is worth buying and worth reading although somehow technical.
Average customer rating:
- A Network Approach to Deal with Global Conflicts
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Stabilizing and Integrating the Balkans: Economic Analysis of the Stability Pact, EU Reforms and International Organizations (American and European Economic and Political Studies)
Paul J.J. Welfens
Manufacturer: Springer
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ASIN: 3540417753 |
Book Description
There is a complex challenge of economic recovery and reconstruction given long-term economic deterioration and war-related destruction in the Balkans. The Balkan Stability Pact stands for a networked approach of international organizations to deal with these problems. The analysis critically looks into strategies, actors, and preliminary results. There are shortcomings and inconsistencies and there is some potential for transatlantic conflicts over the issue of burden sharing. There is also a risk of EU imperial overstretch facing eastern and south-eastern EU enlargement.
Customer Reviews:
A Network Approach to Deal with Global Conflicts.......2001-10-23
"Stabilizing and Integrating the Balkans" is an extremely insightful and timely analysis of how-in a globalized world-national governments and international organizations can form a network to deal with regional conflicts. As the foundation for his analysis, Paul Welfens describes the conditions in the Balkans at the end of the Kosovo War and analyzes how the international community has tried to create the conditions for sustained economic growth and political stability in the region. In addition to providing relevant and detailed economic, political, and institutional information, Paul Welfens looks critically at the key actors of the Stability Pact. The book shows that the approached used in the Balkans could become a model for future cooperation among national governments and international organizations to deal with similar political and economic challenges in other parts of the world. Paul Welfens, however, also identifies inconsistencies that should be overcome. Areas of particular concern are the future transatlantic relationship between Europe and the U.S. as well as the enlargement of the European Union.
While the book focuses on the Balkans in the aftermath of the Kosovo crisis, the reader cannot avoid asking the question of how the experiences from the Balkans could also be used to overcome political instability and poor economic conditions in other conflict regions of the world. For example, in the aftermath of the events in the U.S. on September 11, the international community is confronted with a volatile situation in Afghanistan and the surrounding countries such as Pakistan and India. In many respect, a network approach similar to that in the Balkans will be required to stabilize the conditions in that part of the world as well.
The book is an extremely valuable source for anybody interested in the Balkans. However, it appeals to an even larger audience and is very useful for economic policymakers as well as political scientists. It is highly recommended.
Average customer rating:
- disappointing
- Timely thoughts from a real economist
- Very Good thoughts on the eve of the Millennium
- A devastating critique of neoliberalism
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The Globalisation of Poverty: Impacts of Imf and World Bank Reforms
Michel Chossudovsky
Manufacturer: Zed Books
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1856494012 |
Customer Reviews:
disappointing.......2004-05-31
This book is often thought-provoking, but ultimately too shallow. Too many of its conclusions are just stated without enough justification. Although not quite as quick to read, Stiglitz' "Globalization and its discontents" goes much deeper and has a more balanced point of view.
Timely thoughts from a real economist.......2000-03-28
Free thinking economists such as Mr Chossudovsky are few and far between. Please take the time to read about the reality of what we have been lured into.
Very Good thoughts on the eve of the Millennium.......1999-10-27
These are some wonderful thougts that have stimulated my mind into asking the question "CanAfricansThink?".This book exposes the disguise of mainstream economics which leaves human society's precious values at the hands of economic lust.All Africans need to know about this big con job being operated under the disguise of macro economics.
A devastating critique of neoliberalism.......1999-05-02
Looking at case studies from around the developing world, backed up with a strong theoretical analysis of the IMF and World Bank's role in the international economy, the globalisation of poverty brings the reader to one stark conclusion: 'Poverty is an input on the supply side, (of the global economy.)' Particularly interesting is Chossudovsky's explanation of the economic 'miracle' of Vietnam, while his analysis of the Yugoslav disaster, co-sponsored by the IMF and international financial investors, is very timely indeed. As Chossudovsky explains, the IMF and World Bank reforms have not merely suppressed populist and socialist economic measures and achievements; they have also prevented the development of national capitalisms, by creating economies directed towards the needs of the capitalist core states, rather than to the national market. For those harbouring any illusions about the economic order which governs humanity at the end of this century, this book is a necessary read. It's a pity that Chossudovsky works at the University of Ottawa and not the LSE, an institution that definitely needs realistic economists like him.
