During the early communist period of the 1950s, temple fairs in China were both suppressed and secularized. Temples were closed down by the secular regime and their activities classified as feudal superstition and this process only intensified during the Cultural Revolution when even the surviving secular fairs, devoted exclusively to trade with no religious content of any kind, were suppressed. However, once China embarked on its path of free market reform and openness, secular commodity exchange fairs were again authorized, and sometimes encouraged in the name of political economy as a means of stimulating rural commodity circulation and commerce. This book reveals how once these secular "temple-less temple fairs" were in place, they came to serve not only as venues for the proliferation of a great variety of popular cultural performance genres, but also as sites where a revival or recycling of popular religious symbols, already underway in many parts of China, found familiar and fertile ground in which to spread. Taking this shift in the Chinese state's attitudes and policy towards temple fairs as its starting point, The Market and Temple Fairs of Rural China shows how state-led economic reforms in the early 1980s created a revival in secular commodity exchange fairs, which were granted both the geographic and metaphoric space to function. In turn, this book presents a comprehensive analysis of the temple fair phenomenon, examining its economic, popular cultural, popular religious and political dimensions and demonstrates the multifaceted significance of the fairs which have played a crucial role in expanding the boundaries of contemporary acceptable popular discourse and expression. Based upon extensive fieldwork, this unique book will be of great interest to students and scholars of Chinese religion, Chinese culture, Chinese history and anthropology.

This book examines Irish economic development in the twentieth century compared with other European countries. It traces the growth of the Republic's economy from its separation from Britain in the early 1920s through to the present. It assesses the factors which encouraged and inhibited economic development, and concludes with an appraisal of the country's present state and future prospects.

Successful development in the Middle East remains elusive, although considerable aid is poured into the region and extensive bureaucracies for managing development have been established. This book is a concise political economy of Middle Eastern development and its administration. A major focus is the nature and role of State and bureaucracy. Special attention is also paid to the relation between aid and development. In addition to providing an analytical framework, this book brings together a wealth of up-to-date information in an easily accessible format about the region's economic development and the structure of the countries' development 'machinery'. Extensive original research in the area, combined with a balanced use of Western and Arabic sources allow the author to present the most comprehensive overview of the subject available yet. The book encompasses most of the Arab countries plus Ethiopia. The Arab donors are also examined in detail. Especially valuable and not elsewhere available are the numerous organisational charts depicting the individual countries' development administrations and the Arab donors' aid administrations. This book will be of interest to all students of Middle East politics, economics and administration as well as to students of development.

Entrepreneurship is often focused on understanding new ventures, but the entrepreneurial flame is required in growing organisations too. This textbook examines how organisations can become more entrepreneurial to achieve sustainable growth. The authors show how entrepreneurship can be used to address crisis points of growth within small firms and to overcome the limitations of stagnation within large firms. By integrating entrepreneurship and innovation management, the book presents a framework to diagnose entrepreneurial behaviour within existing firms. Drawing upon research and reflecting practice across a range of industries, from football, through Silicon Valley, to the retail sector, it includes insights from leading practitioners. The authors build an understanding of entrepreneurship in context to provide diagnostic tools to help organisations make entrepreneurship central to their culture. This unique text is therefore useful reading for business students from advanced undergraduate to executive education.

The new Political Economy, which in 1815 captured the attention of a country exhausted by war and drained by economic crisis, was to have profound effects on British and, indeed, the Western world's economic and political life for more than a hundred years. Professor Langer's new study is the first to analyze fully the interplay of ideas, politics, and history in this crucial period of change. Rather than treating the theories of the classical political economists as a set of abstract formulations, the author looks at how they were actually applied to the political and moral problems of the day. He examines how the economists, their doctrines, and the ruling political alignments affected the course of history, particularly in the conflicts surrounding the Corn Law, the Poor Law, child labor, and the reform of the monetary system.

This Report objectively reflects the whole year's progress of politics, economy, society, culture, system, environment, innovation and reform as well as the problems, challenges and countermeasures in traditional special economic zones and new special economic zones. It makes analysis of China's Special Economic Zones, including overall review on the whole year's development state of the reform experimental zone and part of new special economic zones, which focuses on analyzing the transformation of special economic zones, use of resources, the sustainable development, economic and social development, social security and technical innovation from the aspects of present situation of development, the comparative analysis, and policy suggestions and puts forward development suggestions for each specific issue.

