This book brings together empirical evidences and theoretical perspectives to provide a comprehensive overview of the microfinance sector in India. The essays in the volume: focus on the application of information and communication technology (ICT) solutions in microfinance institutions to strengthen the savings movement and widen credit access to the poor and marginalized sections of society; present case studies on self-help group (SHG) movements, federations and SHG-Bank Linkage programmes; propose measures for strengthening regulatory and governance structures of the microfinance sector; and identify linkages between overall financial inclusion and the contribution of microfinance institutions (MFIs). The volume will be indispensable for scholars and researchers of microeconomics, South Asian economics and development economics as well as professionals and aspirants in the microfinance, rural banking and financial inclusion sectors.

This volume is a history of economics - as it was interpreted, discussed and established as a discipline - in the 20th century. It highlights the pluralism of the discipline and brings together leading voices in the field who reflect on their lifelong work. The chapters draw on a host of traditions of economic thought, including pre-classical, classical, Marxian, neoclassical, Sraffian, post-Keynesian, Cantabrigian and institutionalist traditions in economics. Further, the volume also looks at the history of economics in India and its evolution as a discipline since the country's independence. This book will appeal to students, researchers and teachers of economics and intellectual history, as well as to the interested general reader.

England's economy between 1050 and 1550 mirrored that of much of continental Europe in its growing dependence upon trade over both short distances and long. The essays in this collection are the fruit of forty years of research into the complex and interrelated issues involved. Describing this change can be achieved in part through quantitative indices, such as the number and size of towns, markets and fairs, and the volume of monetary circulation. A full account also requires a discussion of widespread changes of work experience, customary practices and moral values as households became more dependent upon markets. In addition, the evidence of transformative commercial growth in the medieval period gives rise to numerous questions concerning its relationship to more modern times. Modern economic growth and modern capitalism have often been contrasted starkly with medieval economic stagnation and traditionalism, but recent research implies a more continuous process of economic development than that implied by these older stereotypes. Many of the items in this collection are also relevant to this more discursive aspect of medieval commercialisation.

The increasing capital flows in the emerging markets and developed countries have raised various concerns worldwide. One main concern is the impact of the sharp decline of capital flows - so-called sudden stops - on financial markets and the stability of banking systems and the economy. The sudden stops and banking crises have been identified as the two main features of most financial crises, including the recent Asian Financial Crisis and Global Financial Crisis. However, how capital flows and banking crises are connected still remains unanswered. Most current studies on capital flows are empirical work, which faces various challenges. The challenges include how data has been collected and measured in each country and how sensitive the results are to the data and the adopted methodologies. Moreover, the links between capital flows and banking systems have been neglected. This book helps provide some insight into the challenges faced by empirical studies and the lessons of the recent crises. The book develops theoretical analysis to deepen our understanding on how capital flows, banking systems and financial markets are linked with each other and provides constructive policy implications by overcoming the empirical challenges.

First published in 1999, this study recognises the importance of international labour mobility for modern economics. This is in large part due to its effects on the size, age structure and skills of the labour force, the human flow between countries and the expected rise in scale as a result of income differentials, demographic pressures and differential labour-force growth rates along with developments in transport and communications. These migrations are increasingly volatile and unpredictable, whilst being concentrated in regions like Australia, the USA, Sub-Saharan Africa and Western Europe. Given the extensive literature on the microeconomic view, George M. Agiomirgianakis aims to extend the debate on open economy macroeconomics through an exploration of international labour mobilities and their effects on open economies with flexible exchange rates.

Contents:
Preface 1. Introduction 2. International Restructuring and National Contingencies 3. Structural Forces Challenging the European National Telecommunications Regime 4. The Liberalisation, Privatisation and Regulatory Reform of Telecommunications in the UK: In Care of the Market? 5. The Liberalisation, Privatisation and Regulatory Reform of Telecommunications in the Netherlands: In Pursuit of a New Consensus? 6. The Liberalisation, Privatisation and Regulatory Reform of French Telecommunications: Still in Care of the State? 7. A Comparative Institutional Analysis of British, Dutch and French Telecommunications Policy 8. Convergence and/or Divergence in European Telecommunications Restructuring?

