Political economy Books

Book SynopsisLong known as the world's factory, China is the largest manufacturing economy ever seen, accounting for more than 10% of global exports. China is also, of course, home to the largest workforce on the planet, the crucial element behind its staggering economic success.Trade Review"This book lucidly exposes the underside of the Chinese economic miracle, revealing the plight of the migrant laborers who are part of the world's largest working class. Drawing on rich ethnographic data as well as careful political and economic analysis, Pun Ngai examines the conditions these workers face daily both on the job and in the dormitories. She also documents their recent radicalization and militancy, suggesting that, in China at least, working-class struggle is alive and well, contrary to popular belief. An authoritative overview that will be useful for students and general readers alike." Ruth Milkman, City University of New York "The re-making of the Chinese working class is one of the greatest stories of contemporary world history. With her well-grounded account of the struggles of migrant workers, Pun Ngai has given us a generous and insightful version of this vast transformation." Andrew Ross, New York University, author of Fast Boat to China: Lessons from Shanghai "In a series of engaged and engaging studies of China's massive transformation, Pun Ngai exposes the despotic worlds of dormitory regimes, militarized factories, and subcontracted workers, creating a terrifying vision of an insurgent proletariat. Anyone interested in the future of planet Earth must take her findings into account." Michael Burawoy, University of California, Berkeley"Pun Ngai, one of the most cited scholars in this field, will again fascinate the readers with her recent book […]. Her book covers a topic that has received wide coverage, yet this work displays the vigour and passion of an activist scholar who used to complete her ethnography by working and living as a factory worker."Journal of Contemporary Asia ”Stepping away from Marx’s classical approach of capitalist production, Pun Ngai employs cultural class analysis through a theoretical lens by situating her research in the working labourers’ living experience. This methodology provides a vivid portrait of the working labour of China.”Asian Journal of Social ScienceTable of Contents Map Chronology Acknowledgements 1. China and its Labor in the Neoliberal World 2. Capital Meets State: Re-emergence of the Labor Market and Changing Labor Relations 3. Building China: Struggle of Construction Workers 4. Making and Unmaking of the New Chinese Working Class 5. Spatial Politics: Production and Social Production of the Dormitory Labor Regime 6. Monopoly Capital in China: Foxconn Experience and Chinese Workers 7. Radicalization and Collective Action of the New Chinese Working Class References

Read more less

Book SynopsisLong known as the world's factory, China is the largest manufacturing economy ever seen, accounting for more than 10% of global exports. China is also, of course, home to the largest workforce on the planet, the crucial element behind its staggering economic success.Trade Review"This book lucidly exposes the underside of the Chinese economic miracle, revealing the plight of the migrant laborers who are part of the world’s largest working class. Drawing on rich ethnographic data as well as careful political and economic analysis, Pun Ngai examines the conditions these workers face daily both on the job and in the dormitories. She also documents their recent radicalization and militancy, suggesting that, in China at least, working-class struggle is alive and well, contrary to popular belief. An authoritative overview that will be useful for students and general readers alike." Ruth Milkman, City University of New York "The re-making of the Chinese working class is one of the greatest stories of contemporary world history. With her well-grounded account of the struggles of migrant workers, Pun Ngai has given us a generous and insightful version of this vast transformation." Andrew Ross, New York University, author of Fast Boat to China: Lessons from Shanghai "In a series of engaged and engaging studies of China’s massive transformation, Pun Ngai exposes the despotic worlds of dormitory regimes, militarized factories, and subcontracted workers, creating a terrifying vision of an insurgent proletariat. Anyone interested in the future of planet Earth must take her findings into account." Michael Burawoy, University of California, Berkeley"Pun Ngai, one of the most cited scholars in this field, will again fascinate the readers with her recent book […]. Her book covers a topic that has received wide coverage, yet this work displays the vigour and passion of an activist scholar who used to complete her ethnography by working and living as a factory worker."Journal of Contemporary Asia”Stepping away from Marx’s classical approach of capitalist production, Pun Ngai employs cultural class analysis through a theoretical lens by situating her research in the working labourers’ living experience. This methodology provides a vivid portrait of the working labour of China.”Asian Journal of Social ScienceTable of Contents Introduction: What Is to Be Done with Philosophy? Part One: A Generic Introduction Chapter 1: Theory of the Philosophical Decision Chapter 2: The Style of Non-Philosophy Part Two: Unified Theories and the Waves of Non-Philosophy Chapter 3: Politics, or a Democracy (of) Thought Chapter 4: Science, or Philosophy’s Other Chapter 5: Ethics, or Universalizing the Stranger-Subject Chapter 6: Aesthetics, or Non-Philosophy as Philo-Fiction Chapter 7: Religion, or a Rigorous Heresy Conclusion: The Future of Non-Philosophy

Read more less

Book SynopsisAt a recent meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, it was reported that a ghost was haunting the deliberations of the assembled global elite D that of the renowned social scientist and economic historian, Karl Polanyi.Trade ReviewThis collection of Polanyi's writings addresses his significance for the world today more completely than any other. We encounter him here as an essayist, lecturer, social theorist and above all as an engaged public intellectual. The selection speaks very directly to our own concerns: on economy, history and freedom; on institutionalism as a method; on general economic history; on world crisis and transformation. This really is a Polanyi for our times.Keith Hart, London School of Economics I am delighted to see the publication of this collection of writings (many unpublished) of Karl Polanyi over a very long period. It is more than welcome. Karl Polanyi is one of a very rare breed - important thinkers who are always intelligent, incisive, and wide-ranging, and who ground their arguments in a deep knowledge of history. Even when one disagrees with him, one has to take his views into account, lest you miss out on a long-term perspective.I personally was profoundly affected by his marvelous book, The Great Transformation, both for its substantive arguments and its epistemological framework. That Polanyi is having a revival today is one of the most encouraging things about the current epoch.Immanuel Wallerstein, Yale UniversityTable of ContentsPreface by Kari Polanyi LevittIntroduction by Giorgio RestaI. Economy, technology and the problem of freedom1. For a new West2. Economic and freedom to shape our social destiny3. Economic history and the problem of freedom4. New frontiers of economic thinkingII. Institutions matter5. The contribution of institutional analysis to the social sciences6. The nature of International understanding7. The meaning of peace8. The roots of pacifism9. Culture in a democratic England of the future10. AmericaIII. How to make use of the social sciences11. How to make use of the social sciences12. On political theory13. Public opinion and statesmanship14. General economic history15. Market elements and economic planning in antiquityIV. Crisis and transformation16. What matters now. A reply.17. Conflicting philosophies in modern society18. The eclipse of panic and the outlook for socialism19. The passing of 19th century civilization20. The trend towards an integrated societyPostface by Mariavittoria Catanzariti

Read more less

Book SynopsisAt a recent meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, it was reported that a ghost was haunting the deliberations of the assembled global elite D that of the renowned social scientist and economic historian, Karl Polanyi.Trade ReviewThis collection of Polanyi's writings addresses his significance for the world today more completely than any other. We encounter him here as an essayist, lecturer, social theorist and above all as an engaged public intellectual. The selection speaks very directly to our own concerns: on economy, history and freedom; on institutionalism as a method; on general economic history; on world crisis and transformation. This really is a Polanyi for our times.Keith Hart, London School of Economics I am delighted to see the publication of this collection of writings (many unpublished) of Karl Polanyi over a very long period. It is more than welcome. Karl Polanyi is one of a very rare breed - important thinkers who are always intelligent, incisive, and wide-ranging, and who ground their arguments in a deep knowledge of history. Even when one disagrees with him, one has to take his views into account, lest you miss out on a long-term perspective.I peresonally was profoundly affected by his marvelous book, The Great Transformation, both for its substantive arguments and its epistemological framework. That Polanyi is having a revival today is one of the most encouraging things about the current epoch.Immanuel Wallerstein, Yale UniversityTable of ContentsPreface by Kari Polanyi LevittIntroduction by Giorgio RestaI. Economy, technology and the problem of freedom1. For a new West2. Economic and freedom to shape our social destiny3. Economic history and the problem of freedom4. New frontiers of economic thinkingII. Institutions matter5. The contribution of institutional analysis to the social sciences6. The nature of International understanding7. The meaning of peace8. The roots of pacifism9. Culture in a democratic England of the future10. AmericaIII. How to make use of the social sciences11. How to make use of the social sciences12. On political theory13. Public opinion and statesmanship14. General economic history15. Market elements and economic planning in antiquityIV. Crisis and transformation16. What matters now. A reply.17. Conflicting philosophies in modern society18. The eclipse of panic and the outlook for socialism19. The passing of 19th century civilization20. The trend towards an integrated societyPostface by Mariavittoria Catanzariti

