Law and economics is the field of study devoted to understanding laws and legal institutions using the tools of economic theory. This growing subject has become a mainstream area of study in both law schools and economics departments and this book explores the "law and economics" approach to some of the most interesting questions, issues, and topics in law, order, and justice. Contemporary Issues in Law and Economics considers what economists call the "positive" analysis of the law - that is, using economic theory to explain the nature of the law as it actually exists. As part of this approach the author examines questions such as, what is the economic basis for the predominance of negligence rules in tort law? And, what is the explanation for the illegality of blackmail? Furthermore, another set of questions arises where the law seems to depart from the prescriptions of economic theory, and these issues are also examined in this volume. For example, the deeply rooted norm of proportionality between punishments and crimes, and the use of escalating penalties for repeat offenders, are both explored. With self-contained chapters written in a non-technical style, this book offers a rigorous discussion of the above themes while remaining accessible to those without formal legal or economic training. It offers the ideal introduction to the field of law and economics while also providing a basis for students in more advanced courses.

What does the movie Lion tell us about why some societies grow rich and others remain poor? What can the global box office juggernaut, Jurassic World tell us about entrepreneurs and the ethics of business? Can the movie Passengers give us insight into human motivation and decision making? This book surveys more than 40 movies to answer these questions and much more. Movies do more than entertain. They project important insights, often unintentional, into the way the world works and the values society cares about. Indeed, their stories are often grounded in the real-world experiences of everyday people. As part of this, movies also provide a window into understanding and evaluating economic behavior. Economics is, after all, the study of how scarce resources like labor, capital, and technology are used to improve (or reduce) our welfare. It also helps us to more fully understand the consequences in our lives that result from those choices and decisions. Through exploring a wide range of films from Passengers to Victoria and Abdul, this book delves into economic concepts such as opportunity costs, profit maximization, greed, business ethics, monopoly, economic growth, and entrepreneurship. Contemporary Film and Economics is a must read for anyone interested in how movies project and interpret economic ideas, craft popular narratives for how economies operate, and explore motivations for economic behavior. Economists will find it useful in starting discussions on key concepts, while filmmakers will find the discussions of economic concepts a provocative way of thinking about how to craft engaging stories that are grounded in practical experience.

This book illustrates essential microeconomic concepts and theories through the examination of related policy formulation in Australia since the 1980s. It provides a fresh approach to the subject of microeconomics from the perspective of both market and government failures. By looking at how Australia has transformed over the course of time, the book traces and tracks these changes and relates them to the broader microeconomic reforms. It also looks at the structure of Australian economic public policy formulation and process. The book uses standard microeconomic techniques to analyse the impact of these Australian policies and examines the role of government in the implementation of these policies, making it a very useful teaching vehicle for learning about microeconomics and microeconomic policies.

Economics has often been described as "the dismal science," with TV and movies reinforcing this description. However, economics is a powerful tool that can be used to understand how the world works, helping to answer confusing puzzles and solve the world's problems. Surprisingly, Broadway musicals are an excellent way to show this. Musicals tell engaging stories through song and many are rich with economic concepts. This book analyzes 161 songs from 90 musicals to explore what they can teach us about supply and demand, monetary policy and numerous other core economic concepts. While some songs have an obvious connection to economics, other connections may seem less apparent. When you hear "Let it Go" from Frozen, does your mind think about a firm's production decisions? After reading this book, it will. Whether showing how Hamilton can illustrate concepts of central banking, or how "Stars" from Les Miserables provides a perfect example of inelastic demand, the author presents complicated topics in an understandable and entertaining way. Featuring classic songs from some of the most popular shows ever produced, along with some hidden gems, Broadway and Economics will be of interest to anybody studying an introductory economics course as well as theatre aficionados.

Regional Policy and Regional Integration reprints the most important papers on those government policies that have an intentional and formal geographic focus. These policies have typically been motivated by equity considerations such as reducing unemployment, increasing incomes, promoting structural adjustments or realizing development potentials. While the main objective of regional policy is to improve conditions in deprived areas, public resources must be used in such a way that these objectives are achieved efficiently. The topics covered in this important volume include regional integration and urban systems; income, amenities and welfare; infrastructure; manufacturing; services; innovative milieux; delineating planning regions and policy instruments.

