-realized that they could lose their "operating license" unless they tackle the fundamental issues of our time: climate, diversity and inclusion, and inequality and workforce opportunity. Responding to their employees and customers who are demanding corporate change, they have taken the lead in establishing the bold new principles of stakeholder capitalism, ensuring that for the first time in more than a half a century it is not just shareholders who have a say in how corporations are run.Alan Murray vividly captures the zeitgeist of the real and compelling dynamic that is transforming much of the corporate world.

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Book SynopsisAdvances in technology are creating the next economy and enabling us to make things o things/connect with others in smarter, cheaper, faster, more effective ways. But the price of this progress has been a decoupling of the engine of prosperity from jobs that have been the means by which people have ascended to (and stayed in) the middle class.Andy Stern, the former president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) spent four years traveling the country and asking economists, futurists, labour leaders, CEOs, investment bankers, entrepreneurs, and political leaders to help picture the U.S. economy 25 to 30 years from now. He vividly reports on people who are analyzing and creating this new economy,such as investment banker Steve Berkenfeld David Cote, the CEO of Honeywell International Andy Grove of Intel Carl Camden, the CEO of Kelly Services and Geoffrey Canada of the Harlem Children's Zone. Through these stories, we come to a stark and deeper understanding of the toll technological progress will continue to take on jobs and income and its inevitable effect on tens of millions of people.But there is hope for our economy and future. The foundation of economic prosperity for all Americans, Stern believes, is a universal basic income. The idea of a universal basic income for all Americans is controversial but American attitudes are shifting. Stern has been a game changer throughout his career, and his next goal is to create a movement that will force the political establishment to take action against something that many on both the right and the left believe is inevitable. Stern's plan is bold, idealistic, and challenging,and its time has come.Trade Review[Stern] does a solid job of making his case without waxing too wild-eyed. . . . This is a book eminently worth talking about. * Kirkus Reviews *America has no choice. Eventually we're going to have to raise the floor and provide a universal basic income. Technology will replace so many good jobs that Americans won't have enough purchasing power to keep the economy going without an economic floor to stand on. I urge you to read Andy Stern's provocative and compelling book. * Robert B. Reich, Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley, former US secretary of labor, and author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few *Andy Stern has spent his entire life fighting for changes that economically help all Americans, and particularly those often left behind. His latest book offers insight into the emerging challenges of new technology and the urgent need to have a real debate and consider hard choices if we are going to provide economic security for all of our families in the future. * Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood of America *

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Book SynopsisThis interdisciplinary work explores the complex intersections of technology, class, gender, and ecology in the transnational milieu of Mexico's maquiladoras.Trade ReviewPeña's book, the result of more than ten years of field research, delineates the political, cultural, and environmental effects of Mexico's borderside maquiladoras.... Through his critique of these foreign-owned assembly plants, Peña argues persuasively for the implementation of new methods of economic growth that may be both ecologically sustainable and culturally appropriate, and therefore beneficial to communities on both sides of the border. * Hispanic *Table of Contents List of Figures and Tables Acknowledgments Part One. The Terror of the Machine 1. “No Terrors, to a Certain Kind of Mind” 2. From Dark, Satanic Mills to Maquilas 3. (Mis)Measuring the Ignorant Part Two. Terrains of Struggle 4. Like Turtles on the Line 5. The Mirror of Exploitation Part Three. Mothers of Invention 6. Mexican Thinkwork 7. Marginality as Inventive Force Part Four. Back to the Future 8. Mexico in the Fast Lane? 9. Promised Land or Wasteland? Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisDemonstrating how candidates and their campaigns affect the economic vote, this book provides a different way of understanding past elections - and predicting future ones. It offers a theory of campaigns that explains why electoral victory requires more than simply being the candidate favored by prevailing economic conditions.Trade Review"This is not just another book about the impact of the economy on elections. The Message Matters breaks new ground in showing how presidential candidates effectively use the economy when it works in their favor and how some candidates win even when the economy is working against them."