Political economy Books

Book SynopsisWhy have Taiwan, rich parts of China, and Thailand boomed famously, while the Philippines has long remained stagnant both economically and politically? Do booms abet democracy? Does the rise of middle “classes” promise future liberalization? Why has Philippine democracy brought no boom and barely served the Filipino people?This book, unlike most previous studies, shows that both the roots and results of growth are largely political rather than economic. Specifically, it pays attention to local, not just national, power networks that caused or prevented growth in the four places under consideration. Violence has been common in these polities, along with money. Elections have contributed to socio-political problems that are also obvious in Leninist or junta regimes, because elections are surprisingly easy to buy with corrupt money from government contracts. Liberals should pay more serious theoretical attention to the effects of money on justice, and Western political science should focus more clearly on the ways non-state local power affects elections. By considering the effects on fair justice of local money and power (largely from small- and medium-sized firms that emerge after agrarian reforms), this book asks democrats to face squarely the extent to which electoral procedures fail to help ordinary citizens. Students and scholars of Asia will all need this book — as will students of the West whose methods have become parochial.

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Book SynopsisThe recent global financial crisis illustrates how fragile economic globalization is and how vulnerable all global citizens are to economic events outside their own country. Indeed, global economics is more important for national economic growth than domestic policies. Globalization and change interact and shape the economic environment for citizens and enterprises. These essays represent observations made over a ten-year period which attempt to analyze what is happening, why it happened and the impact on global and national economic growth. Readers may not find solutions or answers to all the perplexing events in the world, but they will gain a better understanding of how global politics and economics work, and in some cases, how they should but actually do not work.Table of ContentsFuture Global Trends; Economic Globalization; Economic Integration; Global Financing; Asia in the World.

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Book SynopsisNontariff Measures and International Trade includes 20 chapters authored by John Beghin and co-authors over the last 20 years on the economics of quality-standard like nontariff measures in the context of international trade. This book provides a coherent and comprehensive treatment of these nontariff measures, from their measurement to their effects on trade and welfare. In Part I, the authors use different perspectives to make the case that, unlike tariffs, quality-standard like nontariff measures are complex to measure and analyze and do not easily lead to general policy prescriptions. Then, Part II contains contributions on measurements of welfare and trade effects of nontariff measures, accounting for potential market imperfections. Part III presents chapters on the potential protectionism of nontariff measures when they are used to favor some economic agents over society. The last part presents cases studies of nontariff measures in different industries, markets, and countries.

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Book SynopsisThis book provides the analysis on capital markets in China, focusing attention upon (1) the bubble phenomena (whether or not a Chinese bubble really exists and might burst), (2) foreign direct investment and (3) integration, through all of which we could recognize the current situation and the future prospects of Chinese marketization. As regards to the bubble phenomena, particularly 'early warning indicator' of the bubble, this book attempts to utilize the Grubbs-Smirnov Test to discover the 'abnormal value' in several asset markets. Investigations of this book suggest that the distinctive features of the Chinese market have been significantly different from the markets of capitalist countries such as the United States and Japan. As far as Japan's foreign direct investments in China are concerned, this book tries to reveal the Chinese characteristics on FDI phenomena with FDI-trade ratio. The analysis of this book suggests that Chinese FDI from Japan has undoubtedly revealed the distortions caused by non-economic factors, which also mean that the distinctive features of the Chinese market have been different from the markets of the United States and Japan etc. Regarding integration, this book provides the analysis on the 'G2' system between the United States and China (cooperation or conflict between them). The considerations of this book conclude that it might be difficult to have good cooperation between them because of significant differences between the Chinese system and the US system.

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Book SynopsisThe cases of Singapore and Switzerland present a fascinating puzzle: how have two small states achieved similar levels of success through divergent pathways? Are both approaches equally sustainable, and what lessons do they hold for each other? While Singapore is the archetypal developmental state, whose success can be attributed to strong political leadership and long-term planning, Switzerland's success is a more organic process, due to the propitious convergence of strong industries and a resilient citizenry. Yet throughout the course of their development, both countries have had to deal with the dual challenges of culturally heterogeneous populations and challenging regional contexts. Edited by Yvonne Guo and Jun Jie Woo, with forewords from Ambassadors Thomas Kupfer and Tommy Koh, Singapore and Switzerland: Secrets to Small State Success features contributions from distinguished scholars and policymakers who explore the dynamics of two small states which have topped international rankings in a dazzling array of policy areas, from economic competitiveness to education to governance, but whose pathways to success could not be more different.

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Book SynopsisThis is the first book to specify the type of economic system that has arisen in Central Asia, replacing the simplistic ideas of 'petro-state' or 'resource dependent.'The book presents three types of state capitalism now established in the former Soviet Union states of Eurasia — crony, dual-sector, and predatory capitalism. It provides first-hand research based on extensive interviewing in the native languages in five of the six. From the political economic perspective, it surveys the source of resources for these authoritarian regimes, their decision-making, and the disposition of government funds, including corruption.

