This book gives readers the theoretical and empirical methods to analyze applied economics. They are institutional economics, information economics, environmental economics, international economics, financial economics, industrial organization, public economics, law and economics, and spatial economics. Because the chapters of this book deal with current topics in these categories, they are relevant not only to researchers and graduate students but also to policy makers and entrepreneurs. As there is uncertainty about the global economy, it is necessary to consider optimal, efficient behavior to survive in the confused world. The book is organized in three parts. Part 1 deals with institutional economics, information economics, and related topics, approached through game theory. Part 2 focuses on environmental economics, international economics, and financial economics, through a microeconomic or econometric approach. Finally, Part 3 concentrates on public economics, social security, and related fields, through microeconomics or macroeconomics.

This book investigates drivers and trends in nuclear proliferation in the Global South. Based on an in-depth analysis of South Africa's nuclear history, it examines general causes of proliferation, such as technical capabilities and constraints; a country's motivation to build a nuclear bomb; and particular domestic and international situations. It also highlights Britain's role in the development of technological capability in South Africa and explains how nuclear weapons influence international relations. Finally, the study offers effective solutions to the problem of nuclear proliferation in developing countries.

Development economists and practitioners agree that close collaboration between business and government improves industrial policy, yet little research exists on how best to organize that. This book examines three necessary functions--information exchange, authoritative allocation, and reducing rent seeking--across experiences in Latin America.

This book highlights the difficult policy choice that must ultimately be made during China's structural reform according to the theory of the Impossible Trinity, between exchange rate and monetary policy autonomy.

"The Next Cold War?" sounds a warning: the United States may be contributing to another cold war through its competitive unilateral and regional economic policies. Whereas wars of the past usually resulted from political conflict, Hanson warns that a new cold war may result from economic conflict. This raises important questions for American policymakers. Will the United States be a world leader that promotes cooperation and unity, or will it seek to create competition and division? Will the United States address the basic problems of population, environmental deterioration, and economic stagnation in concert with other nations, or will it pursue narrow geopolitical and geoeconomic power strategies? This fascinating work explores both sides of these questions and poses alternatives that will promote world cooperation and unity.

Rosa Luxemburg, Oskar Lange and Michal Kalecki made important contributions to twentieth century political economy that guided the thinking of their student Tadeusz Kowalik and his reinterpretation of the Keynesian Revolution. A wide range of contributors to this volume, including G.C. Harcourt and Peter Kriesler, Noemi Levy-Orlik, Gabriele Pastrello, Paul Zarembka, John Bellamy Foster, Roberto Lampa, Meghnad Desai, Marcin Kula, Jo Michell and Andrew Trigg, re-examine the theories of Luxemburg, Lange, Kalecki and Kowalik, by highlighting the common themes in their political economy and the neglected aspects of their work that Kowalik brought together in his writings.

This book explores the impact on EU member states of intensified European cooperation in the field of vocational education and training. By employing the Varieties of Capitalism approach as an analytical framework, it seeks to bridge diverging views from an innovative standpoint: While many experts argue that EU policies liberalize national training systems in spite of being 'soft law', Varieties of Capitalism argues that these polices do not produce a convergence of national institutions. The book maintains that European instruments such as the European Qualifications Framework and the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training are indeed biased towards liberal training regimes. On the basis of case studies on Germany, the Netherlands and England, it shows that the initiatives were implemented in line with national training systems. Thus, European soft law does not lead to a convergence of training regimes - or, as the book posits, of welfare states in general.

The main objective of this book has been to carry out research into the definition of industrial policy and its goals; to evaluate previously-introduced policies and instruments; and to identify the future challenges for and features of a modern EU industrial policy. A modern industrial policy is seen as a non-traditional policy towards the industrial sector, based not necessarily on only the elimination of market failures (within the sectoral and/or horizontal approaches), but rather on the expanding the scope of industrial economic activities within the framework of both the pre- and post-fabrication stages. The book targets three market segments: academics; policy and decision-makers at the EU, national and regional level, as well as business practitioners. It includes a wide-ranging analysis of different spheres of industrial policies conducted within the European Union, making it of interest to an international audience. Each chapter also offers detailed and valuable comments, as well as conclusions that can be generally applied, ensuring the book's universality. The book presents the results of a research project conducted in the Collegium of World Economy at the Warsaw School of Economics.

Regional areas are key building blocks of society in many countries. This compilation uses Australian case study examples to demonstrate how regional areas are uniquely well-placed to contribute to national goals in innovation, infrastructure provision, water and food security, environmental sustainability, industry diversification, healthy and liveable communities, and natural disaster preparedness and response. Each of these themes is examined in the context of using innovative approaches from regions to deliver outcomes that are nationally significant. Authorship is drawn from a balance of leading practitioners and academics to provide stories that are both engaging and rigorous. The case studies are contextualised by an analysis of regional advantage literature, discussion on the regional policy implications and lessons, and commentary around the key trends and drivers for innovation and regional advantage in Australia. The book provides a convincing argument that focusing on regional innovation and development offers significant benefits to a nation as a whole.

