This book, first published in 1986, is an important contribution to the economic analysis of new firms. It emphasises the importance of analysing the economic inter-relationship between new and established firms. These links are especially relevant in the assessment of the employment effects of formation activity.

This book offers wide-ranging insights into the organising capacities of workers in Asia today. Nine case-studies examine workers' responses to class relations through independent unions, non-government organisations (NGOs) and more (dis)organised struggles. Countering the notion that globalisation holds entirely negative consequences for labour organisation, the authors reveal some of the openings for local activism which can arise from transnational production arrangements.
The volume covers the "second-tier" industrializers - China, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, India and Bangladesh. Interdisciplinary in nature, it will be of great interest to students and scholars of Asian studies, development studies and international labour studies.

It is commonplace that political power is becoming more centralized and remote: faceless people, sometimes in unknown places, determine our circumstances and our opportunities. This ground breaking book argues that this happened through a slow development which began before globalization.
Power in Business and the State queries our freedom to make our own history. Current circumstances may be so far from our own choosing that our history is now being made for us, rather than something we control ourselves. Political power is so centralized, and economic power so concentrated, that popular control of democratic government has become increasingly difficult.
The sheer magnitude of the author's research underpinning this book, and the uncluttered methodological framework in which it is presented, provides a highly readable text.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203453174

Over the last hundred years the history of capitalism hardly supports the idea of a dynamic equilibrium between democracy and capitalism. The unprecedented triumph of global capitalism and its stronger power of transformation are changing the nature of political community and its institutions, transforming the conditions of democratic politics and governance. The writings collected in this volume present leading statements of theories of democracy and capitalism in Italy starting from Vilfredo Pareto who firstly focused on the transformation of democracy into a plutocracy in which vested interests use the government as a tool for their own profit, until Norberto Bobbio who expressed a strong defence of democracy and a deep critique of capitalism. As Marx, Weber, and Schumpeter-from different perspectives-have pointed out capitalism rather then just an economic mode of organization, is a "mentality," a "social logic," a "form of living," that influences and reshapes political structures, and culture. The globalized economic order is challenging the foundations and political principles upon which liberal democracy is based. Global markets have unleashed economic forces that are becoming too powerful for democratic institutions to control. Even if the formal elements of democracy still survive, the "government by the people, for the people" is declining; elections, debates, parties, are evacuated, and bypassed by new, less accountable processes.

What is the animating 'spirit' behind what may appear to be the coldly calculating world of markets and business enterprise? Though often mathematically modelled in dry terms, markets can be looked at instead as meaningful domains of human activity. To economists, markets have been seen as nothing but objective 'forces' or allocation 'mechanisms'. This book, however, argues that they can be seen as involving the human spirit, personal expression and moral commitments. It presents the view that markets are not so much things that need to be measured as meanings that need to be narrated and interpreted. The aim of this book is to introduce two scholarly fields to one another, economics and cultural studies, in order to pose the question: how does culture matter to the economy? When we look at the economy as a legitimate domain of culture, it transforms our understanding of the nature of business life. By viewing markets as an integral part of our culture, filled with the drama of human creativity, we might begin to better appreciate their role in the world.

In what ways do the actions and economic behavior of today's multinational corporations resemble the functioning and processes of the old command economics of the Soviet Union? By ignoring questions about power relations in markets, mainstream neoclassically-oriented economists conclude that there are no significant power structures operating in market systems to control allocation and distribution. This book argues to the contrary that there are fundamental and systemic power structures - monopoly, access to information or finance, employer power, etc. - at work in market economies, which affects their ability to achieve real "competition" in much the same way as state-controlled, command economies hinder business activities. Thus, for example, the biggest firms at the hubs of financial "networks" wield a kind of "shaping power" upon large numbers of relatively autonomous firms, not only upon those that belong to the networks but also on the many firms outside them that are also affected.

This title was first published in 2002. This useful collection brings together scholars from diverse standpoints to examine the transition from Communism a decade after it began. The result is a book that illuminates the changes, and particularly the problems, that have accompanied attempts to introduce representative democracy and a viable market economy into formerly Communist states. Specialist chapters on the Former Soviet Union, Russia, Poland, Azerbaijan and the former East Germany, institutional accounts of postcommunist states and conceptual chapters result in this volume being ideally suited to university courses, policy makers and NGOs that have an interest in transition countries.

