Political economy Books

Book SynopsisFrom bank bailouts to austerity, Europe's and Ireland's response to the economic crisis has been engineered specifically to shift the burden of paying for the crisis onto ordinary citizens while investors, financiers, bankers and the privileged are protected. The authors expose the class-based nature of Ireland's crisis resolution.Trade Review“Deepening Neoliberalism contributes to the small but growing body of literature that has emerged from academics interested in the impacts of the global economic and financial crisis on Ireland. The book, with its accessible and well-presented theoretical framework and illuminating case studies, makes a valuable contribution to understanding the causes and, particularly, consequences of Ireland’s embrace of neoliberalism.” (David Meredith, Antipode, antipodefoundation.org, February, 2016)'Essential reading for those who might believe that neoliberalism is just an economic doctrine. This meticulously researched and engagingly written book of Ireland's social and economic predicament conclusively shows that neoliberalization is first and foremost a class project.' Erik Swyngedouw, Manchester University, UK 'The authors construct a compelling case that it was Ireland's cooption of a neoliberal political economy that led to its recent catastrophic crash, yet the solution pursued was a more entrenched version that imposed severe austerity on its citizens to the favour of corporate interests. A must read for anyone interested in the crisis in Ireland and understanding neoliberalism more broadly.' Rob Kitchin, Maynooth University, Ireland 'Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the nefarious grip of neoliberalism A powerful wake-up call to all who would seek to oppose the class-war policies which neoliberal ideologues have unleashed upon us.' Andrew MacLaran, Trinity College Dublin, IrelandTable of Contents1. Introduction2. Neoliberalism, A Class Project3. Encountering Neoliberalism4. European Rule Regimes And Deepening Neoliberalism5. Ideological Power And The Response To The Crash6. Privatisation7. Health And Health Care8. 'Austere' Labour9. Taxation: Redistribution Upwards 10. Conclusion

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Book SynopsisEconomics is a broad and diverse discipline, but most economics textbooks only cover one way of thinking about the economy. This book provides an accessible introduction to nine different approaches to economics: from feminist to ecological and Marxist to behavioural. Each chapter is written by a leading expert in the field described and is intended to stand on its own as well as providing an ambitious survey that seeks to highlight the true diversity of economic thought. Students of economics around the world have begun to demand a more open economics education. This book represents a first step in creating the materials needed to introduce new and diverse ideas into the static world of undergraduate economics. This book will provide context for undergraduate students by placing the mainstream of economic thought side by side with more heterodox schools. This is in keeping with the Rethinking Economics campaign which argues that students are better served when they arTrade Review‘The 2008 financial crisis and its continuing aftermaths have starkly revealed the limitations of the practice of intellectual 'mono-cropping' in economics, that is, the near-total dominance by one approach to economics: Neo-classical economics. Leading the charge against this practice have been young economists from the Rethinking Economics movement. In this book, these young economists, rather than trying to replace one intellectual mono-cropping with another, provide a vision for a pluralist approach to economics. The volume, by presenting nine essays in which leading economists introduce the economic schools they represent, broadens our vision of economics and deepens our understanding of it. It is a highly relevant and enlightening contribution to a debate that will shape the future of the world economy as well as the way in which economics is taught and debated.’ — Ha-Joon Chang, University of Cambridge, author of Economics: The User's Guide 'The members of Rethinking Economics haven't just protested against the narrowness of the conventional economics curriculum, they have done something about it. This volume admirably addresses their need for excellent up-to-date expert accounts of a range of different approaches to economics, all with student input.' — Sheila Dow, Emeritus Professor, University of Stirling, UK. ‘Economics students have been short-changed by degrees that teach only Neoclassical economics despite its failures before, during and after the crisis. This book provides a useful introduction to alternative voices in economics at a time when, though none of them has all the answers, they are each at least posing questions that the mainstream failed to even consider.’ — Professor Steve Keen, Kingston University London, UK. ‘This book is much more than a rethink of economics, it’s a revolution in the economic landscape, democratizing theory and language for public benefit. This book builds a new corps of citizen economists and helps prevent economists-cum-pundits from pulling esoteric fast ones on the public. It’s a must read for anyone wanting to challenge the economic system’s dysfunctional status quo and an essential guide for advocates of social, economic and environmental sustainability. For genuine progress to occur, new economic theories, language and tools are needed. This book answers that call.’ – Dr. Michael Shank, New York University‘A timely and informative guide to competing schools of thought in economics. An excellent starting point for students looking for a broader economics education.’ - Dr Jo Michell, Senior Lecturer in Economics, UWE Bristol, UK.‘Is there life beyond mainstream economics?’, you ask. Well, here is your answer: nine approaches, clearly explained by top specialists in each approach. This book produced by members of Rethinking Economics is warmly recommended.’ — Victoria Chick, Emeritus Professor of Economics at University College London, UK. 'A very nice, accessible introduction to economics – each chapter is written by a leading expert, from feminist, through ecological to behavioural approaches.' - @Went1955 (Robert Went, Economist, Dutch Scientific Council for Government Policy)Table of ContentsForeward — Martin Wolf Introduction Post-Keynesian Economics — Engelbert Stockhammer Marxist Economics — Ben Fine & Alfredo Saad-Filho Austrian Economics — Xavier Méra & Guido Hülsmann Institutional Economics — Geoffrey M. Hodgson Feminist Economics — Susan Himmelweit Behavioural Economics — Stephen Young Complexity Economics — Alan Kirman Co-operative Economics — Molly Scott Cato Ecological Economics — Clive L. Spash & Viviana Asara Epilogue: What is Rethinking Economics and how can you get involved?

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Book SynopsisThis edited volume provides critical reflections on the interplay between politics and law in an increasingly transnationalized global political economy. It focuses specifically on the emergence and operation of new forms of governance that are developing through a variety of transnational contractual practices, institutions, and laws in multiple sectors and areas of economic activity. Interdisciplinary in nature, the volume includes contributions from law, political science, sociology, and international politics, with the focus on the political foundations of transnational contract being both original and path-breaking. Placing power at the center of the analysis, the volume reveals the heterogeneous landscape of contemporary law-making and the different kinds of politics giving rise to this form of global ordering. As the contributors note, this new form of governance requires a different type of political theory and legal theory, with the volume advancing understTrade Review‘Cutler and Dietz have brought together a diverse set of authors who together give us a brilliant critical interrogation of the rise of private sector experts in domains concerned with public interests. This has become an increasingly important and alarming issue. A must read.’ – Saskia Sassen, Columbia University, USA, author of Expulsions'In this path-breaking interdisciplinary volume of political scientists, sociologists, and legal scholars, the authors not only demonstrate that non-hierarchical "governance by contract" dominates both state and private regulations in the global political economy but they also elaborate the power dimension of these arrangements. A must read for anybody interested in knowing how the global economy ticks!' - Thomas Risse, Professor of International Politics, Freie Universität Berlin, GermanyTable of ContentsForewordLiberalism’s Global Mirror: Worldwide Contracting and ‘No Alternative’?[Peer Zumbansen]IntroductionChapter 1The Politics of Private Transnational Governance by Contract: Introduction and Analytical Framework [A. Claire Cutler and Thomas Dietz]PART I: Analytical and Theoretical Dimensions of Private Transnational Governance by ContractChapter 2Contract as Normative Regulation and the Implied Rule of Law Christopher MayChapter 3Governance by Contract from a Perspective of Power: The Case of Land Grabbing[Doris Fuchs and Anne Hennings]PART II: Trade and Production: Global Value Chains and Transnational Private Governance by Contracts Chapter 4Private Transnational Governance in Global Value Chains: Contract as a Neglected Dimension [A. Claire Cutler]Chapter 5The New Gatekeeper: Ethical Audits as a Mechanism of Global Value Chain Governance[Genevieve LeBaron, Jane Lister, and Peter Dauvergne]Chapter 6Relational Contracts 2.0: Efficiency and Power[Thomas Dietz]PART III: Trade, Investment, and Dispute Settlement: Arbitration as Transnational Private Governance by ContractChapter 7Arbitration as Transnational Governance: Legitimacy Beyond Contract[Fabien Gélinas]Chapter 8Private Arbitration as a Mechanism for the Construction of Contractual Norms in Private-Public Relationships: The Case of Investor-State Arbitration[Edward Cohen]Chapter 9Theorizing Private Transnational Governance by Contract in the Investor-State Regime[A.Claire Cutler and David Lark]PART IV: Sectoral Specifications of Private Transnational Governance by ContractChapter 10Contractual Governance and Sectoral Fragmentation of Transnational Contract Law[Joshua Karton]Chapter 11Transnational Carbon Contracting: Why Law’s Invisibility Matters[Natasha Affolder]Chapter 12Merchants of Hegemony: Neoliberalism and the Legitimacy of Private Contractual Governance in the Transnational Cotton Trade[Amy A. Quark]Chapter 13Regulating Private Military Security Companies by Contract: Between Anarchy and Hierarchy? [A. Claire Cutler and Stephanie Law]ConclusionChapter 14Empire through Contract: A Private International Law Perspective[Horatia Muir Watt]

