This book provides evaluations of American presidents over the course of 66 years of U.S. economic history, using quantitative data to provide credible, defensible answers to controversial questions like "Whose economic policies were more effective, Ronald Reagan's or Bill Clinton's?" The President as Economist: Scoring Economic Performance from Harry Truman to Barack Obama provides eye-opening insights about matters of critical importance for the future of the United States. Author Richard J. Carroll tackles a topic that he has researched and been focused on for more than 20 years, providing impartial assessments and rankings of each presidential administration according to numerous key performance indicators-quantitative data, not subjective opinions. The final chapter combines all of the data to present a numeric score (Presidential Performance Index-PPI) for each administration that allows an overall ranking of the 11 presidents. The analysis covers 66 years of U.S. economic history, ranging from 1946 through 2011. The earlier administrations of Harry S. Truman through Jimmy Carter set the context against which more recent presidencies are judged. This title will be an invaluable resource for everyone from general readers to students at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels, as well as journalists, lobbyists, and anyone directly or indirectly involved in the political process. An appendix provides the official data upon which the rankings are based

Based on fieldwork in Kinshasa and Paris, Breaking Rocks examines patronage payments within Congolese popular music, where a love song dedication can cost 6,000 dollars and a simple name check can trade for 500 or 600 dollars. Tracing this system of prestige through networks of musicians and patrons - who include gangsters based in Europe, kleptocratic politicians in Congo, and lawless diamond dealers in northern Angola - this book offers insights into ideologies of power and value in central Africa's troubled post-colonial political economy, as well as a glimpse into the economic flows that make up the hidden side of the globalization.

We live in an increasingly prosperous world, yet the estimated number of undernourished people has risen, and will continue to rise with the doubling of food prices. A large majority of those affected are living in India. Why have strategies to combat hunger, especially in India, failed so badly? How did a nation that prides itself on booming economic growth come to have half of its preschool population undernourished?
Using the case study of a World Bank nutrition project in India, this book takes on these questions and probes the issues surrounding development assistance, strategies to eliminate undernutrition, and how hunger should be fundamentally understood and addressed.
Throughout the book, the underlying tension between choice and circumstance is explored. How much are individuals able to determine their life choices? How much should policy-makers take underlying social forces into account when designing policy? This book examines the possibilities, and obstacles, to eliminating child hunger.
This book is not just about nutrition. It is an attempt to uncover the workings of power through a close look at the structures, discourses, and agencies through which nutrition policy operates. In this process, the source of nutrition policy in the World Bank is traced to those affected by the policies in India.

The main theme of this book is the methodological problem of rationality in economic thought. The author investigates the different interpretations of this problem advanced by major figures in the history of economic thought.The book examines the history and rationality of the 'theory of value' from Adam Smith to Alfred Marshall and attempts to understand these arguments and criticisms within a general methodological vein. It goes on to provide a complete historical account of the ideas and arguments on value propounded by Smith, Ricardo, Marx, Jevons, Walras and Marshall as well as by more recent scholars such as Sraffa and Debreu and interprets their methodological differences. The author proposes a novel 'pragmatic-pluralist' methodological interpretation which borrows and creatively synthesizes ideas from many sources, including Wittgenstein (language-games), Searle (performatives), Habermas (communicative reason), hermeneutics, Marx and the pragmatic tradition. Rationality in Economic Thought will be of interest to students and scholars of the history of economic thought, economic methodology and the philosophy of the social sciences.

Economic Growth is an advanced undergraduate text written specifically for one semester courses in growth theory and for first year graduate students to refresh their knowledge. It will also be of great use for scholars and professional economists as the text contains many references to practical policy issues. The author condenses the fundamental issues of growth theory and covers the new ideas in a highly entertaining text, written in a clear and accessible style.

In hard times, dissension mounts.
The old social contract flounders and cannot be revived.
Forces of reaction assert themselves.
Danger intensifies.
In dark times, opportunity appears.

Such is our time. It is time to debate and define the next social contract, to articulate its political aims and action plan. It is time to change the world.

In "Digging Out: Global Crisis and the Search for a New Social Contract," two brothers from the social and environmental justice movements engage this debate with a revolutionary proposal rooted in the power dynamics of the world's rising service-based economy. They provide a theoretical framework to reinterpret and address festering world problems through local and global initiatives. They urge cultural reinvigoration to deploy our social skills and innovation in service of others. Their proposal confirms the leading role of civil society, and it calls for a worldwide commercial transaction fee to curb financial speculation while adequately and permanently funding a sustainable future.