The theory of the firm did not exist, in any serious manner, until around 1970. Only then did the current theory of the firm literature begin to emerge, based largely upon the work of Ronald Coase and to a lesser degree Frank Knight. It was work by Armen Alchian, Robert Crawford, Harold Demsetz, Michael Jensen, Benjamin Klein, William Meckling and Oliver Williamson, among others, that drove the upswing in interest in the firm among mainstream economists. This accessible book provides a valuable overview of the 'prehistory' of the firm. Spanning an impressive timeline, it delves into Antiquity, the Medieval era, the pre-classical economics period and the 19th and 20th centuries. Next, the book traces the theoretical contributions from pre-classical, classical and neoclassical economics. It will be illuminating reading for students and researchers of the history of economic thought, industrial organization, microeconomic theory and business history.

Around the third millennium B.C. in the Fertile Crescent, a world-system with a single world-economy, covering very vast regions, began to form. Mesopotamia became the center of this world-system. This was possible due to the development of common commercial law and logical competence there. The expansion of the world-economy during the Silk Road period from the 4th century B.C. to the early 5th century A.D. across various countries of Eurasia was accompanied by the spread of logical competence, first formed in Mesopotamia, as a mechanism of legal hermeneutics to draw logical conclusions without fallacies. This competence was simultaneously comprehended in different cultures connected by the Great Silk Road - in ancient Greek logic (4th - 2nd centuries B.C.); ancient Chinese proto-logic (5th - 2nd centuries B.C.); Judaic logical hermeneutics (1st - 2nd centuries A.D.); and in Indian-Buddhist logic (2nd - 6th centuries A.D.). The book analyzes the emergence of logic and its spread and early forms of its reflection. Consequently, logical competence is seen not as an innate ability, but as a social practice first established in Mesopotamia. Logic as a science became possible only after the development of logical competence as an accepted social practice. On the other hand, this view is a non-Marxist assessment of the early form of the world-system, centered on international law and logical competence, which made the world-economy and international trade then possible.

Pension fund benefits are crucial for pensioners' welfare and pension fund savings have accumulated to huge amounts, covering a major part of world-wide institutional investments. However, the literature on pension fund economics and finance is rather limited, caused, in part, to limited data availability. This book contributes to this literature and focuses on three important areas. The first is pension fund (in)efficiency, which has a huge impact on final benefits, particularly when annual spoilage accumulates over a lifetime. Scale economies, pension plans complexity and alternative pension saving plans are important issues. The second area is investment behavior and risk-taking. A key question refers to the allocation of investments over high risk/high return and relatively safe assets. Bikker investigates whether pension funds follow the life-cycle hypothesis: more risk and return for pension funds with young participants. Many pension funds are rather limited in size, which may raise the question how financially sophisticated the pension fund decision makers are: rather professionals or closer to unskilled private persons? The third field concerns two regulation issues. How do pension fund respond to shocks such as unexpected investment returns or changes in life expectancy? What are the welfare implications to the beneficiary for different methods of securing pension funding: solvency requirements, a pension guarantee fund, or sponsor support? This groundbreaking book will challenge the way pension fund economics is thought about and practiced.

From the acclaimed authors of Capitalism without Capital, radical ideas for restoring prosperity in today's intangible economy The past two decades have witnessed sluggish economic growth, mounting inequality, dysfunctional competition, and a host of other ills that have left people wondering what has happened to the future they were promised. Restarting the Future reveals how these problems arise from a failure to develop the institutions demanded by an economy now reliant on intangible capital such as ideas, relationships, brands, and knowledge. In this groundbreaking and provocative book, Jonathan Haskel and Stian Westlake argue that the great economic disappointment of the century is the result of an incomplete transition from an economy based on physical capital, and show how the vital institutions that underpin our economy remain geared to an outmoded way of doing business. The growth of intangible investment has slowed significantly in recent years, making the world poorer, less fair, and more vulnerable to existential threats. Haskel and Westlake present exciting new ideas to help us catch up with the intangible revolution, offering a road map for how to finance businesses, improve our cities, fund more science and research, reform monetary policy, and reshape intellectual property rules for the better. Drawing on Haskel and Westlake's experience at the forefront of finance and economic policymaking, Restarting the Future sets out a host of radical but practical solutions that can lead us into the future.