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Book Synopsis3-in-1: Governing a Global Financial Centre provides a comprehensive understanding of Singapore's past development and future success as a global financial centre. It focuses on three transformational processes that have determined the city-state's financial sector development and governance — globalisation, financialisation, and centralisation — and their impacts across three areas: the economy, governance, and technology. More importantly, this book takes a multidimensional approach by considering the inter-related and interdependent nature of these three transformational processes. Just like the 3-in-1 coffee mix that is such an ubiquitous feature of everyday life in Singapore, the individual ingredients of Singapore's success as a global financial centre do not act alone, but as an integrated whole that manifests itself in one final product: the global financial centre.

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Book SynopsisSilk Road was once the most important economic-cultural tie connecting the Eurasian countries before the rise of the West. In September 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the initiative to jointly build the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, which is abbreviated as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This book analyzes the BRI through the approach of political economy and establishes the analytic framework of BRI from historical and comparative perspectives. It clearly displays the strategic considerations, future vision, constructing framework, governmental actions, latest achievements, multiple opportunities and potential risks of BRI.As China's grand national development strategy and international cooperation initiative, the BRI will largely shape China's domestic and foreign policies in the Xi Jinping era. The book is the first academic monograph on the BRI and it enables readers to comprehensively understand this initiative and its implications to China, Eurasia and the world.

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Book SynopsisThe Economics of International Migration is a collection of the fundamental articles written by Giovanni Peri on the economic determinants and consequences of international migration. These papers have provided the theoretical framework and empirical analysis for a rethinking of the economics of migration, going beyond the Canonical model of labor demand and supply used until the 1990s. Beginning with a simple model that recognizes the differences between immigrants and natives as workers, the articles develop the analysis of complementarity, specialization and productivity effect of immigrants in developed economies. The book then presents a series of papers analyzing and testing the economic motivation for international migration. Finally, the focus is shifted to the effect of immigration policies and their consequences on immigration and the economy.

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Book SynopsisContaining the latest research and insights of academics and development practitioners pursuing political and economic reforms in the ASEAN region, Building Inclusive Democracies in ASEAN recognizes that a well-functioning democracy is part of what ultimately fosters inclusive growth and development. Inequitable access to democratic processes and mechanisms produce government policies and initiatives that are inconsistent with the needs of the majority.The chapters include empirical research on the symptoms and effects of traditional patron-client politics, experiences, insights, analyses, and policy recommendations, as well as reflections, on reform efforts along the lines of citizens' participation, transparency, and evidence-based policymaking.

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Book SynopsisIn China, the government controls a large part of resources, such as land, energy, bank savings, and so on. This book studies the efficiency and fairness of resources allocation by governmental administration in China. The book states that it is neither fair nor efficient to allocate resources by the governmental administrations. These resources should be allocated by the market.The book analyzes the resources allocation by government administration in three key areas namely education, health care, and land. A quantitive analysis is developed for describing more precisely the situation of unfairness in fiscal resources allocation. This book also describes how ordinary people address the misposition of resources by governmental administrations by migrating from the provinces with less resources to the provinces with more resources in education or health care. Thus, the book concludes that the actual allocation of resources is determined by the interactions between ordinary people and the government.

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Book SynopsisAfter more than 30 years of rapid development, China has established herself as an important engine of growth for the world economy. This achievement, however, came with a heavy price, in the form of serious pollution in its developed regions and social problems in areas such as healthcare and housing. This publication studies some of such problems and provides an updated account on a wide range of new social policy initiatives in China.China's New Social Policy distinguishes itself from other literature in this field. It undertakes a general methodology that assesses the social impact brought about by the market-oriented changes in China's social policies, and contests the idea whether market-oriented development can result in a more sustainable society. All chapters in the book are crafted by prominent scholars, which include Professor Zheng Yongnian, Director of the East Asian Institute, and Professor Gu Xin, School of Government, Peking University.Table of ContentsEconomic Reform, Social Policy and Political Transition in China; Central Planning or the Market Economy? China Debates on the Direction of New Healthcare Reforms; Direct Provider Subsidies vs. Social Health Insurance: A Compromise Proposal; China's New Labour Contract Law: A New Labour Rights Regime in the Making?; China's Higher Education: Growth and Problems; China's New Public Housing Policy: The Case of Xiamen; Land Market Development in China's Central-Local Relations; A Long Way to Go Green: Rethinking China's Environmental Policy, Laws and Governance; China's Looming Water Crisis: Is Beijing Struggling to Overcome It?; The Tainted Milk Formula Incident: Another Hard Lesson for China; A Pivot for Change: The Potential Role of the Haigui in Addressing China's Social Problem.

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Book SynopsisDespite the significant progress it has achieved, China faces daunting challenges today. These challenges include a rigid political system, uneven economic growth, a graying population, environmental degradation, ethnic tensions, potential social instability, and a poor international image, among others. This book aims to make a significant contribution to the understanding of key challenges China faces today as it strives to become a global power. Contributed by scholars and experts in political science, international relations, economics, public administration, history, mass communication, psychology, and diplomacy, the book focuses on the efforts needed by China to grow in a sustainable manner and become a respected global power. removeTable of ContentsChina's Leadership Succession and Change; The China Model; Chinese Elites' Acceptance of Outwardly-Oriented Development; Political Accountability in Governance; Liberalism in China; Demographic Dividends; Smashing Iron Rice Bowls; Developing a PAYGO Social Security System; Internet Control; Spiritual Beliefs and Ethnic Relations; Tourism, Modernization, and Nation-Building; Public Diplomacy; Foreign Publicity; Energy and Climate Security; A Prosperous China with Strong Military Power; Blue-Water Navy Ambition; US-China Relations.