"Digging Out" proposes a new social contract to advance economic security, social justice, and ecological restoration worldwide. It is a clarion call, urging us to unite and demand the changes necessary for a better tomorrow.

This book focuses on one of the major challenges facing countries in Eastern Europe, namely the creation and maintenance of jobs in the agricultural sector. It argues that future employment will critically depend upon the completion of the privatization process, as well as improved efficiency and market opportunity. Privatization in Rural Eastern Europe prescribes radical restructuring of the East European countryside and examines the future prospects for restitution and privatization from both national and regional perspectives. The economic and political history of rural Eastern Europe is examined in the context of the transition process. The discussion then develops with the extensive use of detailed country case studies which analyse the growth of private economic activity in Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia in a clear and systematic way. The book offers careful consideration of the future of the rural economy and emphasizes the importance of rural diversification and the development of the service sector to create new employment opportunities in rural areas. This book will prove invaluable to academics with an interest in agricultural and transitional economics as well as to businessmen interested in East European agriculture, food processing and farm machinery.

The 642 pages book, "A Citizen's Manifesto " A ray of hope, by Mike Rana caters to the need of information for students, teachers, citizens, leaders, managers, and budding politicians. It gives a kaleidoscopic perspective on the social, political and economic life of our citizens. Forty years of socialistic post-independence governance followed by twenty years with liberalised economy has given India a mixed bag of results. The Indian system is now poised for some bold steps in governance for tackling the four major issues of a growing nation, population, education, poverty and corruption. A Citizen's Manifesto is a condensed reflection of how 'disciplined democracy' is perceived by the citizens of India. A 26-page manifesto of a mock up political party, gives a good overview of what the politicians need to do for the citizens.

BUILDING A SOLIDARITY SOCIETY Is it the impossible dream: a caring and sustainable society that fosters the flourishing of people and planet? Many are deeply skeptical about whether such a transformative change is a goal worth pursuing. But pursuit of this goal may be our only realistic choice; the misuse of power then is the obstacle to be overcome. This book leads the skeptical reader - whether college student or underpaid worker - on an exploration of the priorities of the powerful, the economic theories that justify their decisions, and the alternative world views that are firing the imagination and efforts of activists across the globe. Economist Marianne Hill speaks to those who worry that switching from a capitalist to a democratic economy would kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. Drawing on cutting-edge scholarship, she explores why people accept a status quo in which the few have the right to control the labor of the many, and the right to distribute the wealth collectively created. Research findings, data and stories drawn from the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent crises are used to explain why plutocrats show little concern for the economic distress and insecurity suffered by so many. Steps can be taken to move us towards a more humane and sustainable way of living. Exciting possibilities are presented, based on recent manifestos, party platforms, books and documents. Advocates for a caring solidarity society are many and, once united, can be the force that redistributes power in firms, families and society. This book aims to foster the clarity, cohesion and courage that can ensure their success.

This book discusses Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and their potential to protect and maintain critical infrastructure in a variety of global governmental settings. Critical infrastructure is defined as essential services that underpin and support the backbone of a nation's economy, security, and health. These services include the power used by homes and businesses, drinking water, transportation, stores and shops, and communications. As governmental budgets dwindle, the maintenance of critical infrastructure and the delivery of its related services are often strained. PPPs have the potential to fill the void between government accounting and capital budgeting. This volume provides a survey of PPPs in critical infrastructure, combining theory and case studies to provide a comprehensive view of possible applications. Written by a diverse group of international experts, the chapters detail PPPs across industries such as transportation, social infrastructure, healthcare, emergency services, and water across municipalities from the US to New Zealand to Hong Kong. Chapters discuss objectives and legal requirements associated with PPPs, the potential advantages and limitations of PPPs, and provide guidance as to how to structure a successful PPP for infrastructure investment. This book is of interest to researchers studying public administration, public finance, and infrastructure as well as practitioners and decision makers interested in instituting PPPs in their communities.

In Explaining Economic Growth David Lim presents a new analytical framework for explaining the different growth performances of developing countries.Drawing on the growth experience of the newly industrializing economies of East Asia, the author begins his analysis by identifying the sources of output growth and the factors behind them. Recognizing that no one explanation of economic growth is entirely satisfactory, Professor Lim's analysis enables the strengths of existing explanations to be highlighted and used in the construction of more convincing hypothesis of economic growth. An operational framework for identifying the policies needed to produce greater economic growth is also developed. Explaining Economic Growth presents the large and often unstructured development literature within a systematic framework allowing for a series of policy-oriented conclusions. Accessible and yet rigorous, this major new book will be widely used by students, researchers and policy makers concerned with economic growth and development.