Read more less

Book SynopsisTwenty-five years after the end of the Cold War, a new Cold War is being waged in our societies. During the Cold War a theoretical model of man was developed by economists and the military, an egotistical being interested only in his own benefit and in duping his opponents to achieve his ends: a modern homo oeconomicus.Trade Review"Frank Schirrmacher convincingly shows connections among such ostensibly disparate issues as the language of the Cold War and that of the trading floor, as he demonstrates how algorithms and statistical models have become the overwhelmingly dominant means we use to understand the brain, the market, the state and nature. In the end the human person becomes defined as a problem, because unable to be reduced to calculation in this way. This critique of contemporary egoism from the editor of Germany�s leading liberal conservative newspaper makes chilling but highly thought-provoking reading."Colin Crouch, University of Warwick "This book reads like a sociological thriller."Ulrich Beck, Die Welt "A piece of cultural criticism in the very best sense: a diagnosis, prognosis and cure all in one for our technologically induced egoism."Der Tagesspiegel "This book is an urgently needed appeal for us to rethink what we understand by economic rationality."Handelsblatt "In this new book, Frank Schirrmacher once again shows an extraordinary understanding of the volatility of our times, bringing into focus the widespread discontent felt in many sections of society."Tages-AnzeigerTable of ContentsPreface vii Part I Optimization of the game 1 Trance 3 2 Game 8 3 Prophecy 16 4 Monsters 19 5 Screenplay 23 6 Reason 31 7 Social physics 43 8 Massacre 51 9 Blood circulation 57 10 Nervous system 66 11 Android 73 12 Brain 81 13 Genes 88 14 Kinship 91 15 Schizophrenia 96 16 Lightning 100 17 Politics 107 18 Matrix 115 19 Mind’s eye 118 20 Coordination 124 21 Big data 130 22 Subjugation 135 Part II Optimization of the individual 23 The secret 143 24 Success 149 25 Alchemists 152 26 Transmutation of the soul 158 27 Death dating 167 28 Re-engineering 176 29 You 183 30 Mass delusions 189 31 Ego 197 Acknowledgements 203 Appendix 204 Notes 207 References 224 Index of names 237

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Global Financial Crisis overturned decades of received wisdom on how financial markets work, and how best to keep them in check. Since then a wave of reform and re-regulation has crashed over banks and markets. Financial firms are regulated as never before.Trade Review"Howard Davies accomplishes three striking feats in this remarkable book. He makes common sense of the large and technical literature on financial regulation. He warns against complacency in terms that will make even the most jaded reader sit up and listen. And he does so in an entertaining way. Who knew that thinking about financial reform could be fun?" Barry Eichengreen, University of California, Berkeley "Nobody is better placed than Howard Davies to describe the evolution of the financial system during and after the crisis, and to answer the central question of whether financial markets can ever be controlled and future crises prevented." David Smith, Economics Editor, The Sunday Times. "Howard Davies brings three things which are all to rare to studies of the financial world - a complete understanding of how the system works; a healthy scepticism as to the motives and competences of its major actors; and an ability to write with clarity and wit. Read this for a scary analysis of how the tidal wave of reform is not enough to stop things going even more disastrously wrong next time, and what needs be done now to prevent this." Anthony Hilton, Financial Editor Evening Standard "As a former top regulator and as a board member and adviser to large financial institutions, no one is better qualified than Howard Davies to explain the causes of the global financial crisis and assess the reforms that have followed. His short well written book does both. His conclusion is a sobering one: despite complex and costly reforms, financial regulators have failed to address the structural forces that triggered the crisis." Laura Tyson, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley "Howard Davies has written a lively and highly readable response to the crucial question "Can financial markets be controlled?" His answer combines insights into both the big picture drivers of instability and the details of the world�s imperfect policy response. An excellent primer on still unresolved issues, it rightly concludes that without further change the answer to the question might be no."Adair Turner, Senior Fellow at the Institute for New Economic Thinking and former Chairman of the UK Financial Services Authority "Howard Davies has produced an excellent read with an insightful analysis of the pre and post crisis world. Clearly and succinctly, the shift in power from the regulated to the regulators is explored. While the book contains many reasons to justify this, the chilling reality is also laid bare, as we now may have created a new equilibrium that is too complex and hence unstable. Perhaps we need not fear as the author also explores many new solutions in the search for a workable social contract between the authorities and the financial markets."Gerard Lyons, chief economic advisor to The Mayor of London Boris JohnsonTable of ContentsPrologue viii Acknowledgements xv 1 Heading for a Fall 1 2 The Global Financial Crisis 22 3 Regulation and Reform 51 4 What More Should be Done? 75 Further Reading 110 Notes 116

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Global Financial Crisis overturned decades of received wisdom on how financial markets work, and how best to keep them in check. Since then a wave of reform and re-regulation has crashed over banks and markets. Financial firms are regulated as never before.Trade Review"Howard Davies accomplishes three striking feats in this remarkable book. He makes common sense of the large and technical literature on financial regulation. He warns against complacency in terms that will make even the most jaded reader sit up and listen. And he does so in an entertaining way. Who knew that thinking about financial reform could be fun?" Barry Eichengreen, University of California, Berkeley "Nobody is better placed than Howard Davies to describe the evolution of the financial system during and after the crisis, and to answer the central question of whether financial markets can ever be controlled and future crises prevented." David Smith, Economics Editor, The Sunday Times. "Howard Davies brings three things which are all to rare to studies of the financial world - a complete understanding of how the system works; a healthy scepticism as to the motives and competences of its major actors; and an ability to write with clarity and wit. Read this for a scary analysis of how the tidal wave of reform is not enough to stop things going even more disastrously wrong next time, and what needs be done now to prevent this." Anthony Hilton, Financial Editor Evening Standard "As a former top regulator and as a board member and adviser to large financial institutions, no one is better qualified than Howard Davies to explain the causes of the global financial crisis and assess the reforms that have followed. His short well written book does both. His conclusion is a sobering one: despite complex and costly reforms, financial regulators have failed to address the structural forces that triggered the crisis." Laura Tyson, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley "Howard Davies has written a lively and highly readable response to the crucial question "Can financial markets be controlled?" His answer combines insights into both the big picture drivers of instability and the details of the world�s imperfect policy response. An excellent primer on still unresolved issues, it rightly concludes that without further change the answer to the question might be no."Adair Turner, Senior Fellow at the Institute for New Economic Thinking and former Chairman of the UK Financial Services Authority "Howard Davies has produced an excellent read with an insightful analysis of the pre and post crisis world. Clearly and succinctly, the shift in power from the regulated to the regulators is explored. While the book contains many reasons to justify this, the chilling reality is also laid bare, as we now may have created a new equilibrium that is too complex and hence unstable. Perhaps we need not fear as the author also explores many new solutions in the search for a workable social contract between the authorities and the financial markets."Gerard Lyons, chief economic advisor to The Mayor of London Boris JohnsonTable of ContentsPrologue viii Acknowledgements xv 1 Heading for a Fall 1 2 The Global Financial Crisis 22 3 Regulation and Reform 51 4 What More Should be Done? 75 Further Reading 110 Notes 116

