Book Description
This book explores political, economic, and social issues common to diverse Third World countries. It stresses the themes of democratization, modernization, and dependency theory, examining the nature of underdevelopment. The text analyzes the major political and socio economic rifts that divide many of these nations and the efforts being made to understand and address these challenges.
Customer Reviews:
Poor writing and lacks originality.......2007-06-28
This is an extremely dry book. There are no maps (which is hard to believe for a political science book/text) and the charts Handelman uses are irrelevant. The writing style is frustrating to follow. Every section is out of chronological order.
My biggest peeve of this book is that Handelman doesn't provide his own research. He basically paraphrases other works and combined them all into a book. Its a cop out way of writing a political science book. None of his ideas are his and he lacks critical analysis necessary for a good political science text.
For example, Handelmann associates modernization with westernization however this isn't necessarily accurate. Many countries modernize without westernizing. To be fair, many of these same countries do absorb few western qualities but after the initial modernization process, they shed any western values. In fact, this produces a sharper anti-western sentiment as these modernized countries believe that westernization is not a necessary component of modernization. Handelmann does not distinguish between modernization and westernization- it is too favorable an argument that lacks critical analysis. Basically, Handelmann is one lazy dude trying to make a quick buck! Don't buy this book. I had it for a political science course and I wanted to throw it in the trask after reading every chapter. If you have to read it for a course then critically analyze Handelmann's arguments because they are all flawed- bonus participation points~
Enlightening........2006-08-20
This was my text for an undergraduate sociology course. Handelman did an exceptional job in presenting the multiple inter-related facets that complicate the development of Third World nations. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the plight of these countries. My only disappointment was his underlyng premise that democracy is the answer. I suspect that is the belief in most of Western society. However, I am not convinced.
to better the understand the third world.......2002-11-20
Handelman provides what the third world has to deal with to become industrialized democracies. He foucses on underdevelopment, democratic changes. religion and politics, ethnic conflict, women in development, agrarian reform, and rapid uranization among other topics. THe book was published recently so it even has some information about 9-11 and its impact.
Good source for third world development.
Great Textbook and Resource Tool.......2002-04-14
I had to read this book for an undergraduate course on the politics of the developing world. It can be difficult to read at times if the reader does not have some understanding of the developing world or the theories that surround their slow development into modernity. Overall it is an wonderful text for building a knowledge base and an excelllent reference tool.
Book Description
The definitive text in its field since 1975, the Seventh Edition continues the timely examination of different economic systems—both in theory and in practice. Gregory and Stuart have revamped the text to mirror major changes within the global economy of the 21st century. In addition to a new title, the book now features more emphasis on transition, the acceleration of globalization, present trading agreements, and recent exchange rate regimes.
Parts I-III lay the groundwork for later comparisons by outlining traditional systems (plan and market) as well as a broad spectrum of system variants. Also, these parts cover the impact of globalization and the emergence of important regional clusters. Parts IV-VI primarily address the era of transition dating from the late 1980s through the 21st century.
- New! An increased emphasis on transition reflects fundamental changes around the world.
- New! The authors have incorporated the latest ideas on privatization, the changing role of the state, and developments in corporate governance.
- New! The discussion of key regional clusters covers Asia, as well as Western and Eastern Europe—giving students a wide variety of case studies for comparison.
- New! The HM ClassPrep with HM Testing 6.0 CD-ROM offers instructors a comprehensive list of support tools, such as PowerPoint slides, lecture outlines, and a customizable test bank.
Customer Reviews:
Great start to IPE theory.......2006-12-18
For those interested in this subsection of IPE this is a great introductory textbook. It highlights the various systems under use and the last third focuses on very interesting phenomena that has been occurring recently, privatization. It is very clearly written and you do not need much background in economics to get a lot out of this book.
Economics Student, Rutgers University.......2003-04-22
This is what every economics textbook should aspire to be: detailed, clear and compelling to read. Perhaps the greatest resource is the notes and extensive suggested readings after each chapter (grouped by topic).
