In this age of uncertainty, there is the need for ideas that transcend the limitations of party political, or left/right thinking, in resolving the unprecedented problems of our time. Technological Civilisation is here presented as a focal point for a fresh perspective of both national and international issues. The tensions between America and China indicate the possibility of a new Cold War, and this would be disastrous for the planet in diverting attention away from the cooperation needed in attending to climate change and other threats to the environment. In the countries of the West, democracy as we know it is beginning to disintegrate. This is made evident through the collapse of voting figures and party memberships, as well as a spirit of disillusion. There are some topics which politicians are loathed to address, and in the sphere of the approaching environmental crisis, the population explosion is the most prominent. Leading scientists have clearly demonstrated, that even if all efforts are put towards reversing climate change through maximising renewable energy sources, unless population control is achieved on a sufficient level, all will be in vain. The population question is probably pushed ahead to a greater degree in this book than will be found elsewhere as a topic for public debate. In concentrating on Technological Civilisation, it is possible to discern the inter-connection of problems, and this leads to constructive proposals for the regeneration of democracy, the reform of the financial-industrial system, and the emergence of an upwardly mobile and free egalitarian society.

From Donald Trump, to Brexit and the rise of nationalist populism across Europe, what role has the media played in shaping our current political moment? Following the news coverage of a decade-long crisis that includes the 2008 financial crash and the Great Recession, the UK deficit, the eurozone crisis, austerity and rising inequality, we see that coverage is suffering from an acute amnesia about the policies that caused the crisis in the first place. Rather than remembering its roots in the dynamics of 'free market' capitalism, the media remains devoted to a narrative of swollen public sectors, out-of-control immigration and benefits cheats. How has history been so quickly rewritten, and what does this mean for attempts to solve the economic problems? Going behind the coverage, to decode the workings of media power, Basu shows that without a rejection of neoliberal capitalism we'll be stuck in an infinite cycle of crisis.

Since the end of the Cold War, the world has been shaken to its core three times. 11 September 2001, the financial collapse of 2008 and - most of all - Covid-19. Each was an asymmetric threat, set in motion by something seemingly small, and different from anything the world had experienced before. Lenin is supposed to have said, 'There are decades when nothing happens and weeks when decades happen.' This is one of those times when history has sped up. In this urgent and timely book, Fareed Zakaria, one of the 'top ten global thinkers of the last decade' (Foreign Policy), foresees the nature of a post-pandemic world: the political, social, technological and economic consequences that may take years to unfold. In ten surprising, hopeful 'lessons', he writes about the acceleration of natural and biological risks, the obsolescence of the old political categories of right and left, the rise of 'digital life', the future of globalization and an emerging world order split between the United States and China. He invites us to think about how we are truly social animals with community embedded in our nature, and, above all, the degree to which nothing is written - the future is truly in our own hands. Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World speaks to past, present and future, and will become an enduring reflection on life in the early twenty-first century.

'A highly enjoyable exercise in financial disaster tourism... politically incorrect, often very funny, and shot through with genuine insight' Robert Harris, The Times In this hilarious, fascinating, timely must-read, Michael Lewis reveals the true natures of the countries caught up in - and exacerbating - our boomerang economies, showing how the financial meltdown hit us all in the face. Right now, Europe is in serious financial chaos. In Greece, infrastructure costs mean it would be cheaper to transport all Greek rail passengers by taxi, and hairdressing is classified as arduous for tax avoidance purposes. In Iceland, Range Rovers frequently explode as owners collect the insurance to pay for them. Ireland saw the entire country put up for sale - to itself, while the Germans expected the whole world to behave like them. But the whole world didn't. 'Chock-full of extraordinary characters, amusing anecdotes and shocking insights' Observer 'A tour de force... All those questions you've half-asked yourself: nowhere else will you find them answered with such incisive wit or terrifying clarity' Mail on Sunday

Soviet foreign policy in the Stalin era is commonly assumed to have been a direct product of either Marxist ideology or the leader's whims. Both assumptions, however, oversimplify the complex and subtle factors involved in its creation and implementation. Kyung-Deok Roh provides an alternative, more nuanced, explanation and demonstrates the key role played by Stalin's economic advisors. The so-called 'Varga Institute' , a 'think tank' led by Evgenii Varga, developed a unique scholarly discourse on the capitalist economy and international politics, based on an amalgam of Marxist economics and, notably, the work of American economist W. E. Mitchell. The institute's scholarship, which suggested the resilience, adaptability and stability of the capitalist economy, created the discursive space within which decisions were made, and influenced Stalin to move increasingly from aggressive strategies towards more cautious international policies. Roh's account, the first comprehensive study of this pivotal group, demonstrates the many complex ways that Soviet foreign policy was created and sheds new light onto the controversial relationship between Soviet academia and the party. Based on extensive archival research into previously untouched material, Stalin's Economic Advisors is essential reading for all researchers seeking to add nuance to their conception of Stalinist foreign policy, economic thought and politics.

