This fascinating book offers up a window on one of today's key areas relating to globalization. The matter in question is to what extent national competition policy has to be regarded as a factor of international competitiveness. Should national antitrust policy be given priority over international antitrust rules?

The stagnation of the Japanese economy and the ageing of Japanese society has led to major changes in the labour market in Japan. This comprehensive study looks at how the Japanese employment system is adapting to its new economic environment. Using the latest statistical evidence, the book focusses on the growing use of part-time and other forms of atypical employment relationships and illustrates how this is expressed in several different parts of the labour market. Particular attention is given to the changing situation of women, the decline of the family enterprise, the problems faced by older workers and the poor prospects for recent high school graduates. The recent rise in unemployment, including hidden unemployment is analysed. Relations between management and employees in Japanese corporations are also becoming more individualistic with the introduction of performance-related pay and the declining importance of enterprise unions. As a result of these changes, the future may see rising levels of income inequality. The Japanese labour force is declining with the ageing of the population and Japan's ability to cope is examined with special attention given to immigration policy. This book will be of interest to anyone interested in what is happening today in Japan and what the possibilities are for the future.

This is the first book to explain the expansion of multinational enterprises (MNEs) into a transition economy from a technology accumulation perspective. The author provides a theoretical alternative to accepted wisdom regarding technology transfer, and discusses the policy implications of this new approach for economic development.

This book examines the process of Poland 's accession negotiations to the European Union between 1998-2003. An empirical study based on Robert Putnam 's two-level game model, it charts the influence and role of key domestic actors and groups on the negotiations especially in three critical, controversial, areas - areas where EU accession threatened to bring about a profound transformation to Polish life - agriculture, with particular emphasis on direct payments and production quotas; the purchase of real estate by foreigners; and the free movement of labour.

This book demonstrates the complex interaction between the domestic and international level of negotiations and furthermore, shows how critical this link can be to negotiation outcomes at the international level. It reveals how susceptible Poland 's negotiation process was to domestic pressure, particularly public opinion and interest groups.

Drawing heavily on qualitative analysis such as press releases, news wires, policy documents, as well as quantitative analyses, such as the use of opinion polls, and supported by in-depth, unrestricted interviews with key Polish decision-makers, this book examines the dynamics of policy formation in Poland and shows how this translated into the final conditions of accession.

This book examines how the US is dealing with the challenge of reconciling its global interests with regional dynamics and how it is able to produce and sustain order at the system level and within regional subsystems. The book comprises four parts, the first of which addresses global issues such as nonproliferation, trade, and freedom of the seas. US policies in these areas are carefully analyzed, considering whether and how they have been differently implemented at the regional level. The remaining parts of the book focus on the US posture toward specific regions: Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia. The policies adopted by the US to confront the most relevant challenges in each region are identified, and the ways in which policies in a specific region influence or are influenced by challenges in another region are explored. The book is a rich source of knowledge on the nature of the balance that the US has pursued between global and regional interests. It will be of much interest to scholars, to practitioners, to postgraduate/PhD students of international relations theory and American foreign policy, and to all with an interest in the ability of the US to produce international order.

The global financial crisis of 2007-09, and the Great Recession that it engendered, were both a challenge and an opportunity for Asia. The region not only remained unharmed by the global financial crisis initially but also recovered the fastest. In addition, it was also the principal driver of the global recovery.

This book analyzes the impact of the global financial crisis and the Great Recession on the Asian economy. Chapters look at the most significant issues related to the Asian economy during the crisis, how it coped with them and how it eventually emerged from them. Dilip K. Das discusses how the Asian economy, particularly the emerging-market economies, spearheaded the recovery of the global economy from the global financial crisis and recession, and goes on to look at how this is of historical significance.

Written in a clear, comprehensive and critical manner, this book covers the contemporary academic and policy debates on Asia 's role in the world economy. As such, it is an essential read for students, researchers and public policy professionals interested in Asian Economics as well as studies in the International Political Economy.

Why are some regions in the European Union 'winners'of economic integration? And why are others 'losers'? This book explores these important questions and examines the relationship between economic integration, regional convergence, and divergence. In doing so it gives an overview of the most recent evolution of regional disparities in the EU. Central and peripheral regions are analysed as well as those in a re-conversion economic process. The authors address the question of whether regions tend to converge or not from different points of view. They particularly assess the impact of the Monetary Union on regional economies from theoretical and empirical approaches. Other important aspects covered include: the European regional policy, the effects of structural funds and the reforms needed. No doubt, this is an excellent book for anybody interested in learning more about regional trends and prospects in an increasingly integrated world.

