Political economy Books

Book SynopsisIn The China Paradox: At the Front Line of Economic Transformation, Harvard University-based historian of modern China and business strategist Dr. Paul G. Clifford documents the twists and turns of China’s dramatic and unforeseen rise over the last four decades. He sheds light on the delicate and fragile balance of forces at the heart of the success of China’s hybrid model, explaining how the ruling Communist Party boldly led the nation’s economic reforms as the surest way to preserve its grip on political power. Five years after this book was first published, much has changed within China and in its relationship with the world. This second edition provides extensive fresh new material. It explains how China has raised its game, moving from a catch-up mode to technological innovation in some areas, while still languishing in technology dependence in other respects. Earlier, China had shown signs that its driving spirit was faltering with its sails flapping. Under Xi Jinping, renewed energy has been injected. But at the same time Xi and his party have strongly reinforced their control across society and the economy, posing the question of whether Xi’s New Era in fact marks a retreat from the reforms. This second edition contains two new chapters. One profiles Huawei, a national champion in advanced technology. Another focuses on China’s frictions with the world which have been fueled by a perception that its technology progress threatens US global dominance, coupled with China’s human rights record. In addition, against a background of the challenges faced by Alibaba and other firms, there is analysis of this watershed in China’s private sector’s autonomy. There is also extensive new insight into Xi Jinping’s rule. As it celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2021, the Chinese Communist Party displays strong optimism over its continued governance of China. But that should not mask the longer-term risks to China’s development and stability if its hybrid model continues to unravel as reforms are abandoned in favor of heightened autocracy.

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Book SynopsisAverting Climate Catastrophe Together addresses the necessity of meeting the Paris Agreement temperature target and explores what framework could enable climate action in an effective, efficient and equitable manner that is consistent with that goal. It also looks at the contribution of technological change within the economic system, including the feasibility of a global energy transition. Whether humanity can avoid catastrophic climate change does not seem to depend on the availability of technological solutions, but rather on international cooperation and coordination. Given the various sustainability issues, this book also considers if it is possible to derive a general approach to them. It argues that dealing with compatibility limits in complex systems requires a holistic change in the system structure. Therefore, systems science is discussed together with economics, technological change, and sustainable development. This book targets scientists and experts from different disciplines due to the interdisciplinary topic, but especially from environmental economics and energy technology; policy makers, as policy recommendations are provided to address climate change; as well as the general public due to the pressing common challenge of climate change and comprehensive efforts for sustainable development. Provides evidence based on climate science research on the necessity of meeting the Paris Agreement temperature target Highlights the feasibility of the global energy transition as one major option to mitigate climate change, also going into detail about the process of technological change Brings together systems science with economics, technological change, and sustainable development Derives a framework to meet the Paris Agreement temperature target, enabling coordinated climate action in an effective and efficient manner while pursuing distributive justice

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a fundamental contribution to the literature on the creative industries and the knowledge-based economy by focusing on three aspects: urban spaces as key sites of capitalist restructuring, creative industries' policies as state technologies aimed at economic exploitation, and the role of networks of aesthetic production in inflecting these tendencies. It simultaneously goes beyond these debates by integrating a concern with the cultural and aesthetic dimensions of the creative industries. As such, the book is relevant to researchers interested in the transdisciplinary project of a cultural political economy of creativity and urban change.

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Book SynopsisUtilising a wide range of empirical cases, the contributions in this edited volume highlight the different aspects of the role, development and societal background of civil society in Central and Eastern Europe. The first part of the book deals with dissent under socialism. The second part of the book looks at the role of civil society in the Western Balkans in the context of the break-up of the former Yugoslavia and the related ethnic conflicts. The third part goes on to examine the role of civil society in the post-Soviet region, which is marked by authoritarian tendencies. The fourth part returns to Central Eastern Europe with an analysis of the impact of EU accession on the role of civil society and considers the underlying aspects of a 'common European memory'. The final section of the book looks at two cases - one from Central Eastern Europe, one from the CIS region -- of political participation and lobbying by civil society organisations. This book presents a selection of the papers diskussed at the Changing Europe Summer School on 'Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe' held at the National University of 'Kyiv-Mohyla Academy' (NAUKMA), Ukraine, in July 2009.Trade Review"The collection "Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe" highlights a fact that the debate about a European civil society often neglects: The civil societies in the countries of Middle and Eastern Europe are relatively young and the experience of an authoritarian regime still fresh". -- Birgit Sittermann, Forschungsjournal NSBTable of ContentsForeword Part I. Dissent Under Socialism 1. Smashing Concrete with Words. The Central European 'Dissidents', Their Representations and Discourses, by Kacper Szulecki 2. The Second Life of the Polish Art World in the Eighties, by Patryk Wasiak Part II. Civil Society and Ethnic Divisions. The Case of the Western Balkans 3. History and Memory. Media Discourse and the Construction of National Identities, by Tonci Valentic 4. Mapping the Ephemeral. Yugoslav Civic Activism and the 1990s Conflicts, by Bojan Bilic 5. External Democracy Promotion of Civil Society in Ethnically Fragmented Post-Socialist Countries, by Franziska Blomberg Part III. Finding One's Place in Civil Society. Examples from Russia 6. Walking the Tightrope. Russian Disability NGOs' Struggle with International and Domestic Demands, by Christian Frohlich 7. Striving for Social Change. NGOs in the Field of HIV/AIDS, Drug Policy and Human Rights in the Russian Federation, by Ulla Pape Part IV. Civil Society After EU Accession 8. Differential Empowerment for Institutional Change. The EU's Impact on State and Non-State Actors in Eastern Europe, by Julia Langbein 9. The Introduction of Regional Self-Governance in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. EU Conditionality vis-a-vis Domestic Societal Pressures, by Senka Neuman Stanivukovic 10. German and Polish 'Memory from Below', by Lars Breuer Part V. Political Participation and Lobbying 11. Can Civil Society Play a Role in Foreign Policy? Societal Groups in the Czech Republic, by David Cadier 12. The (Un)Importance of Public Opinion in Educational Policy-Making in Post-Communist Ukraine. Education Policy 'Elites' on the Role of Civil Society in Policy Formation, by Olena Fimyar About the Authors

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Book SynopsisThis book ventures a critical gaze at the image of the European Union beyond the crisis. Keeping in mind that crises constitute organic parts of all systems, the volume attempts to apprehend the EU's losses, gains, challenges, and opportunities deriving from the crisis and assesses what constitutes a viable and integrated exit from the current predicament. Moreover, through dealing with the EU as an everlasting process rather than a completed edifice, the collection aims at charting the conceptual weaknesses which resulted in a crisis so acute and long-lasting and at opening a discourse on the future and the required reconceptualization of the EU. The project is based on three large and interconnected thematic pillars that relate to the European Union after the crisis: - Facets of parliamentarism in the EU in the context of the crisis, - Political cohesion and institutional integration, - Perceptions, images, stereotypes, and their impact on the process of social and political integration of the EU.

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Book SynopsisDevelopment thinkers debate transition from developing to developed countries. India focuses on holistic, sustainable growth. Vipin Sharma's book explores economic development themes like pro-poor growth.