--Stanley B. Greenberg, American Prospect "Lucid writing sheds light on a subject often neglected, and readers can glean some useful information."--Choice "This is an impressive book. Vavreck's main contributions are to offer a coherent theory of how economic context should condition campaign effects, to document what types of campaigns presidential candidates have run, and to show that those candidates running the campaigns she suggests have influenced the election in their favor."--Jonathan Nagler, Political Science Quarterly "Vavreck's book is an interesting and very readable contribution for people with an interest in media and election studies. The themes candidates use within American election cycles are now much better illuminated and Vavreck opens the door for a host of exciting analyses that will likely be built on The Message Matters' foundation."--Anders B. Rasmussen, MedieKulturTable of ContentsList of Figures xi List of Tables xiii Acknowledgments xvii Prologue xxi CHAPTER ONE: Presidential Campaigns 1 Basic Questions 2 What's Coming 3 PART I CHAPTER TWO: How and Why Campaigns Matter 9 The Challenge 10 Something's Happening in America 11 The Importance of the Economy 12 The Importance of the Media 14 A Theory of Campaign Effects 15 Integrating Literatures 16 Spatial Voting: The Past as Predictor of the Future 18 Retrospective Voting and Campaign Effects 22 Individual-Level Characteristics and Campaign Effects 23 CHAPTER THREE: Context Matters: A Campaign Typology 26 Theoretical Predictions 28 A Campaign Typology 31 Clarifying Campaigns 31 Insurgent Campaigns 32 When the Economy Is Mixed 33 Predicting Campaign Types, 1952-2000 35 PART II CHAPTER FOUR: The Media Disconnect:Media and Candidate Messages 43 Candidates' Messages and How to Measure Them 46 Advertisements and Speeches 46 Newspaper Coverage 48 Coding the Ads, Speeches, and News Coverage 53 The Content of Modern Campaigns 57 The Media Disconnect 58 CHAPTER FIVE: The Message Matters: Candidate-Level Tests of the Theory 67 Clarifying Campaigns: Dominating Economic Discussion 69 Insurgent Campaigns: Issue Selection Matters 71 Stevenson 1952 and 1956: Second Time Same as the First 76 Goldwater 1964: Just Enough Power to Get the Job Done 78 Carter 1980 and Mondale 1984:War through Strength 80 Dukakis 1988: An Unfocused American Dream 82 Insurgent Candidates Making Wise Choices 83 Kennedy 1960: High Hopes 83 Nixon 1968: Freedom from Fear or Racial Appeal? 86 Carter 1976: Outside and Honest 90 Two More Tests of the Theory at the Candidate Level 105 A More Rigorous Test of Compliance 105 Explaining the Errors in Forecasting Models 107 PART III CHAPTER SIX: The Message Matters:Microlevel Tests of the Theory 113 Clarifying Candidate Campaign Effects: Do Campaign Messages Shape Voters' Evaluations of Candidates? 115 High Fidelity? 116 Ads:Messages That Matter 120 Clarifying Candidate Campaign Effects: Do Campaign Messages Help Voters Learn about Candidates' Issue Positions? 123 Measuring Uncertainty 125 Reducing Uncertainty 128 Campaign Learning about the Economy 131 Insurgent-Candidate Campaign Effects: Changing the Debate by Increasing the Importance of Issues 134 The Most Important Problem in the Nation 137 Most Important Problem and Vote Choice 140 Insurgent Candidate Campaign Effects: Being Closer to Most Voters on the Insurgent Issue 144 The Difference in Distances 144 Differences in Distances and Vote Choice 151 The Message and Its Effects 155 CHAPTER SEVEN: Candidates Creating Context 159 Can Candidates Create the Context? 160 Creating Salience: Finding the Right Insurgent Issue 163 Appendix 167 References 191 Index 199

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Book SynopsisIn the fall of 2008, fifteen of the world's leading economists - representing the broadest spectrum of economic opinion - gathered at New Hampshire's Squam Lake. Their goal: the mapping of a long-term plan for financial regulation reform. This title distills the wealth of insights from the collaboration that began at these meetings.Trade ReviewRobert J. Shiller, Co-Winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Economics Raghuram Rajan, Winner of the Deutsche Bank Prize in Financial Economics 2013, The Center for Financial Studies "If you asked me to recommend one thing to read on reforming financial regulation, [The Squam Lake Report] would be it."--Clive Crook, The Atlantic "The Squam Lake Report [is] a slim volume that contains the best prescriptions of the brightest minds of economics about how to save the financial system."--Heidi N. Moore, CNNMoney.com "The Squam Lake Report is a slight volume of ten chapters and just 157 pages--practically anorexic by the standards of many tomes about the credit crunch--but it makes heavyweight claims. It is the product of 15 of the leading financial economists in the United States, who first met on a weekend retreat to New Hampshire's remote and scenic Squam Lake, and offers their prescriptions for regulatory reform to stave off future collapses."