This volume extends and deepens our knowledge about cross-border mobility and its role in an enlarged EU. More specifically, its main purpose is to enlighten the growing and yet rather uninformed debate about the role of post-enlargement migration for economic adjustment in the crisis-stricken labor markets of the Eurozone and the EU as a whole. The book addresses the political economy aspects of post-enlargement migration, including its broader political contexts, redistributive impacts, but also nationalization of the enlargement agenda. It also covers the experience of receiving and sending countries with post-enlargement migration and its role during the current crisis. Renowned experts in the field study, whether and how post-enlargement mobility has enabled the EU to absorb asymmetric economic shocks, how it has affected the European welfare systems, and whether it has contributed to the sustainability of the Eurozone. The authors also evaluate brain circulation as a sought-after vehicle of improved allocative efficiency of EU labor markets and propose a policy agenda for mobility in an enlarged EU.

Progress in European market integration over the past two decades has come at the expense of growing flexibility, or differentiation, in the laws that govern the Single Market (SM) as well as the way that these laws are implemented. This volume examines how the completion of the SM has been held back in the varied implementation of European Union competition policy, variation in national policies on services, corporate law, telecommunications, energy, taxation, and gambling, and the EU 's uneven transportation network. These sectors and issue-areas form the frontier at which the main political struggles over the future shape of the SM have taken place in the past decade. Broadly, progress in economic integration in the EU has been complicated by the need to reconcile perfections to the SM with the global competitiveness of European producers, and efficiency gains with ideational and normative concerns. In services, there is a clash between deregulation and social policy. Financial integration has had to reconcile different institutionalized views among the member states about the place of finance in the economy and society. The SM notion supposedly entails a concrete set of substantive policy commitments that form the basis of the ever closer union . However, increasing differentiation in the SM undermines the identification of the EU 's core constitutional commitments.

This book was published as a special issue of the Journal of European Public Policy.

The financial integration of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States was arguably one of the most profound changes experienced by the world economy in the 1990s. This book examines these countries in reforming their financial systems in the fist decade of transition. Through case studies as well as more thematic approaches contributors deal with crucial elements of building a market based financial system, the transformation of the banking sector, and non-bank reform and regulation of financial markets. They emphasize the importance of institution-building to the process of financial sector transformation and highlight the lessons to be learned from transitional financial experiences.

With much of the "Asian Miracle" destroyed and much of the Western world's awe for Asian ways of management dissipated, organizations there are changing with such speed that most of our knowledge about them is quickly outdated. Richter takes stock of East Asian management practices, as they are perceived so far, and he discusses the strategies that others propose to help Asian management redesign itself for the future--including a long-term agenda for change based on the cultural heritage of Confucianism. He analyzes the cultural underpinnings of Asian management practices, evaluates the influence of the Asian economic crisis on them, and discusses their potential for guiding Asian firms to a sustainable competitive advantage. He then provides examples of how Asian firms shape up their organizations and describes a short-term agenda to fix the weaknesses in Asian management, at least temporarily. Throughout, Richter avoids talk about "strategic management" as merely a theory: he adopts a broader definition that includes a value system to guide East Asian firms as they re-emerge and redevelop. The result is a challenging, intensely pragmatic analysis for decision-makers at all levels, in all countries and cultures, and it is a new stone in the foundation of academic research and thought. Richter opens with a discussion of the legacy of Confucianism and its impact on Asian management practices. He then proposes three intrinsic characteristics of Asian management: networks, trust, and collectivism. He gives a history of the Asian economic crisis, highlighting the failures of Asia's economic development and the flaws that appeared in its management practices. The third section of the bookevaluates management practices that have emerged since then, and how they are perceived so far. Then, in the concluding section, he presents a new perspective on Asian management, short-term goals (fixing current management weaknesses), and long-term goals (incorporating its long abiding strengths). Throughout, Richter draws on the management theory enunciated by Hofstede and includes examples and case studies of recent developments across the region, and he also includes his own theories as well as those of others. Mr. Richter's book will be a welcome addition to the literature on business and the culture of Asia.