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Book SynopsisFrom being agents of chaos, cryptos have gone mainstream and regulators are stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

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Book SynopsisThe Narendra Modi government''s sudden demonetization of `500 and `1,000 notes in November 2016 failed to put a dent in the black economy but caused untold hardship to hundreds of millions of Indians. It has crippled the country''s economy for aong time to come. In this book, Arun Kumar, the country''seading authority on the black economy, tells us why Modi''s gambit failed. He shows us the way in which the problem can be rooted out, provided the government has the political will and determination to act.Today, the black economy is estimated to be 62 per cent of GDPor about `93akh crore ($1.4 trillion). Corrupt businessmen, corrupt politicians and corrupt members of the executive (bureaucrats, police and the judiciary) are responsible for controlling the black economy and enabling its growth. If the black economy were to be dismantled and turned into a part of the white'' economy, the country''s rate of growth would be 12 per cent. If it had not grown the way it has since the 1970s, India''s per capita income today would be approximately `7akh per annum ($11,000) and India would become the secondargest economy in the world. If the black economy were taxed at current rates, it would generate `37akh crore in additional taxes and the union budget would show a surplus of `31akh crore instead of a deficit.The failure of successive governments to tackle the problem effectively has been the single biggest obstacle to eradicating poverty. It is the cause of both widespread policy failure and the inability of the nation to improve itsiving conditions rapidly.

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Book SynopsisThe People’s Republic of China under the leadership of Xi Jinping is undergoing rapid changes at the present time. The nature of these changes was evident during the 19th Party Congress of 2017 and unfolded swiftly thereafter. This volume, produced by a group of 25 China experts of India associated with the Institute of Chinese Studies, offers a detailed examination of Xi Jinping’s initiatives in the context of what was proclaimed as a ‘new era’. The contributions cover several important areas ranging from social and political spheres to diplomatic dimensions.Discussing the leadership style and the reorganisation of the Communist Party structure, especially the Central Committee and the Politbureau, and the ongoing anti-corruption campaign, the authors underline the emerging pattern of centralisation of authority and reversal of Deng Xiaoping’s mode of politics. Xi Jinping’s global strategy, which hinges on programmes such as the Belt and Road Initiative, and adoption of a new approach to regions as resource bases and pursuing the mantra of innovation in all spheres are examined indepth, keeping in view China’s long term, stated ambitions to emerge as a ‘great, modern, strong and prosperous country’ by the mid-21st century. Deeper analysis of the effects of Xi’s policies on the media, workers, women, the environment, ethnic minorities and culture and the deconstruction of Xi Jinping Thought in theoretical and civilizational perspectives are highlights of this work.

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Book SynopsisSome of the nation''s wealthiest philanthropic organizations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Broad Foundation, have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in education reform. With vast wealth and a political agenda, these foundations have helped to reshape the reform landscape in urban education. In Follow the Money, Sarah Reckhow shows where and how foundation investment in education is occurring and provides a penetrating analysis of the effects of these investments in the two largest urban districts in the United States: New York City and Los Angeles. In New York City, centralized political control and the use of private resources have enabled rapid implementation of reform proposals. Yet this potent combination of top-down authority and outside funding also poses serious questions about transparency, responsiveness, and democratic accountability in New York. Furthermore, the sustainability of reform policies is closely linkTrade ReviewSarah Reckhow has written a timely and fascinating book that brings overdue attention to the impact of philanthropy on education policy. In this extraordinarily thoughtful account, she explains how major donors are influencing school reform. In a field alternately dominated by fawning accounts and ad hominem attacks, Reckhow has provided a signal service. This is a book I heartily recommend to scholars, educators, policymakers, and would-be reformers. * Frederick Hess, author of The Same Thing Over and Over: How School Reformers Get Stuck in Yesterday's Ideas *Cheerleaders celebrate the role of foundations in driving contemporary school reform, while critics charge they exert influence without proportionate accountability and undermine local democracy. What distinguishes Follow the Money is that it is grounded in important theories within political science, empirically based, employs novel methodologies, and offers reasonable and modulated conclusions that, while generally aligning with critics, are neither shrill nor calcified. Any one of these would represent a contribution within the education policy field, and taken together they add up to quite a wallop. * Jeffrey R. Henig, Department of Education Policy & Social Analysis, Teachers College, Columbia University *This fascinating, exhaustively researched, and important book traces the growing scope and impact of philanthropic money in education politics and policymaking, a topic that has been the subject of much speculation but little systematic research to date... Unlike many education scholars, she employs a multi-method research design that incorporates large-scale data analysis, detailed case studies, surveys, interviews, and social network analysis. This approach has enabled her to craft a nuanced and multi-faceted analysis of foundation influence and impact and created a rich new trove of data that will be invaluable to other scholars. * Perspectives on Politics *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Boardroom Progressives ; Chapter 1: Accountability, Markets, and the Philanthropic Agenda ; Chapter 2: Following the Money from Foundations to Urban School Districts ; Chapter 3: From Annenberg to Gates ; Chapter 4: A Shadow Bureaucracy ; Chapter 5: Deliberative Decentralization ; Conclusions and Implications ; Appendix A: Top 15 Grant-makers to K-12 Education, 2000 and 2005 ; Appendix B: Grant Recipient Categories ; Appendix C: Explanation of Data ; Appendix D: Surveys ; References ; Notes ; Index

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Book SynopsisGerman economic performance has astonished the world. At the turn of the century, Germany had been written off as the sick man of Europe. No more. Even as most of its European neighbors and OECD trading partners have struggled in the face of a turbulent global economy, the German economy has thrived. How does Germany do it? What is the secret? In The Seven Secrets of Germany, authors David Audretsch and Erik Lehmann answer these very questions. This book reveals, explains, and analyzes seven key aspects of Germany, its economy, and its society that have provided the nation with considerable buoyance in an era of global turbulence. These seven features range from the key and strategic role played by small firms to world leadership in its skilled and trained labor force, an ability to harness global opportunities through leveraging local resources, public infrastructure, the capacity to deal with change and confront challenges in a flexible manner, and the emergence of a remarkably positTrade Review"Just when so many are asking 'How did Germany do it?' a new book appears with some answers. In an enormously well-informed, erudite, and accessible manner, the authors point to seven features that help Germany thrive in the face of globalization, demographic challenges, the Eurozone crisis, and much more. The seven 'secrets,' or features-which range from the small-is-beautiful Mittelstand to the growing comfort zone that Germans feel about being German citizens of the EU-allow Germany to foster the central drivers of economic prosperity: innovation, labor skills, and entrepreneurship. Social cohesion is critical in allowing the formal and informal institutions to work together-to make the whole more than the sum of the parts. The Seven Secrets of Germany is bound to provoke discussion and disagreement, but it really is a must-read for those who want to understand this nation's remarkable resilience and economic success." --Richard Baldwin, Professor of International Economics at the Graduate Institute, Geneva and Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research "The Seven Secrets of Germany is the second book published recently on Germany that has intrigued me. The first one is Neil MacGregor's Germany: Memories of a Nation, which shows why Germany was special in the past. The Seven Secrets of Germany presents brilliant analysis on Germany's unique economy and economic policy, which has produced a second Wirtschaftswunder for the country today. It is a compulsory reading for anyone interested in economics." -- J.-Matthias Graf von der Schulenburg, Professor of Business Economics and Director of the Institute for Risk and Insurance Management, Leibniz University, Hanover, Germany "Audretsch and Lehmann have written a page turner of a book that explains how Germany has become the most successful globalized economy in the world. They combine a dazzling mastery of economic theory with real-life experiences and lessons for other Western countries that are struggling to compete in a global economy. This is by far the best explanation available on the secrets of Germany's revival from being the "sick man of Europe" to Weltmeister in just a decade. It is also an essential introduction to today's Germany that seamlessly weaves together history, culture, economics, and politics." -- Stephen F. Szabo, Executive Director, Transatlantic Academy, and Johns Hopkins SAISTable of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction ; Chapter 2: Small Is Beautiful ; Chapter 3: Poets and Thinkers ; Chapter 4: Roots and Wings ; Chapter 5: (Infra)Structure ; Chapter 6: Laptops and Lederhosen ; Chapter 7: Made in Germany ; Chapter 8: It's Good to Be German ; Chapter 9: Conclusions: The Right Zeitgeist for the Zeitalter