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Book SynopsisInternational political economy (IPE) is a highly complex discipline, drawing not only from the fields of politics and economics, but also those as varied as philosophy, history and anthropology. Now widely accepted as a key dimension to contemporary world affairs, it is no longer possible to talk about international relations without talking about production and distribution, finance and investment, as well as consumption and trade. To ensure that our understanding of these topics is relevant to today's world, there is a constant need to revisit and challenge what is known about these topics. Besides being a comprehensive account of international political economy for academic study, this extensive collection also highlights salient issues that scholars, analysts and state leaders are most concerned with in today's world. Amongst these are issues concerning the rise of China and India as new economic superpowers, stability in the EU's political economy, the viability of the existing multilateral system of global trade, recent financial crises, as well as the impact of globalisation and marketisation on the world's workers and our physical environment. With contributions from prominent academics such as Susan K Sell (George Washington University, D.C.) and Geoffrey Blainey (Professor Emeritus, University of Melbourne), this volume makes for both a stimulating and thought-provoking read.Table of ContentsFrom Political Economy to International Political Economics; The "Industrial Revolution" and Its Aftermath; Global Governance; Global Production; The Rise of China and India; Europe's Political Economy; Global Trade; GATT and the WTO; Containerisation; Global Finance; The IMF; Corruption and Financial Crises; Globalisation and the North/South Divide; Corporations; The World's Workers; Globalisation and the Male/Female Divide; Production/Reproduction; The Global Environment; Resources; Pollution; Global Capitalism and Climate Change.

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Book SynopsisThis edited volume is a compilation of the analyses written by East Asian Institute experts on Hong Kong since the handover. It covers most, if not all the important events that have taken place in Hong Kong since 1997, including its economic integration and relations with China, its governance conundrums, the Hong Kong identity and nation-building, the implementation of the minimum wage, and the elections from 2011-2012. The book's panoramic view of Hong Kong makes it a useful resource for readers who seek a broad understanding of the city and how it has evolved after its return to China. It also offers some glimpses into the direction Hong Kong is heading in its socio-economic relations with China at both the state and society levels, as well as its domestic political developments and the prospects for democratization.Table of ContentsEconomic Integration between Hong Kong and China; CEPA; Hong Kong's Linkages with Guangdong; Renminbi in Hong Kong; Donald Tsang's Governance Crisis; Statutory Minimum Wage; Hong Kong Identity; Democratization; Chief Executive Election; Legislative Council Election; District Council Election; Political Reforms.

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Book SynopsisServices markets remain highly regulated and international trade and investment is restricted. Previous works have identified the scope for significant gains from trade, yet those results are often debated and the progress on reform has been slow. Parts I and II in Priorities and Pathways in Services Reform help fill the gap in the research around this debate. Part I — Quantitative Studies contains up-to-date assessment and evaluations of the impact of policy in a range of services markets in different countries (through cross-country modelling of the impacts of a reform program). Part II — Political Economy Studies builds on this to address the understanding of what makes a reform successful, going beyond a quantification of the benefits of reform. This book fills that gap by reporting and reviewing the experience of reform across different sectors and countries. Ten key lessons are identified for successful reform. Readers will find fresh insights into managing complex issues in services reform.Table of ContentsOverview (Christopher Findlay); Telecommunications in Papua New Guinea (Ronald Duncan); Gas in Thailand (Deunden Nikomborirak); Electricity in Russia (Alexandra Sidorenko); Electricity in Korea (Seung-Hoon Lee); Rail Transport in Chile (Raimundo Soto); Rail Transport in New Zealand (Dave Heatley and Margot Schwass); Maritime Transport in Australia and the United States (Fabien Bertho); Road Transport in Thailand (Narong Pomlaktong, Rattana Jongwilaiwan, Prakai Theerawattanakul and Rapee Pholpanich); China's Services Policy Reform Before and After the Global Financial Crisis (Fan Ying); Services Sector Reforms in India: Updates and Challenges (Rupa Chanda and Pralok Gupta); Services Trade Reform in the European Union - The EU Services Directive (Anne McNaughton and Paul Furlong).