--New Statesman "Fifteen prominent academic US economists developed this concise set of recommendations for financial regulation reform in Fall 2008 in a desire to prevent a recurrence of the financial crisis that developed in 2007 and whose effects continue to the present. The introductory chapter provides an excellent summary of the cascade of financial catastrophes precipitated initially by losses on mortgage-backed securities... [A] useful volume for its historical overview and coverage of key issues."--Choice "The Squam Lake Report is an important book in a growing library of commentary on the worst financial crisis since the Depression. It delivers good and clearly written recommendations and reviews most of the key issues surrounding the crisis."--Mark S. Rzepczynski, Financial Analysts JournalTable of ContentsPreface vii Acknowledgments xi Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Chapter 2: A Systemic Regulator for Financial Markets 33 Chapter 3: A New Information Infrastructure for Financial Markets 44 Chapter 4: Regulation of Retirement Savings 53 Chapter 5: Reforming Capital Requirements 67 Chapter 6: Regulation of Executive Compensation in Financial Services 75 Chapter 7: An Expedited Mechanism to Recapitalize Distressed Financial Firms: Regulatory Hybrid Securities 86 Chapter 8: Improving Resolution Options for Systemically Important Financial Institutions 95 Chapter 9: Credit Default Swaps, Clearinghouses, and Exchanges 109 Chapter 10: Prime Brokers, Derivatives Dealers, and Runs 122 Chapter 11: Conclusions 135 List of Contributors 153 Index 157

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Brazil is the world's sixth-largest economy and fifth-largest nation, and its transformation has long piqued the interest of scholars and observers. In this engaging book, Alston and his Brazilian colleagues Melo, Mueller, and Pereira examine this transformation by asking how Brazil became an emerging power during the 20th century... Brazil in Transition is a valuable contribution to the understanding of why nations develop and the struggles they face in the process."--Choice "Brazil in Transition is an intriguing book that holds the reader's attention throughout."--Leonardo Weller, EH.netTable of ContentsList of Illustrations xi List of Tables xiii Preface xv Abbreviations xvii Part I. An Overview of Brazil in Transition: Beliefs, Leadership, and Institutional Change 1 Chapter 1. Introduction 3 Economic Development and Critical Transitions 3 Brazil: This Time for Real? 7 A Sketch of the Conceptual Framework 14 Analytical Narratives and Economic Development 16 Road Map for the Book 19 Chapter 2. A Conceptual Dynamic for Understanding Development 24 Beliefs, Leadership, Dominant Network, and Windows of Opportunity 24 Difference in Difference in Changing Beliefs 28 Overview of Dominant Network, Beliefs, and Institutions in Brazil from 1964 to 2014 33 1964-1984 33 1985-1993 36 1994-2014 38 Summary 39 Part II. Introduction to the Case Study of Brazil, 1964-2014 41 Identifying Beliefs 45 Appendix: A Primer on the Brazilian Political System 50 Chapter 3. From Disorder to Growth and Back: The Military Regime (1964-1984) 54 From Chaos to a Short Period of Order 54 From Order to Unsustainable Growth 59 The Miracle Fades 64 Back to Disorder 67 The Decline of Developmentalism 70 Chapter 4. Transition to Democracy and the Belief in Social Inclusion (1985-1993) 71 A New Belief Emerges 71 The Transition to Democracy 72 Codifying Beliefs: The Constitution of 1988 76 The Constitution-Making Process 78 The Constitution's Delegation of Powers to the President 87 Back to Uncertainty and Chaos 90 Failures of the Brazilian Economic Plans before the Real 91 The Collor Government: Great Hope, Huge Disappointment 93 Chapter 5. Cardoso Seizes a Window of Opportunity (1993-2002) 97 The Real Plan 99 Early Institutional Deepening: Constitutional Amendments 103 Coalition Management under Cardoso 107 Asserting Fiscal Control over States 108 Staying the Course against the Early Opposition to the Real Plan 110 Sustaining Stability in the Face of External Shocks 116 Cardoso's Second Term: Combining Macro Orthodoxy with Social Inclusion 117 The Reassertion of Presidential Fiscal Authority 119 Conclusions 120 Chapter 6. Deepening Beliefs and Institutional Change (2002-2014) 122 The Uncertain Transition 122 Continuity in Change 126 Deepening the Social Contract 128 Checks and Balances vs. Strong Presidential Powers 138 The New Economic Matrix and Dilma's Policy Switch 150 Beliefs? Really? ... Really! 154 The Messy Process of Dissipative Inclusion 161 Conclusion 165 Part III. A General Inductive Framework for Understandin Critical Transitions 169 Chapter 7. A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Critical Transitions 171 Understanding Critical Transitions 172 How Does Our Framework Fit in the Literature? 173 The Building Blocks of Our Conceptual Framework 176 Windows of Opportunity 176 Dominant Network 177 Beliefs 180 Leadership 186 Institutions 189 Economic and Political Outcomes 190 Dynamics 191 Argentina: An Illustrative Use of the Framework 199 The Camelot Years: 1912-1930 200 Electoral Fraud and the Rise of Peron: 1930-1946 201 Instability Is the Rule: Oscillations between Populism and Military Rule: 1946-Present 204 Concluding Remarks 207 Chapter 8. Conclusion 209 Better and Worse at the Same Time 210 Assessing the Framework 214 Brazil and the Critical Transition 216 Afterword 221 References 227 Index 243