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Book SynopsisOrthodox international relations theory considers foreign affairs to be the exclusive purview of national governments. Yet as Rodrigo Tavares demonstrates, the vast majority of leading sub-states and cities are currently practicing foreign affairs, both bilaterally and multilaterally. Subnational governments in Asia, the Americas, Europe and Africa are changing traditional notions of sovereignty, diplomacy, and foreign policy as they carry out diplomatic endeavors and establish transnational networks around areas such as education, healthcare, climate change, waste management, or transportation. In fact, subnational activity and activism in the international arena is growing at a rate that far exceeds that carried out by the traditional representatives of sovereign states.Paradiplomacy is the definitive first practitioner''s guide to foreign policy at the subnational level. In this seminal work, Tavares draws from a unique pool of best practices and case studies from all over the worldTrade ReviewParadiplomacy sheds light upon one of the great challenges of our times. It is essential reading at a time when city diplomacy is an ever-growing global phenomenon, and when local powers are taking more and more the roles of central powers. By uncovering the tremendous potential of hundreds of external policies that we, Mayors, are pursuing together, the book shows how city diplomacy may bring a collective answer to the challenges we are facing. Rodrigo Tavares fully embraces the singularity of local powers and the universality of their engagement. By doing so, he highlights one of the most significant trends in our century. * Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, Chair of C40, Chair of International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF) *The increasing frequency and intensity of government-to-government international exchange make this well researched book overdue. Mayors are problem solvers who daily exercise wide-ranging executive authority. Their international exchanges may be driven by local economic imperatives, but as often result from frustration with federal inaction, inflexibility or inattention. Rodrigo Tavares' Paradiplomacy effectively places this growing trend in historical context and highlights our options moving ahead. * Annise Parker, Mayor of Houston (2010-2016) Steering Committee member, World Energy Cities Partnership (WECP) and C40 *Most of the world's population now live in cities; and Rodrigo Tavares shows that city and sub-national governments play a critical role in helping the world to deal with climate change, social equity and economic growth. * Linda J. Bilmes, Daniel Patrick Moynihan Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University *This book gives paradiplomacy the place it deserves in the diplomacy literature! It is a suitable reference book for both practitioners such as diplomats and government officials, and academics interested in the changing nature of multilateralism. * Luk Van Langenhove, United Nations University *Rodrigo Tavares' book substantially enriches the literature on paradiplomacy. It provides tons of interesting and well-organized new material, and will need to be read by anybody working on the international relations of sub-state entities. * André Lecours, University of Ottawa *Through the Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative, the IDB has witnessed the prominent role that Latin American cities play in the region's affairs and the importance of city-to-city international cooperation. Tavares' Paradiplomacy is mandatory reading to whoever wishes to understand why subnational international cooperation is key to solving the sustainability challenges of our increasingly urban future. * Ellis J. Juan, former General Coordinator of the Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative (ESCI) and current Chief of the Housing and Urban Development Division (HUD) at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Chapter One: Essentials of Paradiplomacy Chapter Two: Institutional Infrastructure of Paradiplomacy Chapter Three: External Policies by Subnational Governments Chapter Four: Case Studies: Subnational Governments in Action Chapter Five: Challenges Ahead Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisA guide to the main determinants of firm structure, market structure, industrial innovation, and static market performance. It also looks at the policy issues raised by collusion and the behaviour of dominant firms, with reference to EU competition policy, focusing on performance in and policy toward imperfectly competitive international markets.Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. Background ; 2. Oligopoly markets: noncooperative behaviour ; 3. Collusion and tacit collusion ; 4. Dominance ; 5. Innovation ; 6. Organization ; 7. Imperfect competition and international trade: I ; 8. Imperfect competition and international trade: II ; 9. Trade policy and competition policy ; 10. Market integration in the European Union ; References

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Book SynopsisAccelerating processes of economic globalization have fundamentally reshaped the organization of the global economy towards much greater integration and functional interdependence through cross-border economic activity. In this interconnected world system, a new form of economic organization has emerged: Global Production Networks (GPNs). This brings together a wide array of economic actors, most notably capitalist firms, state institutions, labour unions, consumers and non-government organizations, in the transnational production of economic value. National and sub-national economic development in this highly interdependent global economy can no longer be conceived of, and understood within, the distinct territorial boundaries of individual countries and regions. Instead, global production networks are organizational platforms through which actors in these different national or regional economies compete and cooperate for a larger share of the creation, transformation, and capture of Trade ReviewCoe and Yeungs Global Production Networks is a significant addition to the diverse and rapidly growing literature on international economic development . . . The book contains numerous insights and hypotheses that can guide future empirical research, and it is likely to both sharpen theoretical debates and offer grounds for constructive dialogue among the many scholars who look at economic development through the lens of inter-firm production networks. * Gary Gereffi, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness, Duke University *This book provides an important contribution to analysis of the growing complexity of global production networks. It is published at a key juncture given rapid expansion of consumer end-markets within the global South. Its exploration of the implications for uneven economic development is essential for assessing varied strategic options facing diverse actors in the contemporary global economy. * Stephanie Barrientos, Professor of Global Development, University of Manchester *This book is a major and original contribution to the study of the global economy, and unique in the ways in which it provide a rigorous conceptual map of the dynamic and geographical complexities of the current global economy. It is, by far, the fullest and most significant book on global production networks to date. It is a major achievement and will be an important work in economic geography and economic sociology. * John Pickles, Earl N. Phillips Distinguished Professor of International Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 20/04/15 *Given the absence of a book-length treatment of GPN's by the extant literature, the value-add offered by Coe and Yeung in terms of delineating unified casual explainations for the rise and persistence of GPN's is timely and noteworthy. Across its six chapters, the book is cognizant of complementary aproaches, and seeks to inform subsequent empirical exploration by attempting conceptual development of the GPN framework. Coe and Young proceed to profile the actors involved in GPN's as well as the characteristics of these networks in Chapter 2. This is a key strength of the book, where the role of actors ex-firms such as the state, international organisations, and intermediaries are acknowledged and scrutinised for their impact on overall firm activity. Coe and Yeung have done an excellent job in illuminating a fundamental puzzle involving the evolution of production in the world economy, even as they develop a coherent theory of GPN's.Table of Contents1. Global production networks 2.0 ; 2. Organization ; 3. Dynamics ; 4. Strategies ; 5. Development ; 6. Praxis