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Book SynopsisThis volume is a compilation of important papers relating to the financial, governance and political economy structures of the region, using a variety of methods and topics. Following the Asian crisis and subsequent global financial upheavals, policymakers and academics issued cries for institutional reform at the state and firm level; in many cases, reform was actually implemented rather than simply rhetorical. This volume begins by addressing issues relating to corporate governance within firms located in East Asia and as entities participating in corporate ownership elsewhere. Next, the key issues of globalization are directly addressed, including foreign direct investment into the region, integration among Southeast Asian countries and with the rest of Asia, and multinational enterprise investment strategies in Asia following initial entry decisions. Finally, the macroeconomic policies of state actors, and the effects of economic growth are examined.Table of ContentsConvergence in the Ownership and Governance of East Asian Firms; Institutional Investors and Proxy Access Proposals; Post-Foreign Entry Decisions by Global Retailers and Non-Asian Markets: Like or Dislike; Intra-ASEAN FDI Flows and the Role of China and India: Trends and Determinants; Extent of Real and Financial Integration in Asia: Some Patterns and Stylised Facts; The Global Financial Crisis; Rise of China, and Changes in the Geographical Location of Control of Large Listed Companies; Intervention and Exchange Rate Regime Choice in Asia: Does the US Dollar Still Matter?; Financial Stability

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Book SynopsisContemporary Chinese rural life is placed in sharp theoretical and practical focus in this book. State-of-the-art techniques and perspectives are combined to take the reader into Xiaocun, a small village on the east bank of the Dianchi Lake in Kunming City.In 2003, the author published the book Crime and Punishment: The Story of Xiaocun (1931-1997), which dealt with disputes, mediation and punishment in the village following the legal anthropology tradition. At that time, neither the villagers nor the author foresaw the vast changes that were to appear a few years later. Their main economic activity then was growing vegetables and flowers; urbanisation was tsunami-like in its speed and impact. Land requisition for urban development was so swift that five years later, in 2008, there was no farmland left. Instead, there were many landmark real estate and development projects. Xiaocun has become the centre of an enlarged Kunming City. Observers, including the Xiaocun residents, are unavoidably shocked at the changes to the physical landscape in the wake of its rapid urbanisation.This book, Topography of Politics in Rural China: The Story of Xiaocun, reports the author's revisits to the village starting in early 2007. In the past few years of research on this village, the author deeply felt that the problems that make people passionate are fully exposed through issues surrounding land and housing. Well written in narrative, this book tells the story of Xiaocun in this new century from the perspective of topography, exploring the peasantry and its relations to the state in more fundamental terms.

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Book SynopsisThe wave of uprisings that has engulfed the Arab world since 2011 has impacted the Gulf significantly, however much the region appears to have remained unscathed. In Bahrain, the regime cracked down on protestors with the help of Saudi forces, and increasing Gulf tensions with Iran, political chaos in Yemen, and rumblings among unemployed youth throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states all complicate the facade of Gulf stability. In addition, ties with the United States appear to be weakening; regional politics are varied and changing, particularly with the rise of India and China; Gulf governance is often oppressive; and GCC economies are even more tied to rentier practices of distribution to keep populations satisfied and in check.Gulf Politics and Economics in a Changing World addresses these aspects of political and economic life in the GCC, Iran, and Iraq in order to assess the present situation. It also offers analysis and predictions as to what the future of this important area of the greater Middle East may hold. The volume, which features contributions from some of the best scholars in the field of Gulf studies in the United States, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, provides an in-depth and critical look at the region.Table of ContentsIntroduction (Michael C Hudson); The Gulf States and the Economy: The Development Trajectory of the GCC States: An Analysis of Aims and Visions in Current Development Plans (Martin Hvidt); Redesigning the Distributional Bargain in the GCC (Steffen Hertog); State-Business Relations in the Gulf: The Role of Business Actors in the Decision-Making Process of Reform in Bahrain and Oman (Marc Valeri); Gulf Governance: The Rule of Law and Political Liberalization in the Arab Gulf (David M Mednicoff and Joanne E Springer); The Dynamics of Distribution in the Gulf: Selective Allocations, Agency, and Bureaucratic Accessibility in Kuwait (James C A Redman); The Gulf and Beyond: Relations and Tensions: Rethinking Regional Organization in the Gulf and the Greater Middle East (Malik Dahlan); Sources of Continuity in Iran ' s Foreign Policy (Mahmood Sariolghalam); The United States and the Gulf: American Policy in the Persian Gulf: From Balance of Power to Failed Hegemony (F Gregory Gause, III); Neither East Nor West? The Gulf in a Post-American World (Alain Gresh); US Military Bases in the Gulf and the Dynamics of Redeployment (Sun Degang).

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Book SynopsisThe Political Economy of Trade Policy: Theory, Evidence and Applications is a collection of sole-authored and co-authored papers by Devashish Mitra that have been published in various scholarly journals over the last two decades. It covers diverse topics in the political economy of trade policy, ranging from the role of modeling lobby formation in the context of trade policy determination to its applications to the question of unilateralism versus reciprocity and trade agreements. It also includes the theory and the empirics of the choice of policy instruments. Finally, the book presents the empirical investigation of the Grossman-Helpman “Protection for Sale” model as well as the Mayer “Median-Voter” model of trade policy determination.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Endogenous Lobby Formation and Endogenous Protection; Endogenous Political Organization and the Value of Trade Agreements; Reciprocated Unilateralism in Trade Policy (co-authored with Pravin Krishna); Reciprocated Unilateralism in Trade Reforms with Majority Voting (co-authored with Pravin Krishna); Unilateralism in Trade Policy: A Survey of Alternative Political-Economy Approaches (co-authored with Pravin Krishna); Endogenous Trade Policy through Majority Voting: An Empirical Investigation (co-authored with Pushan Dutt); Political Ideology and Endogenous Trade Policy: An Empirical Investigation (co-authored with Pushan Dutt); Labor versus Capital in Trade Policy: The Role of Ideology and Inequality (co-authored with Pushan Dutt); Can We Obtain Realistic Parameter Estimates for the "Protection for Sale Model"? (co-authored with Dimitrios Thomakos and Mehmet Ulubasoglu); "Protection for Sale" in a Developing Country: Democracy vs. Dictatorship (co-authored with Dimitrios Thomakos and Mehmet Ulubasoglu); On the Endogenous Choice between Protection and Promotion; Protection vs. Promotion: An Empirical Investigation (co-authored with Dimitrios Thomakos and Mehmet Ulubasoglu).