As corporations search for new production sites, governments compete furiously using location subsidies and tax incentives to lure them. Yet underwriting big business can have its costs: reduction in economic efficiency, shifting of tax burdens, worsening of economic inequalities, or environmental degradation.

"Competing for Capital" is one of the first books to analyze competition for investment in order to suggest ways of controlling the effects of capital mobility. Comparing the European Union's strict regulation of state aid to business with the virtually unregulated investment competition in the United States and Canada, Kenneth P. Thomas documents Europe's relative success in controlling -- and decreasing -- subsidies to business, even while they rise in the United States.

Thomas provides an extensive history of the powers granted to the EU's governing European Commission for controlling subsidies and draws on data to show that those efforts are paying off. In reviewing trends in North America, he offers the first comprehensive estimate of U.S. subsidies to business at all levels to show that the United States is a much higher subsidizer than it portrays itself as being.

Thomas then suggests what we might learn from the European experience to control the effects of capital mobility -- not only within or between states, but also globally, within NAFTA and the World Trade Organization as well. He concludes with policy recommendations to help promote international cooperation and cross-fertilization of ways to control competition for investment.

In 1978, faced with the pressure to modernize and a declining budget, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) reluctantly agreed to join China's economic reform drive, expanding its internal economy to market-oriented civilian production. This work examines PLA's role in the economy up to 1998.

In this collection of his latest essays, John H. Dunning - renowned authority in international business - elaborates his theories on the current situation of foreign direct investment and multinational enterprises. Global Capitalism at Bay considers the unique characteristics of contemporary capitalism, and what must be done if it is to survive and prosper in the twenty first century.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203186036

Contents:
Part One: Causes and Correlates 1: The Twin Crises: The Causes of Banking and Balance of Payments Problems; 2: The Asian Financial Crisis: A Fait Accompli?; 3: Financial Crisis in the MIT Countries; 4: Japanese Banking Problems: Implications for Southeast Asia; Part Two: Cases and Caveats 5: Indonesia: The Long Road to Recovery; 6: The Malaysian Currency Crisis: Capital Flows Policy Responses and Macroeconomic Vulnerability; 7: Speculative Attack Theory and Currency Crisis in Korea; 8: Banking Crisis in Mexico; 9: Capital Flows and Economic Policy in Brazil; 10: The Yen that is too Strong: A Note on Japanese Crisis; 11: The Lessons from the Asian Financial Crisis; Part Three: Crisis Management and Reforms 12: The Asian Model, the Miracle, the Crisis and the Fund; 13:Financial Crises and Reforms: Towards an Assessment of the Emerging International Financial Architecture; 14: Sustainability, Vulnerability and Risk Management; 15: Should Capital Controls be Banished?

A collection of 13 essays based on two national surveys of household income in China - in 1985 and 1995 - and prepared and carried out by the research team. These essays explore a wide range of aspects of the rapidly changing income distribution during this period.

First Published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

"Property and Prophets" is a concise history of the rise and subsequent triumph of capitalism. Focused primarily on England until 1800 and the United States since 1800, the book's economic history is interspersed with the history of ideas that evolved along with the capitalist system.

This book examines the rapid deregulation and changing nature of Japan's financial marketplace as it emerges from its worst economic crisis since the end of the Second World War. The author focuses on how U.S. firms like Citibank, AIG, Merrill Lynch, GE Capital, Fidelity Investments, and American Express have made large investments and built strategic businesses in a market that was effectively closed to them only a few years ago. He also profiles Japan's major financial institutions, which are aggressively restructuring to defend their home turf from foreign competitors.

Now that the economic crisis appears to be over, this exciting new book gives business students, scholars, and executives an in-depth analysis and understanding of the on-going transformation of the Japanese marketplace in banking, securities, insurance, asset management, mutual funds, and consumer credit.

This timely collection brings together many well-known scholars to systematically explore China's current government and assess it's transition toward democracy. The contributors provide a comprehensive overview of China's domestic history, economy, and public political ideologies. The contributors show that there are many reasons to be skeptical about the short-term prospects for democracy in China, including historical failures, the underdevelopment of civil society, political apathy, and competing social values. Though China's political culture is essentially neither anti-democratic nor pro-democratic, it must still overcome many obstacles in order to achieve democracy.