Why Delegate? moves beyond the standard economic accounts of delegation to offer a fresh take on a wide variety of issues and shows how essential the act of delegating is to our society. From mundane tasks like choosing a plumber to weightier ones like running a country, the world turns on delegation. We delegate particular tasks to people we believe have more expertise than we do. When it is successful, delegation improves efficiency, expands the range of responsible actors, and even increases happiness. When delegation fails, though, it brings conflict, corruption, and an absence of accountability. In Why Delegate?, Neil J. Mitchell investigates the incentives to delegate and the risks we take in doing so. He demonstrates how a new, modified understanding of the simple structure of the delegation relationship-the principal-agent relationship, as economists have described it-simplifies a myriad of important and seemingly disparate problems in private and public life. Using real-world case studies including child abuse in the Catholic Church, the Volkswagen pollution scandal, and FIFA corruption, Mitchell illustrates the broad functionality of delegation logic and the wide range of incentives at work in these relationships. Diverse examples reveal the opportunism of both the leaders and the led and show how accepted accounts of the principal-agent relationship are incomplete. By drawing on multidisciplinary research to address complex questions of motivation, control, responsibility, and accountability, the book builds a broader, more useful logic of delegation. Why Delegate? moves beyond the standard economic accounts of delegation to offer a fresh take on a wide variety of issues and shows how essential the act of delegating is to our society. Mitchell's comprehensive account of the contexts, causes, and effects of delegation develops a new way to understand both the theory and practice of this critical relationship.

Argues that environmental problems need to be looked at internationally, in terms of the global economic system, and that the degradation of the environment is not `natural', but an historical process which is intrinsically linked and shaped by economic and political systems.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203408888

One of the reasons for the success of multinational enterprises in their ability to create in their supranational organisations "internal markets" which eliminate the imperfections of external world markets caused by tariffs on trade, restrictions on the flow of capital, information costs and so on. The method multinationals use to create and sustain internal markets is transfer pricing. Multinationals use to their advantage the difference between nominal accounting and real transfers from their head offices to a subsidiary in different countries to overcome transaction costs and restrictions on trade and capital flows. This book, first published in 1985, examines these and other aspects of multinationals' use of transfer pricing. It puts forward original thinking and research findings by leading experts in this area. Empirical results are related to the activities of multinationals in less developed countries. This volume covers the economic theories of transfer pricing, accounting and fiscal practices and implications for government policies and regulations, and will be of interest to students of economics and business studies.

The book is concerned with strategy and tactics for directing that small slice of world income into filling the gap. This must be done country by country, on the initiative of each country's government: with the maximum involvement of its own civil society, and with the rich world also making a contribution. To add momentum, the international community needs to adopt targets far more specific than the fifty percent extreme 'poverty reduction' of the first Millennium Development Goal.

This book provides an elaboration upon the concept of knowledge from an economic viewpoint. However this is not a book on economics of knowledge, at least not in the conventional sense. Most of the existing books on the matter have focused on the treatment of knowledge in terms of properties of knowledge as an economic good, incentive schemes for the creation of knowledge, issues about the codified/tacit nature of knowledge and the like.

In Poverty from the Wealth of Nations , the author presents an analysis of the evolution of global disparities that goes beyond the earlier neo-Marxist critiques of global capitalism. He moves beyond their narrative by inserting two additional asymmetries into the global economy - those created by 'unequal races' and unequal states. The author analyzes not only the power of markets, but the powers that shaped these markets. More importantly, he marshals cross-country evidence to show that loss of sovereignty retarded industrialization, human capital formation and economic growth.

@text: The rural landscape of the Third World is generally seen as one worked by the impoverished. Chris Dixon shows that this is an increasingly inaccurate picture. This book, first published in 1990, provides a general introduction to the approaches, policies, and problems associated with Third World rural development. Rural Development in the Third World is relevant to students of geography, the environment and developmental issues.

This innovative textbook contains everything students need to know on an intermediate microeconomics course. Combining classic theory and models with the latest developments, it gently guides learners through the topics and helps them to become increasingly independent. Mathematical understanding is a crucial part of mastering the subject, but can be tricky to obtain. Consequently, numerical tools and engaging exercises are expertly woven into the broader, conceptual discussion of economic theory. This process is progressive and incremental, with steps explained in great detail in the opening chapters to help students gain mathematical fluency and confidence. A microeconomics textbook that is essential reading for any intermediate level course at university. Although primarily aimed at two-semester undergraduate modules, the comprehensive and accessible writing style means that it is also suitable for certain postgraduate and one-semester courses. The author provides helpful notes on how to adapt the book to your course. Accompanying online resources for this title can be found at bloomsburyonlineresources.com/intermediate-microeconomics. These resources are designed to support teaching and learning when using this textbook and are available at no extra cost.

A market-leading text, Microeconomics presents economic theory in the context of real, data-driven examples, and then helps you develop your intuition through hallmark Solved Problems. The text places emphasis on modern theories, such as industrial organization theory, game theory, and transaction cost theory, which are useful in analyzing actual markets. At the same time, a step-by-step problem-based learning approach demonstrates how to use microeconomic theory to solve business problems and analyze policy. The 9th Edition has been substantially updated with new or revised real-world examples, applications and problems. This gives you a practical perspective, seeing how models connect to real-world decisions being made in today's firms and policy debates. This print textbook is available for students to rent for their classes. The Pearson print rental program provides students with affordable access to learning materials, so they come to class ready to succeed.