This major work provides an assessment of Adolf Lowe's work and explores areas for future research in relation to his important contribution to economics, in particular his belief that economics is inseparable from social inquiry.The book opens with an overall evaluation of Lowe as a perceptive historical, political and sociological observer, presented through a number of personal recollections by Robert Heilbroner, Claus-Dieter Krohn and Marion Countess Donhoff. They analyse Lowe's intellectual and socio-political development during the Weimar Republic and how this period influenced some of his later works. The second part assesses Lowe's major contribution to the development of business cycle theory, and the roots of his analysis of structural and economic change. The book also examines Lowe's pioneering work in the field of traverse analysis. It concludes with a discussion of Lowe as 'economic philosopher' and his concern with the extent to which contemporary Western societies can balance the conflict between freedom and order.

In today's multipolar world economy, strategic alignment is a key determinant of competitive advantage. Coca-Cola, Danone, Diageo, DuPont, Lufthansa and Tata are some of the companies that strive for a pragmatic approach to balancing competitive strategies with political and social obligations. Aligning for Advantage argues that to build and sustain corporate success, companies must synchronize business objectives and market positions with political and regulatory activism and social and environmental engagement. Moreover, to be credible and realizable, these external market and nonmarket strategies need to be equally attuned with corporate vision, values, and culture. The book advances a managerial process and conceptual framework for aligning corporate strategy. In some cases alignment may mean deep, strategically embedded partnerships with governments, NGOs, or other stakeholders. In others, alignment may take the form of looser, temporary collaborations with outside organizations. No matter the approach, the relationship between nonmarket and market strategies should be deliberate and genuine, not accidental or artificial. Truly aligned strategies should reconcile and modulate sometimes conflicting external demands in a way that is appropriate for the corporation's geographic and market positions. In the end, companies must leverage their overall nonmarket strategy as a source of competitive advantage.

Microeconomics, Growth and Political Economy is the first of two volumes which collect together many of Professor Lipsey's writings on economics, some of which are previously unpublished or currently inaccessible. This book contains papers on economic growth and technical change, monetary and value theory, the theory of second best, international trade theory, political economy and methodology. A separate book, On the Foundations of Monopolistic Competition and Economic Geography, contains works on oligopoly and location theory, all coauthored with Curtis Eaton. The book begins with a new autobiographical introduction to the intellectual development, personal achievements and the fields of interest of Richard G. Lipsey and is divided into five parts. The first part considers various aspects of economic growth and technical change taking into account the structuralist view, markets and the globalization of the economy. Part two is concerned with the microeconomic issues of second-best theory and monetary and value theory. The third part looks at trade theory and surveys customs unions and competitiveness. Political economy is considered in the fourth part, which contains essays on topics such as the balance of payments, the survival of the market economy, international liquidity theory and American trade policy. The final part features papers on methodology. Microeconomics, Growth and Political Economy is an essential reference companion to the work of Richard G. Lipsey, one of the most important economists of our generation.

This book presents a comparative analysis of Russia and Iran under sanctions. Whilst the growing literature on sanctions has focused primarily on their effectiveness, much less attention has been paid to the ways in which sanctions have transformed target societies and states. Despite, or indeed because of, the relentless enactment of sanctions, Russia and Iran have become increasingly Hobbesian in their governance - more self-reliant, less democratic, and more aggressive towards the West. The author explores these developments through a novel Welfare State Regime framework (WSR) that combines welfare state functionality with institutional, economic, and cultural structural dimensions.

How do governments make key decisions on vital economic questions of national importance? Can they advance the national interest on issues that are highly politicized? How do they respond to competing pressures from the international and domestic environments? Forming Economic Policy explores these and other questions in Canada and Mexico, two very different countries which share a common vulnerability to the world economy. Using the case of energy, the book argues that policymakers will address the national interest, but only episodically with the onset of major national crises that invoke a higher and sustained sense of national priorities. These crises are frequently induced by the interaction of domestic and foreign political and economic forces. The conclusions are surprising. Despite profound political and economic differences between these two countries, policymakers have behaved in remarkably similar ways when arriving at key policy decisions. The explanation - which integrates two competing views of politics, the pluralist and the statist - has important implications with regard to the political processes in those states which, like Canada and Mexico, are exposed to the world economy and face problems of political legitimacy at home. Forming Economic Policy will appeal to students and teachers of political economy and comparative politics as well as to those interested in the politics of energy policy.