This work presents twelve case studies of foreign direct investment in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia. The studies include major firms such as Skoda and Danone, as well as smaller ventures, and cover the same sectors for each country, thereby permitting useful comparisons and assessments of: the role of country, sector, technology, and firm-specific characteristics in determining the pattern and nature of foreign direct investment; the potential implications of FDI for the competitiveness of the investing firms; the impact of infusions of capital investments, technology, and managerial resources for the host economies; and the policy implications for host countries and relevant international institutions.

The Active Consumer discusses how consumers seem to delight in trying new solutions and exploring new combinatory possibilities. This book provides an economic-theoretical understanding of this phenomenon and the many ways in which innovation can structure consumer choice. The authors show from different points of view how central novelty can be in consumer behaviour, how it relates to technical change and how new consumer capabilities are developed and organized.

Real Business Cycle theory combines the remains of monetarism with the new classical macroeconomics, and has become one of the dominant approaches within contemporary macroeconomics today. This volume presents:
* the authoritative anthology in RBC. The work contains the major articles introducing and extending the theory as well as critical literature
* an extensive introduction which contains an expository summary and critical evaluation of RBC theory
* comprehensive coverage and balance between seminal papers and extensions; proponents and critics; and theory and empirics.
Macroeconomics is a compulsory element in most economics courses, and this book will be an essential guide to one of its major theories.

This volume approaches the history of Japanese-German relations from a business history perspective. Starting with an overview of Japanese-German relations which focuses on the environment, strategies and forms of inter-firm relations, Akira Kudo then uses case studies to provide a broader picture, before finally considering strategy, organizational strategy and technology and management transfer in the light of problems identified earlier. All the case studies are chosen to meet specific criteria which allow the author to move from individual details towards a broader picture and thus provide a history of Japanese-German business relations during the Inter-war years.

This study illustrates the social and political principal that institutions matter. It explores not only how to get institutions to work efficiently, but also how to assess the proper relationship between institutions and development challenges through evaluative techniques.

In this study of the development of the Asian department store, economists, anthropologists and historians examine various aspects of retailing, business organization, networking and consumerism in the expanding economies of Asia. While focusing on the cultural histories of China, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore in the formation and shaping of Asia's universal providers', this book presents a comparative perspective on the way in which department stores such as Wing On, Sincere, Seibu and Metro have gradually been transformed into multinational enterprises during the 20th century.

Series Information:
Foundations of the Market Economy

Compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the CPI is used to index Social Security payments and many other federal programs, as well as to adjust tax brackets. Today, the accuracy of the CPI is being hotly debated, particularly in light of the Boskin Commission report that concluded in December 1996 that the CPI overstates inflation by 1.1%. If accepted and applied in the formulation of economic policy, the report would have major implications for balancing the federal budget. It would have a direct impact on the lives of Americans who are beneficiaries of government programs as well as on everyone who pays taxes. In this book, Dean Baker introduces and explains the significance of the debate, presents the full text of the Boskin Commission report and finally discusses in a far-reaching and insightful analysis both the Commission's research methodology and its conclusions.

Consumer Services have been viewed as parasitic activities, dependent on other sectors of the economy for their viability and vitality. Yet local economic policy is now looking towards consumer services to solve severe economic problems. The rapid expansion of the service sector is now a principal feature of contemporary global economic restructuring. Consumer Services and Economic Development evaluates the contributions that consumer services can make to local economic development and revitalisation. A broad range of consumer service industries are examined in turn: tourism, sports, universities, retailing and cultural industries. Detailed local case studies illustrate the role, impact and effectiveness of consumer services in economic regeneration in a number of different contexts: the global city, contrsting urban areas and rural localities. With many localities in the advanced economies suffering from severe deindustrialisation and weak producer service growth, this book highlights the need for a fundamental rethink of both the function of services and of economic development theory and practice in general.

For courses in Economics. Foundations of Microeconomics, 8th Edition introduces students to the economic principles they can use to navigate the financial decisions of their futures. Each chapter concentrates on a manageable number of ideas, usually 3 to 4, with each reinforced several times throughout the text. This patient approach helps guide students through unfamiliar terrain and focus them on the most important concepts. The text does four core things to help students grasp and apply economic principles: it motivates with compelling issues and questions, focuses on core ideas, offers concise points, and encourages learning with activities and practice questions. After completing this text, students will have the foundational knowledge of how the economy works and can apply it to their lives going forward.