There is however one downside. Since this is such an extraordinary text you may not find too many used editions to purchase. This one's a keeper!
Book Description
Where does the nation-state end and globalization begin? In Territory, Authority, Rights, one of the world's leading authorities on globalization shows how the national state made today's global era possible. Saskia Sassen argues that even while globalization is best understood as "denationalization," it continues to be shaped, channeled, and enabled by institutions and networks originally developed with nations in mind, such as the rule of law and respect for private authority. This process of state making produced some of the capabilities enabling the global era. The difference is that these capabilities have become part of new organizing logics: actors other than nation-states deploy them for new purposes. Sassen builds her case by examining how three components of any society in any age--territory, authority, and rights--have changed in themselves and in their interrelationships across three major historical "assemblages": the medieval, the national, and the global.
The book consists of three parts. The first, "Assembling the National," traces the emergence of territoriality in the Middle Ages and considers monarchical divinity as a precursor to sovereign secular authority. The second part, "Disassembling the National," analyzes economic, legal, technological, and political conditions and projects that are shaping new organizing logics. The third part, "Assemblages of a Global Digital Age," examines particular intersections of the new digital technologies with territory, authority, and rights.
Sweeping in scope, rich in detail, and highly readable, Territory, Authority, Rights is a definitive new statement on globalization that will resonate throughout the social sciences.
Customer Reviews:
An ambitious undertaking.......2007-02-06
Famous Chicago sociologist, Saskia Sassen, returns with an ambitious new book on cities as the main locus of globalization. Despite being quite long (almost 500 pages!), it's quite an engaging reading. For someone interested in expanding his/her knowledge on the various facets of the process of globalization, including its economic, political and cultural dimensions, this volume is a must. In particular, I found very persuasive the way Sassen combines historical analysis with the most up-to-date reflection on modernity - the subtitle, "From Medieval to Global Assemblages", couldn't more accurate a description of what this book is really about.
Book Description
This is a genuinely comparative study of the different trajectories and experiences of independent African states. It addresses the differential legacies of British, French, Portuguese, Belgian and Spanish colonialism as well as the unique qualities of imperial Ethiopia and Liberia. Paul Nugent analyses boundary problems, the reshaping of territorial structures and the contrasting ideological paths followed by civilian and military regimes. The book ends with a look at the interplay between structural adjustment, ethnicity, democratization and the impact of NGOs. A state-level perspective is balanced by a sensitivity to popular culture.
Customer Reviews:
Achieving the Impossible: A Successful African History Survey.......2005-08-29
Paul Nugent has written one of the most impressive single-volume texts on African history--with a good chance that it is the best. This book reads smoothly while covering a vast continental terrain, including north Africa; and explores issues, questions, episodes in great depth. Nugent is able to handle complexity without drowning the reader in it. Perhaps, though, the most impressive aspect of this volume is Nugent's careful judgment. He also offers new themes to consider. For maps, charts, statistics, lists, the book is also excellent. It took a long time for this to be produced says the author. It was time well-spent. From the 1950s to now, Africa has never been treated better. The book is fresh.
Book Description
Lives at Risk identifies 20 myths about health care as delivered in countries that have national health insurance. These myths have gained the status of fact in both the United States and abroad, even though the evidence shows a far different reality. The authors also explore the political and economic climate of the health care system and offer alternatives to the current health care public policies.
Customer Reviews:
A humbling read........2007-10-21
I spent a few months reading various writings on health care systems and trying to clean up the trash heap that is all Wikipedia articles on the topic. I thought I had a good grip on what was going on around the world. I was wrong.
Lives at Risk presents a crystal clear picture of the health care industry in the US, UK, and Canada. It exposes the economic and political factors that have caused decreasing performance and increasing costs in all three countries. Finally, Lives at Risk makes a recommendation for a way to do things better.