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Book SynopsisThe U.S. dollar's dominance seems under threat. The near collapse of the U.S. financial system in 2008-2009, political paralysis that has blocked effective policymaking, and emerging competitors such as the Chinese renminbi have heightened speculation about the dollar's looming displacement as the main reserve currency. Yet, as The Dollar Trap poweTrade ReviewWinner of the 2015 Gold Medal in Economics, Axiom Business Book Awards Honorable Mention for the 2015 PROSE Award in Business, Finance & Management, Association of American Publishers One of Financial Times (FT.com) Best Economics Books of 2014, chosen by Martin Wolf One of China Business News' Financial Books of the Year for 2014 "Thoughtful."--Jeff Sommer, New York Times "[A] surprising argument... [L]ucid."--David Wessel, Wall Street Journal "Richly detailed study of global finances, examining how and why the dollar became the favored currency of international trade."--Kirkus "To understand how the world of international finance works, what the agendas are and what is at stake, this work is indispensable."--Henny Sender, Financial Times "In his authoritative new book on the dollar, Eswar Prasad ... argues that China and other foreign countries that own around half the outstanding US federal government debt are trapped in a risky game where the US may be tempted to renege on its debt obligations by printing more dollars."--John Plender, Financial Times "A lively and compelling analysis on currency wars in the wake of the financial crisis--and the likely persistence of the U.S. dollar as the world's pre-eminent currency."--Harold James, Central Banking JournalTable of ContentsList of Figures and Tables ix Preface to the Paperback Edition xi Preface xvii PART ONE Setting the Stage 1. Prologue 3 2. What Is So Special about the Dollar? 11 PART TWO Building Blocks 3. The Paradox of Uphill Capital Flows 31 4. Emerging Markets Get Religion 47 5. The Quest for Safety 63 6. A Trillion Dollar Con Game? 89 PART THREE Inadequate Institutions 7. Currency Wars 125 8. Seeking a Truce on Currency Wars 158 9. It Takes Twenty to Tango 171 10. The Siren Song of Capital Controls 188 11. Safety Nets with Gaping Holes 201 PART FOUR Currency Competition 12. Is the Renminbi Ready for Prime Time? 229 13. Other Contenders Nipping at the Dollar's Heels 262 14. Could the Dollar Hit a Tipping Point and Sink? 283 15. Ultimate Paradox: Fragility Breeds Stability 299 Appendix 309 Notes 317 References 375 Acknowledgments 393 Index 395

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Thought-provoking."--Kirkus

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Book SynopsisA superb analysis of how the decline of Canadian Keynesianism has made way for the emergence of politics organized around balanced budgets.Trade ReviewNot long ago, deficits were seen as positive things in Canada. Now deficits are seen as evil. Timothy Lewis has just published a fascinating book which traces the transformations of Canadian attitudes. [It] is an illuminating account of the interaction between ideas and politics, between economic theories and political limitations, possibilities or necessities." -- Graham Fraser * Toronto Star *A thoughtful, detailed analysis of deficit politics and its relationship to the role of ideas in shaping both public policies and public perceptions of them ...[It is] an effective teaching and analytical tool for instructors and students of public policy. -- Geoffrey Hale * Canadian Journal of Political Science *Table of ContentsPreface1 Fiscal Politics2 Deficit Finance in Historical Perspective3 The Political Economy of Economic Decline4 Persisting Keynesian Conceptualizations of Deficit Finance, 1975-845 Restructuring Power Relations6 The Priority of Structural Reform, 1984-937 Economic Insecurity and the Political Conditions for Deficit Elimination8 Only Nixon Can Go to China, 1993-89 Maynard Where Art Thou?AppendixNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisSolidarity First examines the concept and practice of social cohesion in terms of its impact on, and significance for, workers in Canada.Trade ReviewSolidarity First is about working class experience in the era of globalization and neo-liberalism; the contributors show how this experience provides an invaluable lens through which to evaluate the discourse and set of practices that go under the label "social cohesion." Well-written and clear, it will be read by researchers in a variety of social science disciplines. -- Stephen