Read more less

Book SynopsisAs we struggle with the legacy of the crisis and with the prospect of accelerating environmental degradation, it is time to ask not what we can do for capitalism but what capitalism can do for us, as citizens of a democratic society.Trade Review"For years we have been told ?There Is No Alternative? to the debt-soaked, inequality generating model of neoliberal capitalism that we have had for the past 30 years. Well, now there is. Hay and Payne call it 'Civic Capitalism.' I would call it our last chance for a future we would want to leave to our kids." Mark Blyth, Brown University "Anglo-liberal capitalism has failed spectacularly. It can?t be fixed or spun. ?Civic capitalism? may save us, say the authors of this vital, spritely book. And they are right. The powerful should be tied to chairs, made to read the book and shift their stubborn mind sets. If they don?t take note, the world is doomed." Yasmin Alibhai-BrownTable of ContentsContributors vii Preface ix Part I: Civilizing Capitalism 1 Civic Capitalism 3Colin Hay and Anthony Payne Part II: Engaging Civic Capitalism 53 The Omission of Real Democracy 55Fred Block The Next Steps 62Colin Crouch In Search of an Alternative 70Andrew Gamble ‘If I Were You, I Wouldn’t Start From Here’ 76Ian Gough Putting the ‘Civic’ More into the Mix 84Gavin Kelly with Conor D’Arcy Why Not Frighten the Horses? 90Ruth Levitas It’s the Democratic Politics, Stupid! 97Mick Moran Recasting Neoliberal Mindsets 104Ann Pettifor What Has to be Civilized? 109Matthew Watson Part III: Building Civic Capitalism 117 Towards Civic Capitalism in Britain 119Colin Hay and Anthony Payne References 134 Index 142

Read more less

Book SynopsisAs we struggle with the legacy of the crisis and with the prospect of accelerating environmental degradation, it is time to ask not what we can do for capitalism but what capitalism can do for us, as citizens of a democratic society.Trade Review"For years we have been told ?There Is No Alternative? to the debt-soaked, inequality generating model of neoliberal capitalism that we have had for the past 30 years. Well, now there is. Hay and Payne call it 'Civic Capitalism.' I would call it our last chance for a future we would want to leave to our kids." Mark Blyth, Brown University "Anglo-liberal capitalism has failed spectacularly. It can?t be fixed or spun. ?Civic capitalism? may save us, say the authors of this vital, spritely book. And they are right. The powerful should be tied to chairs, made to read the book and shift their stubborn mind sets. If they don?t take note, the world is doomed." Yasmin Alibhai-BrownTable of ContentsContributors vii Preface ix Part I: Civilizing Capitalism 1 Civic Capitalism 3Colin Hay and Anthony Payne Part II: Engaging Civic Capitalism 53 The Omission of Real Democracy 55Fred Block The Next Steps 62Colin Crouch In Search of an Alternative 70Andrew Gamble ‘If I Were You, I Wouldn’t Start From Here’ 76Ian Gough Putting the ‘Civic’ More into the Mix 84Gavin Kelly with Conor D’Arcy Why Not Frighten the Horses? 90Ruth Levitas It’s the Democratic Politics, Stupid! 97Mick Moran Recasting Neoliberal Mindsets 104Ann Pettifor What Has to be Civilized? 109Matthew Watson Part III: Building Civic Capitalism 117 Towards Civic Capitalism in Britain 119Colin Hay and Anthony Payne References 134 Index 142

Read more less

Book SynopsisWe have long been told that corporations rule the world, their interests seemingly taking precedence over states and their citizens.Trade Review"Few would deny that global corporations are immensely influential. They dominate markets and have profound influence over technology, prosperity and the environment. John Mikler's brilliant study of how they share political power with government provides a cogent and perceptive analysis. It is a landmark in one of the most crucial yet under-emphasised debates in contemporary social science. Corporations structure our present and define our futures, to understand their power requires Mikler's masterful, wide-ranging and richly illustrated exposition."—Stephen Wilks, Emeritus Professor, University of Exeter "This book provides a timely and highly needed addition to the literature on corporations as political actors in today's global political economy. Mikler's strategy to reterritorialize corporations and specifically corporate power in geopolitical terms allows fascinating perspectives on actors typically considered in terms of transnational characteristics."—Doris Fuchs, University of Muenster "This readable book is a worthy addition to the literature."—Society of Professional Economists "More than a theoretical call to action, this book also offers practical entry points to the study of corporate power—including global corporate agency, questions of state power, national institutional varieties, and corporate-level private authority. Broad, sophisticated, and highly accessible ... it will surely be a valuable introduction for students and scholars of international studies that want to work on broadening our understanding of global corporate power."—International StudiesTable of ContentsAcknowledgments List of Tables and Figures Abbreviations 1. Introduction: The Global Corporate Takeover 2. Theorizing Global Corporations' Power 3. Geographical Concentration 4. National Institutional Embeddedness 5. Private Authority and the Potential for Private Governance 6. Conclusion: Three Implications References Index