Product Description
Judicial Systems in Transition Economies looks at the experience of countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltics (CEE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as they reform their legal and judicial institutions to fit the needs of a market economy. The study shows, rather disturbingly, that less progress has been made in judicial reform than in most other areas of institutional reform in these countries. The transition from socialism to capitalism requires a fundamental reorientation of legal and judicial institutions. This study reviews the environment preceding reforms, forces that provoked and supported them, and the reform agendas undertaken in these countries since 1990. Against this background, it exposes the impact of reforms, implementation gaps, and the underlying determinants of success and failure. The report examines how courts have performed, and reveals their impact on public opinion and the business environment. It provides insight into linkages among reforms as well as linkages between reforms and public demand for a fair judiciary. The authors show that while each country presents different challenges and opportunities, certain lessons apply in most settings. Their insights and data would be useful to policy makers, judicial personnel, and those involved in reforming judiciaries. The study draws on numerous data sources. These include the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD, the American Bar Association¡VCentral European and Eurasian Law Initiative (ABA¡VCEELI), the World Values Survey, the World Economic Forum, and the University of Strathclyde.
Download Description
"Judicial Systems in Transition Economies looks at the experience of countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltics (CEE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as they reform their legal and judicial institutions to fit the needs of a market economy. The study shows, rather disturbingly, that less progress has been made in judicial reform than in most other areas of institutional reform in these countries. The transition from socialism to capitalism requires a fundamental reorientation of legal and judicial institutions. This study reviews the environment preceding reforms, forces that provoked and supported them, and the reform agendas undertaken in these countries since 1990. Against this background, it exposes the impact of reforms, implementation gaps, and the underlying determinants of success and failure. The report examines how courts have performed, and reveals their impact on public opinion and the business environment. It provides insight into linkages among reforms as well as linkages between reforms and public demand for a fair judiciary. The authors show that while each country presents different challenges and opportunities, certain lessons apply in most settings. Their insights and data would be useful to policy makers, judicial personnel, and those involved in reforming judiciaries. The study draws on numerous data sources. These include the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD, the American Bar Association-Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (ABA-CEELI), the World Values Survey, the World Economic Forum, and the University of Strathclyde."
Average customer rating:
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Highway and Byways: Studies on Reform and Postcommunist Transition
János Kornai
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0262111985 |
Book Description
Hungarian economist János Kornai first used the metaphor of a single path to postsocialist transition in his earlier book, The Road to a Free Economy. The new metaphor that frames this collection of recent studies reflects a broader perspective and understanding of the complexities of transition: every highway and byway leads eventually to capitalism, Kornai observes, but to what kind, how fast, and at what cost? Who wins and who loses?
Kornai draws from his experiences of Hungarian reform as well as from countries of the former Soviet Union to make several major points. The first three studies describe what went wrong in countries that tried to mix elements of planned and market economies. Efforts made by communist countries to introduce market socialism (the "middle road") contained an inherent contradiction between the logic of socialism and the logic of a free enterprise system, and were doomed to failure.
In the studies that follow, Kornai analyzes the ongoing dilemmas. The transition from communism to free enterprise is filled with daunting hurdles; it requires no less than redefining ownership, changing values concerning the distribution of wealth, transferring the control of political power, creating financial institutions and enforcing financial discipline, and making deep economic sacrifice. Kornai closes with an overall survey of postsocialist transition, describing the stages that countries tend to go through, that will be particuarly useful to scholars of comparative economic systems.
Average customer rating:
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Reinventing Media: Media Policy Reform in East Central Europe (CPS Books)
Manufacturer: Central European University Press
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 9639241490 |
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Ukraine Under Kuchma: Political Reform, Economic Transformation, and Security Policy in Independent Ukraine (Studies in Russian & Eastern European History)
Taras Kuzio
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
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ASIN: 0312176252 |
Book Description
Ukraine under Kuchma: Political Reform, Economic Transformation and Security Policy in Independent Ukraine is the first survey of recent developments in post-soviet Ukraine. The book covers in an in-depth manner the entire range of key developments since the 1994 parliamentary and presidential elections, the first elections held in post-soviet Ukraine. The new era ushered in by these elections led to Ukraine's launch of radical economic and political reforms which aim to domestically dismantle soviet power within Ukraine, stabilise relations with the separatist Crimean region and normalise relations with Russia and the West.
Book Description
Now back in print: George Soros on funding and supporting the kind of grassroots democratic movements that helped bring down oppressive governments throughout the Communist bloc.