This book lays it all out in short, easy chapters supported by copious references for those who want to know more.
Idael Health Care vs. Universal Health Care.......2007-08-11
I learn that Ideal Health Care might be more effective than Univerisal Health Care. In addition, Manage Care & Single Payer Care have too many pit falls.
Health Care .......2007-05-22
Goodman and associates provide a valuable alternative look inside the single-payer, national, universal access health systems of Europe and Canada. This book is long overdue.
I teach a college class in comparative health systems that contrasts the U.S. health system with those of other nations and I use this book as an alternative text. I warn students that it is a polemic; Goodman is on a mission. But since the great mass of academic texts are written by professors in love with Europe and in contempt of the U.S. failure to insure 43 million citizens, this book is a welcome splash of cold water in the face.
The problem is that neither Europe nor the U.S. have solved moral hazard. As long as government, or our tax-subsidized employer, is pre-paying our healthcare, and we can leave your wallet at home and demand all the tests and treatments we are allowed, we are in trouble. It is a big Las Vegas buffet and we are all high-rollers pigging out and over-eating because the tab is on the house.
The result will be disaster in Europe as the aging population increases its demands on a limited supply of younger workers. The disaster in the U.S., with Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid already on track to consume the entire federal budget, is well publicized.
Goodman solution is a revamped Health Savings Account (HSAs) that make each of us responsible.
Whether agree that HSAs are the answer, or prefer some other approach, read this book. Racing to establish universal entitlement is a recipe for univeral disaster.
too much rethoric about free market.......2006-03-03
this is very interesting book providing a huge amount of useful data about different health systems in the world, although the presentation is scattered, irregular and according to the Authors` design, more than to a planned and rational description. Their interpretation of the data provided is not always acceptable. They use the old tactic of attributing something false to the enemy to attack it. They create a "myth" about national health sysems whcih nobody ever stated or believed and they used it to show the weakness of NHS. After completing the book I was even more convinced of the benefit of health systems such as those existing in Europe and in canada compared to the US. Their critique by the Authors might indeed be useful in spotting their limitations ( obody says they are perfect) and correcting them
How Sould Health Care Be Funded And Distributed?.......2005-06-03
Is it the mess we have now, single-payer or something else? Health care and health insurance are not delivered effectively to all Americans in the framework of the free enterprise system. I am a big believer in the markets and the free enterprise system for most services and most products. However, health care and health insurance do not fit for many reasons in free markets. There must be a better way to be care for the health of our people.
Health Insurance Companies cherry pick the most healthy people to insure and try to avoid all persons who do not fit into the category of most healty. Therefore, the folks that need health care the most in order to function properly in our free markets have the most difficult time obtaining health insurance.
Average customer rating:
|
A Fistful of Rubles: The Rise and Fall of the Russian Banking System
Juliet Johnson
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Economic History
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Macroeconomics
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Public Finance
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Banks & Banking
| Industries & Professions
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Russia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Non-US Legal Systems
| Perspectives on Law
| Law
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Business & Investing
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 080143744X |
Book Description
After the breakup of the USSR, it briefly appeared as though Russia's emerging commercial banks might act as engines of growth for a new capitalist economy. However, despite more than a decade of "reforms," Russia's financial system collapsed in 1998. Why had ambitious efforts to decentralize and liberalize the banking industry failed? In A Fistful of Rubles, Juliet Johnson offers the first comprehensive look at how Russia's banks, once expected to revitalize the nation's economy, instead became one of the largest obstacles to its recovery.
Drawing on interviews with Russian bankers, policymakers, and entrepreneurs, Johnson traces the evolution of the banking system from 1987 through the aftermath of the 1998 crash. She describes how dysfunctional institutional procedures left over from the Soviet period hindered the subsequent development of sound financial practices. Johnson argues that these legacies, along with misguided, Western-inspired liberalization policies, led to the creation of parasitic banks for which success depended on political connections rather than on investment strategies. Johnson demonstrates that banking reform efforts ultimately did more harm than good, because Russian officials and their international advisers failed to build the corresponding economic, legal, and political institutions upon which modern market behavior depends.