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book SynopsisA look at historical and contemporary restructuring, linking development of rural communities with resource development and Aboriginal marginalization.Trade ReviewThe “how-tos” of research are beautifully laid out, and the reader gets to follow a clear path from the conception of the project (literature review, theory, methodology) to its completion (data collection and analysis) ... Second Growth is an excellent book, and I highly recommend it. -- Tracy Summerville, University of Northern British Columbia * BC Studies, Num. 148, Winter 2005/2006 *This is an especially well-documented and insightful account of conceptualising and operationalizing CED ... This book adds extra layers to our understanding of staples and resource-dependency theory, provides rich case-study documentation and reflections of the serious constraints and difficulties encountered in the case communities and explores dimensions of what might make up good-practice CED. The book offers hope, at least of how communities might fashion realistic hopes in their own terms. -- Richard Le Heron, School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Auckland * Environment and Planning A, 2005, vol. 37 *This theoretically rich, community economic development (CED) work, written by four members of the Centre for Sustainable Community Development (formerly the Community Economic Development Centre) at Simon Fraser University, is the product of a three-year participatory-action-based research project involving four “forest-based” British Columbia communities. This book offers many useful insights into the complexity of CED theory and practice for communities that seek to assert some control over their economic and political futures. -- Andrew Molloy, Cape Breton University * Canadian Journal of Political Science *Table of ContentsMaps, Figures, and TablesForewordAcknowledgmentsAbbreviations1 Approaching Rural and Small-Town Communities2 Context and Communities3 Forest Dependency and Local Development in British Columbia4 Transition in BC’s Forest Economy: The Implications for Local Development5 Community Economic Development6 Success Factors in Community Economic Development7 The Community Economic Development Process8 Community Economic Development Strategies9 The Community/University Relationship10 ConclusionAppendix; Notes; Bibliography; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIs Canada becoming a more polarized society? Or is it a kind-hearted nation that takes care of its disadvantaged?Trade ReviewToo often inequality is considered only in terms of incomes. This book, written by some of the best researchers in the field, expands the economic perspective to include consumption, time, and participation. And it focuses on specific groups for which inequality is a compelling issue: kids, women, and ethnic groups. Its multidimensional perspective on inequality in Canada is so successful that it could be a model for future attempts in other countries. -- Barbara Boyle Torrey, co-editor of The VulnerableTable of ContentsFigures and Tables1 Dimensions of Inequality in a Just Society / David A. Green and Jonathan R. Kesselman2 Normative Dimensions of Inequality / Colin M. Macleod and Avigail Eisenberg3 Rising Income Inequality in the 1990s: An Exploration of Three Data Sources / Marc Frenette, David A. Green, and Garnett Picot4 How Has Earnings Mobility in Canada Changed? / Charles M. Beach5 Consumption Inequality in Canada / Thomas F. Crossley and Krishna Pendakur6 How Much Does Employment Matter for Inequality in Canada and Elsewhere? / Lars Osberg7 Inequalities in Political and Community Participation / James Curtis, Edward Grabb, and Thomas Perks8 Fitting Kids In: Children and Inequality in Canada / Shelley Phipps and Lynn Lethbridge9 Ethnic Inequality in Canada: Economic and Health Dimensions / Ellen M. Gee, Karen M. Kobayashi, and Steven G. Prus10 Recent Trends in Wage Inequality and the Wage Structure in Canada / Brahim Boudarbat, Thomas Lemieux, and W. Craig Riddell11 Gender Dimensions of Changes in Earnings Inequality in Canada / Nicole M. Fortin and Tammy Schirle12 Taxation Impacts on Inequality in Canada: Methodologies and Findings / Jonathan R. Kesselman and Ron Cheung13 Dis-embedding Liberalism? The New Social Policy Paradigm in Canada / Keith G. BantingContributorsIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisA timely and insightful volume, The OECD and Transnational Governance fills an important gap in the literature on global governance.Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction / Rianne Mahon and Stephen McBridePart 1: The OECD and Transnational Governance1 From Reconstructing Europe to Constructing Globalization: The OECD in Historical Perspective / Robert Wolfe2 Role of the OECD in the Orchestration of Global Knowledge Networks / Tony Porter and Michael Webb3 Inversions without End: The OECD and Global Public Management Reform / Leslie A. Pal4 Towards Complex Multilateralism? Civil Society and the OECD / Richard Woodward5 Making Neo-Gramscian Sense of the Development Assistance Committee: Towards an Inclusive Neoliberal World Development Order / Arne RuckertPart 2: Governance and Economies6 The OECD and Foreign Investment Rules: The Global Promotion of Liberalization / Russell Alan Williams7 The OECD’s Local Turn: “Innovative Liberalism” for the Cities? / Neil Bradford8 Policy Learning? The OECD and Its Jobs Strategy / Stephen McBride, Kathleen McNutt, and Russell Alan Williams9 “Crafting the Conventional Economic Wisdom”: The OECD and the Canadian Policy Process / Andrew Jackson10 Lost in Translation? OECD Ideas and Danish Labour Market Policy / Holly GrinvaldsPart 3: Governance and the Social11 The OECD’s Guidelines for the Licensing of Genetic Inventions: Policy Learning in Response to the Gene Patenting Controversy / Lisa Drouillard and E. Richard Gold12 The OECD’s Social and Health Policy: Neoliberal Stalking Horse or Balancer of Social and Economic Objectives? / Bob Deacon and Alexandra Kaasch13 OECD Education Policies and World Hegemony / Kjell Rubenson14 Babies and Bosses: Gendering the OECD’s Social Policy Discourse / Rianne MahonConclusion / Stephen McBride and Rianne MahonReferencesContributors\Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisA fresh analysis of the evolving role of the provinces in Canadian foreign trade policy.Table of ContentsPreface List of Abbreviations Part 1: Systemic Factors and Canadian Federalism 1 The Role of Provinces in the Global Political Economy 2 International Pressures and Canadian Federalism 3 The Federal-Provincial Committee System on International Trade Part 2: Considerations of Process and Outcome 4 The Political Executive in Provincial Foreign Trade Policy 5 Bureaucratic and Legislative Pressures 6 Issues of Implementation, Negotiation, and Consultation 7 Is Anybody Listening? Evaluating Societal Considerations 8 Dominant Ideas, Ideology, and Intrusive Neoliberalism Part 3: Evaluating Regimes and Change 9 Non-Central Governments’ Cross-Border Functional Relations 10 Canadian Provinces and Emerging Regional Environment and LabourRegimes Conclusion Notes Selected Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book provides a clear theoretical lens and practical guidance on the prospects and limits of leveraging private corporate social responsibility standards, such as forest certification, alongside government regulatory efforts to achieve more effective and adaptive sustainability solutions.Table of Contents1 Introduction 2 Co-Regulating Corporate Social Responsibility 3 Government's Role in Forest Certification 4 Canada: Government Authority in Forest Certification 5 The United States: Enhanced Governance of Certified StateForests 6 Sweden: Public/Private Forest Policy Interplay and Innovation 7 Conclusion Appendices: Research Interviews; The Leading Global ForestCertification Programs; Summary of US State Forest Agency Interviews;US State Forest Certification Audit Outcomes Notes, References, Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisA compelling exploration of place-based development as a timely, pragmatic approach to renewing rural and small-town economies in northern British Columbia.Table of ContentsPart 1: Introduction1 Introduction: Foundations for Renewal2 Northern British Columbia: General Processes3 The Whole Community ApproachPart 2: Creating a Space-Based Economy4 Province Building5 Restructuring and Response6 Struggles in TransitionPart 3: Moving to a Place-based Economy7 An Economy of Place8 Mobilizing for Change9 DirectionsPart 4: Conclusion10 On Intervention: Constructing a Northern Place11 Conclusion: Renewal for Rural and Small-Town Northern BCNotes; Works Cited; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book explores how the peoples and communities of northern British Columbia are responding to global demand for local resources.Trade ReviewResource Communities in a Globalizing Region provides an important framework for approaching the closely interconnected contemporary and historical problems associated with primary resource extraction in hinterland regions … Resource Communities should be required reading for policy-makers, businesspeople, and academics involved in or studying the diversity of issues associatedd with industrial development in northern British Columbia. -- Hereward Longley, University of Alberta * BC Studies *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Globalization in a Northern, Resource-Based Region / Gary N. Wilson and Paul Bowles1 “Globalizing” Northern British Columbia: What’s in Word? / Paul Bowles2 Northern British Columbia: What’s in a Place? / John F. Young3 Development, Province Building, and Globalization in Northern British Columbia / Ken Coates and John F. Young4 Globalization and the Transformation of Aboriginal Society: The Tsimshian Encounter / Jim McDonald5 Globalization and Multilevel Governance in Northern British Columbia: Opportunities and Challenges / Tracy Summerville and Gary N. Wilson6 Development and Reconciliation: A New Relationship or Benevolent Colonialism? / Jim McDonald7 Neoliberalism’s Traction: An Analysis of Local Economic Development Officers’ Views in Northern British Columbia / Paul Bowles8 China and the Northern British Columbia Forest Products’ Sector: Whose Saviour? / Paul Bowles and Fiona MacPhail9 Mining and Energy in Northern British Columbia: Employment, Community, and Inclusion / Fiona MacPhail and Paul Bowles10 Pipelines and Protest: Enbridge and After / Paul Bowles and Henry VeltmeyerConclusion: Which Direction for Northern British Columbia? / Paul Bowles and Gary N. WilsonIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisLeading scholars investigate the complex role that competing moral economies play in ethnic and nationalist conflicts.Table of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction: The Moral Economies of Ethnic and Nationalist Claims / Bruce J. Berman and Stephen J. Larin1 Moral Economy, Hegemony, and Moral Ethnicity: The Cultural Politics of Modernity / Bruce J. Berman2 Majimboism and Kenya’s Moral Economy of Ethnic Territoriality / Gabrielle Lynch3 Rights, Wrongs, and Reciprocity: Change and Continuity among Kenyan Maasai / Lotte Hughes4 “Economic Man in East Africa”: Ethnicity, Nationalism, and the Moral Economy in Tanzania / Emma Hunter5 China: The Moral Economy of Empire / André Laliberté6 Establishing a Buddhist Economy in Thailand: Competing Perspectives on Moral Economy in State and Society / Manuel Litalien7 From Patron-Clientelism to Ethnonationalism: Moral Economy and Transitions in Palestinian Arab Elite Political Mobilization in Israel / Oded Haklai8 Modernity, the Canadian State, and the Shifting Politics of Ethnocultural Claims Making / Yasmeen Abu-Laban9 Aboriginal Identities, Moral Economies, and the Canadian Settler State / Leslie DoucetConclusion: Moral Economy and the Analysis of Ethnic and Nationalist Politics / André Laliberté and Stephen J. LarinIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Deindustrialized World opens a window on the experiences of those living at ground zero of deindustrialization and examines confrontations with the ruination of people and places on a global scale.Trade ReviewThe editors and contributors are to be commended for creating a multi-faceted study that shows that deindustrialization is far from a closed subject. -- Jeremy Milloy * The Canadian Historical Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction / Steven High, Lachlan MacKinnon, and Andrew PerchardPart 1: Living in and with Ruination1 Deindustrialization Embodied: Work, Health, and Disability in the UK since the Mid-Twentieth Century / Arthur McIvor2 Beyond the Body Count? Injured Workers in the Aftermath of Deindustrialization / Robert Storey3 Environmental Justice and Worker’s Health: Fighting for Compensation at the Sydney Coke Ovens, 1986-90 / Lachlan MacKinnon4 Growing Up Even More Uncertain: Children and Youth Confront Industrial Ruin in Sydney, Nova Scotia, 1967 / Andrew Parnaby5 Afterlives of a Factory: Memory, Place, and Space in Alençon / Jackie Clarke6 Romance of the Rails: Deindustrialization, Nostalgia, and Community / Lucy TaksaPart 2: Urban Politics 7 Keeping “the Industrial”: New Solidarities in Post-Industrial Places / Cathy Stanton8 Regeneration and Class Identities: A Case Study in the Corbeil-Essonnes-Evry Region, France / Sylvie Contrepois9 Goodbye, Steeltown: Planning Post-Steel Cities in the United States and Canada / Tracy Neumann10 The Transformation of Industrial Suburbs since the First World War / Andrew Hurley11 Selling “Lifestyle”: Post-Industrial Urbanism and the Marketing of Inner-City Apartments in Melbourne, Australia, 1990–2005 / Seamus O’HanlonPart 3: Political Economy12 Deindustrialization on the Industrial Frontier: The Rise and Fall of Mill Colonialism in Northern Ontario / Steven High13 A Little Local Difficulty? Deindustrialization and Glocalization in a Scottish Town / Andrew Perchard14 The Moral Economy of Deindustrialization in Post-1945 Scotland / Jim Phillips15 “Stealing Our Identity and Taking It over to Ireland”: Deindustrialization, Resistance, and Gender in Scotland / Andy ClarkAfterword: Debating Deindustrialization / Steven High, Lachlan MacKinnon, and Andrew Perchard