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Book SynopsisIndia's financial sector has undergone significant changes following the start of the economic liberalization in the early 1990s. In addition to providing important information on monetary and financial issues in India, this book also provides examples to analyze a developing economy by using macro-financial data. The book also focuses on three main topics, that is, monetary policy, financial markets and finance-poverty nexus, and provides new insights into these issues by applying some recently developed quantitative techniques.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Monetary Policy in India: Past, Present and Future: Money Demand Stability and Monetary Targeting; Multiple Indicator Approach as the Present Policy Framework; Has the Taylor-Rule Worked in India?: The Applicability of Inflation Targeting; Financial Market in India: Stock Market: Causal Relationship between Stock Returns and FIIs Investment; Commodity Market: Market Efficiency of Commodity Futures; Foreign Exchange Market: What Explains Exchange Rage Fluctuations?; Central Bank Intervention and Exchange Rate Movements; Finance Development and Poverty Alleviation in India: Financial Deepening and Poverty Alleviation; Financial Permeation and Poverty Alleviation; Concluding Remarks.

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Book SynopsisThe world seems divided to either applaud or fear the rise of China, but this book probes deeper by investigating three aspects of the phenomenon in detail: 1) the institutional dilemmas of the prosperity as it integrates Asian authoritarianism with globalizing capitalism to create economic accomplishments; 2) the political struggles alongside the prosperity as Chinese citizens begin to demand equality, rights, and justice that might be viewed to disturb the continuity of stability and development; and 3) the global implications entailed by the prosperity — not only in power politics, war and peace, or competitions among nations, but especially on global public goods termed “human security”. Articles included here combine political economic analyses, lens with historical depth, and global concerns to add a perspective that highlights the “paradoxes” of prosperity surrounding the ongoing debate on the rise of China and its global ramifications.Readers will find an analysis that goes beyond the dichotomy viewing the rise of China either in positive or negative perspectives. Investigations on the internal dilemmas and the global implications of the rise of China are well-situated in the historical context of China's own search for modernization since the late 19th century. This is one of the few books in which China's rise is examined from a global perspective, rather than from a national perspective (of China, the United States or any other specific nation) — a global perspective that addresses the challenges facing all human societies with the rise of China.Table of ContentsPart I - Political Dilemmas: Protests against Prosperity: The Recurring Chinese Dilemma of Economic Achievement versus Political Discontent; Who Gets What through China's Globalizing? The Politics of Authoritarian-Capitalist Integration; Socialist China? Capitalist China? Social Tension and Political Adaptation under Globalization; From the Great Rock to the Eastern Islet: The Politics of Citizen Engagement and Local Governance in China; Muddling Through Crises: China in 2009; Dilemmas of "Scientific Development": China in 2010; Construction and Corruption: High-Speed Rail in China; Development as Anti-Freedom: A Political Economy of China's Economic Prosperity; Politics against Science: Reflections on the Study of Chinese Politics in Contemporary China; Part II - Battles for Change: Information Technologies, Public Space, and Collective Action in China; In the Name of Good Governance: E-Government, Internet Pornography, and Political Censorship in China; The Birth of Sophisticated Propaganda: The Party-State and the Chinese Media in Capitalist Authoritarian Politics; Institutional, Informative, and Interactive Dynamics of Sovereignty: Hong Kong's Political Influence over China; Identity, Sovereignty, and Economic Penetration: Beijing's Responses to Offshore Chinese Democracies; Legacies for the Future: Zhao Ziyang's Implications for China's Political Change; Zhao Ziyang and China's Transition from Communism; Democracy and Rule of Law in Zhao Ziyang's Political Reform; Debating Political Reform: Societal Pressures and Leadership Responses; Part III - Global Implications: The Peaceful Emergence of a Great Power?; A Shadow over Western Democracies: China's Political Usage of Economic Power; From Post-Imperial to Late Communist Nationalism: Historical Change in Chinese Nationalism from May Fourth to the 1990s; International Multilateralism with Chinese Characteristics: Attitude Changes, Policy Imperatives, and Regional Impacts; Multiple Levels of Multilateralism: The Rising China in the Turbulent World; Human Security Challenges with China: Why and How the Rise of China Makes the World Vulnerable.