George Soros has done more for open societies than any other private citizen in the world. In Underwriting Democracy he describes his experiences helping to bring about democratic change in Eastern Europe--experiences that are especially relevant now that our country has begun to intervene (though in an entirely different way than Soros) to create functioning democracies. Throughout the 1980s George Soros worked to identify and fund the growing political movements that caused the downfall of Eastern Europe's Communist governments. He established foundations, first in his native Hungary, and then in eight other countries, and used them to finance everything from the installation of previously forbidden copying machines in public libraries to the creation of experimental schools, clubs, and workshops for the support of dissidents. This unprecedented, and brilliant, financial and logistical support helped to bring down the communist regimes in peaceful revolutions across the continent. These are thrilling stories about facing down-and getting past-the Communist party powers in order to change these nations from the inside out.
Customer Reviews:
Advocating positive change .......2004-10-12
How can democracy be encouraged among the Soviets and in Eastern Europe? Underwriting Democracy: Encouraging Free Enterprise And Democratic Reform Among The Soviets And In Eastern Europe is a start, advocating positive change and using George Soros' own efforts in eastern Europe to describe how such changes may be fostered. Chapters examine America's foundation network, links between philosophy and practical democratic applications, and how Soros' early foray led to his acclaimed Open Society initiatives.
George Soros Describes His Pro-Democracy Activities.......2004-07-01
Underwriting Democracy is a reprint of the book that first appeared in 1991 as the former Soviet Union was spiraling into oblivion under Gorbachev. In the book, international speculator George Soros (best known for his successful run on the Pound a number of years ago) describes his activities in setting up foundations to encourage democracy in formerly communist countries, his attempts to advise on how to create new democracies in these countries and his philosophy for how thought and action can change the "normal" course of human events (which is to run to harmful extremes).
I have known a number of people who have funded foundations in formerly communist countries and the materials here ring true with what others have told me. There was usually an attempt to subvert the money for other purposes, a bureaucracy had to be avoided and there were many difficulties in putting funds to work in useful ways. Anyone thinking about encouraging governmental reform through nonprofit organizations can learn useful lessons from reading the first part of the book.
Throughout the book, Mr. Soros makes informed guesses about what will follow in each of the former communist countries. I was fascinated to see how well he understood the social and economic forces at the time . . . and how frequently he called the future quite accurately. Fortunately, his worst pessimism about what could happen in the former Soviet Union did not come to pass.
His attempts to help direct reform in the Soviet Union as an advisor come across as very optimistic, determined and naive. But sometimes Don Quixote can produce results where no one else can. He can at least feel good that he tried to help.
The least satisfactory part of the book is his explanation of the theory of reflexivity, which he describes in detail in part three. I think I followed the argument. It could have been stated much more simply and better explained with more government-related examples. The financial market examples are very clear.
At the end, I found myself wondering what nations could be doing today to encourage democracy in other areas where it has not done well. A number of helpful solutions are contained in a new book, Soft Power, which I encourage you to consider.
Soros was convicted of insider trading in 2002.......2004-05-22
Soros was convicted for insider trading in December 2002. He was convicted with the late Robert Maxwell and a few others. Maxwell jump of his huge yacht off of Europe after his billion dollar scam collapsed. Thousands of UK pensioners lost their life savings thanks to Soros pal Maxwell.
Ask quite a few people in Eastern Europe if they want Soros help in encoraging "Democratic Reform." They don't want the help of a convicted criminal.
False Rhetoric.......2004-03-18
Soros argues here that he helped fund democracy in order to 'open up' the economies of the eastern bloc, including Russia. Nevertheless any study of Soros's multi-billion dollar Hedge fund style investments will show that he has not only funded democracy but he has invested heavily in these countries to earn a profit. Keeping democracy alive mostly is in self interest to the Soros pocket book, rather then any benevolent idea of helping the 'people' of Eastern Europe, who mostly remain poor and starving, subjected to terror and mafia style corruption that did not exist under totalitarian Communism. In the end the people of Eastern Europe traded the false-god of Communism for the equally false-god of investment banking and cowboy capitalism, with Soros at the forefront.
A dangerous text full of self obsession and slight of hand regarding Soros's personal investments in these societies, smacking of conflict of interest.
Seth J. Frantzman
Books:
- Enterprise Architecture As Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution
- Evaluating Practice: Guidelines for the Accountable Professional (5th Edition)
- Factory Physics Second Edition
- Financial Markets & Corporate Strategy
- Free to Choose: A Personal Statement
- From Puerto Rico To Philadelphia
- Generation to Generation: Life Cycles of the Family Business
- Global Perspectives: A Handbook for Understanding Global Issues (2nd Edition)
- Handbook on Urban Sustainability
- Havana: An Earl Swagger Novel (Earl Swagger Novels)
Books Index
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Best political economy.......2006-06-16