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Book SynopsisThe Great Recession, including the preceding events and the subsequent recovery period, has been the dominant feature of US capitalism in the 21st century. But what can we learn about economic behavior, policies, and relationships by studying this period of marked general decline? Understanding the Great Recession seeks to answer this question by facilitating an advanced theoretical and practical understanding of the Great Recession, using multiple approaches to economic analysis.This textbook uses the Great Recession as a case study for understanding economic concepts, the conduct of policymaking, and competing schools of economic thought. It introduces readers to multiple perspectives on the crisis, including feminist, institutionalist, Marxian, monetarist, neoclassical, post-Keynesian, and stratification economics, amongst others. Divided into four parts, the textbook begins by introducing readers to the headline events of the crisis, and the major differences betweTable of ContentsPart I: Understanding the Crisis 1. Introduction to the Great Recession Part II: The Road to the Great Recession 2. US Capitalism Prior to 2008 3. The Housing Market Bubble (and Bust) 4. Financial Structure, Financial Crisis, and the Wall Street Bailouts 5. Competing Explanations of the Crisis Part III: Policy Responses to the Great Recession 6. Financial Reform 7. Monetary Policy Responses to the Great Recession 8. Fiscal Policy Responses to the Great Recession Part IV: The Recovery from the Great Recession 9. Inequality, Populism, and the Arc to Covid-19

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Book SynopsisThis book, originally published in 1981, discusses the various welfare effects including ai, debt, trade and labour flows - of the rise in oil prices and revenues which took place in the 1970s. These complex effects and the negotiating stances of the developing countries are all examined an dinvestigated, drawing upon a wide range of sources and material for the more quantitative parts. Throughout, however, the treatment is non-mathematical and is written in clear English accessible not only to bankers and polititians, but also students of economics, international relationjs and area studies. Table of Contents1. Economic Divergences Between Developing Countries 2. The Changing World Economic Climate 3. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries 4. Energy and the NOPEC’s Terms of Trade 5. OPEC and Debt in the Developing World 6. OPEC Aid 7. The Growth of Trade Between OPEC and the Developing Countries 8. Labour, Migration and Remittances 9. Interrupted Growth Patterns? 10. Oil, Debt and Development: An Assessment

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Book SynopsisThis book, originally published in 1981, discusses the various welfare effects including ai, debt, trade and labour flows - of the rise in oil prices and revenues which took place in the 1970s. These complex effects and the negotiating stances of the developing countries are all examined an dinvestigated, drawing upon a wide range of sources and material for the more quantitative parts. Throughout, however, the treatment is non-mathematical and is written in clear English accessible not only to bankers and polititians, but also students of economics, international relationjs and area studies. Table of Contents1. Economic Divergences Between Developing Countries 2. The Changing World Economic Climate 3. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries 4. Energy and the NOPEC’s Terms of Trade 5. OPEC and Debt in the Developing World 6. OPEC Aid 7. The Growth of Trade Between OPEC and the Developing Countries 8. Labour, Migration and Remittances 9. Interrupted Growth Patterns? 10. Oil, Debt and Development: An Assessment

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Book SynopsisThe book covers the legal, economic, socio-political and international aspects of economic integration and the contending forces of national identity and economic interests after the economies between Taiwan and China are integrated and the trading bloc is emerging across the Taiwan Strait.Trade Review'This collection covers some of the most recent economic and political thinking and analyzes of Taiwan's current and future position in Asia. The focus is on the growing Taiwan-China economic relationship. These heuristic chapters are written by specialists from Taiwan, the United States, Canada, and Europe. Taiwan's situation is pivotal to a peaceful and prospering Asia. This is an important book for anyone interested in Taiwan and the evolution of a tranquil Pacific basin.' Thomas J. Bellows, professor of Political Science, The University of Texas at San Antonio 'This comprehensive, multidisciplinary, historically grounded, and very timely volume uses the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement between China and Taiwan to explore a range of issues affecting the signatories as well as the region as a whole. The dozen chapters by an international lineup of experts compel readers to rethink our understanding of topics such as sovereignty, identity, and security.' Thomas B. Gold, University of California, BerkeleyTable of ContentsPART I: ECONOMIC INTEGRATION WITH A POLITICAL RIVAL REGIME Introduction From Economic Interactions to Economic Integration Legal Issues Concerning the Signing of ECFA: Implications on Taiwan's Legal Status" IS ECFA: A Mixture of the WTO Principles with "Cross-Strait Characteristics Political Economy of Integration between Two Rival Regimes: ECFA, Its Impacts on Cross Strait Relations and Implications for the U.S. PART II: APPREHENSION OF RAPPROCHEMENT: AN INCREASING DIVIDEDNESS IN TAIWAN AFTER REDUCING THE TENSIONS ACROSS THE TAIWAN STRAIT Taiwan, District of China On the Road to a Common Taiwan Identity Understanding Taiwanese Nationalism PART III: INTERNATIONAL DIMENSIONS OF THE ECFA: GEO-POLITICS OF ECONOMIC INTEGRATION ACROSS THE TAIWAN STRAIT ECFA and Beyond: The Paradigm Shift of Taiwan's Security Policy toward China The Shifting Paradigm of the Triangular Relations in the aftermath of the ECFA Removing Taiwan's Pieces: Asia's 'Great Game' without a "Republic of China" Japan's view on Cross Strait Developments* Chapter 13 Concluding Chapter

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Book SynopsisInvestigates the transformation of German labour market policy, showing that Germany has departed from the conservative-corporatist path of welfare, especially with the Hartz Legislation of the Red-Green government.Trade ReviewRecommended by CHOICE.Table of ContentsIntroduction Institutions, Ideas and Learning The Development of German Labour Market Policy The Institutional Setting of German Labour Market Policy-Making Red-Green Labour Market Policy-Making: An Overview The First Red-Green Government and the Alliance for Jobs The Second Red-Green Government and the Hartz Commission Conclusions