Peacekeeping is a security concept that is very representative of the current interventionism, multilateralism, human rights, and humanitarian ideas. UN peacekeeping plays an important role in international security and includes various activities that go beyond the original roles assigned to UN armed forces (e.g. humanitarian aid, election supervision, disarmament, mine clearance, civilian protection, and peacebuilding). The problem is to define the economic efficiency of these operations and to develop some recommendations in the context of an economic globalization process. Although UN peacekeeping has shortcomings, it must be considered essential for organizing and defending the world politico-economic order. UN peacekeeping is a political activity, but its production strongly depends on nations' economic considerations. Governments make political decisions that also take into account the economic gains they expect to obtain from their contribution to any specific mission. With low means and inadequate strategies to meet the challenges, UN peacekeeping must pay particular attention to resolving the problems of free riding and of prisoner's dilemma in contributions that delay deployments and create significant financial problems. Understanding how peacekeeping can be most cost-effectively carried out, while considering the importance of legitimacy in interventions, is essential. This book believes that regional organizations can ease the UN's financial responsibility by managing conflicts in their regions. But, to be most effective, they must involve the UN in their interventions. This book also emphasizes UN peacekeeping trust funds as the key to better financial effectiveness. It strongly recommends that NATO be empowered by the UN with the role of global peace police, and proposes the establishment of a UN high-ranking team of international specialists in peacekeeping issues. This research should be of interest to students and researchers looking at international and political economics, as well as international relations, defence, security and peace studies.

In this timely and controversial book, economist Deepak Lal explores the twin themes of empires and globalization and discusses the place of the US in the current world order. In Praise of Empires argues that not since the fall of the Roman empire has there been a potential imperial power like the United States today, and asks the question: Is a US impirium needed for the globalization which breeds prosperity? What form should this empire take - a direct 'colonial' or 'indirect' empire? Will America be able and willing to run an empire? Lal explores the Islamic threat to the position of the US and the current 'war on terror'.

This volume includes a selection of papers presented at the EURESCO Conference "The International Dimension of Environmental Policy" held in Kerkrade, The Netherlands, in October 2000. We would like to thank those who made this conference possible: the European Science Foundation (ESF), which provided financial and organizational support; the European Commission EURESCO Programme; the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), which sponsored the conference under the research project: "Environmental Policy, International Competitiveness and the Location Behavior of Firms"; and GLOBUS, Tilburg University. The European Science Foundation (ESF), the EURESCO Programme, NWO and GlOBUS cannot be held responsible for the contents and/or opinions expressed in this volume. Our gratitude also goes to the people who assisted us in editing this volume: the papers' referees, the authors, our publisher Kluwer, and Ineke Lavrijssen and Evelyn Rogge for invaluable editorial help at different stages of this project. Laura Marsiliani W. Allen Wallis Institute of Political Economy, University of Rochester, USA and Department of Economics and Finance, University of Durham, United Kingdom; Michael Rauscher Institute of Economics, Rostock University, Germany; Cees Withagen Department of Economics and CentER, Tilburg University, The Netherlands and Department of Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [Marsiliani, L., Rauscher, M. and Withagen, C] (eds.), [Environmental Economics and the International Economy], vii.

The book discusses the nature of Marxist theory of crisis and applies it to the global financial crisis which began in 2007. Is the contemporary crisis simply the usual periodic upturn and downturn or is there something more fundamental? Is there a structural crisis of capitalism, from which there is no immediate solution? Is capitalism managed and does it have a strategy? Is the financial crisis representative of a failure in capitalism itself to subject banks and other financial institutions to the overall economy? The book discusses Marx's view on crises, as well as ideas on money and finance. It considers the different modern Marxist ideas on the causes of crises -- falling rate of profit, disproportionality and underconsumption. It goes into detail as to the nature of the present crisis, its course and causes in a spirited and independent manner. Apart from the United States, it considers the situation in the two countries, in which protests erupted: Iran and Greece. They are taken as examples of the effect of the crisis on the country, the society and the economy as well as its politics. This book was originally published as a special issue of Critique.

"Rules of origin have emerged as one of the most controversial issues in any trade negotiations. This book analyzes the economics of rules of origin in regional trade agreements. It critically evaluates the empirical aspects, providing fresh perspectives on complex policy-negotiations and rules of origin implementation"--

Mini-set C:Philosophy & Religion re-issues 4 volumes originally published between 1924 and 1973 and examines the ancient religions of Persia as well as Christianity in Persia. For institutional purchases for e-book sets please contact [email protected] (customers in the UK, Europe and Rest of World)

"Chinese Big Business and the Wealth of Asian Nations" examines the crucial contribution of Chinese business groups to the rapid growth of South-East Asia. This study examines major Chinese firms and their increasingly important networks in this era of regional interdependence and internationalization of production processes. It draws upon unprecedented empirical detail relating to Chinese firms, their growth patterns, joint ventures with foreign capital, and responses to technological change and competition and contributes to debates on economic networks, the economics of trus, and relations between business and the state in the global economy.