Walking the Highwire tells the story of the Eurozone Crisis from the perspective of the former Vice-President of the European Commission who was responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs in 2010-2014. It is a comprehensive European account that covers both events and decisions in Brussels and Frankfurt and in the member states, both in distressed countries and creditor states. It also provides an economic-political analysis of the crisis and its management, recognising that the Euro was created politically, and saved politically. Thoroughly researched and based on economic analysis of the time, reports on various meetings and the author's own speaking notes and diary, this book begins with a narrative of crisis management 2009-2012, before moving on to address the beginning of the recovery from 2013-2014. It concludes with the lessons learnt from the crisis and a programme for reform of the Eurozone in the 2020s, with contemporary policy relevance. This is an entertaining and engaging account which will be of interest to a wide audience: scholars and students, practitioners and commentators of the Eurozone.

Why does America have a love affair with homeownership? For many, buying a home is no longer in their best interest and may actually harm their children's educational opportunities. This book argues that U.S. leaders need to reevaluate all housing policies and develop new ones that ensure that all Americans have greater access to affordable housing whether rented or owned. After describing homeownership's most common myths, the book shows why the financial circumstances America's financial underclass now face make it impossible for them to benefit from homeownership because they cannot afford to buy homes. The book then exposes the risks of home buying while brown or black by discussing U.S. policies that made it easier for whites to buy homes easily and cheaply, but harder and more costly for blacks and Latinos to do so. The book argues that remaining traces of racial discrimination and certain demographic features continue to make it harder for blacks and Latinos to receive homeownership's promised benefits."

In many commodity-based economies, rollercoaster boom-and-bust cycles have come to be viewed almost as an unavoidable characteristic. Framed mainly in the context of the Alberta economy, the articles in this volume explore a wide range of issues associated with the historical phenomenon of recurring periods of boom and bust, including reasons for their apparent inevitability, dealing with revenue volatility, possible diversification strategies, savings policy, and challenges faced by policy makers. Re-examining and shedding new light on these struggles, Boom and Bust Again is an important contribution to the literature on policy issues for readers in the fields of economics, business, finance, and public policy. Contributors: Robert L. Ascah, Jason Brisbois, Colin Busby, Edward J. Chambers, Bev Dahlby, Stephen Duckett, J. C. Herbert Emery, Nicholas Emter, Roger Gibbins, Brad R. Humphreys, Ronald Kneebone, Gordon Kramer, Stuart Landon, Kathleen Macaspac, Victor A. Matheson, Melville McMillan, John D. Murray, Alice O. Nakamura, Al O'Brien, David L. Ryan, Liesje Sarnecki, Constance Smith.

This is the true story about the future that few visionaries have the knowledge necessary to put together. In order to drive the development of technology and sustainability forward there will be a need for considerable investment and collective action. The need to drive large-scale development and transformation activity is usually overlooked when experts in narrow fields project present trends into the future. The foundation of our future has been laid, or maybe not, by past decisions and activities, or lack thereof, by politicians and their voters. The enemy has already been identified and many of us know that is it us, but few ofour leaders have a picture of the path forward that needs to be taken in order to create the future that many people already see as inevitable. We try to contribute on the basis of different pictures of how the future might be created, but large-scale changes cannot be achieved through small-scale activities. It took 400,000 Americans and almost ten years to send three men to the moon in 1969. The following facts may be noted: the transformation to electric mobility is still in its infancy; less than one per cent of cars are electric and the growth is very slow in most countries. Artificial intelligence is also at an early stage of development and the technologies necessary in order to make Industry 4.0 a reality are still too expensive to be applied on a large scale and by most companies. The same is true for the principles of the circular economy. So far mostly low-hanging fruit have been picked and the principles have not been developed to a point where they can be universally applied. In order to create the future that many already see as inevitable there is a need for substantial investment and even larger transformation programmes. If existing generations want to experience it, instead of something much worse, we need to get our act together and approach transformation in a systematic manner. This book presents a well-founded argument about the remedies of contemporary societal challenges, and offers a much needed, sobered-uplook at the complex endeavors that lie ahead. Larsson's book disentangles intricate concepts connected to technology, business, industry and society, and does it free from the jargon and romanticizing we often encounter in everyday conversation. - Professor Thomas Kalling at Lund University School of Economics & Management.