Book Description
When and why have employers supported the development of institutions of social insurance that provide benefits to workers for various employment-related risks? What factors explain the variation in the social policy preferences of employers? This book provides a systematic evaluation of the role played by business in the development of the modern welfare state. Isabela Mares studies these critical questions and demonstrates that major social policies were adopted by cross-class alliances comprising labor-based organizations and key sectors of the business community.
Book Description
This volume is a successor of sorts to an earlier study, Toward Renewed Economic Growth in Latin America (Institute for International Economics; 1986), which blazed the trail for the market-oriented economic reforms that were adopted in Latin America in the subsequent years. It again presents the work of a group of leading economists (*) who were asked to think about the nature of the economic policy agenda that the region should be pursuing after the better part of a decade that was punctuated by crises, achieved disappointingly slow growth, and saw no improvement in the region's highly skewed income distribution. It diagnoses the first-generation (liberalizing and stabilizing) reforms that are still lacking, the complementary second-generation (institutional) reforms that are necessary to provide the institutional infrastructure of a market economy with an egalitarian bias, and the new initiatives that are needed to crisis-proof the economies of the region to end its perpetual series of crises.
(*) Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (Minister of Finance of Peru), Nancy Birdsall (President, Center for Global Development), Miguel Szekely (Mexico), Ricardo Lopez Murphy (Argentina), Jaime Saavedra (Peru), Claudio de Moura Castro (Brazil), Liliana Rojas-Suarez (Peru), Andres Velasco (Harvard), and Roberto Bouzas (Argentina).
Customer Reviews:
An excellent book for students of international economics........2003-06-14
The book is composed of 11 essays concerning what went wrong, what went right, and what is to be learned from the last decades of economic policy in Latin America. I myself am a new-comer to international economics and I found the essays to be rich sources of information and insight.
This book marks a partial shift in the debate on economic development from an emphasis on growth as an engine for the reduction of poverty, to an emphasis on stability and a more equitable distribution of wealth as an engine for growth. This introduces somewhat heterodoxical arguments for minimizing dollarization and in favor of capital controls. Clearly, the co-editor that had coined the term "The Washington Consensus" has seen the need to amend the 90's program.
For the layman this book may be a bit dense. For the student of international economics, a must read.
Average customer rating:
- Kelso
- How to save capitalism
- Ivory tower view.
- The Ownership Solution succeeds brilliantly....
- Cornucopia of philosophical and practical ideas.
|
The Ownership Solution Toward a Shared Capitalism for the 21st Century
Jeff Gates , and
Jeffrey R. Gates
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Policy & Current Events
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Free Enterprise
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Sustainable Development
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Theory
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Democracy at Risk: Rescuing Main Street from Wall Street
ASIN: 0738201316 |
Amazon.com
Capitalism may have taken over the bulk of the modern world, writes highly regarded government and industry consultant Jeff Gates, but in its current incarnation it has created such dramatic inequities of wealth and power that more individuals than ever now feel detached from its inherent benefits and distrustful of its potential goals. In his revolutionary new book, The Ownership Solution: Toward a Shared Capitalism for the 21st Century, Gates outlines a wide-ranging plan to reverse this increasingly universal condition--and the result is a specific blueprint that, he argues, could easily be adopted around the globe. After bluntly describing precisely how things got to be the way they are, he straightforwardly explains how they could be reengineered to provide broad-based prosperity and true security for the disenfranchised in the U.S. and elsewhere (such as Europe, China, Latin America, and South Africa). Based on the premise that "contemporary capitalism is not designed to create capitalists, but to finance capital," Gates shows how today's "institutionalized indifference to the common good" might be reversed by public and private effort so that people and communities can regain control over their fates and subsequently work together for everyone's improved economic vitality. --Howard Rothman
Book Description
A bold and practical vision of how broad-based personal ownership can strengthen communities, businesses, and individuals
Capitalism now reigns triumphant-but in the process has created dramatic inequalities of wealth and left many individuals feeling disconnected. Backed by enthusiastic support from a wide array of legislators, corporate leaders, Nobel laureates, environmentalists, and social and political activists, The Ownership Solution shows how to humanize and localize free enterprise by using ownership as a means for engaging more people in its design.