McBride, co-editor of Global Turbulence: Social Activists' and State Responses to GlobalizationTable of ContentsTable of Contents Acknowledgments 1 Introduction: Canadian Workers and Social Cohesion / RobertO’Brien Part 1: Conceptualizing Social Cohesion 2 Gendering the Concept of Social Cohesion through an Understandingof Women and Work / Belinda Leach and Charlotte Yates 3 Social Cohesion, International Competitiveness, and the"Other": A Connected Comparison of Workers’Relationships in Canada and Mexico / Holly Gibbs Part 2: Constructing Social Cohesion 4 Workplace Cohesion and the Fragmentation of Solidarity: The MagnaModel / Wayne Lewchuk and Don Wells 5 Working Time and Labour Control in the Toyota Production System /Mark Thomas 6 Cultural Production and Social Cohesion amid the Decline of Coaland Steel: The Case of Cape Breton Island / Larry Haiven Part 3: Internationalizing Social Cohesion 7 Civil Society Targets the International / RobertO’Brien 8 International Labour Norms and Worker Disorganization in Canada /Roy Adams 9 ILO Action on "The Scope of the EmploymentRelationship": Lessons from Canada on the Gendered Limits ofFostering Social Cohesion / Leah F. Vosko 10 Conclusion: Beyond Social Cohesion / RobertO’Brien Notes References List of Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisRejecting conventional explanations for Syrian foreign policy, which emphasize the personalities and attitudes of leaders, cultural factors peculiar to Arab societies, or the machinations of the great powers, Fred H. Lawson describes key shifts in...Trade ReviewLawson has written a book with extremely interesting connections. And if the most stimulating scholarly exercises are those which broaden our frames of reference and deepen our understanding of events, then Why Syria Goes to War is a gem. * DOMES (Digest of Middle East Studies) *The author focuses on domestic political factors that have influenced Syria's military and foreign policies; the book covers the period 1967 to 1994. * Shofar *

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Book SynopsisThis is the first attempt, using Canadian data and econometric techniques, to study property crime as rational economic behaviour. Supply-of-offences functions for five types of property crime are specified and estimated using provincial data for 1970-2. Both the probability of apprehension and the probability of conviction are shown to have a substantial negative effect upon most kinds of property crime, with the conviction rate exhibiting the stronger influence. The generally significant inverse relationship between expected sentence length and the crime rate found by other researchers does not appear for the crimes investigated here. The results also indicate that estimating supply-of-offence functions over such aggregate categories as 'property crime' can lead to unjustified generalizations about particular types of crime.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"By studying the work of helping others find work, Mary Gatta shifts our attention to the link between government policy and the experiences of unemployed workers seeking work . . . Gatta has pointed to one approach by studying work beyond the employment relation. We would do well to follow her example with other approaches."—Mark Zbaracki, IRL Review"Gatta's research makes a significant contribution to the literature on the workforce development system as little is known about the One-Stop Career Centers and even less is known about women's experiences at the One-Stop Career Centers. In addition, Gatta's work is unique in its methodology. Whereas many existing studies are quantitative and outcomes-focused, Gatta uses participant observation and focus groups. In doing so, she is able to explore how women are experiencing the workforce development system rather than just how many women were served or obtained employment."—Skye Allmang, Social Service Review"Mary Gatta adds to the literature by focusing on the felt experiences of women at One Stop Career Centers. With qualitative data, Gatta explores the experiences of customers and front line workers at a New Jersey Center . . . With its lens on gender, this book is an important addition to workforce development literature."—Joyce Bialik, Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare"All I Want Is a Job! offers a valuable look inside our nation's main workforce development program. It should be required reading for anyone interested in low-wage work, labor markets, social welfare policy, and economic development."–Stephanie Luce, Gender & Society"In this short and very readable narrative, Gatta takes a different and unique approach. Posing as a client at a One-Stop Career Center, she experiences firsthand the trials and tribulations of job seekers. The author interviews the workers in these centers, discovering the difficulties of trying to implement policies set by others and the anxiety and stress in meeting the needs of the unemployed . . . The author concludes that there are no quick fixes, but at the margin there are key shifts to improve the system, which would serve the employed and unemployed alike and contribute to economic recovery and future prosperity . . . Recommended."