In this discipline-defining volume, some of the leading international scholars in the history of economic thought re-examine the concepts of "classical economics" and the "canon", illuminating the roots of the contemporary discipline, and the shape and form of its evolution. The investigation addresses three related issues. Firstly, the contributors attempt to determine which ideas are vital to classical economics, and whether these ideas distinguish classical economics from other approaches to economic questions. Secondly, the essays address the development of "classical economics" over time through sociological and intellectual processes, and attempt to determine why some writers and works are elevated to the "canon", while others are not. Thirdly, some contributions examine the intellectual consequences of this inevitable process of canonization. The book includes examinations of the work of major economists such as Marx, Smith, Ricardo, Bentham, Malthus, Keynes and Mill. Offering new perspectives on the way an intellectual discipine is constructed, this book should be of essential interest to all scholars of the history of economic thought.

Author Biography:
Teresa Brennan is Schmidt Distinguished Professor of Humanities at Florida Atlantic University, USA.

Teresa Brennan marshalls the insights of Marx and Freud to provide a compelling and insightful analysis of the exhaustion pervading modern capitalism: environmental collapse, the rising poverty levels, and the increase in global economic disparity. Linking the consumption of environmental resources to our own depleted psychic life, she shows that modernity must be rethought if we are to find a sustainable future for both the environment and our own psychic life. This book should prove of value to political and social theorists, philosophers, economists, and anyone interested in the environment.

This study systematically examines uneven regional development in China, focusing on three central agents: the foreign investor, the state and the region. Wei's findings have important implications for theories of, and policy towards, Chinese regional development. This book is a vital resource for those with an interest in transition economies.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203184661

This book examines the rapid deregulation and changing nature of Japan's financial marketplace as it emerges from its worst economic crisis since the end of the Second World War. The author focuses on how U.S. firms like Citibank, AIG, Merrill Lynch, GE Capital, Fidelity Investments, and American Express have made large investments and built strategic businesses in a market that was effectively closed to them only a few years ago. He also profiles Japan's major financial institutions, which are aggressively restructuring to defend their home turf from foreign competitors.

Now that the economic crisis appears to be over, this exciting new book gives business students, scholars, and executives an in-depth analysis and understanding of the on-going transformation of the Japanese marketplace in banking, securities, insurance, asset management, mutual funds, and consumer credit.

Ukraine may have taken a "gradualist" approach to economic reform, but the results have been no better than in Russia. The editors have assembled the leading specialists on the Ukrainian economy, including officials from major Ukrainian and international economic institutions, to outline the major problems of the economy, analyze the initial phases of economic reform in Ukraine, assess their outcomes, and chart the way forward.

A comprehensive examination of the transformation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army into one of the most important actors in the Chinese economy -- an amalgam of military and commercial interests controlling a multi-billion dollar international business empire. The author provides the first documentary analysis of decision-making surrounding the origins of this post-1978 military- business complex. He offers a detailed picture of the system's wide-ranging structure and sectoral interests, and links this military commercialism to the rise of corruption in the ranks.

Contents:
Introduction: a puzzle for economic theories Robert Boyer and Toshio Yamada
Part I Institutional interpretations and theories
1. Japanese capitalism and the companyist compromise Toshio Yamada
2. The hierarchical market-firm nexus as the Japanese mode of régulation Akinori Isogai, Akira Ebizuka and Hiroyasu Uemura
3. Disproportionate productivity growth and accumulation regimes Hiroyuki Uni
Part II The wage labour nexus, forms of competition, financial regime: major structural transformations
4. The capital-labour compromise and the financial system: a changing hierarchy Hironori Tohyama
5. 'Industrial welfare' and 'company-ist' régulation: an eroding complementarity Masanori Hanada and Yasuro Hirano
6. The financial mode of régulation in Japan and its demise Naoki Nabeshima
Part III What crisis and what futures?
7. The wage labour nexus challenged: more the consequence than the cause of the crisis Robert Boyer and Michel Juillard
8. Growth, distribution and structural change in the post-war Japanese economy Hiroyasu Uemura
9. Beyond the East Asian economic crisis Yasuo Inoue
10. Some limitations on Japanese competitiveness enjamin Coriat, Patrice Geoffron and Marianne Rubenstein
Conclusion: an epochal change ... but uncertian future Robert Boyer and Toshio Yamada