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.

This is the third volume in a new, definitive, six-volume edition of the works of Joseph Stiglitz, one of today's most distinguished and controversial economists. Stiglitz was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2001 for his work on asymmetric information and is widely acknowledged as one of the pioneers in the field of modern information economics and more generally for his contributions to microeconomics. Volume III contains a selection of Joseph E. Stiglitz's work on microeconomics. It questions well-established tenets, including many that are so fundamental they are almost taken for granted, covering basic concepts of risk and markets; the management of risk; the theory of the firm; the economics of organization; and theory of human behaviour. Stiglitz reflects on his work and the field more generally throughout the volume by including substantial original introductions to the Selected Works, the volume as a whole, and each part within the volume.

This authoritative book from Cristiano Antonelli provides a systematic account of recent advances in the economics of innovation. By integrating this account with the economics of technological change, the book elaborates an understanding of the effects of the introduction of new technologies.
The innovation economics community will appreciate this excellent, comprehensive account, provided by a respected expert, and it is also a book that must be read by all those with an interest in Economic Theory.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203217438

In the context of Makassar, on the eastern Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the book explores the socioeconomic and cultural relationships that make life for small entrepreneurs in Makassar so distinctive. Using a new framework for the study of small enterprises - the 'small enterprise integrative framework' - this book gives us a greater understanding of the organization and operations of small enterprises in developing countries, at both the micro and macro levels. The application of this new framework for research reveals the diversity of labour flexibility, networking and cluster styles amongst the enterprises studies, and the constraints they face for growth. Whilst the recent Southeast Asian economic crisis has been heralded by certain commentators as a new era for small enterprises in the region, the book concludes that local realities for the small enterprises in Makassar mean that, whilst for some it has been a time of shifting fortunes, others have continued trading on the margins.

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.

This book can be used as a way of introducing business and management students to economic concepts as well as providing economics students with a clear grasp of how to use the skills they will need in the world of business.
Topics covered include:
*product differentiation
*price discrimination
*hiring and training workers
*labor-management relations
*international trade
A host of key features are employed to add colour to the text including case studies, examples and discussion questions. Scenarios presented centre upon a diverse range of subjects and firms including Eurostar, NHL hockey equipment, Chevrolet, Philips and pension plans.

This title focuses on one aspect of migration, namely its ethnic competition. Rather than observe population movements in general, the study is limited to the movements of specific ethnic groups. It explores the role played by ethnicity in determining which groups move and which groups stay.

This innovative text ushers in a new way of examining basic economic issues. It teaches economics from a different standpoint, using a division-of-labor theme to eliminate the need for a dichotomy between microeconomics and macroeconomics. This text shows how resource allocation and levels of division of labor are determining factors for demand and supply. It also illustrates the ways that unemployment and business cycles are seen as features of the network of division of labor.

While innovative in content, this book keeps the continuity of mainstream economics through a synthesis of existing and emerging branches of economics. It is an exceptional work that will encourage both creative and critical thinking.

This book provides an incredibly detailed and thorough account of how Vietnam's dependence on Soviet aid during the 1960s and 1970s sustained and yet ultimately undermined the centrally-planned economy. Foreign aid provided most of the resources which, in the context of an under-developed agrarian economy, permitted planned industrialisation. Yet, as in other socialist countries, chronic shortages emerged and, particularly when aid supplies were cut after 1975, encouraged individuals and enterprises to divert resources to local uses. The authors show how development of non-plan trading relations was based on supplies of scarce, aid-subsidised goods which provided the means for local authorities, enterprises and individuals to convert their positions of political and social power into capital. They further highlight the ways in which new, market-oriented trade relations emerged in symbiosis with the planning system and continue to influence the economic structure and institutions today. Economic Transition in Vietnam outlines the many problems currently facing Vietnam, not least how new global forms of integration are affecting future development.

Contents:
Introduction
1. The Legacy of the Communist Past and its Impact on Foreign Trade in Transition
2. Foreign Trade Adjustment in Early Transition
3. Successes of Trade Reorientation and Trade Expansion: An Enterprise-Level Approach
4. Institutions and Foreign Trade Reorientation: How Much Impact upon Performance?
5. Post-Transition Foreign Trade Problems and Prospects: The Economics and Political Economy of Accession

"Readings in Applied Microeconomic Theory: Market Forces and Solutions" presents both classic articles fundamental to microeconomic analysis as well as modern treatments of frontier issues in applied theory. Complementary standard textbook treatments, the readings and their bibliographies offer further coverage of fields such as game theory, decision making under uncertainty theory, and auction theory.