China has undergone a remarkable transition over the past thirty years from a centrally-planned economy to a more market oriented one. The transformation of business in China has been correspondingly evident. This book gives an interdisciplinary analysis of the evolution of business development in China and the 'marketization' of industry during this period within a complex framework of legal, political, and economic reform aims.
The book includes twelve original business case studies to provide industry-specific analysis of the overarching macroeconomic and legal developments. It examines both domestic enterprise reform in China and the evolving treatment of foreign firms in the context of both corporate laws and economic policies, and how business is likely to evolve as economic and legal reforms rapidly increase during the twenty-first century, notably with regard to China's increasing global integration.

The Economic Theory of Socialism and the Labour-Managed Firm focuses on market socialism and the relevant debate among economic theorists. It argues that market socialism is the only rational form of socialism and that market socialism with labour-managed firms is by far the best form of market socialism. The book begins with a critical review of the contributions to the economic theory of socialism. The second part discusses the economic theory of labour-managed firms and pays particular attention to the adverse labour-supply curve, underinvestment, monitoring and the separation of ownership and control. The final chapters discuss problems such as the control of economic activity in labour-managed firms, worker motivation and incentives. This book will be of particular use to students and academics interested in comparative economic systems and to specialists in politics and sociology with an interest in alternative forms of economic organization.

Institutionalist analysis is increasingly used as a key research tool for economists confronted with the shortcomings of mainstream economic analysis and the problems presented by the transformation of socio-economic systems in Eastern Europe. On Economic Institutions brings together leading economists working in a wide range of research traditions who examine theories of institutions and institutional change. This important volume shows that the failure of most neoclassical economic analysis to consider economic institutions is a major shortcoming in scholarship which seeks to describe and understand crucial economic phenomena. After discussing the dynamics of institutional change, the contributors examine the explanatory variables necessary for researching institutions and pay particular attention to 'efficiency' as the key variable used by neoclassical institutional analysis. Later chapters examine the processes of institutional change focusing on issues such as path dependency, selection mechanisms and institutional dynamics, and methodological issues in analysing economic institutions. An introduction by the editors places these papers in context and traces the development of economic research across the various schools. Economists from both neoclassical and institutionalist schools, as well as economic historians, are making increasing use of institutionalist analysis as a key research tool. In bringing together cutting-edge theory and research on economic institutions, this important volume will be welcomed by scholars working in evolutionary and institutionalist research traditions, as well as by organizational theorists and sociologists.

This book is Karl Widerquist's first statement of the "indepentarian" theory of justice, or what he calls "Justice as the Pursuit of Accord" (JPA). It provides five arguments for UBI, one based on the JPA theory of freedom, another based on the JPA theory of property, and three that reply to common objections to UBI. Each of these three turns the argument around using the central concepts in a justification for UBI. Although the central argument is for one specific policy proposal, this book's perspective is much wider, including very basic criticism of social-contract-based and natural-rights-based theories of justice.

Representing Europeans takes a fresh and quizzical look at the problems facing the European Union. Bringing decades of experience to bear on the deep, structural problems currently facing the EU, Richard Rose spells out why it can no longer carry on with integration by stealth. Extraordinary challenges - such as saving the Eurozone and maintaining the free movement of peoples - now impose high-profile economic and political costs. These create huge political strains which EU institutions struggle to cope with. Rose shows the ways in which Europe's institutions do and do not represent its citizens, sometimes equally and sometimes unequally. This threatens worse crises of EU authority because people retain the power as national citizens to protest against their government making commitments in Brussels that they do not accept. The book's pragmatic approach rejects the assumption that more European integration is the solution for all of Europes problems. Likewise, it rejects UK withdrawal from the European Union because Britain cannot stop the world and get off. Instead, it suggests a pragmatic approach that asks about proposals emanating from Brussels: What problem does it address? How will this policy work? What are its visible costs and benefits? Instead of 'one size fits all' policies being imposed on 27 diverse countries, Rose recommends that enhanced European cooperation should be based on coalitions of the willing. Moreover, the active use of pan-European referendums on major reforms can test popular commitment to EU treaties that permanently advance European integration. Both European federalists and diehard Eurosceptics will alternately agree and disagree with the argument of this book. But they cannot ignore the challenge it raises to pay more attention to the concerns of the half a billion Europeans whom they claim to represent.

The Chinese Economy in Transition provides an analysis of the economic reforms introduced under Deng Xiaoping. It attempts to answer the question: what was the economic system that the Chinese were trying to reform and what approach have they adopted to reform it?Whilst the book focuses primarily on economic issues, it also explores the political and social environment and concentrates on three broad areas of the Chinese economy: agriculture, industry and macroeconomic management. Within these broad areas the focus is on two major themes: competition and cooperation, and central authority and regional autonomy. This book will be of special interest to senior undergraduate and postgraduate economics students, academics and China analysts.