When and why did the United States policy of containment of Iran come about? How did it evolve? Where is it going? Much has been said about the US policy of dual containment, particularly as it pertains to Iraq. However, there has been little in-depth analysis of this policy when it comes to Iran. Sasan Fayazmanesh explores this often neglected subject by analyzing the history of this policy. The analysis includes the role that the Carter and Reagan Administrations played in the Iran-Iraq war, the numerous sanctions imposed on Iran by the Clinton Administration and the aggressive and confrontational policy toward Iran adopted by the George W. Bush Administration after the events of September 11, 2001. This topical read synthesises a range of primary sources, including firsthand reports, newspaper articles and electronic media, and presents a coherent analysis of the ebbs and flows in the US thinking on Iran and Iraq.

This book, a project of the ASEAN-China Study Programme of ISEAS, examines the rapidly expanding economic relations between ASEAN and China in recent years. The fifteen chapters discuss in considerable detail these relations in terms of many important topics such as trade, the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA), investments, services trade, energy cooperation, cooperation in developing the Mekong Sub-region, China's aid to Southeast Asian countries, developing stronger business networks, and the political dimensions of China's economic relations with ASEAN. The economic challenges, competition, and opportunities in the various sectors of the two economies are examined in the context of the dynamic development of China, and the inevitable globalization taking place nowadays. The book, with contributions from experts in the various topics covered, will be invaluable to businessmen, analysts, academics, students, and policy-makers.

The leading researchers from central banks and universities around the world debate issues central to the performance of Divisia monetary aggregates both in theory and in practice. The overall conclusion is that Divisia monetary aggregates outperform their simple sum counterparts in a wide range of applications the world over. The book is the first volume-length study of empirical data and theoretical research on the subject.

The health care sector has become a major component of the contemporary econo mies of Japan and the United States. It absorbs significant proportions of the GDP in both countries and places increasing stress on private, government and corporate budgets. As their income rises, the citizens ofJapan and the United States choose to allocate increasing portions of it on health care services because ofthe direct contri bution of health care services to prolonged life expectancy, reduced morbidity, or other indicators of improved health and well-being. The health care sector is a ma jor source ofemployment and affects the lives of all citizens. Adequate health care services are expected to have an important contribution to the quality of human life in any society. With so much at stake, arrangements for planning, financing, and operating health care service systems have increasingly come to be regarded as im portant economic and political issues. The political importance of health care is evidenced by the health care reform proposals of the Clinton administration in the United States and the deep involve ment of the government in the medical care security system in Japan. As policy makers in both countries look ahead to the coming decades, they realize that the imperatives of economic restructuring, globalization, and their rapidly aging socie ties will affect the way in which health care is organized, delivered, and financed."

The subject of this book - Asia-Pacific economies and their integration - is very topical and of major importance to the world trade and global trading system. As the book explains, the region's market-led or 'open regionalism' contrasts with the more closed regionalism of Europe and North America, offering an attractive alternative to the other developing-country regions.' - Kym Anderson, Centre for International Economic Studies, University of Adelaide;Over the last three decades, dramatic growth has occurred in the Asia-Pacific economies. They have in fact grown into an economic force of international dimensions as they not only succeeded in reducing their economic dependence on major industrial countries but have also come to have a 'locomotive' effect on the international economy. This unique growth phenomenon is analysed in this book, which makes it vitally significant for the student community and business-persons. as they not only succeeded in reducing their economic dependence on major industrial countries but have also come to have a 'locomotive' effect on the international economy. This unique growth phenomenon is analysed in this book, which makes it vitally significan

In what ways did economic considerations affect the decision by Britain and France to make their Black African colonies independent? Why were early expectations that independence would lead to rapid and sustained economic development in Africa for the most part disappointed? This title, originally published in 1986, seeks to tackle these two important and strongly debated issues. The main aim and value of the book is to take a broad view of this huge subject, pulling together material on most parts of Black Africa south of the Sahara and north of the Limpopo so that the problem can be seen as a whole. It takes account of a wide range of possible and actual factors which have influenced African economic development, weaving them into a single analysis, including the colonial inheritance, the impact of the fluctuating international economy, policies adopted by African governments and indigenous factors such as climate, drought and human resources. The book is written to be understood without difficulty by non-specialists and is intended to act as an introduction to its subject for university students.