Designed for students in advanced microeconomic theory, the book is accessible to students with diverse mathematical backgrounds. Although some selections contain mathematical treatments higher than the standard advanced level, all text presentation can stand alone to explain the material.

The book concentrates on the forces generated by the market economy and the nature of the solutions created to deal with them. Kuenne's complementary "Readings in Social Welfare: Theory and Policy" examines solutions to social welfare issues.

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.

This volume gathers together key new contributions on the subject of the relationship, both empirical and theoretical, between economic oscillations, growth and structural change. Employing a sophisticated level of mathematical modelling, the collection contains articles from, amongst others, William Baumol, Katsuhito Iwai and William Brock.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203164830

Contents:
Part I. Gains from Regionalism and Multilateralism
1. Regional regionalism Wilfred J. Ethier
2. Multilateralism vs. regionalism: tariff co-operation and interregional transport costs Eric Bond
3. The 'gains' from preferential trade liberalization in the CGE models: where do they come from? Arvind Panagariya and Rupa Dutta-Gupta
4. The anatomy of multilateral trade policy reform Arja Turunen-Red and Alan Woodland
5. Regionalism and illegal immigration in North America: a theoretical analysis Helena Gaytan-Fregoso and Sajal Lahiri
Part II. Regionalism and Globalization for the Developing Countries
6. Regionalism for developing countries: assessing costs and benefits L. Alan Winters
7. Multilateral trade reform, regionalism and the developing countries David Greenaway and Chris Milner
8. Trading with the enemy: a case for liberalizing Pakistan-India trade Ijaz Nabi and Anjum Nasim
9. Foreign Direct investment and globalization V.N. Balasubramanyan and M.A. Salisu
Part III. Globalization and the Capital Markets
10. Financial liberalization and the globalization of financial services: two lessons from the East Asian experience Philip Arestis, Panicos Demetriades and Bassam Fattouh
Part IV. Globalization via Unilateral Actions
11. Unilateral liberalisation in an multilateral world Martin Richardson
Part V. Regionalism: Monetary, Fiscal, and Industrial Policy Co-ordination
12. Regional integration and the development of tax systems in the European Union Andreas Haufler
13. Regional approaches to cross-border competition policies P.J. Lloyd and Kerrin Vautier
14. Multiple steady states with unemployment and the exchange rate co-ordination Yoshiyasu Ono

Axioms of Cooperative Decision Making provides a unified and comprehensive study of welfarism, cooperative games, public decision making, and voting and social choice theory - technically heterogeneous subjects that are linked by common axioms. Herve Moulin studies these areas from an axiomatic perspective. Every axiom conveys a certain ethical principle (e.g. 'one man one vote', or 'to each according to his contribution'). Axiomatic theory examines the compatibility of various combinations of axioms. The book describes recent successes of this method. It gives many examples of the axiomatic approach, ranging from the construction of numerical indices for measuring inequality, to the pricing of a regulated monopoly, to the comparison of various voting rules. The book will be useful to mathematical modellers, especially those interested in economics and political science.

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?

This concise and comprehensive introduction to economics offers readers at all levels a more realistic approach to understanding the elements of resource and product markets, including the role of business decisions; technological change; product differentiation; uncertainty; and the optimal location of activities. With the book's easy-to-use software package for computations, even non-economists will become strongly motivated and can gain a proficiency in economic analysis as well as in practical and professional decision-making skills. End-of-chapter problems, computer exercises, programming examples, and numerous diagrams further enhance the book's usefulness.

What do business organizations do? The results of business behaviour can be observed and experienced in the form of the goods that are produced. However what goes on within organizations is often hidden from the outside world. This reader enables the student to make sense of business behaviour by offering an understanding of what organizations do. The book is underpinned by a systems perspective and takes a process view of organizations. This enables it to demonstrate that any business is a number of interrelated business processes and that success is determined by the extent to which these activities add value whilst minimising cost. Specifically the book focuses on: activities through which the organization interacts with its customers including marketing and sales; how organizations process materials including purchasing and manufacturing; and forms of business organization, with a critical account of new paradigms including business process re-engineering. The book features articles by leading business gurus including Michael Porter, Philip Kotler and John Kay.