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Book SynopsisThe author examines the moral, methodological, and practical problems that arise from poverty measurement. He establishes a methodological framework for analyzing poverty conceptions and measures, and concludes with concrete recommendations regarding both the procedures for and substance of future global poverty measurement.Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations PART I: AN ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK Introducing Poverty Measurement A Defense of Global Poverty Measurement A Pro-Poor Methodology PART II: COMPETING CONCEPTIONS AND MEASURES OF POVERTY Monetary Approaches Basic Needs Capabilities Social Exclusion Rights PART III: THE WAY FORWARD New Values, New Desiderata Public Reason and Poverty Measurement Toward Pro-Poor Global Poverty Measurement Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisA detailed exploration of the influence and utility of Thomas Malthus'' model of population growth and economic changes in Europe since the nineteenth century. This important contribution to current discussions on theories of economic growth includes discussion of issues ranging from mortality and fertility to natural resources and the poverty trap.Table of ContentsDemographic Dynamics and Economic Changes in Europe before the 19th Century; B.Chiarini & P.Malanima Unified Growth Theory and Comparative Development; O.Galor Population Dynamics, Malthusian Crises and Boserupian Innovation in Pre-Industrial Societies; G.Alfani Energy and Economic Growth in Europe; S.Bartoletto The Path Towards the Modern Economy; P.Malanima Accounting for Child Mortality in the Pre-Industrial European Economy; B.Chiarini & M.Giannini A Basic Model of Take-Off and Fertility Choices in the Economic Development Process; E.Bucciarelli & G.Giulioni Population, Earth Carrying Capacity and Economic Growth; G.Scarano The Post-Malthusian Moment: Some Responses to Population Explosion in Britain c.1840; P.Bouche

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Book SynopsisThis is an in-depth analysis of the various methods used by small states to overcome their vulnerabilities in the international arena. With its balanced approach and variety of contributions, this book is of interest to researchers and academics who focus on the developing world or multilateral diplomacy.Trade Review'There's now a substantial, and ever-growing, literature on small states, and yet most of this takes the form of academic articles and commentaries rather than dedicated stand-alone volumes that interrogate the key issues and themes pertinent to small states. This volume does an absolutely outstanding job in identifying, and exploring, this diversity of issues and themes in an accessible and engaging manner. It sets out brilliantly the core debates surrounding the status of small states in the international political economy - including, crucially, as actors in rather than passive objects of international relations - and, as such, offers a good way in to debates about development more broadly. It's a fabulous book that, crucially, speaks both to academic scholars and students alike.' - Nicola Smith, Senior Lecturer in Political Science, University of Birmingham, UKTable of ContentsForeword Acknowledgements Notes of Contributors Abbreviations The Diplomacies of Small States at the Start of 21st Century: How Vulnerable? How Resilient?; A.F.Cooper & T.M.Shaw PART I: CHALLENGES/REALITIES OF PRACTICING SMALL STATE DIPLOMACY Thucydides or Kissinger? A Critical Review of Smaller State Diplomacy; G.Baldacchino Small but Smart: Small States in the Global System; N.Prasad Singapore and the Soft Power Experience; A.Chong Dependency Governance and Future Political Development in the Non-Independent Caribbean; C.G.Corbin The Diplomacy of Caribbean Community States: Searching for Resilience; J.A.Braveboy-Wagner PART I: CASE STUDIES: SMALL STATES' DIPLOMACY VIS-A-VIS REGIONAL ORGANISATIONS Can Small States Choose Their Own Size? The Case of a Nordic state – Iceland; B.Thorhallsson PetroCaribe and CARICOM: Venezuela's Resource Diplomacy and its Impact on Small State Regional Cooperation; A.T.Bryan The CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement: Impediment or Development Opportunity for CARICOM SIDS?; D.Mohammed From Afterthought to Center Stage: The Caribbean and the Summit of the Americas Process; D.P.Erikson PART III: CASE STUDIES: SMALL STATES' DIPMLOMACY VIS-A-VIS INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS Bringing an Elephant into the Room: Small African State Diplomacy in the WTO; D.Lee Confronting Vulnerability through Resilient Diplomacy: Antigua and the WTO Internet Gambling Dispute with the United States; A.F.Cooper The Path to 'International Finance': Bringing (Caribbean) Offshore Financial Centres In; Attenuating the Western Grand Narrative; D.D.Marshall Cultural Industries and Cultural Policy in the Context of Globalisation: An Agenda for SIDS; K.Nurse The Caribbean Confronts the OECD: Tax Competition and Diplomacy; W.Vlcek Afterword: Vulnerability as a Condition, Resilience as a Strategy; A.Payne Index

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Book SynopsisWhile major theories of economic regionalism in the existing literature are primarily constructed to explore institutionalized regional integration, European integration in particular, the analytical framework developed in this work explains the unique process and pattern of regional integration in East Asia.Trade Review'Theoretically sophisticated and empirically rich, this is an excellent introduction to what is becoming the world's most important economic region.' - Mark Beeson, Professor in International Politics and Head of Department, Department of Political Science& International Studies, University of Birmingham, UK 'Artfully tracing the evolution of economic regionalism in East Asia, Kevin G. Cai identifies its distinguishing features and differences from the Western European and North American experiences. This book will win lavish praise from both specialists on Asia and general readers. It is a gem.' - James H. Mittelman, University Professor, School of International Service, American University, USA, and author of Hyperconflict: Globalization and Insecurity (2010)Table of ContentsIntroduction Theoretical Perspectives: Constructing an Analytical Framework The Evolution of the Global Economic Order since 1945 Regionalism in the World Economy since the 1950s Regional Economic Integration in East Asia Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisAlthough the impact of Hurricane Katrina has certainly been felt in political, economic, and social terms, the impacts on and of the media have largely been ignored. This book tells the stories of the reporters, newspapers, and broadcast stations most affected by Katrina and details their struggles to cover the aftermath.Trade Review"Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath left in ruins the reputations of a mayor, a governor, and a president. However, the catastrophe also reminded Americans of the central role journalism plays in times of tragedy. Judith Sylvester s study of the journalists of Katrina tells the stories behind the stories - the stories of heroes who were also victims. This is an important book for anyone who values journalism." - George Kennedy, Professor Emeritus, Department of Newspaper Journalism, Missouri School of Journalism "Media coverage of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita placed journalists at a difficult moral intersection. Dr. Sylvester captures their professional stories in the much needed pages of this text and provides an indispensable record of the important function of journalism in crises." - Connie Ledoux Book, Associate Dean and Associate Professor, School of Communications, Elon UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction and Background of the Disasters * Covering Katrina * Here Comes Rita * Coverage Shifts from Outrage and Community Service to Watch Dog Role * Lessons Learned: How to Prepare for Covering Disaster and Living through It

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Book SynopsisBased on a case-study carried out in the southern city of Guangzhou in China, the book describes in compelling detail the dramatic changes occurring at a large state-owned enterprise as this socialist country undergoes market transition. It shows how these changes have led to the dismantling of the ''iron rice bowl'', the transformation of the socialist work unit and the life of its members, and the creation of a new model of occupational welfare.Table of ContentsList of Tables and Figures Foreword Preface A Note on the Romanization of Chinese Abbreviations The Nature of Chinese Occupational Welfare Research Method The Origins of Chinese Occupational Welfare The Changing Contexts of Chinese Occupational Welfare Reshaping Dependence Reshaping the Danwei Welfare Economy Redistributing Risks and Responsibilities Conclusion: Towards a Chinese Model of Welfare Pluralism Notes Appendix Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe last two and a half decades witnessed China''s epoch-making economic growth and great social changes, which indicates the commence of China''s national rejuvenation after a near two centuries-long stagnant or backward period. In exploring the causal dynamics of China''s rejuvenation, Huang''s book examines the internal and external elements from various sides, in both the comprehensive way and the separate way, thus providing a convincible explanation about the driving force of China''s marvellous development.Table of ContentsIntroduction China Is Rejuvenating Internal Dynamics I: The Great Desires and Impulse Came from People Internal Dynamics II: The Crucial Role of the Reform Group in China's Leadership Internal Dynamics III: The Key Role of the Paramount Leader Deng Xiaoping Internal Dynamics IV: The Fundamental Impetus Arose from China's National Spirits External Dynamics: The Strong Momentums Stemmed from Globalization The Dynamics for China's Further Development