Originally published in 1992 this title came out of a conference on emotion and cognition as antecedents and consequences of health and disease processes in children and adolescents. The theoretical rationale for the conference was based on the assumption that the development of emotion, cognition, health and illness are processes that influence each other through the life span and that these reciprocal interactions begin in infancy. The chapters discuss developmental theories, research and implications for interventions as they relate to promoting health, preventing disease, and treating illness in children and adolescents.

Originally published between 1982 and 1996, and addressing issues of central importance to the competitiveness of firms and economies, the volumes in this set draw together research by leading academics in the area and provides a rigorous examination of key issues relating to employment in small businesses. They: Study both the growth and the barriers to growth of small firms Examine problems of rurality Investigate the variation in rates of new venture initiations across manufacturing industries Include a wide range of national case studies from Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK, Greece, Spain, Israel and Indonesia. Discuss marketing in the small business and the relationship between small and large firms in an advanced capitalist economy Reassess economic theories concerned with concentration and competition the relationship between small and large firms in an advanced capitalist economy Analyse the managerial factors most closely associated with successful small firms

`This is an important book that deserves to be read by everyone concerned with presenting major environmental issues.' Geography ` ... an essential text for policy makers and aid professionals, as well as for students of environmental studies and international development ... It is indeed, a book appropriate to the urgent and critical issues which it addresses.' - Journal of Environmental Management

Domestic violence against women is a problem that cries out for informed discussion and effective treatments. Intervening With Assaulted Women is a definitive response to those cries. The authors of each of the chapters included in this collection were selected for their ability to address a different issue related to the abuse of women. As a result, a wide range of concerns are confronted and discussed in this book, among them, the socio-political underpinnings of violence against women, the early childhood learning of assaultive men, and the traumatic impact of abuse on women and children. As for possible treatments, a current and uniquely comprehensive range of responses is described and evaluated, making this an excellent text for both front-line and classroom settings.

Key to China's plans to promote rural development is the de-marginalisation of the countryside through the incorporation of rural areas into the urban-based market-oriented financial system. For this reason, Chinese development planners have turned to microcredit -- i.e. the provision of small-scale loans to 'financially excluded' rural households -- as a means of increasing 'financial consciousness' and facilitating rural de-marginalisation. Drawing on in-depth fieldwork in rural China, this book examines the formulation, implementation and outcomes of government-run microcredit programmes in China-illuminating the diverse roles that microcredit plays in local processes of socioeconomic development and the livelihoods of local actors. It details how microcredit facilitates de-marginalisation for some, while simultaneously exacerbating the marginalisation of others; and exposes the ways in which microcredit and other top-down development strategies reflect and reinforce the contradictions and paradoxes implicit in rural China's contemporary development landscape.

Throughout the history of economic thought, the entrepreneur a wide variety of roles. Once cast as a fundamental agent in production, distribution and growth theories, he has now surprisingly disappeared from economic theory. This volume accounts for this disappearance, exploring how and why such a fundamental explanatory variable disappeared from economic theory. Barreto provides a concise review and classification of the many entrepreneurial theories put forward throughout the history of economic thought. The author illustrates that the decline of the entrepreneur in economic theory coincides with the rise of "the firm" as an organizing principle and considers how the replacement of the human element with a mechanistic one has led to disenchantment with microeconomic theory. This fascinating book will interest economists from a range of disciplines including the history of economic thought, microeconomics and entrepreneurship.

House prices and mortgage debt have moved to centre stage in the management of national economies, regional development and neighbourhood change. Describing, analysing and understanding how housing markets work within and across these scales of economy and society has never been more urgent. But much more is known about the macro-scales than the microstructures; and about the economic rather than social drivers of housing market dynamics. This book redresses the balance. It shows that housing markets are social, cultural and psychological - as well as economic - affairs. This multidisciplinary approach is helpful in understanding the economic staples of supply, demand, price and information. It also casts new light on the emotional and political economy of markets.

Argues that environmental problems need to be looked at internationally, in terms of the global economic system, and that the degradation of the environment is not natural', but an historical process which is intrinsically linked and shaped by economic and political systems.

Using statistical analysis, this volume, originally published in 1925, examines the sociological aspects of the business cycle. It discusses which areas of social activity are influenced by the business cycle and measures the relative degree of this influence in each of the areas which are covered. Bringing together the work of economists and criminologists, this volume discusses topics such as births, deaths, poverty, crime, emigration and marriage in relation to business cycles.

Originally published in the Great Depression this accessible volume was aimed not only at the academic economist, but also the general reader. The cycles of panic, boom and bust are discussed and solutions provided as to how to get over the bust periods as efficiently as possible. The commodities of wheat and gold are discussed in detail, and comparisons made between UK and US budget surpluses and deficits.