Non-communicable diseases have surpassed infectious diseases as the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. Prevention and treatment of the causes and consequences of lifestyle-related diseases forms an important part of health policy in the twenty-first century. Public health economics - from quantifying the problem, to evaluating interventions and developing toolkits to assist decision makers - is an essential area for any postgraduate student and researcher with an interest in applied economics to understand. There are a wide range of techniques from mainstream economics and health economics that can be applied to the evaluation of public health policy and public health issues. In this book, Brown presents examples from developed countries to illustrate how economic tools can be applied to public health. Further, cross-country comparisons illustrate how contextual factors related to healthcare systems, demographics and environmental factors may impact on outcomes and the cost-effectiveness of public health policies, in order to aid understanding and help students apply theory into practice.

This ground-breaking book addresses the problem of price disparities across countries and, for the first time, uses market structures as the central focus. The author also addresses the effects of trade barriers, input-output relations and economies of scale, factors often ignored by other studies, to determine what causes prices to vary across countries.A post-Keynesian markup pricing model incorporating market power, intermediate inputs and productivity differences is developed and tested using regression analysis. New data on sectoral price levels in Japan and the Republic of Korea and data on GDP and investment price levels for a large number of countries are used. The empirical evidence shows that wages, labor productivity, market power and economies of scale are the most important variables for the explanation of differing price levels across countries. The author finds little evidence for the importance of policy-induced trade barriers and competition policy in explaining this. This book will be useful for scholars of post-Keynesian economics and international economics.

Series Information:
Frontiers of Political Economy

Throughout the last several decades, Korean companies have become strong global competitors in a wide range of manufacturing industries. How did they achieve this exceptional performance? The Evolution of Tiger Management uncovers the secret of their success through a comprehensive analysis of Korean-style management. It explains how it has developed, why it works so well, what non-Koreans can learn from it, and what Korean companies need to do to stay competitive in the future. This book is an extended and significantly updated new edition of Tiger Management: Korean companies on world markets (Routledge, 2012). It tells the remarkable stories of how Korean firms, seemingly coming from nowhere, have successfully challenged their Western and Japanese competitors globally. A new chapter highlights the rise of Korean venture firms and start-ups. Next, the essence of Tiger Management is analyzed by showing that it consists of an effective combination of business strategy, leadership, and human resource management practices. Finally, the evolution and future of Tiger Management is discussed by showing how Korean companies have adapted to changes at home and abroad, and how non-Korean companies can adopt Tiger Management. A new final chapter discusses the way forward for Korean companies.

Without doubt, Cuba is facing its most serious economic challenge in nearly thirty-five years of revolutionary rule. There is consensus that as the official, centrally planned economy has faltered, ordinary citizens eke out a living only by engaging in under-the-table, unrecorded, and mostly illegal activities. In fact, this "second economy" is growing by leaps and bounds. This volume sketches the contours of the very complex phenomenon of the second economy of socialist Cuba, and discusses its evolution over time, as well as the role that it may play in the transition to a market economy on the island. The economic crisis of the 1990s has propelled the second economy from behind the scenes to center stage. Not only have black markets mushroomed, but second economy activities connected to the free-market that the Castro government has traditionally discouraged or even prosecuted are now being incorporated into the government's own economic strategy. Self-employment, cultivation of individual plots, and the use of foreign currencies to buy or sell goods, are now promoted with considerable enthusiasm by the leadership. Perez-Lopez examines different ways of thinking about unregulated economic activities that have been set forth in the literature and concludes that the concept of the second economy is the most appropriate for Cuba. He brings together available information from a multitude of sources on the manifestations of the second economy in Cuba and of its operation. Cuba's Second Economy is a timely study of an economic system in crisis. It will be of interest to economists, political scientists, policymakers, and Latin America area scholars.