Customer Reviews:
Kelso.......2007-06-26
Although it's archaic, I recommend an article called "Karl Marx - The ALMOST Capitalist" by Louis Kelso. Kelso praises Marx's intentions, and some of his insights, which would include the creation of the word "capitalism". He faults Marx for his reliance on Ricardo, and on their labor theory of value. Of course value -- what people will pay -- is determined by market forces and personal preference (more so with web-shopping), NOT by the number of man-hours required.
Further, Man (and woman), clumsy and inefficient compared to machines, are being rapidly obsoleted by systems that can think as well as build. WORK is becoming obsolete. Production and even Over-Production can be increasingly accomplished without workers ... but who will buy these products if most people must rely primarly on non-existent jobs for income streams? It's a logjam of prosperity!
Kelso points out that Marx was wrong about labor, Capital itself produces "surplus" value, just as labor does, but Capital (machines and systems) are primarily owned by a very small minority with access to credit or pre-existing wealth. However, while denouncing State ownership or even clumsy partial state redistribution of wealth, and rather than sticking with the classic paradigm which only permits redistribution of wealth via work, Kelso promotes a revamped BANKING and CREDIT SYSTEM to make possible widespread decentralized ownership of the means of production, creating income streams for everyone, not just a minority "leisure class". (I guess it's that or off to the ovens, if the new reality of abundance (replacing scarcity) renders your economic value less than the costs of keeping you housed and clothed and fed.)
I learned about Gates' book from a talk on Kelso and from Norm Kurland who is a pretty high-level muckety-muck. Kurland ran the gamut from military honors, to high-level positions in Washington, to street-level minority activism in the 60s, associations with USAID and meetings with Rick Santorum. What a spectrum, no slouches. Jeff Gates is in good company.
How to save capitalism.......2002-11-07
"The Ownership Solution" is written by Jeff Gates, one of the original forces behind the legislation that created employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) in the 1970s. The book seeks to inspire decision makers and business leaders to build on the success of this innovative program. He proposes that similar projects should be launched with the goal of providing opportunities for employees and consumers to gain ownership stakes in the businesses in which they work and spend their money.
Gates argues that the increasingly finance-driven economy has changed the face of capitalism, a phenomenon that has accelerated in recent years. The author shows how the decisions made by detached financial managers results in a system that mainly rewards investors who, by definition, are already wealthy. The speed with which these investments can be reallocated purges the economy of do-good business managers who might choose to devote resources to so-called nonproductive means (such as worker benefits or environmental protections), meaning that workers and society consistently end up losers in this game. Gates believes that the resulting worker insecurity and the marginalization of ever-larger segments of the population ultimately threatens the long-term viability of our democracy.
In contrast, Gates believes that broadening ownership will allow more citizens to feel connected to their workplace and community. His proposals are imaginative but appear to be doable; in fact, some are being practiced in limited form in various places. Here, Gates' writing is at its best. You'll enjoy reading about how DSOPs, GSOPs, CSOPs, RESOPs, VSOPs and yes, ESOPs can help to revitalize the economy and repair our frayed society. Gates suggests that what is needed is the political will to promote these solutions on a larger scale in order to have greater impact and make a difference in people's lives.
