China's recent economic reforms have led to impressive growth, and an unprecedented enthusiasm for establishing foreign enterprises in China. Since 1993, China has been the second largest recipient of foreign direct investment in the world and is now considered to be the world's third biggest economy. Its greater economic integration with the rest of the world, especially since its accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has further accelerated its market-oriented economic reforms. China is now opening its protected markets and beginning to submit to the rule of international law. This ongoing transition and increasing participation in the world economy has resulted in significant changes in human resource management and social welfare practices in China's enterprises. The book examines the key areas, all of which are linked, where China is grappling with institutional reforms as it opens up to the outside world: state-owned enterprise reform, capital markets and financial reform, human resources and labour market reform, social welfare reform, and China's accession to the WTO and the growth of the private sector.

This book, written by a multinational team of experts, explores the changing face of central banking in Eastern Europe in the light of modern macroeconomic thinking, providing important and novel insights into the design of monetary policy institutions. With its authoritative content, this book will interest students and academics involved with money and banking, macroeconomics and Eastern European studies. Professionals working for financial institutions will also find plenty that will appeal within these pages.

First published in 1991, this book consists of twelve papers, all specifically written for this volume, and an Introduction which maps out some of the key conceptual and theoretical issues raised by the phenomenon. The first group of papers draws upon and analyses the political claims made on behalf of enterprise culture. The papers in the second section explore the international dimension of enterprise culture. The final section is devoted to a consideration of the role of consumers in an enterprise culture.

The Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) movement demonstrates how labour can self-organise production, and, as is shown by the free operating system GNU/Linux, even compete with some of the worlds largest firms. The book examines the hopes of such thinkers as Friedrich Schiller, Karl Marx, Herbert Marcuse and Antonio Negri, in the light of the recent achievements of the hacker movement. This book is the first to examine a different kind of political activism that consists in the development of technology from below.

First published in 1964, Was Stalin Really Necessary? is a thought-provoking work which deals with many aspects of the Soviet political economy, planning problems and statistics. It discusses the possible political consequences of the search for greater economic efficiency.

This volume addresses the attractiveness of financial centers with a primary focus on the mutual fund industry. It uses different empirical analysis approaches in an attempt to disentangle the reasons for location attractiveness and in order to identify its influence on fund pricing. The presented research tackles an issue that is fundamental to the understanding of organizational behavior in finance - the rationale in the decision-making process of market participants and its consequences for an economy.

This book provides an introduction to advanced macrodynamics, viewed as a di- quilibriumtheoryof?uctuatinggrowth. Itbuildsonanearlierattempttoreformulate 1 the foundations of macroeconomics from the perspective of real markets diseq- librium and the con?ict over income distribution between capital and labor. It does so, not because it wants to support the view that this class con?ict is inevitable, but with the perspective that an understanding of this con?ict may help to formulate socio-economic principles and policies that can help to overcome class con?ict at least in its cruder forms or that can even lead to rationally understandable proce- 2 dures and rules that turn this con?ict into a consensus-driven interaction between 3 capitalists or their representatives and the employable workforce. The book starts from established theories of temporary equilibrium positions, the forces of real growth, and the con?ict over income distribution, represented by basic modeling approaches, which it considers in detail in its Part I in order to prepare the ground for their integration in Part II of the book. In this way we inspect what types of models of disequilibrium, income distribution, and real growth we have at our disposal, as models that have proved to be of real interest and sound from a rigorous modeling perspective.

In broadsheet newspapers, television shows and Hollywood films, capitalism is increasingly recognized as a system detrimental to human existence. Colin Cremin investigates why, despite this de-robing, capitalism remains a powerful and seductive force. Using materialist, psychoanalytic and linguistic approaches, Cremin shows how capitalism, anxiety and desire enter into a productive/destructive relationship. He identifies three related kinds of social engagement. These are enterprise and employment, ethics and left-oriented social action, and enjoyment and consumption. As these ideological strands overlap and reinforce one another, the exploitation, violence, injustice, alienation and ecological destruction the system breeds is revealed, but not necessarily identified or addressed as a failure of capitalism.The nuanced and sophisticated argument in "Capitalism's New Clothes" goes a long way to explaining the contradictions of contemporary existence under a system that has been revealed as damaging and regressive, but is more dominant than ever.