Read more less

Book SynopsisGrey Zones in International Economic Law and Global Governance examines contested zones of global governance to understand state policy and market behaviour in the current era.Table of ContentsForeword / Pitman B. PotterIntroduction: Grey Zones of International Economic Law and Global Governance / Daniel Drache and Lesley A. JacobsPart 1: Hot Button Issues in Global Governance1 A Crafty Madness Kept Aloof: Anti-Dumping as Faulted Global Governance / Tomer Broude2 The Anti-Dumping Wars: An Analysis of Unfair Trading Suits, 1995–2011 / Daniel Drache and Yin Jiyuan3 Investor-State Dispute Settlement Mechanisms in International Economic Law / Lesley A. Jacobs4 The WTO and the Future of Subsidies and Food Security / Carlos M. CorreaPart 2: Global Trade and Local Adaptation5 Is Anti-Dumping a Smart Policy for Global South Countries? / Welber Barral6 Grey Zones in the European Union: Between Flexibility and Uniformity of the State Aid Rules / Ljiljana BiukovicPart 3: Labour and Food Rights in the Global Policy Arena7 A New Grey Zone in Global Trade Governance? Recent Developments on Food Security at the WTO / Matias E. Margulis8 Labour Relations and Trade Policy in China: Opportunities for Coordinated Compliance / Pitman B. Potter9 What Constitutes Legitimate Policy Space for Food Security? / Katie SykesPart 4: The Greening of International Economic Law10 Renewable Energy and WTO Law: More Policy Space or Enhanced International Disciplines? / Thomas Cottier11 Green Energy Programs and the WTO Subsidies Agreement: Is There Enough Policy Space? / Debra P. StegerConclusion: Living in a Dangerous Age: Trade Policy Options for Canada / Daniel Drache and Lesley A. JacobsIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisThanks to increasingly extreme forms of oil extraction, Canada's largest oil-producing provinces underwent exceptional economic growth from 2005 to 2015. Yet oil's economic miracle obscured its ecological costs. Fossilized traces this development trajectory, assessing how the governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador offered extensive support for oil-industry development, and exploring the often downplayed environmental effects of extraction.Angela Carter investigates overarching institutional trends, such as the restructuring of departments that prioritized extraction over environmental protection, and identifies regulatory inadequacies related to environmental assessment, land-use planning, and emissions controls. Her detailed analysis situates these policy dynamics within the historical and global context of late-stage petro-capitalism and deepening neoliberalization of environmental policy.Fossilized reveals a country out

Read more less

Book SynopsisThanks to increasingly extreme forms of oil extraction, Canada's largest oil-producing provinces underwent exceptional economic growth from 2005 to 2015. Yet oil's economic miracle obscured its ecological costs. Fossilized traces this development trajectory, assessing how the governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador offered extensive support for oil-industry development, and exploring the often downplayed environmental effects of extraction.Angela Carter investigates overarching institutional trends, such as the restructuring of departments that prioritized extraction over environmental protection, and identifies regulatory inadequacies related to environmental assessment, land-use planning, and emissions controls. Her detailed analysis situates these policy dynamics within the historical and global context of late-stage petro-capitalism and deepening neoliberalization of environmental policy.Fossilized reveals a country outTrade Review[Fossilized] cast[s] a new and hopeful light on what political scientists sometimes call a super-wicked problem. -- Donald Wright, University of New Brunswick * Literary Review of Canada *Carter... is optimistic. Instead of offering investments to the oil and gas industry, why not look to support a new, low-carbon economy? -- Mary Shortall, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour * Our Times Magazine *Table of ContentsForeword: Talking about a House on Fire / Graeme WynnIntroduction: Situating Canada’s Petro-Provinces1 Alberta: Provincial Life Blood and Anemic Environmental Regulation2 Saskatchewan: Saskaboom and Environmental Policy Bust3 Newfoundland and Labrador: Economic Miracle and Environmental Debacle4 From Boom to Bust: Doubling Down on OilNotes, Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisUpholding Indigenous Economic Relationships investigates Indigenous economic theories and relationships through the lenses of settler colonial exploitation and Indigenous resurgence. Trade ReviewJobin offers a ground-breaking rethinking of what economic means in the context of nehiyawak ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐊᐧᐠ (Plains Cree) culture. -- S. Perreault, CHOICE ConnectTable of ContentsPreface1 Grounding Methods2 Grounding Economic Relationships3 nehiyawak Peoplehood and Relationality4 Canada’s Genesis Story5 ᐃᐧᐦᑎᑯᐤ Warnings of Insatiable Greed6 Indigenous Women’s Lands and Bodies7 Theorizing Cree Economic and Governing Relationships8 Colonial Dissonance9 Principles Guiding Cree Economic Relationships10 Renewed Relationships through Resurgent Practices11 Upholding RelationsPostscriptGlossary of Cree TermsNotes; References; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisSince World War II, Japan has become not only a model producer of high-tech consumer goods, but also-despite minimal spending on defense-a leader in innovative technology with both military and civilian uses.Trade ReviewA masterful study of the Japanese arms and aircraft industries, analyzing the interrelationship between military and civilian technology since the mid-nineteenth century. * Foreign Affairs *This book is a pleasure to read. It is a well-argued, lucid account and explanation of Japanese economic success since the Second World War; it is an excellent example of how, historically, to tackle questions of technology and technological innovation and their relation to economic change; and it provides fascinating insight into the debate about the role of national defense in either stimulating or suffocating economic activity. * Business History *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA great merit of this stimulating volume lies in the fact that, by Locke's open, explicit claim of the priority to be accorded to a local rather than a national perspective in the interpretation of Italian political economy—and more generally in his interpretation of political economies of advanced democracies within a changing global environment—he urges interested readers to adopt a point of view. * British Journal of Industrial Relations *

Read more less

Book SynopsisOver the past fifteen years, the United States, Western Europe, and Japan have transformed the relationship between governments and corporations. The changes are complex and the terms used to describe them often obscure the reality. In Freer Markets...Trade ReviewA simple suggestion: anyone who cares to comment on Japan's commitment to deregulation must first read this book. As Steven Vogel explains,... deregulation comes in many guises. * Japan Times *There is growing acceptance of the claim that international market forces have been compelling reluctant governments to deregulate, liberalize, and privatize ever more segments of their domestic economies.... Steven Vogel's refreshing book presents a compelling political challenge to such oversimplifications. * Comparative Political Studies *This is undoubtedly the finest comparative study we have of the regulatory reform movement that has spread across the advanced industrial countries over the last decade or so. * Political Studies *This masterly work... elevates the reader to a higher stage where he/she can start asking cutting-edge questions about comparative political economy. Rarely does a book leave the reviewer grateful for the opportunity to have looked into an issue so carefully. I welcome this exception. -- Hiwatari Nobuhiro, University of Tokyo * Social Science Japan Journal *