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Book SynopsisMuch of the existing literature within the varieties of capitalism (VOC) and comparative business systems fields of research is heavily focused on Europe, Japan, and the Anglo-Saxon nations. As a result, the field has yet to produce a detailed empirical picture of the institutional structures of most Asian nations and to explore to what extent existing theory applies to the Asian context. The Oxford Handbook of Asian Business Systems aims to address this imbalance by exploring the shape and consequences of institutional variations across the political economies of different societies within Asia. Drawing on the deep knowledge of 31 leading experts, this book presents an empirical, comparative institutional analysis of 13 major Asian business systems between India and Japan. To aid comparison, each country chapter follows the same consistent outline. Complementing the country chapters are eleven contributions examining major themes across the region in comparative perspective and linkinTrade ReviewThe individual chapters are excellently written ... Whether as a reference or a first step into this interesting and eclectic school of thought, the Handbook will prove a useful tool. * Francis E. Hutchinson, Journal of Southeast Asian Economics *Table of ContentsPART I ASIAN BUSINESS SYSTEMS; PART II THEMES IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE; PART III EVOLUTIONARY TRAJECTORIES; PART IV CONCLUSIONS

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Book SynopsisEurope Undivided analyzes how an enlarging EU has facilitated a convergence toward liberal democracy among credible future members of the EU in Central and Eastern Europe. It reveals how variations in domestic competition put democratizing states on different political trajectories after 1989, and how the EU''s leverage eventually influenced domestic politics in liberal and particularly illiberal democracies. In doing so, Europe Undivided illuminates the changing dynamics of the relationship between the EU and candidate states from 1989 to 2004, and challenges policymakers to manage and improve EU leverage to support democracy, ethnic tolerance, and economic reform in other candidates and proto-candidates such as the Western Balkan states, Turkey, and Ukraine. Albeit not by design, the most powerful and successful tool of EU foreign policy has turned out to be EU enlargement - and this book helps us understand why, and how, it works.Trade ReviewEurope Undivided is an exemplary work of the new comparative-international politics. It is a subtle and substantial analysis of how asymmetric interdependence and meritocratic European Union membership criteria combined to enhance the influence of the EU on domestic political reforms in Eastern Europe. * Robert O. Keohane, Professor of International Affairs, Woodrow Wilson School *In this important study, Vachudova develops an original and compelling analysis of how variations in domestic competition and changes in EU leverage combined to shape postcommunist political and economic pathways in East Central Europe. * Valerie Bunce, Professor and Chair of Government, Aaron Binenkorb Chair of International Studies, Cornell University *A scrupulous, clearly organized, and highly informative _ analysis of one of the great success stories of our time. _ Vachudova combines the methods of comparative politics and_ international relations to explore the very direct _ connections between political change in Central and Eastern Europe and the influence of the European Union over the _ fifteen years from the velvet revolutions of 1989 to the _ eastward enlargement of the EU in 2004. * Timothy Garton _ Ash, Professor of European Studies, University of Oxford, _ and Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University_ *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Political Competition and the Reform Trajectories of Postcommunist States ; 2. Liberal and Illiberal Democracy After Communism ; 3. The Passive Leverage of the European Union ; 4. The Impact of Passive Leverage: EU Relations with Liberal and Illiberal States 1989-1994 ; 5. The Active Leverage of the European Union ; 6. The Impact of Active Leverage I: Making Political Systems More Competitive 1994-1998 ; 7. The Impact of Active Leverage II: Shaping Reform of the State and the Economy 1994-2004 ; 8. The Enlargement Endgame and the Future of an Enlarged EU ; Conclusion ; Bibliography

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Book SynopsisCombining the approaches of three fields of scholarship - political science, law and Russian area- tudies - the author explores the foundations and future of the Russian Federation. Russia''s political elite have struggled to build an extraordinarily complex federal system, one that incorporates eighty-nine different units and scores of different ethnic groups, which sometimes harbor long histories of resentment against Russian imperial and Soviet legacies. This book examines the public debates, official documents and political deals that built Russia''s federal house on very unsteady foundations, often out of the ideological, conceptual and physical rubble of the ancien régime. One of the major goals of this book is, where appropriate, to bring together the insights of comparative law and comparative politics in the study of the development of Russia''s attempts to create - as its constitution states in the very first article - a ''Democratic, federal, rule-of-law state''Trade Review"Dr. Jeffrey Kahn's admirable and thoroughly researched study offers invaluable materials and insights on what has been transpiring in the world of Russian federalism (and beyond) from the earliest Soviet days to the present, with particular emphasis and depth on the post-Soviet decade." William E. Butler, Michigan Law Review"I have not seen a better account, or a more perceptive one, in any language." William E. Butler, Michigan Law Review"Kahn's study is the best and most thoughtful account available of the early experience." William E. Butler, Michigan Law ReviewTable of Contents1. Introduction ; 2. Federal Theory ; 3. Soviet 'Federalism' ; 4. Gorbachev's Federalism Problem ; 5. The Process of Federal Transition ; 6. Inter-Governmental Relations Under Yeltsin's New Federalism ; 7. Federal Effects on Transitions in Russia's Republics ; 8. The Federal Reforms of Vladimir Putin ; 9. Conclusion

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Book SynopsisAs events highlight deep divisions in attitudes between America and Europe, this is a very timely study of different approaches to the problems of domestic inequality and poverty.Based on careful and systematic analysis of national data, the authors describe just how much the two continents differ in their level of State engagement in the redistribution of income. Discussing various possible economic explanations for the difference, they cover different levels of pre-tax income, openness, and social mobility; they survey politico-historical differences such as the varying physical size of nations, their electoral and legal systems, and the character of their political parties, as well as their experiences of war; and they examine sociological explanations, which include different attitudes to the poor and notions of social responsibility. Most importantly, they address attitudes to race, calculating that attitudes to race explain half the observed difference in levels of public redistrTrade Review... remarkable book ... Mr Alesina and Mr Glaeser, both Harvard economists, are doing what the best in their profession do well these days: seeking to explain society not merely with conventional economic tools but with analysis of institutions, geography and social behaviour. * The Economist 12 March 2004 *In what ways, and why, are the United States and Europe so far apart in social policy? Alesina and Glaeser give us as definitive an answer to this fundamental question as we shall ever see. * George A. Akerlof, Nobel Prize Laureate *This probing of the forces behind 'American exceptionalism', as measured by a much smaller welfare state than in Europe, is immensely important. The authors take a multi-discipline approach and consider many factors, including narrowly economic variables, political institutions, racial and ethnic diversity, the effects of wars, attitudes toward the poor, and still others. Their findings are sometimes surprising and frequently provocative. This monograph will quickly become the foundation of further literature on a subject of enormous significance. * Gary S. Becker, Nobel Prize Laureate *Table of Contents1. Introduction ; 2. Redistribution in the United Sates and Europe: the data ; 3. Economic explanations ; 4. Political institutions and redistribution ; 5. The origin of political institutions ; 6. Race and redistribution ; 7. The Ideology of Redistribution ; 8. Conclusions ; Index