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Book SynopsisThis volume is about the political economy of Deng Xiaoping's Nanxun (tour of South China), which was the most critical phase in China's reform and development since 1978. The first round of Deng's reform resulted in high growth through the 1980s. However, it created a messy half-reformed economy with many problems, including the Tiananmen incident. The immediate aftermath of the Tiananmen was collapse of economic growth and reform deadlock. To break out from this low-level “reform-growth trap”, Deng decided to launch the Nanxun, not just to reignite the reform but also to complete China's march towards a market economy. Looking back, the Nanxun led to the most crucial reform breakthrough, which, in turn, sparked off a dynamic reform-growth-nexus for China's eventual economic take-off.The chapters in this volume were originally “policy reports” on China, meant for the Singapore government. These reports were written based on the information available at that time, and reflected the prevailing political mood.Each chapter is accompanied by a detailed introduction that is aimed at providing a broad background for readers to better understand the Nanxun period. The introduction also serves as a post-evaluation of the events based on new information, and shows how those events have evolved over the years. In combination, these chapters should piece together a reasonably realistic picture of the basic politics and economics of the crucial Nanxun period.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Background Chapters: China's Per-capita GNP/GDP at the Beginning of Economic Reform; Deng's Entrepreneurial Approach to Economic Reform; The Politics and Economics of Deng's Nanxun: The 7th Party Plenum 1990 and the Continuing Post-Tiananmen Political Stalemate Over Reform; What is in the Surname, She or Zi: The Post-Tiananmen Ideological Discord; Economic Upsurge in1992: An Immediate Nanxun Effect; What Was Accomplished in Economic Reform in 1994; Soft-Landing of the Economy in1995: The Nanxun Political Climate; China's Ninth Five-Year Plan, 1996 - 2000; Agricultural and Rural Development: The Quiet Industrial Revolution in the Chinese Countryside: Township and Village Enterprises (TVEs); Why Deng Was So Concerned About Agriculture; Open-Door Policy: Progress in Foreign Trade Reform; China and the GATT; China and the World Trade Organization; Southeast Asian Ethnic Chinese Investing in China.

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Book SynopsisThe papers brought together in this volume represent a decade of advances in the historical political economy of defence, dictatorship, and warfare. They address defining events and institutions of the world in the twentieth century: economic consequences of repression and violence, the outcomes of two world wars, and the rise and fall of communism. They cross traditional disciplinary boundaries, combining a broad sweep with close attention to measurement and narrative detail; offering insights into these issues from economics, history, political science, and statistics; and demonstrating in action the value of a multi-disciplinary approach.The author was one of the first economists to leverage the opening of former Soviet archives. He has led international projects that reinvented the quantitative economics of the two world wars and contributed significantly to historical Soviet studies. In 2012, he shared with Andrei Markevich the Russian National Prize for Applied Economics, which was awarded in recognition of their research.Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Economics of Conflict and Coercion; War and Disintegration, 1914 - 1945; Why the Wealthy Won: Mobilisation and Economic Development in Two World Wars; Why Didn't the Soviet Economy Collapse in 1942?; The Frequency of Wars; Soviet Industry and the Red Army Under Stalin: A Military-Industrial Complex?; Contracting for Quality under a Dictator: The Soviet Defense Market, 1930 - 1950; A Soviet Quasi-Market for Inventions: Jet Propulsion, 1932 - 1946; The Political Economy of a Soviet Military R&D Failure: Steam Power for Aviation, 1932 - 1939; The Fundamental Problem of Command: Plan and Compliance in a Partially Centralised Economy; Accumulation and Labor Coercion Under Late Stalinism; Economic Information in the Life and Death of the Soviet Command System; Coercion, Compliance, and the Collapse of the Soviet Command Economy.

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Book SynopsisGiven its geographical proximity to Asia and its close alliance with the West, Australia, amid the rise of Asian economies, needs to re-formulate its policies on trade, investment and security. Over the years, in making decisions on issues relating to trade, investment and security, the Australian government has often resorted to the notion of 'national interest'. This book attempts to analyse ‘national interest’ from the perspectives of economics, finance, international trade, foreign direct investment, international relations, energy resources, and migration in the context of Australia in the Asian century.Currently, there are no multidisciplinary books on the Australian ‘national interest’. This book fills the gap with a broad and integrated approach in examining the subject. Academics, researchers, and students of various disciplines (such as economics, finance, international relations, international trade, foreign direct investment and Asian studies), policy advisors, government agencies, financial institutions, and trade law practitioners from around the world will find this book useful and stimulating.Table of ContentsAustralia's Trade, Investment And Security in the Asian Century; Hard Choices: Defining Australia's National Interest in the Asian Century; Between Two and Half Giants in Pursuit of the Asian Prosperity: Dilemmas of Australia's National Security Strategy; 'National Interest' and Tectonic Change: The Case of Australia and Asia; National Interest in Trade and Investment Agreements - Protecting the Health of Australians; Shepperton Preserving Company, the Tomato Processing Industry and the National Interest; 'National Interest' and Australian and Chinese Investment Law and Policy; Investment Disputes and Australia's National Interest - A Precarious Balance; Defining Australian National Interests in Regulating Foreign Investments; Australia's National Interest in Supplying Gas Resources to the Asian Markets; Is Australia's Foreign Investment Policy in the National Interest?; People Movements and the 'National Interest' International Migration and Australia's National Interest in the Asian Century; Achieving Financial Stability through Financial Market Integration with Asia; Regulating Australia's Financial Stability in the National Interest; Balancing Australia's National Interests; Responsible International Citizenry in the Asian Century - Why Failure to Meet International Obligations Adversely Affects Australian National Interests; National Interest in an Increasingly Globalised World;