Read more less

Book SynopsisAfter the Tiananmen Square massacre, a vigorous international debate erupted, not only about human rights in China, but also about the role of multinational firms. Should corporations do business in China at all? Should corporations take a stand on...Trade ReviewSantoro proposes a framework for understanding the extent and limits of corporate moral responsibility for human rights, focusing primarily on the case of U.S. business in China.... He constructs a fair-share theory of moral responsibility for human rights and applies the fair-share theory of human rights to the sweatshop problem and to the issue of corporate responsibility for government repression of political and religious dissidents. * Journal of Economic Literature *Santoro has made a first effort to address an intractable and increasingly salient cause of human rights violations in developing countries, including China—inhumane business practices—and on this account alone his work is to be appreciated. -- Peter Harris * The China Journal *This book merits much credit for its even-handed, comprehensive approach. Santoro's theoretical investigation is matched and buttressed by his empirical analysis. While an urgent moral call, the book also considers what is and is not a realistic appeal. Finally, while focusing on MNCs, the author also delineates the larger moral web that connects all of human society—CEOs, workers, and consumers alike. -- Donna E. Chung * Journal of East Asian Studies *The book's common-sense, pragmatic tone serves well to open up a complex and important topic for several communities of readers—policy makers, business people, and the nongovenrmental organization community. Even if few settle for his conclusions, he will have helped by setting out some terms for future debate. -- Andrew J. Nathan * Political Science Quarterly *Lines have been drawn in the sand, with choices reduced to stark either-ors: human rights or expanded commerce, worker protection or globalization. But to anyone looking for reasoned discussion instead of rhetorical posturing, Santoro's book is a fine place to start. His solidly grounded analysis deserves a wide audience. -- Barry Gewen * New York Times Book Review *This timely study, which combines rigorous economic analysis with sharp moral reasoning, spells out what can and cannot be expected.... As sensitive to the bottom line as he is to human rights, Santoro also has useful things to say about the issues that vex CEOs dealing with China.... He has produced a book of interest not just to the concerned citizen but also to those engaged in business in China or contemplating becoming involved there. -- Lucien W. Pye * Foreign Affairs *What are the moral obligations of corporate executives with regard to human rights? Assuming that one can settle on a definition of human rights and agree that such obligations exist, then how can such obligations be balanced against executives' responsibility to corporate shareholders to maximize profits? Santoro has produced a provocative work in business ethics that attempts to answer, or at least provide the basis for an answer, to these questions.... The issues Santoro covers are of increasing importance in global economic policy arrangement, and deserve attention. * Choice *

Read more less

Book SynopsisChina began opening to the outside world in 1978. This process was designed to remain under the state's control. But the relative value of goods and services inside and outside China drove cities, enterprises, local governments, and individuals with...Trade ReviewIn... his helpfully organized, largely plain-speaking and enlightening book, Mr. Zweig calls for far-sighted leaders and public-spirited citizens to struggle against the 'crony capitalism' that can undermine China's growth. -- Jonathan Mirsky * Bookshelf *Zweig has brought intellectual order to the chaotic process of China's opening to the world. * Foreign Affairs *Internationalizing China will appeal heavily to scholars and social scientists bent on dissecting the complex phenomena that swept over the Chinese economy in the 1980s and 1990s. And for businesspeople who lived and worked their way through these transformations.... Zweig's book will offer valuable insights and perspectives. -- Robert A. Kapp * The China Business Review *Zweig shows how China avoided the disruptive Big Bang reforms that have proved so damaging in Russia and Eastern Europe. Zweig's study is also a warning to those in the West who naively imagine that China's market opening is going to lead inevitably to political reform. -- Mark L. Clifford * BusinessWeek *Zweig's goal is 'to explain the how and why of China's internationalization over the last two decades of the twentieth century' (p. 22). His efforts result in both a wealth of factual data and a model of internationalization that is suitable for use by other China scholars as well as by those studying other liberalizing societies. -- Norton Wheeler * H-Net Reviews *Zweig's study provides a helpful analysis and documentation of China's gaige kaifeng policies of the last quarter century, offering useful insights into the pull-push dynamics of local and external forces in the fields of local economic development, education, and development aid. -- Peter Harris * The China Journal *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe atlas of contemporary capitalism is curious indeed. A desperately poor and civil-war-wracked nation, Liberia, is the world's shipping superpower; the Cayman Islands the fifth-largest financial center in the world; land-locked Zurich a venerable...Trade Review"What is the offshore world? When and why did it develop? Who supported its development? Where and how does it operate? How important is it in international commerce and finance today? To find answers to those questions, Palan (International relations and politics, Univ. of Sussex, UK) examines the offshore phenomenon in a broad sense of social and economic change. . . . Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate and Research Collections."—Choice, Dec. 2003."This practice of sovereign bifurcation, by which states divide their sovereign space into heavily and lightly regulated realms, suggests a radical redrawing of state boundaries and an important transformation in the nature of sovereignty and the relationship between state and capitalism. Offshore may be at the very heart of the transformation of modern politics: is it the beginning of 'postglobalization?'"—Future Survey 26:1, January 2004"Ronen Palan asks bold, provocative questions regarding the relationship between sovereignty and the offshore economy and its relevance to state formation, globalization, and the fate of the nation-state. The 'commercialization of sovereignty' is a very effective underlying theme."—Peter Andreas, Brown University"The Offshore World explores the important concept of 'offshore' with a high level of detail and theoretical sophistication. Ronen Palan illuminates aspects of state sovereignty that have not been fully described elsewhere. This book will extend our understanding of how contemporary international society emerged over the last century, while providing insight into how concepts like 'offshore' reshape our thinking about economic phenomena."—Peter Dombrowski, The Naval War College"The Offshore World is a subtle and intriguing look at one of the global economy's most prominent features."—Debora Spar, Harvard Business SchoolTable of ContentsThe offshore economy in its contemporary settings; State, capital, and the production of offshore; The emergence of embryonic forms of offshore; The growth of an offshore economy; Offshore and the internationalization of the state; Offshore and the demise of the nation-state.