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Book SynopsisThe 1997 Asian Crisis principally affected Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Korea, as well as other East Asian countries heavily dependent on intra-regional trade. Banks and other financial institutions quickly become insolvent, and heavily indebted industrial firms went bankrupt. Many of these firms were affiliated with the business groups of this region, yet most groups did not immediately collapse, indeed they proved remarkably robust, some surviving and even prospering.This book examines these East Asian business groups and their subsequent restructuring following the Asian Crisis. East Asian nations embarked on very different trajectories to this common external shock. The Asian Crisis affected the inter-relationships among the socio-cultural environment, the state, and the market of each country quite differently and had distinct effects on the operations of these countries'' business groups. This slow yet divergent pattern of development provides evidence against theories of rapid global convergence.Yet East Asian business groups face an uncertain future. Foreign investors'' influence has increased substantially since the crisis, as East Asian governments had to accommodate their demands to keep attracting foreign capital. Governments supervise banks more closely and have loosened restrictions on mergers and hostile takeovers, further strengthening the discipline of the market. Various entry barriers that had inhibited foreign multinationals from competing in national markets were lifted, exposing business groups to intensified foreign competition. Under these new conditions, business groups in East Asia should reconfigure their business structures and adjust their corporate governance systems to regain momentum for further growth. Business groups will continue to be important vehicles for the sustained future growth of this region, and this book presents a substantial amount of new data on this, which will be of interest to academics, researchers, and advanced students of East Asian business, and business practitioners working within the region.Table of Contents1. Introduction: Business Groups in East Asia ; PART I: JAPAN AND FORMER NICS (NEWLY INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES) ; 2. Japanese Business Groups: Continuity in the Face of Change ; 3. Korean Business Groups: The Financial Crisis and the Restructuring of Chaebols ; 4. Taiwanese Business Groups: Steady Growth in Institutional Transition ; 5. Singaporean Business Groups: The Role of the State and Capital in Singapore Inc. ; PART II: EMERGING MARKET COUNTRIES ; 6. Malaysian Business groups: The State and Capital Development in the Post-Currency Crisis Period ; 7. Thai Business Groups: Crisis and Restructuring ; 8. Indonesian Business Groups: The Crisis in Progress ; PART III: NEW HORIZONS FOR BUSINESS GROUPS IN EAST ASIA ; 9. Chinese Business Groups: Their Origins and Developments ; 10. Conclusion: The Future of Business Groups in East Asia

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Book SynopsisThe struggle between Russia and Great Britain over Central Asia in the nineteenth century was the original great game. But in the past quarter century, a new great game has emerged, pitting America against a newly aggressive Russia and a resource-hungry China, all struggling for influence over the same region, now one of the most volatile areas in the world: the long border region stretching from Iran through Pakistan to Kashmir. In Great Games, Local Rules, Alexander Cooley, one of America''s most respected international relations scholars, explores the dynamics of the new competition for control of the region since 9/11. All three great powers have crafted strategies to increase their power in the area, which includes Afghanistan and the former Soviet republics of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. Each nation is pursuing important goals: basing rights for the US, access to natural resources for the Chinese, and increased political influence for the Russians. However, overlooked in all of the talk about this new great game is fact that the Central Asian governments have proven themselves critical agents in their own right, establishing local rules for external power involvement that serve to fend off foreign interest. As a result, despite a decade of intense interest from the United States, Russia, and China, Central Asia remains a collection of segmented states, and the external competition has merely reinforced the sovereign authority of the individual Central Asian governments. A careful and surprising analysis of how small states interact with great powers in a vital region, Great Games, Local Rules greatly advances our understanding of how global politics actually works in the contemporary era.Trade ReviewGreat Games, Local Rules is a timely contribution ... this concise book (under 200 pages) with handy subheadings every two pages or so is recommended reading for journalists and students who want to brush up on the developments of the last ten years. In turn, Cooley has brought Central Asia to a wider academic audience. * Annabelle Chapman, LSE Review of Books *a highly readable, richly researched and insightful book that explores the increasingly intensifying interaction between China, Russia and the USA. ...Cooley has produced an excellent study of the region that should be required reading for scholars, policy makers, and interested students. * Johannes Olschner, The Royal Society for Asian Affairs *Table of ContentsChapter 1: The New Multipolar Politics of Influence in Central Asia ; Chapter 2: Local Rules: The Origins and Politics of Central Asian Regime Survival ; Chapter 3: Washington's Strategy: Juggling Interests and Values on the Road to Afghanistan ; Chapter 4: Moscow's Strategy: The Quest for a Privileged Role ; Chapter 5: Beijing's Strategy: The SCO, Xinjiang and China's Great Leap Westward ; Chapter 6: Anti-Terrorism, Democratization and Human Rights ; Chapter 7: Geopolitical Competition and Political Stability: The Case of Kyrgyzstan ; Chapter 8: Corruption and Governance: Competition and Collusion in Contracting ; Chapter 9: Regional Integration: So Many Proposals, So Little Cooperation ; Chapter 10: Conclusion: Central Asia's Multipolar Politics in Comparative Perspective ; Appendix 1: Laws Passed after Color Revolutions that Introduced New Restrictions on NGOs ; and the Media ; Appendix 2: Election Monitor Assessments, ODIHR/SCO/CIS