Interestingly, a writer in Forbes magazine recently remarked in a condescending manner that ESOPs represent an odd mixture of capitalist and socialist ideas. This suggests to me that the idea has merit. A capitalism that only succeeds in rewarding the top executives of Enron and Citicorp with lavish pay-outs is not sustainable nor is it worth saving. But a capitalism that rewards hard-working employees and consumers with the greater prosperity that comes with earning an ownership stake, as envisioned by Gates, is certainly worth striving for. To that end, I heartily recommend Gates' book to all who are looking for ideas to help save capitalism and to secure the future of our society.
Ivory tower view........1999-10-15
The Ownership Solution by Jeff Gates could also be called Jeff Gates' Book of quotes. Mr. Gates, while clearly learned and well versed in the problems of the world, has failed to recognize that out of context quotes do not support his position. This also assumes you can decipher his position. Personally I found this book to wander, literally, all over the world. Peasants who bearly scratch out a survival existence will never understand or appreciate shared ownership. The human points of view and the individual's place on Maslow's hierarchy are totally ignored and are of critical importance to making Gates' grandiose dream remotely plausible. Gates himself pointed out huge failures in ESOPS. Why then, does he believe they are the solution of all of the earth's problems, from hunger to pollution, to overcrowding? I am baffled by the praise heaped on this book. Mr. Gates has apparently never worked with laborers. I was blessed with a summer on a road crew to open my eyes to a different world. At the end of each week, one of my co-workers talked, in more crude language, about getting paid, drunk, finding a prostitute, and taking whatever was left home to his wife. Many others were planning on joining him. Mr. Gates is probably one of those folks who don't understand why there is a supervisor on a road crew who does nothing but watch people work. Having been there I can tell him that the second the supervisor stops watching, much of the crew stops working. This is foreign to most people with an education and the drive to improve their lives. However, there are millions of people on the earth who perceive those with ownership of business as "not really working." Mr. Gates, in my opinion, never focuses on a single problem long enough to clearly state the problem and how his "solution" will work. He fails to recognize differences among people and he fails to make connections that he thinks will happen on their own. Why does he believe that if more people owned businesses that businesses would stop polluting, would cease creating dangerous products and by-products, and would suddenly be primarily focused on the good of the population? He is not talking about changing the face of business ownership, he is talking about changing human nature. He seems to think that if all of the employees owned the business, the leaders would do what is best for the employee/owners, their children, parents, cousins, and neighbors. United Airlines is one of his pet successes. Currently UAL is not seen in the greatest of light by anyone. Is this his vision for the future?
The Ownership Solution succeeds brilliantly...........1998-12-30
The Ownership Solution succeeds brilliantly in showing how broad based personal ownership can strengthen communities and make global sustainable development possible.
Cornucopia of philosophical and practical ideas........1998-12-30
How do we close a growing gap between successful owners and investors and an increasingly anxious underclass? One way would help - more participants in ownership! No one knows more about how that should be done than Jeff Gates and he offers his spectacular insight in this cornucopia of philosophical and practical ideas.
Book Description
"Just as the great fighter is looking for the jugular, so the great scientist is looking for areas where there can be a breakthrough-for areas where strong claims are in order. Thus I think it is a good research strategy to search for stark and simplifying propositions. In my career I like to think that I have always done that. That is certainly the only thing that I want to do."
-Mancur Olson
World-renowned economist Mancur Olson was famous for providing simple but convincing answers to broad economic questions, and equally famous for the gusto with which he defended his theories and debated his critics. His landmark work The Logic of Collective Action famously explained what now seems almost intuitive-how interest groups are created and how they are able to subvert the interests of the larger society through their detrimental impact on overall economic efficiency.
In Power and Prosperity, which he completed just before his death last year, Olson takes on the broadest questions of his career: Why do some economies perform spectacularly, providing incredible wealth and prosperity, while others fail miserably? How do different forms of government either hinder or promote economic growth? And, more specifically: With the collapse of the Soviet system, why have markets not flourished?