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book SynopsisSome have claimed that "War is too important to be left to the generals," but P. W. Singer asks "What about the business executives?" Breaking out of the guns-for-hire mold of traditional mercenaries, corporations now sell skills and services that...Trade ReviewProvides a sweeping survey of the work of MPRI, Airscan, Dyncorp, Brown and Root, and scores of other firms that can variously put troops in the field, build and run military bases, train guerrilla forces, conduct air surveillance, mount coups, stave off coups, and put back together the countries that wars have just destroyed. * The Atlantic Monthly *The creeping military-industrial complex about which President Dwight Eisenhower warned us five decades ago has reached critical mass. In fact, P. W. Singer, a security analyst at the Brookings Institution, suggests that Ike would be flabbergasted by the recent proliferation of privatized military firms and their influence on public policy both here and abroad. Calling them the corporate evolution of old-fashioned mercenaries, Singer's illuminating new book, says they provide the service side of war rather than weapons. * Christian Science Monitor *Large-scale wars may still be the sole provenance of sovereign governments, but many countries are now quietly outsourcing smaller-scale functions to privatized military firms (PMFs), which do not carry the same political weight as national troops. These firms might build camps, provide supplies, or furnish combat troops, technical assistance, or expert consultants for training programs. This is a new area for policymakers to debate and scholars to explore.... This portrait of the military services industry is well documented with many footnotes and a lengthy bibliography. * Library Journal *Provides a thoughtful, engaging critique of the U.S. government's growing dependence on private companies to wage war. Mercenaries in the employ of the Pentagon have made news with every new controversy in Iraq, from the ambush that sparked the siege of Fallujah to the prisoner abuses in Abu Ghraib prison and the raid on Ahmed Chalabi's offices. The involvement of those for-profit fighters has inspired plenty of political vitriol, much of it directed at Halliburton, Vice-President Dick Cheney's former employer. But there are some less-well-known players here, too: DynCorp, MPRI, and ICI Oregon, which do everything from database work to intelligence-gathering. * Business Week *The first notable book on the subject. * The Financial Times *Table of ContentsPART I. THE RISE1. An Era of Corporate Warriors?2. Privatized Military History3. The Privatized Military Industry Distinguished4. Why Security Has Been PrivatizedPART II. ORGANIZATION AND OPERATION5. The Global Industry of Military Services6. The Privatized Military Industry Classified7. The Military Provider Firm: Executive Outcomes8. The Military Consultant Firm: MPRI9. The Military Support Firm: Brown & RootPART III. IMPLICATIONS10. Contractual Dilemmas11. Market Dynamism and Global Disruptions12. Private Firms and the Civil-Military Balance13. Public Ends, Private Military Means?14. Morality and the Privatized Military Firm15. ConclusionsPOSTSCRIPTThe Lessons of IraqAppendix I. PMFs on the WebAppendix 2. PMF ContractNotesBibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Burmese army took political power in Burma in 1962 and has ruled the country ever since. The persistence of this government—even in the face of long-term nonviolent opposition led by activist Aung San Suu Kyi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize...Table of ContentsCoercion and the colonial state, 1826-1941; The Japanese occupation, 1941-43; Resistance and the United Front, 1943-45; Making peace and making armies, 1945-48; Insurgency and state disintegration, 1948-50; Warfare and army building, 1950-53; Warriors as state builders, 1953-62.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWith the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, former Communist Party leaders in Central Asia were faced with the daunting task of building states where they previously had not existed: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan...Trade ReviewDuring the long period of communist control of Central Asia, this region was treated largely as a peripheral part of the Soviet Union. Consequently, despite its rich culture and historical achievements, the region received scant scholarly attention in the West. The downfall of the Soviet Union and the subsequent independence of the former Soviet republics elevated Central Asia from obscurity in the West, and the region has been catapulted... into the forefront of the 'war against terrorism.'... All chapters of this book are well informed and create a united whole.... Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. * Choice *Luong and her colleagues challenge basic assumptions said to have guided earlier studies of Central Asia: that the Soviet system only superficially penetrated traditional cultural norms and organizations, that Islam was a force waiting to be unleashed, and that the Central Asian republics were more colonies than an integral part of the Soviet Union. In a series of detailed essays examining the situation of women, the role of nongovernmental organizations, center-regional relations, and the place of culture and language, the contributors contend that the Soviet legacy looms large, regional divisions rather than clans or tribes define the political arena, leaders exploit rather than subscribe to pre-Soviet traditions, and Islam is tamed and localized. -- Robert Levgold * Foreign Affairs *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe real story of global oil over the past twenty-five years is not about the spillover effects of Palestinians fighting Israelis, or terrorist attacks on U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, or Iraq''s stormy relationship with Kuwait. It is not even about periodic small- and large-scale U.S. attacks on Iraq. Rather, the real story is about longer-term developments that have changed the international relations of the Middle East, politics at the global level, and world oil markets. These developments have increased oil stability.from the IntroductionThirty years after OAPEC shattered world markets for oil, the Western world remains profoundly dependent on foreign, particularly Middle Eastern, sources of petroleum. U.S. political rhetoric is suffused with claims about the vulnerability caused by this dependence. Hence, many political analysts assume that a search for stability of petroleum supplies is an important element of contemporary American foreign policy.Steve Trade ReviewCrude Awakenings is smart, practical, and convincing.... Yetiv argues that while trade and 'dependency' may put nations into conflict, it also pulls them together.... We must deal with the owners of energy just as people in cities must rely on farmers for food.... In an interdependent world, Mr. Yetiv notes, it is impossible for the U.S. to withdraw from the Mideast. In fact, the real 'nightmare scenario' would be if 'modest acts of terrorism were to drive the United States from the Gulf or to scale back its presence.' The power vacuum would be far more dangerous to us and everyone else than our current level of engagement. * Wall Street Journal *Yetiv provides an invaluable guide to the realities that surround the supply of global oil to the world economy. At a time when political analysts and policy makers agree that threats to the global supply of oil have never been greater, Yetiv asserts that such assumptions about oil markets are misleading and wrong.... This fine piece of scholarship clearly enhances understanding of global oil security. * Choice *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA decade of crises has reminded us of the fragility of the international financial system. Conventional wisdom holds that uncertainty is the basic problem of financial governance, and attempts to contain ambiguity have dominated recent financial...Trade ReviewThe Limits of Transparency demonstrates that many of the puzzles confronting us regarding the politics of money and finance can be unlocked if we move from a narrowly rationalist understanding of political economy to one also informed by constructivist insights. This book demonstrates that constructivism, done well, can be a model of theoretical clarity, empirically grounded, and can produce practical policy recommendations. -- Kathleen R. McNamara * Perspectives on Politics *Jacqueline Best presents three forms of ambiguity: technical... contested... and intersubjective.... Having defined three types of ambiguity, Best sets out very ambitious objectives including reframing international theory, the history of Bretton Woods and—most important—redirecting contemporary policy debate. -- Sylvia Ostry * Literary Review of Canada *

Read more less

Book SynopsisDuring and after the breakdown of the Soviet Union, a wide range of competitors fought to build new political and economic empires by wresting control over resources from the state and from each other. In the only book to examine the evolution of...Trade ReviewA very welcome addition to the literature on the political economy of Russia.... The wider point that Barnes makes about looking to interpret processes of change rather than prematurely classifying the nature of Russia's political economy should be taken to heart by anyone interested in Russian political or economic development. -- Neil Robinson * Russian Review *

Read more less

Book SynopsisSmith deciphers the paradox of the resource curse and questions its inevitability through an innovative comparison of the experiences of Iran and Indonesia.Trade Review"Benjamin Smith has raised the costs for anyone hoping to tell us something new and significant about the role of oil in political development. With Hard Times in the Lands of Plenty he has all but cornered the market."-Robert Vitalis, University of Pennsylvania, author of America's Kingdom: Mythmaking on the Saudi Oil Frontier "Hard Times in the Lands of Plenty is thoughtful, provocative, and innovative. It is a richly textured exploration of political development in oil-exporting Iran and Indonesia. Employing a methodology that is both multilayered and eclectic, Ben Smith challenges the commonplace notion-and implicit suggestion of the 'rentier state' literature-that oil states are intrinsically unstable and prone to breakdown. He demonstrates that political outcomes are determined 'not by oil, but when oil' and highlights the challenges presented by different institutional landscapes at the inception of oil-based development."-Miriam R. Lowi, The College of New Jersey "The fascinating Hard Times in the Lands of Plenty is characterized by bold ambition and real insight; Benjamin Smith admirably weaves together a variety of methods to produce a book that is truly comparative in scope. Smith highlights a key insight for those interested in the politics of oil, namely that timing matters."-Eva Bellin, Hunter College

Read more less

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

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Entrepreneurial States, an innovative examination of the comparative politics of reform in stakeholder systems, Yves Tiberghien analyzes the modern partnership between the state and global capital in attaining structural domestic change. The emergence of a powerful global equity market has altered incentives for the state and presented political leaders with a golden bargainthe infusion of abundant and cheap capital into domestic stock markets in exchange for reform of corporate governance and other regulatory changes. Drawing on extensive archival research and interviews with policy and corporate elites in Europe and East Asia, Tiberghien asks why states such as Korea and France have embraced this opportunity and engaged in far-reaching reforms to make their companies more attractive to foreign capital, whereas Japan and Germany have moved forward much more grudgingly.Interest groups and electoral institutions have their impacts, but by tracing the unfolding dynamiTrade ReviewYves Tiberghien, a professor of political science at he University of British Columbia, examines the comparitive politics of reform in stakeholder systems in this book. Tiberghien analyzes the modern partnership between the state and global capital in attaining structural domestic change, looking at how Korea, France, Japan undertake reforms differently. Drawing on extensive archival research and interviews with policy and corporate elites in Europe and East Asia, Tiberghien asks why states such as Korea and France have embraced this opportunity and engaged in far-reaching reformsto make their companies more attractive to foreign capital, wheres Japan and Germany have moved forward much more grudgingly. * The Korea Herald *