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Book SynopsisIn Dynamism, Rivalry, and the Surplus Economy, János Kornai examines capitalism as an economic system and in comparison to socialism. Kornai explains his view of capitalism as an economy of surplus--a chronic excess of supply of goods and labor. This environment breeds rivalry among producers, which in turn encourages innovation. Socialism, on the other hand, is defined by a shortage of goods and labor and excess of demand. Whereas socialism is slothful and imitative, capitalism is dynamic and progressive. The two essays of this book will explore these differing ideologies on macro and micro levels, ending with definitive explanations of how the systems work and how they develop.Trade ReviewKornai is one of the most profound, inspiring and leading economists in the study of fundamential regularities in capitalism and socialism. The uniqueness of this book is the comparative perspective that reveals the features of capitalism by comparing it with its mirror image, socialism.The book provides general guidance and provokes throughts for studying capitalism. * Chenggang Xu, Journal of Economic Literature *Table of ContentsList of Tables ; List of Figures ; Preface ; First Essay: Innovation and Dynamism ; 1 Introduction ; 2 Capitalism, Socialism, and Technical Progress ; 2.1 Revolutionary new products ; 2.2 Following the pioneers, the diffusion of innovation ; 2.3 Innovative entrepreneurship under capitalism ; 2.4 The impossibility of innovative entrepreneurship under socialism ; 2.5 Political factors and technical progress ; 2.6 First summary: systems and technical progress ; 3 Transformation and the Acceleration of Technical Progress ; 3.1 New innovator entrepreneurs ; 3.2 The acceleration of follow-up and diffusion ; 3.3 Creative destruction ; 4 Reflection of Historical Reality in People's Minds ; 4.1 The basic phenomenon: lack of understanding ; 4.2 The responsibility of the economic profession ; 4.3 The responsibility of politicians ; 4.4 Interconnectivity and democracy ; 5 Concluding Remarks ; Second Essay: Shortage Economy - Surplus Economy ; 1 Introduction ; 1.1 Impressions ; 1.2 A first approach to clarification of concepts ; 1.3 The place the approach taken in the essay occupies in economic discourse ; 1.4 An advance look at the bounds of the subject-matter and its structure ; 2 The Market for Goods and Services: The Mechanism for the Reproduction of Surplus ; 2.1 An example from economic history: the US telephone system ; 2.2 Supply-related processes ; 2.3 Demand-related processes ; 2.4 The pricing process ; 3 The Market for Products and Services: The Conceptual Apparatus and ; Measurement Methods ; 3.1 <"Pure,>" easily handled cases ; 3.2 The first difficulty: continual mutual adjustment of supply and demand ; 3.3 The second difficulty: parallel occurrences of excess supply and ; excess demand ; 3.4 Diversion: observing the obstacles to and micro constraints on production ; 3.5 The third difficulty: distinguishing <"necessary>" from <"superfluous>" stocks ; 3.6 The fourth difficulty: unjustified aggregation ; 3.7 Pragmatic suggestions for measurement and a conceptual apparatus ; 3.8 Formation of synthetic indicators or <"composite indices>" ; 4 The Labor Market: The Mechanism for the Reproduction of Surplus ; 4.1 Conceptual clarification and measurement ; 4.2 The shock to the labor market caused by the change of system ; 4.3 <"Keynesian>" unemployment ; 4.4 Structural unemployment ; 4.5 Mismatched adjustment, frictional unemployment, and demand ; 4.6 The efficiency wage ; 5 A Summary of the Positive Description and Causal Analysis ; 5.1 The workability of the concept of <"equilibrium>" ; 5.2 Asymmetry ; 5.3 A summary account of the two demand-supply regimes ; 5.4 The generation of a surplus economy by the capitalist system: the causal chain ; 5.5 Genetic propensities ; 6 The Effect and Assessment of the Surplus Economy ; 6.1 A view of the effects and the value judgments ; 6.2 Innovation ; 6.3 The sovereignty and manipulation of the consumer ; 6.4 Productivity and coordination ; 6.5 Adaptation ; 6.6 Distribution of income and wealth ; 6.7 <"Materialistic>" and <"spiritual>" values ; 6.8 The direction of corruption ; 6.9 The advantages and drawbacks of capitalist competition, through the example ; of the automotive industry ; 6.10 A stand in favor of capitalism and the surplus economy ; 6.11 The scope for a theoretical synthesis and its constraints ; 6.12 The demand for mathematical models with explanatory force ; 7 Departures from the General Scheme ; 7.1 Fluctuations of the business cycle ; 7.2 The war economy ; 7.3 Historic changes and lasting tendencies in modern capitalism ; 8 A Personal Postscript ; Appendix ; References ; Index

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Book SynopsisFrom the first stock markets of Amsterdam and London to the millions of credit card transactions governed by arbitration, privately produced and enforced economic regulations are more common, more effective, and more promising than commonly considered. In Private Governance, prominent economist Edward Stringham presents case-studies of the various forms of private enforcement, self-governance, or self-regulation among private groups or individuals that fill a void that government enforcement cannot. Through analytical narratives the book provides a close examination of the world''s first stock markets, key elements of which were unenforceable by law; the community of Celebration, Florida, and other private communities that show how public goods can be bundled with land and provided more effectively; and the millions of credit-card transactions that occur daily and are regulated by private governance. Private Governance ultimately argues that while potential problems of private governaTrade Review"Private Governance is a masterpiece of economic, philosophical, and legal reasoning that will shake progressive ideology to its foundations, and, if read by enough young people, dispatch it to a waiting grave." Andrew Napolitano, Fox News "Stringham dispels state-worshipping fiction with historical fact to show how good governance has preceded Leviathan, ignores it when necessary, and can surpass it when it fails." Peter Thiel, Entrepreneur "If you read this book you will have to readjust what you think is possible. A masterful account that mixes history, theory, and a deep understanding of what contracts really mean." Michael Munger, Duke University "The dominant view in economic and political theory is that markets can only exist in the 'shadow of the state.' This superb volume challenges this contention head on." Mark Pennington, King's College London "Explains how private governance can work in theory and carefully details a series of real-world case studies to illustrate how it actually works. Stringham writes so well that this book should be appreciated and enjoyed by academics and non-academics alike." Bruce Benson, Florida State University "The theory and practice of private provision of protection, security, and adjudication has a long and distinguished history. Private Governance is an extremely important contribution to understanding this issue." Leonard Liggio, Institute for Humane Studies "Adam Smith brought us the 'invisible hand.' Now, Stringham brings us 'private governance.' Am I going too far in comparing Stringham to Smith? Maybe so, but it is because Smith does not deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as Stringham. Read this book (that's an order!)." Walter Block, Loyola University-New Orleans "Brimming with surprises and intellectual curiosity. Stringham turns the conventional wisdom on its head, in delightful and convincing fashion." Tom Woods, Historian "Masterfully weaves economic analysis with little-known history and elegant storytelling to demonstrate the power of individuals to create order without law or government. Essential reading for policy-makers, academics, and anyone else with questions about the power of freedom." Marcus Cole, Stanford UniversityTable of ContentsWhy private governance? ; 1. Introduction ; 2. Beyond the deus ex machina theory of law ; 3. Rules from voluntary associations as an alternative to coercive ones: Governance as a club good ; Privately governed markets in history and modern times ; 4. Markets without enforcement: Reciprocity and reputation mechanisms in the world's first stock market ; 5. The evolution of rules in exclusive clubs: From coffeehouses to the London Stock Exchange ; 6. Markets creating transparency: Competing listing and disclosure requirements from the Big Board in New York to the Alternative Investment Market in London ; 7. How technologically advanced markets can work even when fraud is "legal": Ex ante risk management by PayPal and other intermediaries ; 8. Bundling governance with bricks and mortar: Private policing in colleges, in California, North Carolina, and beyond ; 9. The most personal form of private governance: Individual self-governance ; 10. When third party review is <"necessary>": Adjudication by contract ; 11. Does private governance work in the most complex markets? Successful risk management on Wall Street even in the wake of the 2008 economic downturn ; Lessons of private governance ; 12. The relationship between public and private governance: Does the state help or crowd out good governance? ; 13. Applying Hayek's insights about discovery and spontaneous order to governance ; 14. The unseen beauty that underpins markets