This thoroughly accessible textbook shows students how microeconomic theory can be used and applied to major issues of public policy. In this way, it will improve their understanding of both microeconomic theory and policy and also develop their ability to critically assess them. >Clem Tisdell and Keith Hartley have expanded upon their previous successful work on microeconomics. As a result, this new book is considerably updated with substantial chapter revisions, as well as new chapters dealing with business management, ownership, environmental issues, public choice, defence, conflict and terrorism. Promoting a thorough understanding of this complex yet fundamental topic, Microeconomic Policy: A New Perspective will undoubtedly prove an invaluable textbook for all students, academics and researchers of economics and public policy.

For courses in the principles of microeconomics. The relevance of microeconomics shown through real-world business examples One of the challenges of teaching principles of microeconomics is fostering interest in concepts that may not seem applicable to students' lives. Microeconomics makes this topic relevant by demonstrating how real businesses use microeconomics to make decisions every day. With ever-changing US and world economies, the 7th Edition has been updated with the latest developments using new real-world business and policy examples. Regardless of their future career path -- opening an art studio, trading on Wall Street, or bartending at the local pub, students will benefit from understanding the economic forces behind their work. Also available with MyLab Economics By combining trusted author content with digital tools and a flexible platform, MyLab personalizes the learning experience and improves results for each student. Note: You are purchasing a standalone product; MyLab Economics does not come packaged with this content. Students, if interested in purchasing this title with MyLab Economics, ask your instructor to confirm the correct package ISBN and Course ID. Instructors, contact your Pearson representative for more information. If you would like to purchase both the physical text and MyLab Economics, search for: 0134833120 / 9780134833125 Microeconomics Plus MyLab Economics with Pearson eText -- Access Card Package, 7/e Package consists of: 0134737504 / 9780134737508 Microeconomics 0134739655 / 9780134739656 MyLab Economics with Pearson eText -- Access Card -- for Microeconomics

This book, first published in 1971, reports on the first detailed study of pricing decisions ever made in the UK. Based on case studies, it shows precisely how thirteen pricing decisions were taken. In doing so, it reveals the objectives pursued by these firms and how conflicts between these objectives were resolved. The assessments of the pricing decisions show the strengths and weaknesses of the procedures used by the firms, and the relative importance of economic and organizational elements in such decisions.

Microcredit has been seen in recent decades as having great potential for aiding development in poor developing countries, with Bangladesh being one of the countries which has pioneered microcredit and implemented it most widely. This book, based on extensive original research, explores how microcredit works in practice, and assesses its effectiveness. It discusses how microcredit, usually channelled through women, is often passed to the men of the family, a practice disapproved of by some, but regarded as acceptable by borrowers who have a communal approach to debt, rather than viewing debt as something held by single individuals. The book demonstrates how the rules around microcredit are often seem as irksome by the borrowers, how lenders often charge high rates of interest and work primarily to preserve their institutions, thereby going against the spirit of the microcredit movement, and how borrowers often end up on a downward spiral, deeper and deeper in debt. Overall, the book argues that although microcredit does much good, it also has many drawbacks.

The Handbook of Microfinance showcases an expansive collection of works from leading academics and field practitioners. In an attempt to understand the enormous gap between the limited number of clients that are currently benefiting from microfinance services, and the huge number of potential clients that are not, the selected contributions in this comprehensive handbook have one common thread: the prevailing mismatch between demand by clients of microfinance institutions and potential clients selecting themselves out for their demand for a wider array of financial products which is not being met.The scope of the book is wide, and explores successes and failures, main challenges and debates, methodologies for impact evaluation via random trials, leading trends in Asia versus Latin America, main efforts in Africa, the importance of value chains in Central America, ethical and gender issues, savings, microinsurance, governance, commercialization trends and the potential advantages and disadvantages of it. This exhaustive Handbook also features main lessons from informal finance and 19th-century credit cooperatives addressing the above-mentioned mismatch.