—J. F. O'Connell, CHOICE"All I Want is a Job! is an engaging and timely book. It addresses the very pressing issue of the services provided to jobless workers, while also doing an excellent job of placing its findings in historical context."—Ofer Sharone, MIT Sloan School of Management"This is a special book that gives the reader a real sense of the world of One-Stop Career Centers. Delivering an insider's glimpse into their operation, Gatta's research will spark a serious discussion about the need to change our current system so that it actually meets the needs of those seeking employment."—Henry Plotkin, Former Executive Director of the New Jersey State Employment and Training Commission"Mary manages to discuss the problems that unemployed women face in finding work, not only from a practical point of view, but also from a personal standpoint. This book illustrates her rare talent for looking at individual concerns alongside bureaucracy with an eye toward reform. While giving us an intimate look inside the public work force system, she constructively suggests ways to improve government initiatives. All I Want Is a Job! is at once an eye opener and a beacon."—Frank Pallone, Jr., New Jersey Congressman"Mary Gatta has written a forceful, lucid, and critical guide for women to secure a living wage. Understanding the bewildering hell that is the public workforce system, Mary knowingly helps us to navigate it in order to produce the practical result we all seek: employment. This book is a 'must read' for those who care about lifting women out of poverty!"—Jim McGreevey, former Governor of New Jersey

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Book SynopsisLandscapes of the Islamic World presents new work by twelve authors on the archaeology, history, and ethnography of the Islamic world in the Middle East, the Arabian peninsula, and central Asia. The focus looks beyond the city to engage with the predominantly rural and pastoral character of premodern Islamic society.Trade Review"The goal of the book, to integrate different types of data and domains of inquiry to illustrate the research possible in rural landscapes is admirably accomplished. The volume is well integrated into a comprehensive whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. This book also demonstrates that committed scholars, endeavoring to write clearly to those outside of their immediate specialty, can successfully bring the richness of detail in their work to a broader archaeological audience." * Ethnoarchaeology *"This welcome volume seeks to bring the approaches of landscape archaeology to the rich dataset offered by the rural communities of the Islamic Middle East. Through chapters addressing fundamental social and economic matters-mining and manufacturing, water management, the animal economy, the actuality of burial practices-the contributors deploy and confront both archaeological and documentary evidence in ways that will interest a broad readership." * Graham Philip, Durham University *"This rich and carefully assembled volume is diverse in its theoretical and methodological approaches and scope. It opens numerous windows into the field of Islamic archaeology, suffusing it with fresh new possibilities and horizons. Each study grounds the history of Islamic societies in a rich and dynamic landscape. The volume should be indispensable to all scholars and students of Islamic studies." * A. Asa Eger, University of North Carolina-Greensboro *Table of ContentsPreface —Stephen McPhillips and Paul D. Wordsworth Introduction —Tony J. Wilkinson PART I. HYDROECONOMIES: MANAGING AND LIVING WITH WATER Chapter 1. The Materiality of Ottoman Water Administration in Eighteenth-Century Rural Damascus: A Historian's Perspective —Astrid Meier Chapter 2. The Islamic Occupation of Qatar in the Context of an Environmental Framework —Phillip G. Macumber Chapter 3. Water Management in Desert Regions: Early Islamic Qasr Mushash —Karin Bartl PART II. AGRICULTURE, PASTORALISM, AND SUBSISTENCE Chapter 4. Faunal Distributions from the Southern Highlands of Transjordan: Regional and Historical Perspectives on the Representations and Roles of Animals in the Middle Islamic Period —Robin M. Brown Chapter 5. Zooarchaeological Perspectives on Rural Economy and Landscape Use in Eighteenth-Century Qatar —Pernille Bangsgaard and Lisa Yeomans PART III. LANDSCAPES OF COMMERCE AND PRODUCTION Chapter 6. Beyond Iron Age Landscapes: Copper Mining and Smelting in Faynan in the Twelfth to Fourteenth Centuries CE —Ian W. N. Jones Chapter 7. Ceramic Production in the Central Highlands of Yemen During the Islamic Period —Daniel Mahoney Chapter 8. Harnessing Hydraulic Power in Ottoman Syria: Water Mills and the Rural Economy of the Upper Orontes Valley —Stephen McPhillips PART IV. TRANSIENCE AND PERMANENCE: MOVEMENT AND MEMORY IN THE LANDSCAPE Chapter 9. The Architectural Legacy of the Seasonally Nomadic Ghurids —David