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Book SynopsisThis book aims to fill some of the gaps in historical narrative about labor unions, Nigerian leftists, and decolonization during the twentieth century. It emphasizes the significance of labor union education in British decolonization, labor unionism, and British efforts at modernizing the human resources of Nigeria.Table of ContentsBefore the Wind of Change: The Orientation of Trade Unions in Africa Leftist Intelligentsia, Labor Union Education, and Decolonization Decolonization: Understanding the Conventional Narratives The Colonial State and Organized Labor Labor Union Education before 1960 Champions of the Working Class: Samuel Grace Ikoku and other Noble Men On the Eve of Independence: The Nigerian Union of Seamen Dispute, 1959 Labor Union Education since 1960

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Book SynopsisPhilippe Zittoun analyses the public policymaking process focusing on how governments relentlessly develop proposals to change public policy to address insoluble problems. Rather than considering this surprising Sisyphean effort as a lack of rationality, the author examines it as a political activity that produces order and stability.Trade Review"Despite much lip-service given to the need to understand the profoundly political nature of public policies, there is a distinct tendency in many studies to address the subject in a mechanical way, treating the definition of policy goals and the articulation of the means to achieve them as technical issues subject to a precise instrumental logic and rationality. This excellent volume by Philippe Zittoun avoids this error and takes on the analysis of the political construction of public policy head-on. It develops and refines key definitions and methods for thepolitical analysis of public policy-making, from problem construction to solution 'bricolage' and the development and analysis of the argumentative strategies used to propagate solutions and legitimize them. This is essential reading for all students of policy-making." Micheal Howlett, Burnaby Mountain Chair, Simon Fraser University, Canada "All too often politics is underplayed in the analysis of the policy process. In The Political Process of Policymaking Professor Zittoun offers a refreshing corrective to this neglect. He is also to be commended for his attention of the role the political construction of policy objects and events, as well as his examination of the role of communication and argumentation as they play out across the policy process as a whole, from agenda-setting to evaluation. Not least important is the fact that the book opens the way to a much needed and long overdue exchange between policy scholars in the English and French speaking worlds. This is by all accounts a seminar service to the field." Frank Fischer, Professor of Politics and Global Affairs, Rutgers University, USA "Philippe Zittoun's book provides an excellent discussion of policymaking in France, and the interactions among levels of government within that political system. This is not, however, just a book on France but provides insights into more general theoretical and analytic questions about public policy." B. Guy Peters, Maurice Falk Professor of Government, University of Pittsburgh, USATable of ContentsIntroduction: The Political Processof Policymaking PART I: CREATING SOCIAL DISORDER CONSTRUCTING, PROPAGATING AND POLICITISING SOCIAL PROBLEMS 1. A Pragmatic Approach to Public Problems 2. Definitional Struggles Around Unacceptable Problems PART II: DEFINING SOLUTION, A COMPLEX BRICOLAGE TO SOLVE PUBLIC PROBLEMS 1. Between Stratagem and Cognitive Bricolage: The Contribution of Simon and Lindblom 2. From Cognitive Bricolage to Language Games 3. The Five Couplings in Defining Solutions 4. From Coupling to Restoring Political Order PART III: PROPAGATING SOLUTION, ARGUMENTATIVE STRATEGIES TO CEMENT COALITIONS 1. Arguing to Persuade 2. Discussion as a Test of Persuasion Strategies 3. From Persuasion to Diffusion, Building Discursive Coalitions PART IV: POLICY STATEMENTS TO LEGITIMISE 'DECISION-MAKERS' 1. The Paradoxes of Taking Positions into Account 2. The Definitional Issues of a Topography of Positions 3. The 'Decision' to Fix Topographies Within Statements 4. An Empirical Example of Decision: Political Decision-making of the Paris Tramway Conclusion: How Public Policy Shapes Politics

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Book SynopsisIncreasingly, the state reduces its social policy commitments towards securing the achieved living standard of former wage earners, which in the past had been the key normative principle of social policy in Germany, while at the same time public support and services for families are expanded.Table of ContentsPreface Introduction PART I: THE POLICY DIMENSION Evaluating Policy Change: Some Theoretical and Methodological Remarks Historical, Normative and Institutional Foundations of the German Welfare State in the Golden Post-World War II Era Socio-Economic Developments since the mid-1970s The Changing Normative and Institutional Design of Social Policy PART II: THE POLITICAL DIMENSION Theories Explaining Welfare State Change Changing Interpretative Patterns PART III: CONCLUSIONS Can Germany Still be Considered a Conservative Welfare State? Endnotes Bibliography

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Book SynopsisSixten Korkman gives an overview of the economic policies and the economic policy regime of the EU, including EMU and the internal market. He provides analysis of policy issues in the light of economic theory and examines critically the rationale for policy intervention at the EU level. The book also describes and explains the legal and institutional set up of the EU and illustrates issues of principle by referring to practical cases of EU deliberations.Table of ContentsBoxes Figures Tables Abbreviations Preface Introduction Rationale Methods Modalities Macroeconomic Policy in the SOE Macroeconomic policy in the EMU Structural Policies Tax Policy The Community Budget Problems and Prospects Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisDeveloping broad, holistic notions of 'impact' to measure the effects of international development assistance, this book makes a significant contribution to understanding the international political economy. Leading experts focus on enhancing aid's ability to reduce poverty in poor countries.Trade Review"Aid Impact and Poverty Reduction is an edited volume that conceptualizes a broad notion of impact as the appropriate metric for the analysis of development aid. In so doing, it is poised to make a significant impact on our understanding of international development assistance as a prominent feature of the international political economy, and of the societies in which (and on which) it operates." - David Simon, Yale UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction: Aid Relations, Aid Impact and Poverty Reduction; S.Folke & H.Nielsen PART I: AID RELATIONS: APPROACHES AND DILEMMAS Challenging the Injustice of Poverty: Rethinking Aid Strategies; R.Sobhan Flexible Standards for Controlled Empowerment? Microfinance as a Case Study of Aid Management; J.Copestake Aid Modalities and the Arts of Government; J.Gould From Humanitarianism to Good Governance? Reflections on a Danish-Ethiopian Aid Model; F.Wilson PART II: AID IMPACT: CASES AND CONTEXTS Assessing Impact with Limited Outcome Data: Experience from a Theory-Based Approach to the Evaluation of Social Funds; S.Carvalho & H.White Reaching the Poor in an Integrated Rural Development Project in Bangladesh; S.Folke The Impact of a Joint NGO Programme in North Wollo, Ethiopia: Enhanced Food Security for the Poor?; P.Sørensen Domestic Water, Bikas and Modernity: Exploring the Impacts of a Finnish-aided Water Supply Project in Nepal; S.Sharma Coping Strategies Within a Development Project: An Impact Study from Mozambique; H.Nielsen & Y.Adam

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Book SynopsisImages and accounts of the Mexican - US migration process and the border region abound.Table of ContentsIntroduction - Edward Ashbee, Helene Balslev Clausen& Carl Pedersen * PART I: AMERICAN IDENTITIES * Somos Americanos : Mexican Immigration and US National Identity in the Twenty-first Century - Carl Pedersen * Mexican Mestiz Identity in the Twenty-first Century - Helene Balslev Clausen * PART II: CAPITAL AND LABOR * The Other Side of the Migration Story: Mexican Women in the US - Silvia E. Giorguli Saucedo, María Adela Angoa Pérez& Selene Gaspar Olvera * From Precarious, Low-Paying Jobs in Mexico to Precarious, Low-Paying Jobs in the United States - Elaine Levine * Sending Money Home: The Dynamics of Mexico-US Remittances - Mario Villarreal & Megan Davy * The Impact of NAFTA on the Mexican-US Border Region - Elena Labastida-Tovar * Transnational Social Networks and International Trade - Magdalena Barros Nock * PART III: THE BORDER REGION * Beyond Border Crossing and Soulless Places: The Role of Mexico's Northern Border Cities in the Construction of Transnational Social Spaces - Cristóbal Mendoza * Changing Representations of the Border - Mario Alberto Velázquez * Boundaries in Border Films: The Other as "Our" Redemption - Jan Gustafsson * Baldwin Park, Historical Narratives, and American Identities - Anne Magnussen * Textual Representations of the Border and Border-Crossers: Constructing Latino Enemies in The New York Times - Ken Henriksen * Mexican Immigration and the Question of Identity in the United States - Raphael Gomez * PART IV: POLITICS AND PUBLIC POLICY * Immigration and the 2006 US Mid-Term Elections - Edward Ashbee * Immigration, Social Policy, and Politics in the US - Alex Waddan * From the Margin to the Middle?: The Origin, Transformation, and Direction of the Minutemen - Pia Møller * Migrants, Votes, and the 2006 Mexican Presidential Elections - Helene Balslev Clausen & Mario Alberto Velázquez * Sovereignty along el Río Bravo / the Rio Grande: Changes in US Immigration Law and Mexican Foreign Relations Law - Ernesto Hernández-López