The purpose of this book is to reconsider economic liberalism from the viewpoint of political liberalism. The author argues that advocates of economic liberalism largely overlook empirical political preferences which, in many societies, go far beyond a limited role of the state. Recent difficulties of reforming the welfare state provide evidence that political preferences are at odds with liberal economic policy in numerous cases. This fact challenges a political conception which demands a limited state role but also claims that citizens' preferences 'as they are' should determine the content of policies. Using an evolutionary perspective on economic liberalism, the book develops new arguments about how economic liberalism can be brought into line with political liberalism. Drawing on an evolutionary theory of markets, Gerhard Wegner reinforces the claim that liberal economic policies are conducive to prosperity in society, but he argues that the liberal promise of prosperity does not translate into corresponding political preferences on the part of citizens. A tension between political and economic liberalism arises which lies at the centre of this book. Political Failure by Agreement will strongly appeal to postgraduate students and researchers of global governance, political theory, political economy and institutional economics.

The literature on the character, determinants and relative performance of the leading industrial economies has developed rapidly of late. However many of the most important pieces of writing are now slipping from view because they were originally published in different, often inaccessible and highly specialised academic journals. These three volumes bring together those key articles and provide a new introductory commentary on the literature. This authoritative collection provides the reader with easy access to the full range of arguments now being developed to explain why some forms of economic organisation prospered best in the immediate past, and why some models now seem more effective than others in responding to the new global conditions of intensified international competition and rapid capital mobility. These volumes will be an indispensable reference source for students and researchers specialising in modern capitalism.

Never before has the idea of democracy enjoyed the global dominance it holds today, but neoliberalism has left the practice of democracy finds itself in deep crisis. Marianne Maeckelbergh argues that the most promising model for global democracy is not coming from traditional political parties or international institutions, but from the global networks of resistance to neoliberal economics, known collectively as the Alter-globalization movement. Through extensive ethnography of decision-making practices within these movements, Maeckelbergh describes an alternative form of global democracy in the making. Perfect for activists and students of political anthropology, this powerful and enlightening book offers radical changes.

Asia is rapidly becoming a major contributor of global greenhouse gas emissions. Also many countries in the region are highly vulnerable to impacts of climate change. With a growing consensus that there is limited time to avoid dangerous climate change, scientists, engineers, economists and policymakers worldwide have begun exploring how developing Asia can capitalize on the transition to a climate-smart development paradigm. Most discussions, however, have focused primarily on the transfer of technologies from developed to developing countries and have overlooked other equally important issues such as financing, governance, and capacity. This book covers all critical aspects of climate-smart development and attempts to integrate both market-based and technology-based solutions into a comprehensive approach for creating a roadmap for low carbon, climate-resilient economies in Asia. It examines strategies, policies and incentives in selected countries for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the energy, transportation, land use, and buildings sectors. It also identifies policies that are essential to improve resilience to both current and future impacts of climate change. The book highlights technical, economic, financial, and institutional challenges and opportunities for realizing climate-smart development in Asia at the national and sub-national levels. How the international climate regime can facilitate appropriate enabling environment in developing Asia is also examined. This book is essential reading for policy makers, students, practitioners, and researchers concerned with climate change mitigation and adaptation, and sustainable development in Asia and the wider world. It is hoped that the book will contribute to discussions on the theme of "green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication" in the run-up to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development or "Rio +20" and beyond.