C. Thomas and Alison L. Gascoigne Chapter 10. The Northern Jordan Project and the "Liquid Landscapes" of Late Islamic Bilad al-Sham —Bethany J. Walker Chapter 11. "Presencing the Past": A Case Study of Islamic Rural Burial Practices from the Homs Region, Syria —Jennie N. Bradbury Chapter 12. Sustaining Travel: The Economy of Medieval Stopping Places Across the Karakum Desert, Turkmenistan —Paul D. Wordsworth Conclusion. Some Reflections on Rural Islamic Landscapes —Alan Walmsley Glossary List of Contributors Index Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisWhile the nation''s GDP has doubled in the last thirty years, significant increases in family income have been restricted to a small subset of the American population. This disjunct between national economic growth and stagnating incomes in all but the very top tier of the population corresponds with increasing economic inequality and a lack of social and economic mobility. As a consequence, neighborhoods and metropolitan areas have become more polarized. Stark geographic differences in levels of poverty, income, health outcomes, job opportunities, lifetime earning potential, and educational attainment highlight the degree to which place matters in terms of social and economic opportunity.Shared Prosperity in America''s Communities examines this place-based disparity of opportunity and suggests what can be done to ensure that the benefits of economic growth are widely shared. Contributors'' essays explore social and economic mobility throughout the country to illuminateTrade Review"While income inequality has received much attention from scholars and the media, the profound impact of geography on inequality has not been explored deeply. This volume brings together an impressive collection of essays that create a nuanced map of inequality in America and point toward solutions." * Raphael Bostic, Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California *"Missing in the national dialogue about income equality is the role that cities have traditionally fulfilled as building blocks for opportunity and indeed must fulfill going forward. Susan Wachter and Lei Ding have assembled a group of respected scholars who advance important ideas about how schools, cities, and metropolitan areas can strengthen our national quest for social and economic progress." * Henry Cisneros, City View *"An important contribution to the conversation about urban inequality. The essays collected by Susan M. Wachter and Lei Ding tackle issues such as intergenerational mobility, racial and socioeconomic segregation, active labor market policy, and strategic urban renewal efforts with balance and rigor." * Steven Raphael, University of California, Berkeley *"Wachter and Ding have assembled a dazzling collection of contributors to explore the intersection of inequality and place. This volume makes clear that policy cannot ignore geography-the future of opportunity in America begins at the neighborhood level. I encourage scholars, policymakers, and the interested public worried about increasing inequality to take advantage of the many insights this collection offers." * Sarah Rosen Wartell, The Urban Institute *"The country is riven by social and economic inequality. This book explains why mending this rift must take place community by community and provides the research and analysis to make this happen." * Marc Morial, National Urban League *Table of ContentsIntroduction PART I. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY IN AMERICA'S COMMUNITIES Chapter 1. Socioeconomic Mobility in the United States: New Evidence and Policy Lessons —Raj Chetty Chapter 2. Neighborhoods and Segregation —Paul A. Jargowsky Chapter 3. The Changing Geography of Disadvantage —Elizabeth Kneebone Chapter 4. U.S. Workers' Diverging Locations: Causes and Inequality Consequences —Rebecca Diamond PART II. HOW TO ENCOURAGE GROWTH AND EXPAND OPPORTUNITY Chapter 5. Building Shared Prosperity Through Place-Conscious Strategies That Reweave the Goals of Fair Housing and Community Development —Margery Austin Turner Chapter 6. Confronting the Legacy of American Apartheid —Douglas S. Massey Chapter 7. Expanding Educational Opportunity in Urban School Districts —Paul A. Jargowsky, Zachary D. Wood, J. Cameron Anglum, and David N. Karp Chapter 8. Preparing Today's Youth for Tomorrow's Jobs —Anthony P. Carnevale and Nicole Smith Chapter 9. Labor-Demand-Side Economic Development Incentives and Urban Opportunity —Timothy J. Bartik PART III. SHARED PROSPERITY: PERSPECTIVES ON EQUITABLE AND INCLUSIVE GROWTH Chapter 10. Equitable and Inclusive Growth Strategies for American Cities —Victor Rubin, Angela Glover Blackwell, and Chris Schildt Chapter 11. The Fragility of Growth in a Post-Industrial City —Jeremy Nowak Chapter 12. Fostering an Inclusive Metropolis: Equity, Growth, and Community —Chris Benner and Manuel Pastor Notes References List of Contributors Index Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisLooks back at a seminal work of scholarship to provide critical guidance for the years aheadTable of