Read more less

Book SynopsisAre we witnessing a deepening transatlantic rift between the U.S. and the nationals of western Europe, with wide-ranging consequences for the future of world order? This volume examines core structural features of the transatlantic order to determine whether current disagreements are transient or permanent.Trade Review"In this must-read book, an outstanding group of scholars tackles one of the most critical international issues of our time: how the transatlantic partnership will evolve in the years to come. To what extent are the forces of change structural and so largely immutable to control; to what extent can policy decisions mold events? Everyone concerned about the future of American political, security, and economic relations with the European Union and NATO is sure to find in The End of the West? compelling arguments for thought and debate."—Tony Smith, Cornelia M. Jackson Professor of Political Science, Tufts University"The End of the West? is the best overview of the transatlantic order in the past decade. The authors of this excellent book take a big-picture approach, addressing the issue from varying theoretical perspectives in a first-rate series of essays. The book should be required reading for anyone seeking to understand the changing transatlantic partnership or its implications for theories of international relations."—Mark A. Pollack, Temple UniversityTable of Contents1. Explaining the Crisis and Change in Transatlantic Relations: An Introduction by G. John Ikenberry2. Inevitable Decline versus Predestined Stability: Disciplinary Explanations of the Evolving Transatlantic Order by Gunther Hellmann3. The Ghost of Crises Past: The Troubled Alliance in Historical Perspective by William I. Hitchcock4. Iraq and Previous Transatlantic Crises: Divided by Threat, Not Institutions or Values by Henry R. Nau5. The Atlantic Order in Transition: The Nature of Change in U.S.-European Relations by Charles A. Kupchan6. Trade Is No Superglue: The Changing Political Economy of Transatlantic Relations by Jens van Scherpenberg7. The Ties That Bind?: U.S.-EU Economic Relations and the Institutionalization of the Transatlantic Alliance by Kathleen R. McNamara8. Crisis, What Crisis?: Transatlantic Differences and the Foundations of International Law by Michael Byers9. The Sovereign Foundations of Transatlantic Crisis in the Post-9/11 Era by Jeffrey Anderson10. Passions within Reason by John A. Hall11. American Exceptionalism or Western Civilization? by Dieter Fuchs and Hans-Dieter Klingemann12. The End of the West?: Conclusions by Thomas RisseIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn 2007 the farm subsidies of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy took over 40 percent of the entire EU budget. How did a sector of diminishing social and economic importance manage to maintain such political prominence? The conventional...Trade ReviewHow is one to make sense of the surprising resilience of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the face of efforts at reforming it? This important book has much to say about the limbo in which the CAP currently finds itself, but, unlike most of the literature in the field, it does so through a historical analysis of the origins of the CAP, from the entering into force of the European Economic Community Treaty in January 1958 to the settlement of the common grain price in December 1964. This is the occasion for the author—a historian—not only to illuminate the particular context in which the CAP materialized and to highlight its lasting effect on subsequent policy developments, but also to challenge the prevailing (liberal intergovernmentalist) view of the CAP as a policy driven and captured by national, commercial interests.... Farmers on Welfare offers an original and compelling ideal-typical portrait of the CAP as a welfare policy and makes a significant contribution to the literature. Students of the CAP and European Union politics alike will find it both highly informative and entertaining. -- Christilla Roederer-Rynning * International Affairs *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe State of Working America, prepared biennially since 1988 by the Economic Policy Institute, includes a wide variety of data on family incomes, wages, taxes, unemployment, wealth, and poverty.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn his exceedingly timely and innovative look at the ramifications of the collapse of the U.S. housing market, Herman M. Schwartz makes the case that worldwide, U.S. growth and power over the last twenty years has depended in large part on domestic housing markets. Mortgage-based securities attracted a cascade of overseas capital into the U.S. economy. High levels of private home ownership, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom, have helped pull in a disproportionately large share of world capital flows.As events since mid-2008 have made clear, mortgage lenders became ever more eager to extend housing loans, for the more mortgage packages they securitized, the higher their profits. As a result, they were dangerously inventive in creating new mortgage products, notably adjustable-rate and subprime mortgages, to attract new, mainly first-time, buyers into the housing market. However, mortgage-based instruments work only when confidence in the mortgage system Trade ReviewHerman Schwartz has written an ambitious and important book that offers a 'unified field theory' of political economy to explain the U.S. housing boom, the mortgage crisis, the U.S. dependence on high levels of foreign capital, and the changing global balance of power among nations. His argument is surprising and controversial, but it is supported by data and by a deep immersion in several relevant literatures. -- Fred Block * Contemporary Sociology *Of the dozens of serious books that examined the determinants of the 2008 financial crisis, Herbert M. Schwartz's Subprime Nation: American Power, Global Capital and the Housing Bubble stands out for its sharp take on the large macro flows that ultimately led to the collapse of financial markets and real economies around the world. Now four years after the collapse of Lehman Brothers and three years after Schwartz’s work was first published, it is worth a second look.... Few books or articles written in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 crisis could hold up as well. -- Siona Listokin * Journal of Planning Education and Research *

Read more less

Book SynopsisFor half a century, the United States has garnered substantial political and economic benefits as a result of the dollar''s de facto role as a global currency. In recent years, however, the dollar''s preponderant position in world markets has come under challenge. The dollar has been more volatile than ever against foreign currencies, and various nations have switched to non-dollar instruments in their transactions. China and the Arab Gulf states continue to hold massive amounts of U.S. government obligations, in effect subsidizing U.S. current account deficits, and those holdings are a point of potential vulnerability for American policy.What is the future of the U.S. dollar as an international currency? Will predictions of its demise end up just as inaccurate as those that have accompanied major international financial crises since the early 1970s? Analysts disagree, often profoundly, in their answers to these questions. In The Future of the Dollar, leading scholars Trade ReviewThis book offers great value in presenting different approaches and views on the future of the dollar. And reading through a rather heterogeneous collection of contributions one cannot but agree with editors Helleiner and Kirshner that the field of dollar studies is so ridden with disagreements that it would be virtually impossible to conclude with a coherent, let alone common, view. -- Paola Subacchi * International Affairs *

Read more less

Book SynopsisExplaining the causes and impact on working Americans of the most catastrophic economic policy failure since the 1920s.Trade ReviewBivens succeeds at exposing the 'cracked foundation' of the economy...: falling wages, assaults on unionism, globalization for workers and insulation for elites, the rise of the nonproductive financial sector, and the abandonment of full employment as a policy target. In graph after carefully and simply explained graph, Bivens walks the reader through the historical trajectory of these and other economic developments that have come to define the current situation. -- Cecilio Morales * America *In this useful and timely work, Bivens provides an assessment that will clarify for many the widely held view that the current 'great recession' need not have occurred but rather was due to government policy errors. These included minimum wage erosion by inflation; weakening of laws governing unions and collective bargaining; globalization that benefitted the already privileged; and slow growth of wages and income at the middle of the income distribution.... Summing up: Highly recommended. * Choice *Table of ContentsForeword by Lawrence MishelI. The Great Recession: The Damage Done and the Rot RevealedII. The Great Recession's Trigger: Housing Bubble Leads to Jobs Crisis Fallout: The Job Market Fallout: Broader Measures of Economic Security—Poverty, Health Insurance, and Net WealthIII. The Policy Response to the Great Recession: What Was Done, and Did It Work? The Dynamics of the Great Recession Recovery Act Controversies: What Was in It? Recovery Act Controversies: Did It Work at All? Recovery Act Controversies: Why Has Consumer and Not Government Spending Led the Recovery? IV. The Great Recession Ended More Than a Year Ago—So, "Mission Accomplished"? Apathy, Not Overreach Exchange Rate Policy Monetary Policy Fiscal Policy Clear Economics, Fuzzy Politics V. The Cracked Foundation Revealed by the Great Recession Falling Minimum Wage Assault on Workers' Right to Organize Global Integration for America's Workers and Insulation for Elites The Rise of Finance Abandoning Full Employment as a Target You Get the Economy You Choose Incomes in the 30 Years before the Great Recession: Growing Slower and Less Equal Is Everybody Getting Richer but the Rich Are Just Getting Richer Faster? Why Have Typical Families' Incomes and Overall Economic Growth De-linked? The Arithmetic of Rising Inequality: Falling Wage Growth for Most American Workers The Economics of Rising Inequality Lower Wage Growth Did Not Buy Greater Economic Security or Sustained Progress in Closing Racial Gaps How Did American Families Cope with Lower Wage Gowth and Rising Insecurity?VI. Where to from Here?Bibliography About EPI About the Author The State of Working America Website

Read more less