Asia is rapidly becoming a major contributor of global greenhouse gas emissions. Also many countries in the region are highly vulnerable to impacts of climate change. With a growing consensus that there is limited time to avoid dangerous climate change, scientists, engineers, economists and policymakers worldwide have begun exploring how developing Asia can capitalize on the transition to a climate-smart development paradigm. Most discussions, however, have focused primarily on the transfer of technologies from developed to developing countries and have overlooked other equally important issues such as financing, governance, and capacity. This book covers all critical aspects of climate-smart development and attempts to integrate both market-based and technology-based solutions into a comprehensive approach for creating a roadmap for low carbon, climate-resilient economies in Asia. It examines strategies, policies and incentives in selected countries for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the energy, transportation, land use, and buildings sectors. It also identifies policies that are essential to improve resilience to both current and future impacts of climate change. The book highlights technical, economic, financial, and institutional challenges and opportunities for realizing climate-smart development in Asia at the national and sub-national levels. How the international climate regime can facilitate appropriate enabling environment in developing Asia is also examined. This book is essential reading for policy makers, students, practitioners, and researchers concerned with climate change mitigation and adaptation, and sustainable development in Asia and the wider world. It is hoped that the book will contribute to discussions on the theme of "green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication" in the run-up to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development or "Rio +20" and beyond.

This authoritative collection brings together the leading contributions to the comparative study of forms of capitalism. An introductory essay presents the context in which these contributions developed, discusses the major issues raised by such comparative work, and suggests likely future developments. Topics include the major theoretical issues involved in analysing different kinds of market economies; the key frameworks for comparing systems of economic organisation, both historically and between societies; the analysis of the distinctive varieties of industrial capitalism that have developed in the Anglo-Saxon countries, Continental Europe and East Asia and studies of globalisation and the connections between types of market economies and varying forms of economic performance, particularly in terms of sectoral development and technical change. The collection will be an indispensable reference source and will improve access to important papers that may not be available in many libraries.

This book presents a collection and analysis of original policy documents, newly translated into English, from a key period of Chinese development, providing both a current and a retrospective analysis of China's economic reform efforts. Topics dealt with include the evolution of Chinese economic strategy; economic planning and the spread of market mechanisms; technology transfer in industry; evolution of an agricultural system; the development of population policy; and foreign economic relations. The collection will be of great interest not only to scholars and students of Chinese studies, but also to professionals and social scientists concerned with China but unable to read source documents in Chinese.

This book explores the dynamics of party politics in Taiwan and cross-Strait relations over the past decade. While power transfer from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) back to the pro-status quo Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang, KMT) in 2008 ushered a great leap of cross-Strait relations in the following years, the DPP's coming back to power in 2016 has reversed the trend and brought back a cold peace between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait featuring the period of the Chen Shui-bian administration. Social cleavage and partisan confrontation on the island have justified Beijing's strategy of selective engagement with the two main parties within Taiwan. The state of cross-Strait relations, therefore, has become a by-product of volatile party politics on the island. As speculation about Taiwan's future mounts, this book will interest scholars, China-watchers, and policymakers.

The powerful theorems of welfare economics operate under a range of assumptions. Two of the most significant are the existence of competitive markets for all goods and services - including futures markets - and the unbounded rationality of all economic agents who act independently to maximize payoffs. In the contributions discussed in this research review, economists come to grips with the consequences of markets falling short of assumptions, as well as the response of institutions to observed market characteristics. This comprehensive study will be of interest to economists and policymakers who wish to understand the strengths and limitations of the market mechanism of resource allocation.

Economic and other outcomes differ vastly among individuals, groups, and nations. Many explanations have been offered for the differences. Some believe that those with less fortunate outcomes are victims of genetics. Others believe that those who are less fortunate are victims of the more fortunate. Discrimination and Disparities gathers a wide array of empirical evidence to challenge the idea that different economic outcomes can be explained by any one factor, be it discrimination, exploitation, or genetics. This revised and enlarged edition also analyzes the human consequences of the prevailing social vision of these disparities and the policies based on that vision--from educational disasters to widespread crime and violence.

The emergence of an increasingly global economy has involved changes in production, improvements in technology, and the liberalization of international trade and finance. Critics of neoliberalism are concerned that in the new economic environment, many firms do not act responsibly, failing to play by the spirit of market rules or to live up to their obligations to key stakeholder groups. Furthermore there is not the same economic institutions and legal frameworks in place in the international realm that we have in the domestic realm to ensure that the economy functions in line with basic principles of market competition.