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Book SynopsisThe State of Loyalism in Northern Ireland examines the changes and developments within parliamentary loyalism throughout the Northern Ireland peace process. Drawing from interviews with key players, it charts the drama of tensions, debates and negotiations and provides a compelling inside account.Trade Review'The State of Loyalism in Northern Ireland is the most important treatment of its subject undertaken in recent years. Graham Spencer has produced a book which must be read by all serious scholars of Northern Ireland's politics and society. a definitive book on loyalist politics and an essential addition to any reading list.' Professor Jon Tonge, Chair of the Political Studies Association of the UK, University of Liverpool, UK 'The State of Loyalism in Northern Ireland is a fascinating analysis that tells the little known story of the loyalist role in the Northern Ireland peace process. Graham Spencer's interviews with loyalist paramilitaries and key political actors make this an indispensable contribution to our understanding of Northern Ireland's remarkable shift from war to peace.' - Dr Paul Dixon, Kingston University, UK 'A timely and important analysis of the role played by loyalism in the Northern Ireland peace process. Drawing on interviews with key actors, Graham Spencer has produced an intelligent, engaging and necessary study on loyalism and political change in Northern Ireland.' - Professor John Grieve, Independent Monitoring Commission, Belfast '...a cleverly woven analysis unveiling a compelling contemporary political history...a "must-have" to understanding the role of Loyalism.' - John Coulter, Tribune 'This well-researched work will be of interest to a wide audience...' - James Condren, University of Ulster, Political Studies ReviewTable of ContentsIntroduction The Unionist Imagination The Identity of Loyalism Violence and Politics The Peace Process Part 1: Early Stages and Key Players The Peace Process Part 2: Talks Towards the Good Friday Agreement After the Good Friday Agreement The Media Recent Developments and the Way Ahead Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThis book considers Karl Marx''s ideas in relation to the social and political context in which he lived and wrote. It emphasizes both the continuity of his commitment to the cause of full human emancipation, and the role of his critique of political economy in conceiving history to be the history of class struggles. The book follows his developing ideas from before he encountered political economy, through the politics of 1848 and the Bonapartist farce,, the maturation of the critique of political economy in the Grundrisse and Capital, and his engagement with the politics of the First International and the legacy of the Paris Commune. Notwithstanding errors in historical judgment largely reflecting the influence of dominant liberal historiography, Marx laid the foundations for a new social theory premised upon the historical consequences of alienation and the potential for human freedom.Trade Review“Comninel’s Interpretation … focusses on how the original conceptual framework of Marx evolved with his critique of capitalism from his initial framework of alienation of labour. … George Comninel’s exciting contribution can be regarded as a fresh start to recast Marx with his own social and political context, with a strong critique of the Marxist accounts that undermined the essential features of the historical materialist method.” (Berkay Koçak, Progress in Political Economy (PPE), ppesydney.net, June 10, 2021)“With such balanced prose and precise argumentation there are few words fit for purpose other than to declare that with Alienation and Emancipation in the Work of Karl Marx, George Comninel has produced a simply exquisite book. Without hyperbole, it ranks among some of the finest scholarship I have encountered in the past decade.” (Scott Timcke, Marx and Philosophy, June 12, 2020)“This is a skilled and dedicated work of scholarship that will serve anyone interested in deeper engagement with Marx’s works in their own terms very well. … the lively style and illuminating historical analysis will provide fresh insights for readers of all levels of familiarity with the First International’s best known thinker.” (Jules Joanne Gleeson, Tribune, July 8, 2019)Table of Contents1. Introduction.- 2. Approaching Marx’s Theory.- 3. Emancipation in Marx's Early Work.- 4. The Developing Conception of Historical Materialism.- 5. Problems of The German Ideology.- 6. The German Ideology vs. Historical Materialism.- 7. The Puzzle of the Manifesto of the Communist Party.- 8. Debating Marx’s Conception of Class in History.- 9. Historical Materialism and the Specificity of Capitalism.- 10. Capital as a Social Relation.- 11. Capital and Historical Materialism.- 12. Marx and the Politics of the First International.- 13. Marx and Social Theory.

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Book SynopsisAt the intersection of the warmth of hearth and home and the dangers of the street lies the tenuous position of women engaged in reproductive labour, those involved in the sex trade and those in domestic positions.Trade ReviewThis book shows us what feminist international political-economy looks like: a Ukrainian woman trying to cope with neo-liberal restructuring by risking migration to work in a Turkish cabaret; a Chechen male 'impressario' importing women into Cyprus to reap profits; a Greek professional woman calculating the pros and cons of hiring a Filipina or a Sri Lankan woman as her domestic worker ; government officials using women's cheapened labor to solve their states' problems. Anna Agathangelou reveals how these very specific relationships together comprise the new global system. This is an engaging, valuable book for us all. - Cynthia Enloe, author of Bananas, Beaches and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics Reproductive labor has for too long been sidelined in debates and actions around globalization. This thought-provoking and politically engaged book demonstrates the complicity of the state in the exploitation of reproductive labor in the interests of global capitalism and the importance of learning from the lives of female migrant workers. Drawing on empirical material to theorize the racialized feminization of the 'desire industries' and to explore the possibilities for organizing and change, Anna Agathangelou succeeds in making theory accessible and relevant. - Bridget Anderson, Centre On Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) Madam and maid, master and slave: these remain central to capitalism even though we imagine them to be replaced by private relations of contract and choice. Agathangelou makes us look at the violence that lies beneath how people of rich countries come to know themselves as a people who possess the freedom to consume people and things, and how peripheral states come to participate in these arrangements. An utterly compelling analysis of the international 'commodification of the intimacies' of sex and domestic work, and of the race, gender, and class hierarchies of the global economy. - Sherene H. Razack, Professor, University of Toronto, and author of Looking White People in the Eye: Gender, Race, and Culture in Courtrooms and Classrooms and Dark Threats and White Knights: The Somalia Affair, Peacekeeping, and the New Imperialism This book shows us what feminist international political-economy looks like: a Ukrainian woman trying to cope with neo-liberal restructuring by risking migration to work in a Turkish cabaret; a Chechen male 'impressario' importing women into Cyprus to reap profits; a Greek professional woman calculating the pros and cons of hiring a Filipina or a Sri Lankan woman as her domestic worker ; government officials using women's cheapened labor to solve their states' problems. Anna Agathangelou reveals how these very specific relationships together comprise the new global system. This is an engaging, valuable book for us all. - Cynthia Enloe, author of Bananas, Beaches and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics Reproductive labor has for too long been sidelined in debates and actions around globalization. This thought-provoking and politically engaged book demonstrates the complicity of the state in the exploitation of reproductive labor in the interests of global capitalism and the importance of learning from the lives of female migrant workers. Drawing on empirical material to theorize the racialized feminization of the 'desire industries' and to explore the possibilities for organizing and change, Anna Agathangelou succeeds in making theory accessible and relevant. - Bridget Anderson, Centre On Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) Madam and maid, master and slave: these remain central to capitalism even though we imagine them to be replaced by private relations of contract and choice. Agathangelou makes us look at the violence that lies beneath how people of rich countries come to know themselves as a people who possess the freedom to consume people and things, and how peripheral states come to participate in these arrangements. An utterly compelling analysis of the international 'commodification of the intimacies' of sex and domestic work, and of the race, gender, and class hierarchies of the global economy. - Sherene H. Razack, Professor, University of Toronto, and author of Looking White People in the Eye: Gender, Race, and Culture in Courtrooms and Classrooms and Dark Threats and White Knights: The Somalia Affair, Peacekeeping, and the New ImperialismTable of ContentsSex and Domestic Work in the Peropheries: The Fenced-Off Economies of Desire Invisible and Silent Female Migrant Reproductive Labour: Cyprus, Greece and Turkey Peripheral Economies Working and Playing Hard: Social Reproduction and Racial and Sexual Desire in the Mediterranean Desiring Power in the European Union: Peripheral Development and 'Mimicry' National Desires for Security Conclusion: A Global Political Economy of Sex?