How do we place value on goods - and, importantly, why? Valuation and pricing are core issues in the market economy, but understanding of these concepts and their interrelation is weak. In response, The Worth of Goods takes a sociological approach to the perennial but timely question of what makes a product valuable.
Structured in three parts, it first examines value in the broader sense - moral values and how they are formed, and the relations between economic and non-economic values - discussing such matters as the value of an oil spill, the price of a scientific paper, value in ethical consumption, and imaginative value. The second part discusses the issues surrounding valuation in aesthetic markets, specifically wine, fashion models, art, and the creative industries. The third part analyzes valuation in financial markets - credit rating agencies, stock exchange markets, and industrial production.
This pioneering volume brings together leading social scientists to provide a range of theoretical tools and case studies for understanding price and the creation of value in markets within social and cultural contexts and preconditions. It is an important source for scholars in economics, sociology, anthropology, and political science interested in how markets work, and how value is established.

This book offers extensive and quality research on and original insights into China's internal regional dynamics. It provides a focused analysis of the internal dynamics and regional economic diversity of China covering the eastern, central and western regions through case study, data analysis and review of state-initiated policy measures. The book also identifies and analyses existing and potential challenges facing China's regions in their pursuit of sustainable development. Different regions in China have attempted to achieve fast economic growth and move up the industrial value chain through industrial restructuring and upgrading, inter-regional industrial transfer, urbanization or seeking central government's endorsement of new regional policies. The book examines the difference and similarities among local government policies to boost regional industrial and economic growth and assesses their implications and effectiveness. The author had conducted detailed studies in this field in order to bridge the existing research gap and the book will help to give rise to useful and illuminating discussion.

The second edition of Behavioral Economics: The Basics summarizes behavioral economics, which uses insights from the social sciences, especially psychology, to explain real-world economic behavior. Behavioral economic insights are routinely used not only to understand the choices people make but also to influence them, whether the aim is to enable citizens to lead healthier and wealthier lives, or to turn browsers into buyers. Revised and updated throughout with fresh current-event examples, Behavioral Economics: The Basics provides a rigorous yet accessible overview of the field that attempts to uncover the psychological processes which mediate all the economic judgements and decisions we make. The book showcases how behavioral economics is rooted in some now-old (philosophical, political, and moral) ideas surrounding economics, and in an important sense is a modern expression of some long-standing criticisms of mainstream economics. It contrasts the neoclassical economic perspective (ECON) with a more realistic perspective (HUMAN – the flesh-and-blood economic agent who is not perfect in all respects but who manages to do the best under limitations and constraints). This is a comprehensive overview of the whole field, covering all the main areas, presented in a rigorous yet accessible form. It should especially appeal to students, those with an interest in applying behavioral economic knowledge in their professional life, and anyone who wants to know how they are being influenced every day of their lives by (usually unseen) behavioral insights.

This monograph study of Japan's industrial development focuses on the role of entrepreneurship first in adopting more advanced Western technology and then in innovating new technologies and developing human resources according to its changing organizational needs. Unlike previous studies in English, it covers the whole of the period since the Meiji restoration, refusing to divide up the credit for Japanese growth between technological improvements and investments in human and physical capital. The book investigates the interaction between private entrepreneurial activities and public policy, through a general examination of economic and industrial development, a study of the evolution of management systems, and six industrial case studies.

This unique book - informed by ten years' research - focuses on intellectual property and charts the global transition towards intellectual capitalism with technology-based corporations as prime movers. The book gives a comprehensive overview of the history and fundamentals of intellectual property as well as a textbook introduction to the field. The book sheds new light on the economics and management of intellectual property in large corporations in Europe, Japan and the US. Special emphasis is given to strategies for the acquisition and commercialization of new technologies, patent strategies and strategies for secrecy and trademark, technology intelligence and corporate management of intellectual property. It includes an in-depth study of leading large corporations in Japan - including Canon, Hitachi, Toshiba and Sony. In conclusion, it explores the possible evolution of intellectual property management towards a distributed intellectual capital management in the context of a wider transition to intellectual capitalism, fueled by new technologies in general and new infocom technologies in particular. The book will have particular appeal to practitioners such as managers, economists, engineers and lawyers as well as students and scholars of industrial organization, economics of innovation and technical change, and management of technology.