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Book SynopsisThis book contains the proceedings of the international workshop on global sustainability held in Benevento, Italy, on February 2014. The proceedings consist of 10 invited and contributed papers related to the broad range of aspects of sustainability in a global scenario including food safety, monitoring, soil mapping, healthcare, territorial intelligence, local food production, greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy sources, integrated development, sustainability strategies, “smart” bio-territories, replete with case studies. This book aims to provide the perspective of the diverse problems in global sustainability, and the many disciplines that could work together in achieving it. The workshop itself led to the signing of international agreements for the protection and enhancement of endangered species in the area of North Africa.Table of ContentsA Greater Sustainability is Possible (Carmine Nardone and Maria Luisa Varricchio); The "New" Development of Renewable Energy Sources in the World. A Potential Path Towards Global Sustainability (Carlo Sinatra); Global Sustainable and Integrated Development. The Case of Global Sustainable and Social Energy Program - GSSEP Onlus (Carlo Sinatra); A Proposal for Advanced Services and Data Processing Aiming at the Territorial Intelligence Development (Salvatore Rampone and Gianni D'Angelo); Visible-near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy for Field Scale Digital Soil Mapping. A Case Study (Antonio P Leone, Fulvio Fragnito, Giovanni Morelli, Maurizio Tosca, Natalia Leone, Massimo Bilancia and Maria Luisa Varricchio); Mediterranean Agency for Remote Sensing and Environmental Control: Satellite Monitoring and Mapping (Roberto Tartaglia Polcini); Evaluation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions of E-commerce (Valerio Morfino, Alessandro Perrella and Salvatore Rampone); Pre-feasibility Study "Save the Camels" (Maria Luisa Varricchio and Carmine Nardone); A Food Safety and Traceability System Based on RFID Technology and Internet of Things (Gianni D'Angelo, Gianfranco De Luca and Salvatore Rampone); WTC (We Take Care) Experimental Smartphone App to Follow-up and Take Care of Patients with Chronic Infectious Disease: Which Impact on Patients Life Style? (Alessandro Perrella and Valerio Morfino); Global Sustainability for a World of 'Smart' Bio-territories (Donato Matassino);

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Book SynopsisThe cases of Singapore and Switzerland present a fascinating puzzle: how have two small states achieved similar levels of success through divergent pathways? Are both approaches equally sustainable, and what lessons do they hold for each other? While Singapore is the archetypal developmental state, whose success can be attributed to strong political leadership and long-term planning, Switzerland's success is a more organic process, due to the propitious convergence of strong industries and a resilient citizenry. Yet throughout the course of their development, both countries have had to deal with the dual challenges of culturally heterogeneous populations and challenging regional contexts. Edited by Yvonne Guo and Jun Jie Woo, with forewords from Ambassadors Thomas Kupfer and Tommy Koh, Singapore and Switzerland: Secrets to Small State Success features contributions from distinguished scholars and policymakers who explore the dynamics of two small states which have topped international rankings in a dazzling array of policy areas, from economic competitiveness to education to governance, but whose pathways to success could not be more different.Table of ContentsIntroduction and Background; Public Administration; Foreign Policy; Trade Policy; Financial Sector Policy; Government-Linked Companies; SME Policy; Education Policy; Language and Cultural Policy; Immigration Policy; Inequality and its Implications; Conclusion;

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Book SynopsisJohn Stuart Mill: Political Economist is a revised version of the part of Samuel Hollander's The Economics of John Stuart Mill (1985) treating the theory of economic policy. In this book, Professor Hollander offers a critical yet sympathetic analysis of Mill's quest to accomplish thorough reform of capitalism in the interest of distributive justice while protecting the security of property and contemplating the potential evolution of capitalism into cooperative organization. Part I of the book serves as an introduction to the investigation of Mill's theory of economic policy; Parts II and III include Mill's primary policy recommendations; while Part IV adds a substantial 'Overview and Evaluation' reviewing the author's main conclusions. A major concern is Mill's perception of the composition of the 'greatest number' whose interests are to be considered by policy-makers; here arises his attitude towards British Imperialism. The author then undertakes thematic comparisons between the positions of Mill and those of Smith, Ricardo, Malthus, Marx and Bernstein; and closes with a rejection of the celebrated criticism of Mill's 'liberalism' by Friedrich Hayek.Table of ContentsEconomic Theory and Policy; The 'Greatest Happiness' Principle; Social Organization; The Market and the State; Welfare; Property Rights, Land Reform, and Public Finance; Stabilization; The Utilitarian Maximand I: Value Judgments; The Utilitarian Maximand II: On Imperialism and Related Issues; The Intellectual Context I: Thematic Comparisons; The Intellectual Context II: Hayek and Mill; Appendices: An Exercise in Deductive Method: Agricultural Protection; Administrative Recommendations: Public Health and Poor Relief; On the Education Act 1870: The Denominational Problem; Hayekian Intervention Elaborated and Mill Parallels;