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Book SynopsisThis accessible text provides a comprehensive overview of globalization and its consequences from the perspective of social and political critical theory. Thematic chapters provoke student inquiry and the book shows how the views of critical theorists are crucial to understanding the global processes shaping the world today.Trade Review'El-Ojeili and Hayden provide an engaging treatment of a subject worn to death by staid, conventional accounts. Using an accessible version of critical theory, they explore the interconnected sinews of globalization and consider its many tensions and contradictions. Their insights and reflections will be of use to students for many years.' - Randall Germain, Carleton University, Canada '...this volume is an insightful repository on how theoretical frameworks tend to foreclose certain perspectives on global interactions while favouring others.' - Emilian Kavalski, Political Studies ReviewTable of ContentsList of Boxes Acknowledgements Introduction Theorizing Globalization: Introducing the Challenge Economic Globalization Globalization and Politics Cultural Globalization Resisting Globalization: The Alternative Globalization Movement Bibliography Index

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisThrough theories of metagovernance and case studies of mobilisations against economic and social problems, Bob Jessop explores the idea of civil society as a mode of governance. Reviewing concepts of self-emancipation and self-responsibilisation, he challenges conventional thinking and identifies lessons for future social innovation.Table of Contents1 Introduction Part I: Complexity, contingency and governance 2 The governance of complexity and the complexity of governance 3 Governance failure, metagovernance and its failure 4 Semantic, institutional and spatio-temporal fixes Part II: Locating civil society as a mode of governance 5 Locating the WISERD Project: Public policy governance towards common good 6 Locating civil society in Marx and Gramsci 7 Locating civil society in Foucault Part III: Governance failure and metagovernance 8 The multispatial governance of social and economic policy 9 The dynamics of economic and social partnerships and governance failure 10 Competitiveness vs civil society as modes of governance 11 Conclusions

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Book SynopsisAdopting a political economy perspective, Viv Ellis, Lauren Gatti and Warwick Mansell present a unique and international analysis of teacher education policy in the US, England and Norway after the 2008 Global Financial Crisis.Table of Contents1. After the Crash: A New Crisis of Teacher Education 2. Teacher Education and the Enterprise Narrative 3. ‘Growng Your Own’: Producer Capture, Branding and Vertical Integration 4. Franchises, Start-Ups and Disruptive Innovation: Teach for All and the ‘Independent Graduate Schools of Education’ 5. The Shadow State: Governing Choice/Controlling Markets in Continuing Professional Development for Teachers 6. A New Political Economy of Teacher Education: Future Dilemmas

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Book SynopsisIn this book, Chris Pierson argues that we will need to think quite differently about the British welfare state after COVID-19. He looks back to the welfare state's origins and development as well as forwards, unearthing some surprising solutions in unexpected places.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Welfare in an age of austerity 2. The last social democratic welfare state 3. Back to the future, again 4. Future imperfect 5. COVID-19 and after Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThis pioneering text provides a comprehensive introduction to systems structure, function, and modeling as applied in all fields of science and engineering. Systems understanding is increasingly recognized as a key to a more holistic education and greater problem solving skills, and is also reflected in the trend toward interdisciplinary approaches to research on complex phenomena. While the concepts and components of systems science will continue to be distributed throughout the various disciplines, undergraduate degree programs in systems science are also being developed, including at the authors' own institutions. However, the subject is approached, systems science as a basis for understanding the components and drivers of phenomena at all scales should be viewed with the same importance as a traditional liberal arts education. Principles of Systems Science contains many graphs, illustrations, side bars, examples, and problems to enhance understanding. Frombasic principles of orgaTrade Review“Principles of systems science consists of 14 chapters organized in five parts. … This book is a feast--full of systems theory and sage guidance about systems practice.” (Ernest Hughes, Computing Reviews, computingreviews.com, August, 2016)Table of ContentsPart I: Introduction to Systems Science.- A Helicopter View.- Systems Principles in the Real World: Understanding Drug Resistant TB.- Part II: Structural and Functional Aspects.- Organized Wholes.- Networks: Connections Within and Without.- Complexity.- Behavior: System Dynamics.- Part III: The Intangible Aspects of Organization: Maintaining and Adapting.- Information, Meaning, Knowledge, and Communications.- Computational Systems.- Cybernetics: The Role of Information and Computation in Systems.- Part IV: Evolution.- Auto-Organization and Emergence.- Evolution.- Part V: Methodological Aspects.- Systems Analysis.- Systems Modeling.- Systems Engineering.

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Book SynopsisOver the past quarter century new ideologies of participation and representation have proliferated across democratic and non-democratic regimes. In Participation without Democracy, Garry Rodan breaks new conceptual ground in examining the social forces that underpin the emergence of these innovations in Southeast Asia. Rodan explains that there is, however, a central paradox in this recalibration of politics: expanded political participation is serving to constrain contestation more than to enhance it.Participation without Democracy uses Rodan's long-term fieldwork in Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia to develop a modes of participation (MOP) framework that has general application across different regime types among both early-developing and late-developing capitalist societies. His MOP framework is a sophisticated, original, and universally relevant way of analyzing this phenomenon. Rodan uses MOP and his case studies to highlight important differences aTrade ReviewParticipation without Democracy is a book that deserves to be read far more widely than in that circle of scholars whose primary concern is the politics of Southeast Asia. It is a book that provides critical guidance in understanding, not so much democratisation, but the wider reconfiguration of politics currently underway in the contemporary age. * Journal of Contemporary Asia *This book is rich in thought-provoking theoretical and empirical points. It makes an important contribution to the literature on the complex relationship between markets and democratization, specifically by demonstrating that the former does not necessarily entail advances of the latter.... Provides a powerful new lens that will help the next generation of analysts make sense of the region. * Pacific Affairs *In this important work, the author offers a detailed analysis of a political paradox which he sees reflected in the experience of Southeast Asia: expanded political participation can actually serve more to constrain political contestation than to enhance it. * Survival *Provocative.... With its rich detail and critical perspective, this book seems something of a capstone as Rodan approaches formal retirement, bringing his rich, career-spanning material on Singapore as well as Malaysia into conversation with a similarly nuanced discussion of the Philippines, and weaving together theoretical threads.... Rodan's provocative exegesis is not just a good read, but a call to rethink how we study as well as pursue participation, representation, and elite-challenging reform. * New Mandala *In this excellent book, Garry Rodan develops a new approach on modes of political participation. * Democratization *Rodan takes a critical look at attempts to strengthen public participation in government in Southeast Asia's hybrid regimes, which are neither fully democratic nor fully authoritarian. * Foreign Affairs *Through a comprehensive study of the cases of Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia, Rodan presents a thorough illustration of how these Southeast Asian states were able to contain conflicts. * Philippine Political Science Journal *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Theorizing Institutions of Political Participation and Representation 2. Ideologies of Political Representation and the Mode of Participation Framework 3. History, Capitalism, and Conflict 4. Nominated Members of Parliament in Singapore 5. Public Feedback in Singapore's Consultative Authoritarianism 6. The Philippines' Party-List System, Reformers,and Oligarchs 7. Participatory Budgeting in the Philippines 8. Malaysia's Failed Consultative Representation Experiments 9. Civil Society and Electoral Reform in Malaysia Conclusion