This book focuses on the impact of foreign investment on selected sectors of two key transition economies - Russia and the Ukraine - to explain the effect of foreign direct investment on the transitional economy. It examines how key Western players in the international investment business have chosen whether to invest in the former Soviet Union and applies these findings to sectors within Russia and the Ukraine. Whilst recognizing the tremendous importance of foreign direct investment (FDI) as a means to upgrade technology in transition conditions, the study also examines the importance of FDI in internationalizing production. The authors question the difference globalization can make to a transition economy in a situation where domestic investment is not recovering, and where there is still no clear-cut upward trend in levels of production.

There are some very good books available that explain the Lean Manufacturing theory and touch on implementing its techniques. However, you cannot learn "how to be" lean from merely reading the theory. And to be successful in the real-work environment you need a clear comprehension of how lean techniques work, rather than just a remote understanding of what they are. You need to know what does and does not work in different situations. And you need the benefit of practical experience in their implementation.

Lean Manufacturing: Tools, Techniques, and How to Use Them gives you the benefit of author and practitioner William Feld's 15 years of hands-on experience - and the lessons he's learned. Feld provides insight into the appropriate use of assessment, analysis, design, and, most importantly, deployment of a successful lean manufacturing program. Packed with practical advice and tips but not bogged down in theory, this book covers how, why, when, and what to do while implementing lean manufacturing. It equips you with the tools and techniques you need along with an understanding of how and why they work.

Feld explores why an integrated approach is so much more beneficial in securing sustained improvement. He focuses on the interdependency of the Five Primary Elements: organization, metrics, logistics, manufacturing flow, and process control. He describes a proven, applied approach to creating a lean program using these elements.

To keep up globally, and even locally, your manufacturing operation must be responsive, flexible, predictable, and consistent. You must continually improve manufacturing operations and cultivate a self directed work force driven by output based, customer performance criteria. By applying what you learn from Lean Manufacturing: Tools, Techniques, and How to Use Them you can build a workforce - and an organization - with the capacity to satisfy world class expectations now and into the future.

In developed countries, the food superstore or hypermarket has become the dominant mode of food distribution; and their success has transformed the retail sector. But each new store has changed the employment regime of the stores they replace. For retailers, labour is a major cost; with opening hours being extended, and consumer demand patterns changing, one solution has been the use of part-time labour. Extensive use of such labour characterises British food retailing for example whereas it is less common in France. This book examines the reasons for such differences, and the potential which management and employees have within the operation to manage working time to their benefit. This book makes use of a four country research programme, covering France, Germany, Great Britain and Japan. Investigations and interviews at store, company and individual level, paint a picture of working time in the sector and in each of the countries. The volume provides some explanations for national differences as well as the similarities; supply and demand issues, as well as societal and social backgrounds. Large format food retailing is a major force in each country, employing millions in many di

Game theory explores situations in which agents interact strategically and provides a useful foundation for studying many traditional industrial organization topics. This approach has also enabled the emergence of new areas of enquiry including law and economics, networks, the digital economy, auctions, experimental game theory and many others. This second volume of the Handbook includes original contributions by experts in the field. It provides up-to-date surveys of the most relevant applications of game theory to industrial organization. The book covers both classical and industrial organization topics such as mergers in markets with homogeneous and differentiated goods, leniency and coordinated effects in cartels and mergers, static and dynamic contests, consumer search and product safety, strategic delegation, platforms and network effects, auctions, environmental and resource economics, intellectual property, healthcare, corruption, experimental industrial organization, and empirical models of research and development. Authoritative and engaging, this unique Handbook will be an indispensable resource for all serious academics, researchers and students of industrial economics and game theory. Contributors incude: S. Anderson, A. Barge-Gil, P. Belleflamme, J. Brandts, R. Burguet, L. Corchon, A. Daughety, N. Fabra, R. Fauli-Oller, J.-J. Ganuza, M.l. Gonzalez Maestre, A. Hernando-Veciana, M. Hoffmann, E. Huergo, M. Kopel, L. Lambertini, A. Lopez, M. Marini, C. Marvao, E. Maskin, J.G. Montalvo, L. Moreno, M. Motta, P. Olivella, M. Peitz, M. Pezzino, M. Polo, J. Potters, J. Reinganum, R. Renault, G. Rota Preziosi, J. Sandonis, M. Serena, G. Spagnolo