There are two volumes to Capitalism in Crisis. Volume 1 investigates what has gone wrong. Volume 2 responds to the challenge laid down in Volume 1. In Volume 1, we argued that shareholders and the financial sector of the economy had become severed from stakeholders within companies who do the work and create the wealth we all enjoy. This has led to gross inequality with declining rewards for those working in the real economy on productive tasks. In turn, this has reduced wages and diverted funds from the most important contributors. We are less productive and innovative as a consequence. In this volume, we will address the subject of values. We will argue that values have scientific and verifiable meanings and it is possible to determine with great accuracy the kind of valuing that contributes to our integrity and the values that tear us apart. We criticise the contention of positivists that values are entirely subjective, have no testable meaning and are mere matters of taste, like the taste buds on tongues. We believe this doctrine has betrayed generations of students and must come to an end. Once we have restored values to their proper place, we will see who in our society creates wealth and value and who does not, who threatens democracy and who supports it. All values are really differences, and we need to reconcile these differences to remain civilized and in dialogue with one another.

Provides a comprehensive analysis of macroeconomic issues in developing Asia, including economic growth projections and prospects by country and region. This year's theme chapter explores how to strengthen disaster resilience.

An accessible, comprehensive analysis of the main principles and rules of banking regulation in the post-crisis regulatory reform era, this textbook looks at banking regulation from an inter-disciplinary perspective across law, economics, finance, management and policy studies. It provides detailed coverage of the most recent international, European and UK bank regulatory and policy developments, including Basel IV, structural regulation, bank resolution and Brexit, and considers the impact on bank governance, compliance, risk management and strategy.

Essentials of Money and Capital Markets provides students with a comprehensive but concise exploration of financial institutions and financial instruments. The book begins with a discussion of the debt levels in the United States, the variability of interest rates, and the financial crisis of 2007-2009. Over the course of 14 chapters, students learn about the Federal Reserve, the U.S. Treasury, pension plans, mutual funds, banks, determinants of interest rates, time values, money market instruments and rates, and the risks associated with changing interest rates. Dedicated chapters address spot and forward interest rates, arbitrage for bonds, theories of the term structure of interest rates, bond ratings and default risk, mortgages and mortgage-backed securities, futures contracts, and financial futures. The fourth edition features updated coverage of the causes and consequences of the financial crisis of 2007-2009. Featuring class-tested content and insightful coverage, Essentials of Money and Capital Markets is well suited for graduate and upper-level undergraduate courses in business, economics, and finance.

Stop living from paycheck to paycheck. Achieve Financial Independence. Retire Early. Join the FIRE movement that’s igniting the world.

Everybody wants to scrape together enough money to escape the rat race and live their dreams. But very few people are willing to put in the effort and make the sacrifices required for this to happen.

Building wealth is not about buying expensive toys.

Nor is building wealth the same as making money. That’s like saying that having children is the same as going on a date.

And to extend that analogy, as far as salaries are concerned, it’s not the size that matters, it’s what you do with it.

Learn how you can save money every month, no matter who you are, or how much you earn.

Learn how to avoid the mistakes that lead to financial ruin.

Discover how the rich and famous throw their money away.

And learn why it’s better to build wealth slowly than to just have lots of money.

This is no get-rich-quick scheme. It won’t be easy. That’s why it’s called Hard Money.

Work while they sleep. Learn while they party. Save while they spend. Then live like they dream.

You have a very slim chance of winning the lottery. You have a better chance of building wealth slowly. If you have the right attitude.

If you want it bad enough.

The Global Financial Stability Report provides an assessment of the global financial system and markets, and addresses emerging market financing in a global context. It focuses on current market conditions, highlighting systemic issues that could pose a risk to financial stability and sustained market access by emerging market borrowers. The Report draws out the financial ramifications of economic imbalances highlighted by the IMF's World Economic Outlook. It contains, as special features, analytical chapters or essays on structural or systemic issues relevant to international financial stability.

The enormous turnout in Washington, DC, for Barack Obama's presidential inauguration and the worldwide rejoicing at this signal of change offered a tangible demonstration of people's desire for a new world order. In the waning months of the Bush administration, crushing global recession dealt a critical blow to the neoliberal project. The hegemony of the United States and of the international institutions it has used to maintain its economic dominance has been in decline for some years now, suggesting the need to explore alternative ways to carry out globalization's imperatives. In Globalization and Beyond, leading scholars take up the challenge of examining the current state of economic crisis and the variety of ways in which different countries (as well as different groups) are responding to it.