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Book SynopsisIn the US and UK, saving and borrowing routines have changed radically and become closely bound-up with the capital markets of global finance. As mutual funds have increased in popularity and pension provision has been transformed, many more individuals and households have come to invest in stocks and shares. As consumer borrowing has risen dramatically and mortgage finance has been extended to those deemed sub-prime, so the repayments of credit card holders and mortgagors have provided the basis for the issue and trading of bonds and other market instruments. The Everyday Life of Global Finance explores the unprecedented relationships that now bind society and the markets, challenging the dominant tendency to simply position recent developments in Wall Street and the City of London at the centre of contemporary finance. Grounded in literature from the sociology of finance and international political economy, drawing on the social theory of Callon, Foucault, and Latour, and informed byTrade ReviewReview from previous edition The credit crisis shows the importance of understanding how everyday saving and borrowing interact with global finance. Langley provides a thorough, sophisticated and timely analysis. * Donald MacKenzie, Professor of Sociology, University of Edinburgh, and author of An Engine, Not a Camera: How Financial Models Shape Markets *This is a major study of how the 'democratization of finance' in our time has worked to create new identities for savers and borrowers. It challenges us all to think again about how we understand the remaking of present day capitalism. * Karel Williams, Professor of Accounting and Political Economy, University of Manchester *In a major statement of the new IPE, Paul Langley demonstrates how everyday forms of saving and borrowing produce subject positions and financial identities among everyday actors that are the 'unrecognized' constitutive elements of the global financial order. * Mark Blyth, Associate Professor of Political Science, Johns Hopkins University *This is an undeniably important and timely book. We are at a moment of significant change and uncertainty within the Anglo-American financial system within which many of us are irrevocably entangled due to our everyday roles as borrowers and/or savers. Langley reveals with skill and insight how we have arrived at this particular financial and political conjuncture and, in doing so, provides an important resource to help determine where we may be headed. * Andrew Leyshon, Professor of Economic Geography, University of Nottingham *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION ; 1. Networks, Power, Identity, and Dissent ; PART I: SAVING ; 2. From Thrift and Insurance to Everyday Investment ; 3. Pensions and Everyday Investment ; 4. The Uncertain Subjects of Everyday Investment ; 5. Socially Responsible Investment ; PART II: BORROWING ; 6. The Boom in Everyday Borrowing ; 7. Inequalities in Everyday Borrowing ; 8. The Uncertain Subjects of Everyday Borrowing ; 9. Dissent in Everyday Borrowing ; CONCLUSION ; 10. The Sub-Prime Crisis

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Book SynopsisAs China is transformed, relations between society, the state, and the city have become central. The Great Urban Transformation investigates what is happening in cities, the urban edges, and the rural fringe in order to explain these relations. In the inner city of major metropolitan centers, municipal governments battle high-ranking state agencies to secure land rents from redevelopment projects, while residents mobilize to assert property and residential rights. At the urban edge, as metropolitan governments seek to extend control over their rural hinterland through massive-scale development projects, villagers strategize to profit from the encroaching property market. At the rural fringe, township leaders become brokers of power and property between the state bureaucracy and villages, while large numbers of peasants are dispossessed, dispersed, and deterritorialized, and their mobilizational capacity is consequently undermined. The Great Urban Transformation explores these issues, aTrade ReviewReview from previous edition excellent guide to understanding the ongoing boom in China ... Fascinating examples of urban development, mostly from Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, accompany incisive conceptualization and analysis. Summing up: Recommended. * K.E. Stapleton, CHOICE *Its highly readable narrative style alone makes this an important book: through diverse case studies, Hsing explains complicated development scenarios with clarity and insight ... refreshing and challenging * Carolyn Cartier, China Quarterly *In this landmark book, Hsing captures the complex and contingent nature of property-making and property-ownership in rapidly-urbanizing China... This ambitious book should be read by everyone interested in the contemporary politics in China, and the ways state and society are co-produced and co-constitutive of the expanding urban landscape. * Aihwa Ong, University of California at Berkeley, Author of Flexible Citizenship: The Cultural logic of Transnationality and Buddha in Hiding: Refugees, Citizenship, the New America *A path-breaking book that brings to light one of Chinas most opaque yet profound developments -- the momentous contestations over land. Professor Hsing unravels the complex struggles over land use rights, housing entitlement and property ownership that have embroiled ordinary citizens and state officials at different levels of the Chinese government. It is an epic story told with analytical clarity, theoretical insights and deeply engaging human dramas. * Ching Kwan Lee, University of California at Berkeley *This book is a masterful piece of scholarship and meaningful analysis. It is a most innovative contribution to the understanding of the transformation of China. It shows how the politics of land development is at the same time the key source of capital accumulation and class formation, and the trigger of social conflicts that may threaten the new Chinese order. Professor Hsing is one of the leading researchers on the study of capitalism in China, and her new book will change our way of thinking about one of the most important processes that are remaking our world. * Manuel Castells, University of Southern California *Cities are the pivot of China's economy, as it resumes its place on the world stage. Shooting skyward, exploding outward, China's great cities seem to consume all in their path. Resistance is hard, and even the Chinese state has been reshaped to serve the urban juggernaut. No one captures this better than Professor Hsing. The Great Urban Transformation is essential reading for every student of Chinese development and global cities. * Richard A. Walker, University of California *Table of ContentsPROLOGUE ; PART I: REDEVELOPMENT OF THE URBAN CORE ; PART II: EXPANSION OF THE METROPOLITAN REGION ; PART III: URBANIZATION OF THE RURAL FRINGE

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Book SynopsisThrough detailed case studies of Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, this book investigates how and why welfare services, active labour market institutions, and public policies were re-combined to stimulate innovation and growth in the Nordic countries, and signals the lessons that can be learned by others.Trade ReviewThis is an interesting book that presents very comprehensive research on developments in business systems and firm and employee behaviour in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden). It will be an important book for many researchers in international and comparative employment relations. * Erling Rasmussen (Auckland Uiversity of Technology, New Zealand) Journal of Industrial Relations *a marvelous collection of case studies showing how welfare policies in Nordic countries are co-evolving with increasingly open-ended, networked and continuously self-recomposing relations in the social economy. * Gary Herrigel, Socio-Economic Review *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. The Co-evolution of Experimentalist Business Systems and Enabling Welfare States: Nordic Countries in Transition ; 2. Finland: Innovating the Global Positioning of Flagship Companies and Foreign Owned Subsidiaries ; 3. Denmark: Tailoring Flexicurity for Changing Roles in Global Games ; 4. Norway: Consolidating the Core of Raw Material Refinement and Integrating Peripheral Companies in Innovative Global Dynamics ; 5. Sweden: From Large Corporations towards Knowledge Intensive Economy ; 6. Developing Comprehensive, Enabling Welfare States for Offensive Experimentalist Business Practices