First published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Contents:
1. In What Senses Were the Founding Austrians 'Neoclassical' Economists? 2. The Founding Austrian Conceptions of Economics 3. Carl Menger's Analysis of Choice 4. Wieser and Bohm-Bawerk on Economizing Behaviour 5. Carl Menger's Theory of Price Formation 6. Bohm-Bawerk's Value and Price Theory 7. The Process of Competition in Founding Austrian Economic Theory I: Menger's Principles 8. The Process of Competition in Founding Austrian Economic Theory II: Wieser and Bohm-Bawerk 9. Capital in Founding Austrian Economic Theory: Menger versus Bohm-Bawerk 10. Mengerian Distribution Theory: Wieser's Contribution 11. The Founding Austrian Version of Neoclassical Microeconomics: Summary and Conclusions

This book explores a new theory of the firm produced through an exchange between management theory and economics. In the process economics is seen to provide a foundational element for strategy research whilst developing a more realistic theory of the firm with a greater emphasis on its internal features. The success of competence theories of the firm also reflects their ability to explain significant trends in the business world, notably the declining importance of conglomerates and critical features in the success of Asian and Japanese business.

This monograph is a formal account of the structure and organization of a large Japanese advertising agency. Based on a year's fieldwork in a Tokyo-based agency, the book presents a case study of an advertising campaign to outline the complex relations that exist between different divisions (Account, Planning, Marketing, Creative) within an advertising agency, and between the agency and the client, on the one hand, and the agency and media, on the other.

This work offers information about the provision of rented housing in several European countries, and includes topics such as policy instruments, social housing issues and affordability. It should be relevant to housing, surveying and planning students courses with a European housing element/option. The text explains the development, financing and management of rented housing in several European countries. It also examines the issues surrounding the provision of social housing - municipal and association housing - in France, Germany and the Netherlands. The book is both policy - and practice - orientated, and offers specific detail and arguments on aspects of rented housing in several countries, as well as information on policy developments.

The economic crisis which has hit Africa since 1985 is raising questions about Africa's future position in World Trade and whether it has any chance of developing a competitive industrial structure. Presenting studies of 55 exporting manufacturers in six African countries, this collection examines the question of why some firms in the Sub-Saharan economies have been able to develop export trade, despite generally unfavourable circumstances. In particular the papers seek to understand how these firms have been able to sustain their competitiveness in the face of rapid technological change in the international economy in the context of the threats and promises such change presents to Africa. A case is made for selective complementary investments by governments to build the technological capabilities which are necessary for attaining and maintaining competitiveness. The papers present empirical research and a framework which should be of interest to academics in the development field and to government as well as international policy makers.

The British Economy in Transition: From the Old to the New? examines attempts at economic regeneration in areas that have experienced the decline in 'traditional' industry of recent years. The contributors also look at the impact of techno and managerial modernization strategies in industries that have survived, but have had to adapt rapidly to do so. Coverage includes:
* Coal
* Steel closure and economic regeneration
* Defence conversion
* Modernizing textiles
* Modernizing motor vehicles
* Trading ports in Merseyside
* From manufacturing to sevice industries in the Midlands
* the Engineering industry - prospects in the South East
* Deindustrialization and regeneration in the North East
Each industry is discussed by an expert in this area. The book will be a valuable guide to all those interested in change in British industry and business.

Managing to innovate successfully is one of the key challenges facing modern managers, firms, and governments. The rise to prominence of Japanese "keiretsu" in recent years has brought into question the effectiveness of traditional Western forms of corporate organization. Will the future favour networks of small innovative firms as in California's Silicon Valley, or will giant integrated firms dominate? Should governments play a role in directing the innovation process or should decisions be left to private enterprise?;This work draws on industrial economics, business strategy, and economic history to illuminate these topics. The authors first develop an evolutionary model to show when innovation is best undertaken within firms and when markets are the most efficient way of dealing with change. This is then illustrated by detailed discussion of the effect of innovation on the organization of the American automobile industry in the early years of the 20th century. The chapters which follow outline the effect of innovation on the organization in the early years of the 20th century.

Traditonal western forms of corporate organization have been called into question by the success of Japanese keiretsu. Firms, Markets and Economic Change draws on industrial economics, business strategy, and economic history to develop an evolutionary model to show when innovation is best undertaken. The authors argue that innovation is a complex process that defies neat categorization and government policy should be to facilitate change rather than to direct it.