ContentsForeword / Mark V. Pauly vii Preface / Victor R. Fuchs xiii Kenneth Arrow and the Changing Economics of Health Care: "Why Arrow? Why Now?" / Peter J. Hammer, Deborah Haas-Wilson, Mark A. Peterson, and William M. Sage xvii Uncertainty and the Welfare Economics of Medical Care (American Economics Review, 1963) / Kenneth J. Arrow 1 Part 1: Supply, Demand, and Health Care Competition General Equilibrium and Marketability in the Health Care Industry / Michael Chernew 37 Arrow's Concept of the Health Care Consumer: A Forty-Year Retrospective / Frank A. Sloan 49 Uncertainty and Technological Change in Medicine / Annetine G. Gelijns, Joshua Graff Zivin, and Richard R. Nelson 60 Human Inputs: The Health Care Workforce and Medical Markets / Richard A. Cooper and Linda H. Aiken 71 Health Care as a (Big) Business: The Antitrust Response / Clark C. Havighurst 84 Part 2: Risk, Insurance, and Redistribution Health Insurance and Market Failure since Arrow / Sherry A. Glied 103 Can Efficiency in Health Care Be Left to the Market? / Uwe E. Reinhardt 111 Valuing Charity / Richard Kronick 134 Medical Service Risk and the Evolution of Provider Compensation Arrangements / Gloria J. Bazzoli 142 The Role of the Capital Markets in Restructuring Health Care / J. B. Silvers 156 Part 3: Information, Knowledge, and Medical Markets Arrow and the Information Market Failure in Health Care: The Changing Content and Sources of Health Care Information / Deborah Haas-Wilson 169 The End of Asymmetric Information / James C. Robinson 181 Managing Uncertainty: Intermediate Organizations as Triple Agents / Lawrence Casalino 189 Moral Hazard vs. Real Hazard: Quality of Care Post-Arrow / Michael L. Millenson 202 Part 4: Social Norms and Professionalism Arrow's Analysis of Social Institutions: Entering the Marketplace with Giving Hands? / Peter J. Hammer 215 The Market for Medical Ethics / M. Gregg Bloche 230 The Role of Nonprofits in Health Care / Jack Needleman 243 Arrow on Trust / Mark A. Hall 259 From Trust to Political Power: Interest Groups, Public Choice, and Health Care / Mark A. Peterson 272 Regulating Health Care: From Self-Regulation to Self-Regulation? / Peter D. Jacobson 290 The Lawyerization of Medicine / William M. Sage 302 Part 5: Response by Professor Arrow Reflections on Reflections / Kenneth J. Arrow 321 Contributors 327 Index 335

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Book SynopsisAn updated examination of what''s weakening the U.S. economy, and how to fix itThe Committee to Destroy the World: Inside the Plot to Unleash a Super Crash on the Global Economy is a passionate and informed analysis of the struggling global economy. In this masterfully conceived and executed work, Michael Lewitt, one of Wall Street''s most respected market strategists and money managers, updates his groundbreaking examination of the causes of the 2008 crisis and argues that economic and geopolitical conditions are even more unstable today. His analysis arrives in time for the impending economic and geopolitical debates of the 2016 election season. Lewitt explains in detail how debt has now overrun the world''s capacity, how federal policies of the past few decades have created a downward vortex sapping growth and vitality from the American economy, and how greed and corruption are preventing reform. The financial crisis created tens of trillions of debt, leTable of ContentsAcknowledgments xi Introduction The Committee to Destroy the World 1 Chapter 1 The 2008 Crisis—Tragedy or Farce? 57 Chapter 2 The Death of Capital 93 Chapter 3 Capital Ideas 109 Chapter 4 Empty Promises 145 Chapter 5 Financialization 163 Chapter 6 From Innovators to Undertakers 181 Chapter 7 Welcome to Jurassic Park 225 Chapter 8 The Road to Hell 259 Chapter 9 Finance after Armageddon 277 Chapter 10 Unfi nished Business 317 Chapter 11 How to Save Yourself 339 Conclusion “This Is Later” 359 Notes 367 Bibliography and Other Sources 397 About the Author 405 Index 407

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Book SynopsisA cautionary tale of failed policies and corporate mismanagement that compellingly addresses previously unexplored issues of political ideology, organizational dynamics, and ethics, Days of Slaughter will appeal to readers everywhere who want a fuller explanation of what went awry in the US housing market.Trade ReviewThis detailed, thoughtful examination of the GSEs before, during, and after the crisis is a welcome contribution to the historical record of a turbulent time. Publishers WeeklyTable of ContentsContents Key Acronyms Acknowledgements Prologue - Acknowledging the Obvious 5I. Reckoning Day 8II. Homeownership: Dream or Nightmare? 35III. Securitization Breakdown 62 IV. Charter Confusion 90 V. Affordable Housing 112VI. Subprime Semantics 138VII. Political Capture 156VIII. Who's Ultimately Responsible? 181IX. Scandal (s) 198X. Battle for Credit Leadership 222XI. One Tough Bill 247XII. Stand Up and Say 272XIII. The Unraveling 288XIV. Sad Goodbyes 305XV: Housing's Future 309XVI: Wherefore Ethics? 319

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