In this context of contestation about the desirability of the neoliberal variant of globalization, there has been a sharp rise of non-state regulatory initiatives. This book investigates the manner in which and the degree to which non-state initiatives that regulate the activities of business contribute to inclusive development, especially the development prospects of the most vulnerable sectors of society. The collection includes a variety of individual cases as well as some theoretical and comparative pieces.

Regional disparities and spatial clustering are ubiquitous in today's world. This study contributes with empirical findings on the distribution of European research and patenting activity since the 1980s at the regional level. Besides a general theoretical part, it offers a quantitative clustering analysis, which makes use of EPO patent applications and a harmonized regional and technological classification. Moreover, the pan-European study incorporates a structural analysis of inter-regional co-patenting networks at the regional and technological level that covers the 1990s and 2000s. Finally, European regional income and growth disparities are addressed by placing emphasis on the spatial distribution of research activity and the regional settlement structure.

This book takes up a critical and realistic perspective on what is happening in China, India and other Asian countries in comparison with Western countries. It avoids hiding problems and difficulties, but communicates a positive message on the possibility to proceed in achieving a better situation. In this perspective the analysis of the public policies is a key point. These policies, in the Eastern as well as in the Western countries show objective difficulties and social contradictions but also that improvement is possible. The initial chapter is completely devoted to a study of China from within. The other topics analysed in the book are related to the social and natural environment's sustainability: innovation, research and education on the one side and the life of workers on the other; also including the "invisible" people of the informal employment and the economic migrants, especially in Asia.

The Economics of Technology Transfer presents a selection of the most important articles in the field, many of which are not easily accessible. The volume pays particular attention to issues facing developing countries in the context of rapid technical change, globalisation of production and the international spread of innovation itself. Part I focuses on theory and concepts. Part II, which examines multinationals, deals with the main engines of technology development and transfer. Part III discusses developing countries, pointing to the possible conflict between internalised technology transfer (via multinational enterprises) and the needs of domestic technological capability building. The final two parts include papers on technology transfer processes and issues in selected countries of Latin America, East Asia, the transition economies and the mature industrial economies. The Economics of Technology Transfer will be essential reading for students, researchers and policy makers concerned with international technology transfer.

The emergence of China since 1979 has been a hallmark in the global economy, not only in the past but also in this century. This comprehensive book provides an analytical view of the remarkable economic development of the most exciting economy in the world. China's impressive economic growth has propelled it from being one of the poorest countries in the world to becoming its third largest economy. It is a complex economy with a mix of characteristics resulting from being both a transition economy and a developing country, which also points to the challenges that it still faces. This book explains China's remarkable transformation from a centrally planned to a more market-oriented economy through examination of the institutional reforms necessary to support such marketisation and eventual global integration. Although no book will be able to be completely comprehensive given the scale of the economy and the remarkable pace of transformation over three decades, this study highlights the key areas giving an overview of the major developments in China's economy, enabling its prospects of continuing growth to be assessed. With topical discussion incorporating recent data and developments, this book will be a stimulating read for academic researchers, postgraduate students in economics, international business, Chinese and area studies, as well as anyone interested in understanding the Chinese economy.

Contemporary governance is a contested field of competing institutional schemes and system of rules. This book analyzes new institutional trajectories, the renewal of old institutions or the emergence of new ones, to understand their interaction and how they can help renew collective action in a new world of global digital capitalism.

This book offers a timely analysis of work and labor processes and how they are rapidly changing under globalization. The contributors explore traditional sectors of the U.S. and world economies - from auto to steel to agriculture - as well as work under new production arrangements, such as third world export processing zones. Many chapters analyze changing dynamics of gender, nationality, and class. The contributors explain why more intensified forms of control by the state and by capital interests are emerging under globalization. Yet they also emphasize new possibilities for labor, including new forms of organizing and power sharing in a rapidly changing economy.