Olson contends that governments can play an essential role in the development of markets. Reliable enforcement of private contracts and protection of individual rights to property depend on governments strong enough to guarantee these rights yet constrained enough not to undermine them. His exploration of "market-augmenting government" will stand as a cutting-edge work on economic growth and provide a useful framework in which to consider he evolution of governance and economic policy in the post-communist world, in post-crisis Asia, and indeed in the rest of the developing world.
In his writings and teaching since The Logic of Collective Action, Mancur Olson has, by extending economics into the field of politics and the evolution of institutions, made economics more relevant to many of the world's problems, bringing rigor and insight to issues often dismissed as insoluble on account of "culture" or "lack of political will." Olson looked behind these issues to understand why some countries or groups managed to combine successful economic policy and institutional arrangements and others have not yet done so. Power and Prosperity brings his life's work on these questions to bear on the challenge that dominates the end of the 20th Century-the transition to market democracy in countries now exposed to competition with economically advanced democratic nations.
Customer Reviews:
Needed.......2006-08-30
This book covers aspects of Economics that are only too often neglected. These aspects include how power arrangements affect market efficiency and the effectiveness of markets in meeting consumer demand and providing for propserity. The book also provides accounts of different types of market arangements. In one type of market there is no guarantee other than the honor of the buyer and seller concerning the quality of the product and the terms of payment. Thus the market tends toward basic short term transactions. In the market for which property rights are guaranteed by the social structure, however, market arrangements can be much more complex and much better serve the needs of the people in society.
Power arrangements should be studied in Economics.
And this book should be read by all persons interested in Economics.
Lucid, direct and yet subtle. Quite excellent........2005-12-26
In the "Rise and Decline of Nations" Mancur Olson revealed the teacher in himself with a lucid readable account that left the mathematics in the footnotes. It was one of those books that Samuel Britten would give to his bright nephew who wants to know what it is all about without doing the difficult math (with the exception of some graphs in a later chapter, not difficult to interpret, but which the reader can skim over if they are so inclined, for the argument is clearly stated in the text). The "Rise and Decline of Nations", Mancur Olson's prior book for the greater public, is a hard act to follow, but that he does with this sequel, "Power and Prosperity." And how.
"Power and Prosperity" brings the compelling reasoning of Olson's theories of collective action forward with a lucidity and ease unmatched by any other book I have encountered. And yet he still breaks new ground; the prompting was Olson's observations of the former Soviet Russian Federation's failure to rise above anarchy and to harness the power for free markets for the good of her people. In this book Olson answers the question: Why has Russia failed where the West has succeeded?
Olson's use of language is quite outstanding. He uses no big words where simple words will do. He defines the terms of his essay as he goes. He refers the reader to academic publications for those interested in formal proofs. He does not repeat himself except to remind the reader of the main line of argument, which keeps the whole tight and disciplined, yet easy to read.
This book is very strongly recommended for anyone seeking the synthesis of the big picture and a disciplined logical analysis. self with a lucid readable account that left the mathematics in the footnotes. It was one of those books that Samuel Britten would give to his bright nephew who wants to know what it is all about without doing the difficult bits. The "Rise and Decline of Nations" is a hard act to follow, but that Mancur Olson does with "Power and Prosperity." And how.
Only for economists but not enough.......2005-08-22
Olson's book is good but only understandable for those with an economics background. If you are not an economist you are going to have trouble understanding what he is trying to say and the concepts he uses across the pages.
For those who have an econ background it is a good book and it provides interesting examples on how economic theory applies to real life, and some of the reasons as to why some economic systems and models do or do not work in reality. However, he seriously lacks some other sociological, demographical, and local aspects of power, prosperity and development; therefore you should not stick only to his theories and keep reading other books to understand why some countries achieve prosperity while others do not.
Balanced, Insightful, and relevant.......2004-12-09
Power and Prosperity is an example of economics at its best. First of all, it takes a balanced or neutral approach to its subject matter. The author is not out to prove the superiority of either markets or government. Governmental power is a double edged sword to Olson. Government power promotes prosperity by restraining 'roving bandits' or special interests. Government power is also susceptible to the influence of special interests. Olson also discusses the merits and faults of markets. Markets are ubiquitous and can lead to prosperity, but often do not. Government has a role in this. That is, he finds blame for this in the most negative aspects of government. Olson does not assume market efficiency either. He explains it, as well as some possible limitations to markets.