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Book SynopsisSince the beginning of the 21st century, China's energy diplomacy has been expanding rapidly and the country is searching for energy resources worldwide. This movement has not only improved China's energy security and international relations, but also enabled the Chinese national oil companies (NOCs) to access new investment markets and implement development strategies. The Chinese government and the NOCs need each other's support to realise their respective interests. The interaction between the government and the NOCs will have a critical influence on China's energy diplomacy. The Domestic Dynamics of China's Energy Diplomacy explores the long-neglected domestic dynamics of China's energy diplomacy, in particular the interaction of national and corporate interests. It argues that the convergence of national and corporate interests is the key momentum of China's energy diplomacy. It observes that the government-NOC relationship has been evolving with China's economic and enterprise reform. Finally, it tests the empirical evidence of the domestic dynamics of China's energy diplomacy against the three mainstream international political economy theories, showing their merits and shortcomings in explaining the phenomenon, before providing an alternative conceptualisation of the movement.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Why Domestic Dynamics Matter; Conceptualising the Interaction of National and Corporate Interests; China's Energy Shortage; Beijing's Energy Diplomacy and Chinese NOCs' Overseas Expansion; National Interests and Corporate Interests Behind China's Energy Diplomacy; Interaction Between the Government and the NOCs; Chinese Discourses of Energy Security; Conclusion: Whither China's Energy Diplomacy?;

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Book SynopsisThe Economics of International Migration is a collection of the fundamental articles written by Giovanni Peri on the economic determinants and consequences of international migration. These papers have provided the theoretical framework and empirical analysis for a rethinking of the economics of migration, going beyond the Canonical model of labor demand and supply used until the 1990s. Beginning with a simple model that recognizes the differences between immigrants and natives as workers, the articles develop the analysis of complementarity, specialization and productivity effect of immigrants in developed economies. The book then presents a series of papers analyzing and testing the economic motivation for international migration. Finally, the focus is shifted to the effect of immigration policies and their consequences on immigration and the economy.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Immigrants and the Economy, A Starting Point; Immigrants and Labor Markets: Rethinking the Effect of Immigration on Wages (G I P Ottaviano and G Peri); Task Specialization, Immigration and Wages (G Peri and C Sparber); Immigration, Offshoring and American Jobs (G I P Ottaviano, G Peri and G C Wright); Immigration, Jobs and Labor Market Institutions: Evidence from Europe (F D'Amuri and G Peri); The Labor Market Effects of Immigration and Emigration in OECD Countries (F Docquier, C Ozden and G Peri); Immigrants and Productivity: The Economic Value of Cultural Diversity: Evidence from US Cities (G I P Ottaviano and G Peri); The Effect of Immigration on Productivity: Evidence from US States (G Peri); STEM Workers, H1B Visas and Productivity in US Cities (G Peri, K Shih and C Sparber); Openness and Income: The Roles of Trade and Migration (F Ortega and G Peri); Immigration Policies and Migrant Mobility: The Effect of Income and Immigration Policies on International Migrations (F Ortega and G Peri); The Cross-Country Determinants of Potential and Actual Migration (F Docquier, G Peri and I Ruyssen);

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Book SynopsisSince the emergence of climate and global warming onto the international agenda, research in sustainability has been underpinned by the development in energy and environmental science. Highlighted 30 years ago by the Brundtland Commission, 'sustainable development' was defined as: meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This has very much defined the scope and aims of this conference.This conference proceedings book contains the selected papers presented in the 2015 International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD2015) held in September 25-27, 2015, in Wuhan, Hubei, China. The conference positions itself as an international forum for researchers all over the world to come together to share and discuss their findings and contributions in all aspects of sustainability; including theory, methodology and applications covering a wide spectrum of topics and issues. The conference proceedings put together a total of 119 papers in sustainable development, covering issues in environmental, energy, and economical aspects of the subjects.Table of ContentsSustainable Agriculture; Sustainable Energy; Sustainable Urban and Rural Development; Ecologically Sustainable Development; Economic & Environmental Policy & Sustainable Development; Pollution and Environmental Protection; Environmental Materials; Technology for Resource Development and Protection; Environmental Science and Engineering;

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Book SynopsisLocation Analysis in Simple Economic Activity Stage.- Background and Contents of Analysis in Part I.-Factory Location in Plane Space.- Locational Influence of Competition Modes in Spatial Market.- Factory Location in Circumference Space.- Location Analysis of Economic Activities in the Globalization Era.- Background and Contents of Analysis in Part II.- Structural Change of Sales and Production In Region by the Globalization.- Changes in Sales and in Production Activity.- Expanding Opportunity for Government Intervention.- Working of Agglomeration Economies in the Matured Globalization Era.- Contents of Analysis in Part III.- Classification of Regional Economy by Indexes of Connection Economies.- Derivation of Characteristics of Classified Regional Economies.- Possibility of Technology-Centered Agglomeration in Rural Region.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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