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Book SynopsisThis book examines the rise and diffusion of free-market thinking, from the early 20th Century through to the age of Obama. It tracks the ascendency of neoliberalism, its key players, and decisive moments of reconstruction, including the Chicago School of Economics, New York City's bankruptcy, Hurricane Katrina, and the Wall Street crisis of 2008.Trade ReviewAs an economic geographer, Dr. Peck explores the relationship of knowledge production to space and place in the development of networks of neoliberal scholarship and policy advocacy.a must read. * Dipankar Sinha, Political Studies Review *Table of Contents1. Relocating Neoliberalism ; 2. Rebooting Freedom ; 3. Finding the Chicago School ; 4. Between Gotham and the Gulf ; 5. Creative Liberties ; 6. Decoding Obamanomics

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Book SynopsisLatin America is attracting increasing interest due to the strong economic performance of the last decade and to the political changes that are taking place. This book gives a unique, comprehensive, and up to date view of Latin America economic development over the two centuries since Independence. It considers Latin American economies within the wider context of the international economy, and covers economic growth, international trade, capital flows, and trends in inequality and human development. With chapters that cover different eras, it traces the major developments of Latin American countries and offers a novel and coherent interpretation of the economic history of the region. It combines a wealth of original research, new perspectives, and empirical information to provide a synthesis of the growing literature that both complements and extends previous studies.Trade ReviewThe development failures and challenges of Latin America today are deeply rooted in its past. This lucid and authoritative book by two of the continents leading scholars is the place to start to understand how that past was formed and has evolved to shape the present in all its complexity. Indispensable. * James Robinson, David Florence Professor of Government, Harvard University *A superb study of two centuries of Latin American economic history, bringing together fresh data and modern development thinking. For the first time we can track the shifts in inequality over time, while the global context and the instability it causes are brilliantly handled. The country variations are delicately traced but never at the expense of the overall pattern. * Rosemary Thorp, Oxford University *Bértola and Ocampo have written the most up-to-date synthesis of the economic history of Latin America. The authors write with vigor and clarity on the leading issues that dominate current debates on the long-run development of Latin America, including convergence and divergence, income distribution, the institutional framework and instability. They base their findings on an impressive set of historical data covering all countries in different time periods. This book is destined to become not only the basic textbook on Latin American economic history but also an excellent platform for intellectual discussions on the challenges for development in historical perspective. * Carlos Marichal, El Colegio de México *Bértola and Ocampo have produced a penetrating, original, and clear-headed economic history of Latin America from Independence to 21st century globalization. Indispensable reading for understanding Latin Americas late development, historic inequalities, evolving institutions, and contemporary economic challenges, all brilliantly compressed into a single volume. * John Coatsworth, Provost, Columbia University *This is a welcome addition to our understanding of Latin America's economic history since independence. ... this book demonstrates how much progress has been made in the last few decades in terms of our understanding. * Victor Bulmer-Thomas, Journal of Latin American Studies *Table of ContentsForeword ; 1. Latin America in the World Economy, 1810-2010 ; 2. The Economic History of the Young Independent Republics, 1810-1870 ; 3. Globalization, Institution-building, and Commodity-export-led Growth, c. 1870-1929 ; 4. State-led Industrialization ; 5. Turning Back to the Market ; 6. By Way of Conclusion: The History and Challenges of Latin American Development

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Book SynopsisThis book lays out foundations for a science of morals. Binmore uses game theory as a systematic tool for investigating ethical matters. He reinterprets classical social contract ideas within a game-theory framework and generates new insights into the fundamental questions of social philosophy. In contrast to the previous writing in moral philosophy that relied on vague notion such as societal well-being and moral duty, Binmore begins with individuals; rational decision-makers with the ability to emphasize with one another. Any social arrangement that prescribes them to act against their interests will become unstable and eventually will be replaced by another, until one is found that includes worthwhile actions for all individuals involved.Trade Reviewa worthwhile addition to the growing literature on the evolution and nature of fairness norms. * William F. Harms, Philosophy in Review *Table of ContentsPREFACE; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX

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Book SynopsisIn many discussions of nations'' development, we often focus on their economic and social development. Is it becoming wealthier? Is its society modernizing? Is it becoming more technologically sophisticated? Are social outcomes improving for the broad mass of the public? The process of development policy implementation, however, is always and inevitably political. Put simply, regime type matters when it comes to deciding on a course of development to follow. Further, political institutions matter. When a government''s institutional capacity is low, the chances of success severely decline, regardless of the merits of the development plan. In The Oxford Handbook of the Politics of Development, two of America''s leading political scientists on the issue, Carol Lancaster and Nicolas van de Walle, have assembled an international cast of leading scholars to craft a broad, state-of-the-art work on this vitally important topic. This volume is divided into five sections: major theories of the pTable of ContentsPreface, Nicolas van de Walle Part I: Major Theories and Intellectual histories 1. Modernization Theory: Does Economic Development Cause Democratization? Jose Antonio Cheibub and James Raymond Vreeland 2. Dependency Theory James Mahoney and Diana Rodriguez-Franco 3. Structuralism Elliott Green 4. Political Development Robert H. Bates 5. The Washington Consensus and the New Political Economy of Economic Reform Kevin Morrison 6. Penury Traps and Prosperity Tales: Why Some Countries Escape Poverty While Others Do Not M. Steven Fish Part II: Domestic Factors 7. Culture, Politics and Development Michael Woolcock 8. Religion, Politics and Economic Development: Synergies and Disconnects Katherine Marshall 9. Does Inequality Harm Economic Development and Democracy?: Accounting for Missing Values, Noncomparable Observations, and Endogeneity Christian Houle 10. Ethnicity and Development Nic Cheeseman 11. Civil Conflict and Development Håvard Hegre 12. The Politics of The resource Curse: a Review Michael L. Ross 13. Taxation and Development Mick Moore 14. How Do Governments Build Capabilities to Do Great Things?: Ten Cases, Two Competing Explanations, One Large Research Agenda Matt Andrews 15. Leadership and the Politics of Development Adrian Leftwich and Heather Lyne De Ver Part III: International Factors 16. Colonialism and Development in Africa Leander Heldring and James A. Robinson 17. Investment and Debt Layna Mosley 18. The Role of the State in Harnessing Trade-and-Investment for Development Purposes Theodore H. Moran 19. International Financial Institutions and Market Liberalization in the Developing World Stephen C. Nelson 20. Foreign Aid and Democratization in Developing Countries Danielle Resnick Part IV: Political Systems and Structures 21. Organizing for Prosperity: Collective Action, Political Parties, and the Political Economy of Development Philip Keefer 22. Missing Links in the Institutional Chain Anirudh Krishna 23. The Comparative Politics of Service Delivery in Developing Countries Evan S. Lieberman 24. Party systems and the Politics of Development Allen Hicken 25. Populism and Political Representation Kenneth M. Roberts Part V: Regional and Country Perspectives 26. Africa's Political Economy in the Contemporary Era Peter M. Lewis 27. The Politics of Development in Latin America and East Asia James W. McGuire 28. Development and Underdevelopment in the Middle East and North Africa Melani Cammett 29. Rethinking the Institutional Foundations of China's Hypergrowth: Official Incentives, Institutional Constraints, and Local Developmentalism Fubing Su, Ran Tao, and Dali L. Yang 30. The Politics of Growth in South Korea: Miracle, Crisis, and the New Market Economy Stephan Haggard and Myung-Koo Kang

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