This is also a highly insightful book. Much of his analysis derives from his earlier work on "the logic of collective action'. He also uses some transaction costs and basic supply and demand/substitution effect reasoning to explain historical events. Students in my comparative classes had more trouble with this book than any other, but it is still manageable. Reading it might be difficult for those who lack an education in economics. But I am not sure if there is an easier way to say what it says, and what it says is most interesting. The concepts the author employs makes a greater understanding of different economic systems and historical periods possible. This is penetrating analysis.
It is also highly relevant. Much of this book focuses on the Soviet Union. One could say that the USSR is a done deal- it failed so forget about it. It is, however, important to understand why it failed so as to avoid repeating such errors in the future. This is what the Author is driving at with in his use of the Soviet example. There were reasons for the failure of the Soviet system that also apply to problems in other nations- not to mention Russia today. The misuse of power has the potential to prevent prosperity as much now as it did under Stalin and Khrushchev.
Does this book have faults? Certainly. Olson takes too positive a view of Stalin's industrialization program (not that he praises Stalin). Olson dismisses complete privatization, or anarchy, too easily. There is nothing wrong with arguing against anarchy. But, his arguments against privatizing the state (i.e private police and courts) are little more than an unsupported dismissal of such arrangements. If he did not want to debate that issue, he should not have taken such a strong stand. He also might have mentioned a few things about FA Hayek- especially on p136 where he wrote "a bureaucracy cannot process all the information needed to calculate an optimal allocation or put it into practice".
While there are a few faults to this book, it is still excellent. It is a must read for anyone interested in either comparative economics and politics, Globalization, or the economic history of the Soviet Union.
Excellent description of what went wrong in the Soviet Union.......2004-06-26
Parts of this book are a bit slow and more theoretical than I want, but the chapter on the Soviet Union is one of the best economic essays I've ever read.
It convincingly discredits the idea that a misguided ideology led Soviet planners astray, by describing how the policies appear shrewdly designed to maximize Stalin's wealth.
It also provides a compelling explanation of the more recent Soviet and post-Soviet economic problems by documenting the extent to which special interests have made their industry unproductive by adopting work rules/habits designed maximize job security.
I wish I could believe these problems were unique to countries afflicted with communism, but the book's reasoning suggests that many parts of our economy where bureaucracies aren't shut down if they fail to produce valuable results (much of government, businesses in industries with little competition, and I don't know what fraction of nonprofits) are equally wasteful.
Books:
- Children Just Like Me
- Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
- Corporate Warriors (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs)
- e-Business: Organizational and Technical Foundations
- Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data
- Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy
- Economics: Private & Public Choice, 11th Edition
- Elements of Dynamic Optimization
- Emc & the Printed Circuit Board: Design, Theory, & Layout Made Simple
- Encyclopedia of Appalachia
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The North Pole Was Here: Puzzles and Perils at the Top of the World
- Last Place on Earth
- Behind Adobe Walls: The Hidden Homes and Gardens of Santa Fe and Taos
- Diseases of Wild Waterfowl
- Existential Psychotherapy
- History: Fiction or Science
- Masterpieces in Miniature: The Detectives: Stories by Agatha Christie
- William Morris: Decor and Design
- Castles: Their Construction and History
- Biosystematic Monograph of the Genus Cucumis
Other World: Issues and Politics of the Developing World, The (7th Edition)
Annual Editions: Developing World 07/08 (Annual Editions : Developing World)
Promises Not Kept: Poverty And the Betrayal of Third World Development
Annual Editions: Developing World 06/07 (Annual Editions : Developing World)
Comparative Politics of the Third World: Linking Concepts and Cases