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Book SynopsisContesting Precarity in Japan details the new forms of workers'' protest and opposition that have developed as Japan''s economy has transformed over the past three decades and highlights their impact upon the country''s policymaking process.Drawing on a new dataset charting protest events from the 1980s to the present, Saori Shibata produces the first systematic study of Japan''s new precarious labour movement. It details the movement''s rise during Japan''s post-bubble economic transformation and highlights the different and innovative forms of dissent that mark the end of the country''s famously non-confrontational industrial relations. In doing so, moreover, she shows how this new pattern of industrial and social tension is reflected within the country''s macroeconomic policymaking, resulting in a new policy dissensus that has consistently failed to offer policy reforms that would produce a return to economic growth. As a result, Shibata argues that the Japanese modTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. From Coordinated to Disorganized Capitalism in Japan 2. Organized Labor and Social Conflict in Japan 3. From Precarity to Contestation 4. Precarious Labor Power and Japan's Neoliberalizing Firms 5. Precarious Labor and the Contestation of Policymaking in Japan 6. Japan's Absent Mode of Regulation: Impeded Neoliberalization Conclusion

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Book SynopsisDark Finance offers one of the first ethnographic accounts of financial expansion and its political impacts in Eastern Europe. Following workers, managers, and investors in the Macedonian construction sector, Fabio Mattioli shows how financialization can empower authoritarian regimes—not by making money accessible to everyone, but by allowing a small group of oligarchs to monopolize access to international credit and promote a cascade of exploitative domestic debt relations. The landscape of failed deals and unrealizable dreams that is captured in this book portrays finance not as a singular, technical process. Instead, Mattioli argues that finance is a set of political and economic relations that entangles citizens, Eurocrats, and workers in tense paradoxes. Mattioli traces the origins of illiquidity in the reorganization of the European project and the postsocialist perversion of socialist financial practices—a dangerous mix that hid the Macedonian regime's weakness behind a façade of urban renewal and, for a decade, made it seem omnipresent and invincible. Dark Finance chronicles how, one bad deal at a time, Macedonia's authoritarian regime rode a wave of financial expansion that deepened its reach into Macedonian society, only to discover that its domination, like all speculative bubbles, was teetering on the verge of collapse.Trade Review"As financialization and populism reshape the world, Fabio Mattioli's rich and timely analysis traces the intersection of finance-fueled construction and authoritarian rule in Macedonia. It critically highlights the illiberal politics that drive financialization and urban development, while carefully attending to the everyday lives of construction workers who are building Skopje's new skyline." -- Sohini Kar * London School of Economics and Political Science *"Dark Finance offers fresh insight on contemporary populism in Europe and fine-grained descriptions of how illiquidity functions. This is the most compelling, persuasive, and chilling analysis of North Macedonia's place in the global economy, and the cynical exploitation of a people by their elected government, that I have read in the past decade." -- Keith Brown * Arizona State University *"Dark Finance takes the anthropology of financialization to the next level. From gender relations and exploitation to the volatile politics of popular desires and authoritarianism in North Macedonia in the years after the global financial crisis, Fabio Mattioli's holistic and relational take on the contradictions of global finance in the postsocialist periphery is pathbreaking." -- Don Kalb * University of Bergen and Utrecht University *"Mattioli excels in this respect: documenting the operations and implications of finance and financialization beyond its own narrow social domain—the one of financial markets, institutions, expert knowledge, and so on—and within the life-worlds, relations, and practices of a variety of social actors. This allows him to analyze aspects likely to be missed by other perspectives." -- Marek Mikuš * Journal of Cultural Economy *"Fabio Mattioli has written a vibrant book, mapping the networks sustaining Nikola Gruevski's power and the lived experience of "authoritarian financialization," and offering novel insights into Macedonia's and Europe's political economy. The book combines ethnographic and an almost-poetic sensitivity, rich in its description of economic, urban, and social landscapes. In addition to being a skillfully executed ethnography, Dark Finance: Illiquidity and Authoritarianism at the Margins of Europe is a fascinating case study, a crime story, a political drama, and a political thriller. Highly recommended not only for those seeking to understand Gruevski's regime but anyone interested in illiberal finance." -- Gábor Scheiring * Review of Democracy *"Original, timely, and gorgeously written, Dark Finance makes key theoretical contributions to several fields of inquiry, including economic anthropology, political economy, anthropology of the state, social studies of time and gender, and Europeanization as a cultural and financial process. It represents anthropology at its best and should be read and taught widely." -- Emanuela Grama * American Anthropologist *"Through its analysis, the book unravels the social, political, and gendered relations that mediated financialization and that produced a centralized power apparatus. Mattioli develops an original take on both financialization and what he calls authoritarianism. . .In contrast to these understandings, Mattioli illuminates how capital "flows" and state capture depend on, constitute, and are exercised through social relations.In its acuity and originality,Dark Financeis thus an important example of how research in "the margins of Europe" contributes to our understanding of global political economic processes." -- Jane Cowan * on behalf of the 2021 William A. Douglass Prize Jury *"Dark Finance creatively reimagines the concept of financialization to provide fresh insights into politics and society in Macedonia, with implications for our understanding of the postcommunist region more broadly. Beginning from an eth visible Skopje 2014 construction projects sponsored by the Gruevski government, Mattioli demonstrates the centrality of illiquidity—the prevalence and significance of non-cash transactions—to both the nature of authoritarian politics and the shape of everyday life, with especially compelling attention to gendered politics and identities. Far from a bounded case study, the book's ethnography and analysis extend outward into the European Union and global economy to argue that Macedonia presents an illustrative instance of 'peripheral financialization.' Mattioli's novel conceptual framing, multi-scale range of vision, sensitivity to long-term histories, and captivating writing style combine to showcase an innovative way of studying political economy." * Ed A. Hewett Book Prize committee *"With Dark Finance, Mattioli manages successfully to articulate the global, the local and the intimate in peripheral European contexts... Overall, Dark Finance is a riveting study aided by comprehensive ethnographic observations." -- Tringa Bytyqi * Anthropology Book Forum *Table of ContentsContents and AbstractsIntroduction: The Making of Illiquidity in Macedonia chapter abstractFrom stocks to illnesses, financialization is at the core of contemporary life. But what is financialization? How can it be studied ethnographically? And how does it relate to the rise of global authoritarianism? This chapter introduces the book's main arguments and situates them within the debates surrounding financial expansion. Rather than a function of calculative devices or liquid capital, the chapter describes financialization as a multi-scalar political process and offers an example of how to interrogate ethnographically the different relationships that generate financial expansion. 1The Magic of Building chapter abstractUntil 2015, Macedonia's authoritarian regime received international coverage largely in relation to the Skopje 2014 project and the hundreds of new buildings and statues that celebrated a fictional Hellenic and neo-baroque past. Chapter 1 describes how Skopje 2014 constituted a mask—obscuring shady businessmen who colluded with former secret agents, plotted to ruin former socialist companies, and invested in a wealth of real estate developments in Skopje. The chapter describes the financial networks that are at the core of Skopje's construction expansion, their connection to the socialist era's need for foreign currency, and their crucial role in supporting Gruevski's political ambitions. Following the trajectory of these networks through the postsocialist transition, the chapter shows how the built environment has become a magical device through which dirty money is made clean, and ambiguous power relations are recast as a national identity. 2Peripheral Financialization chapter abstractPostsocialist-transition Macedonia is a country with few natural resources, high unemployment, and few value-added industries. Where did the money for Skopje 2014 and other construction-related public investments come from? Chapter 2 details the international conditions that favored and structured the inflow of capital in Macedonia, focusing on two pillars of financial expansion at the periphery: foreign direct investment (FDI) and aid. It describes why international investors and agencies decided to provide funds to the Macedonian government despite the lack of credit that characterized the global economy. The chapter also follows the peregrinations of a group of Italian businessmen who tried to escape global illiquidity by intercepting international investments in Macedonia. Their stories portray the domestic, rent-seeking structures put in place by Gruevski's rule and illustrate how an increasingly unequal and subdivided European Union generates financial peripheries and supports authoritarian regimes. 3Forced Credit and Kompenzacija chapter abstractHow did international loans translate into domestic power for Gruevski's government? Chapter 3 explores the characteristics of Macedonia's domestic financialization, focusing on the reemergence of in-kind exchanges, known as kompenzacija, that followed the global financial crisis. Outlining kompenzacija's postsocialist trajectory and its relation to the Macedonian banking system, the chapter describes how politically disconnected companies receive payments in goods they don't want. These objects, such as apartments or eggs, lose value, thus obligating businesses either to absorb losses or offload these properties on subcontractors and workers. By describing the political coercion and financial dispossession that ensues, the chapter shows that kompenzacija constitutes a form of forced credit fully integrated into global financial flows. At the periphery of the European and global financial systems, the need to convert value across means of payments allows authoritarian regimes to increase their power by reaching deeply into people's social networks. 4Illiquid Times chapter abstractIn a landscape punctuated by illiquidity, production is not constant but is rather subordinated to the rhythms of debt repayment. Chapter 4 focuses on the disruption of daily routines that takes place once illiquidity makes manual work almost irrelevant. Based on a fine-grained description of the actions, rituals, discussions, and pauses that characterize work under illiquidity, this chapter details the strategies used by workers to regain agency and meaning. The chapter narrates the poetic resilience of workers and their capacity to generate spaces for empathy in the interstices of financial uncertainty. Filled with potential for social transformation, the tempo of workers' acts, jokes, and conversations does not remain merely performative. Framed by financial precariousness, their tricky conversations slide toward opportunism and reduce their moral capacity to oppose the Gruevski regime. 5Speculative Masculinity chapter abstractIlliquidity affects not only workers' self-conception but also their collective identity. Chapter 5 shows how Macedonian illiquidity generates gendered paradoxes that dislodge earlier models of work-centered, hegemonic masculinity despite the regime's insistence on aggressive manhood as a fundamental component of Macedonian identity. The chapter follows a group of male Macedonian construction workers as they try to restore patriarchal authority within their company. Unable to provide for their families, challenged by economically ascendant ethnic Albanian males, and dislodged from the nurturing attentions of Macedonian female colleagues, their failures leave them exhausted. Scorn and mockery emerge as hierarchical ways to keep male solidarity alive, forcing workers to consume their energy in containing their microaggression and projecting the regime as their only anchor. 6Finance and the Pirate State chapter abstractIlliquidity is without doubt a process intertwined with Macedonia's socialist and postsocialist history, intrinsically linked to its geopolitical marginality. And yet, it also enlightens some of the social dynamics that fuel authoritarian processes at the global level. This chapter expands on the insights derived from the Macedonian case, highlighting the importance of financial paradoxes and predatory relationships to map out how finance encounters (or emerges from) social life. Suspended between dreams and exploitation, financialization delineates a crucial domain of politics.

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Book SynopsisToo often, economics disassociates humans from nature, the economy from the biosphere that contains it, and sustainability from fairness. When economists do engage with environmental issues, they typically reduce their analysis to a science of efficiency that leaves aside issues of distributional analysis and justice. The aim of this lucid textbook is to provide a framework that prioritizes human well-being within the limits of the biosphere, and to rethink economic analysis and policy in the light of not just efficiency but equity. Leading economist Éloi Laurent systematically ties together sustainability and justice issues in covering a wide range of topics, from biodiversity and ecosystems, energy and climate change, environmental health and environmental justice, to new indicators of well-being and sustainability beyond GDP and growth, social-ecological transition, and sustainable urban systems. This book equips readers with ideas and tools from various disciplines alongside economics, such as history, political science, and philosophy, and invites them to apply those insights in order to understand and eventually tackle pressing twenty-first-century challenges. It will be an invaluable resource for students of environmental economics and policy, and sustainable development.Trade Review“In The New Environmental Economics, Éloi Laurent brings justice and sustainability to center stage as foundations for sound environmental policy – where they belong. This book could help to revolutionize the teaching of this vital subject.”James K. Boyce, University of Massachusetts Amherst “All economics is – or should be – environmental economics. Éloi Laurent eloquently reminds us that, as the science of allocating scarce resources, economics has questions of environmental science and social justice at its heart. This book sets out what is needed for economic policy to deliver sustainability in its broadest sense. The challenge could not be more urgent."Diane Coyle, University of CambridgeTable of ContentsIntroduction: Economics for the 21st century Part 1. Ideas and tools Chapter 1. What the classics know about our world, what 20th century economics forgot Chapter 2. Humans within the biosphere: the paradox of domination and dependence Chapter 3. Governing the commons fairly Chapter 4. Spheres of environmental justice Chapter 5. Natural resources, externalities and sustainability: a critical toolbox Part 2. 21st century social-ecological challenges Chapter 6. Biodiversity and ecosystems under growing and unequal pressure Chapter 7. Beyond EXPOWA (Extraction, pollution and waste) Chapter 8. Energy, Climate and Justice Chapter 9. Well-being and our environment: from trade-offs to synergies Chapter 10. Social-ecology: connecting the inequality and ecological crises Chapter 11. The social-ecological transition in context: capitalism, democracy, globalization and digitalization Chapter 12. Urban sustainability and polycentric transition Conclusion: Open economics

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Book SynopsisThe Final Report of the IPPR Commission on Economic Justice The UK economy is broken. It no longer provides rising living standards for the majority. Young people face an increasingly insecure future. The gap between rich and poor areas is widening. Meanwhile the rise of giant digital companies, the advance of automation, and catastrophic environmental degradation challenge the very foundations of our economic model. This important book analyses these profound challenges and sets out a bold vision for change. The report of a group of leading figures from across British society, it explains how the deep weaknesses of the UK economy reflect profound imbalances of economic power. Its radical policy agenda for the 2020s includes new missions to drive productivity and innovation, an overhaul of our financial system, and reforms to improve wages, job quality and the redistribution of wealth. Ten years after the financial crisis, as the UK confronts the challenge of Brexit, this is an urgent and compelling account of the reforms needed to build a new economy of prosperity, justice and environmental sustainability. It will set the terms of political and economic debate for years to come.Trade Review"The Commission makes an irrefutable case that British economic performance must improve, and then suggests a suite of original initiatives aimed at doing just that - Overall this is the most impressive, authoritative and compelling economic analysis and accompanying prescriptions in recent times."—Will Hutton, Principal of Hertford College Oxford and Observer columnist "An inspiration for all those in the UK and elsewhere who are trying to chart a new course for inclusive prosperity."—Dani Rodrik, Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy, Harvard UniversityTable of ContentsPreface The IPPR Commission on Economic Justice Note and Acknowledgements Introduction and overview Part I: Building the new economy Chapter 1: The economy today Chapter 2: Prosperity and justice: a new vision for the economy Chapter 3: Reshaping the economy Chapter 4: Partnership and power Chapter 5: Time for change Part II: Our 10-part plan Chapter 6: Reshaping the economy through industrial strategy Chapter 7: Securing good pay, good jobs and good lives Chapter 8: Turning business towards long-term success Chapter 9: Promoting open markets in the new economy Chapter 10: Raising public investment in a reformed macroeconomic framework Chapter 11: Strengthening the financial system Chapter 12: Spreading wealth and ownership across the economy Chapter 13: Designing simpler and fairer taxes Chapter 14: Ensuring environmental sustainability Chapter 15: Creating a new economic constitution Endnotes

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