This book revisits the debate over the new international division of labour (NIDL) that dominated discussions in international political economy and development studies until the early 1990s. It submits that a revised NIDL thesis can shed light on the specificities of capitalist development in various parts of the world today. Taken together, the contributions amount to a novel value-theoretical approach to understanding the NIDL. This rests upon the distinction between the global economic content that determines the constitution and dynamics of the NIDL and the evolving national political forms that mediate its development. More specifically, the authors argue that uneven development is an expression of the underlying essential unity of the production of relative surplus-value on a world scale. They substantiate and illustrate this argument through several international case studies, including Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Ireland, South Korea, Spain and Venezuela.

In these essays James K. Galbraith wrote the history of Bush's presidency while it happened. This work contains Galbraith's most influential writings on current affairs along with new commentary, and explores the descent to disaster in Iraq and the ongoing transformation of the American economy under the steerage of Alan Greenspan. Important contributions examine the new U.S. strategic doctrine, the adverse economics of wars of occupation, the collapse of the technology bubble and its aftermath, the campaign against Social Security, the political economy of the 2004 election, the subversion of American voting as witnessed in Ohio, Hurricane Katrina and the fate of the dollar.

This book compiles the presentations and discussions from the international symposium "Beyond Global Capitalism" that was held with the contributions of Emmanuel Todd, Ha-Joon Chang, and other scholars in Kyoto, Japan, in 2013. The book is intended make the reader aware that global capitalism, or globalism, has increased its power in recent years, bringing about a variety of harmful effects to the peoples of the world. Drawing upon a variety of academic disciplines including economics, political economic science, economic thought, anthropology, history, and political science, the contributors to this book identify theories and strategies for overcoming the worldwide problems that have been caused by global capitalism. The discussions presented here foster the development of theoretical and practical frameworks for a global economy that moves beyond global capitalism. They also argue for the development of a stable, rich, and resilient economy and society that enhances the well-being of people all over the world in the twenty-first century.

The Financial Crisis, though originating in the US, is global and comparable with the Great Depression of the 1930s. The book takes both micro and macro view of the crisis. It examines the evolution of the global monetary system and looks at the crisis from a systemic angle. It examines the institutional changes in American capitalism and market mechanisms. The dynamics of the market and its cyclical characters are discussed. It examines the structural changes in the US economy. The role of globalization and international funds flow, their changing character and the growing interdependence among nations have been examined. At the micro level, the book discusses the subprime market and the gaps in the system that created the crisis. It deals with the supervisory structure and growing influence of the derivatives market and the synthetic products that are threatening the financial system. It also analyzes the fundamental changes in the global trading and payments patterns, which are influencing the US balance of payments and the US dollar. The secular changes in the structure of the US economy are impacting the global economy. The work deals with the measures taken to resolve the crisis both in the US and on a global scale. The reforms necessary to avoid the recurrence of the crisis are outlined. The study aims to underline these factors and draw a perspective for the US dollar. It is also proposed to draw a scenario for a more efficient and equitable global monetary system with a role for the US dollar along with a new vehicle for international payments and finance. This would also include the reform of the global economic system and the IMF. The special feature of the book is that it takes a holistic view of the problem. The systemic and macro issues are discussed in addition to its microanalysis.

This book takes stock of major and recent developments in welfare policy in the UK and Germany. Concentrating on trends since the 1990s it compares the similarities and differences between the two countries and analyses the degree to which social attitudes towards welfare provision, fairness, and social justice have changed. It focuses on the policy areas that have been particularly affected in recent years and examines change and possible convergence across three public policy domains: family policy, pensions and policies aimed at social and labour market integration. The book covers both public provision as well as the role of company-based social protection. Based on new empirical survey research as well as focus group interviews, the contributions analyse the ways in which social policies have adapted to common and country-specific challenges, and provide an understanding of the changing welfare landscapes in the UK and Germany.

This book presents in a concise and accessible way why the EU institutional system exists in its present form, how the EU fits into the world as a system of governance, and who is involved in EU policy processes. It outlines the historical context which has shaped the EU system, gives a summary of the system's basic principles and structures, and describes its actors, procedures and instruments. The main theme is to show that EU decision-making is not just a matter of action at some higher and separate level, of 'them and us', but rather that it involves different forms of cooperation between European, national and regional authorities, as well as interaction between public and private actors. Numerous short case studies illustrate how people's day-to-day activities are affected by EU decisions, and how individuals' concerns are represented in the decision-making process. The book provides insights and examples which will be very helpful for all students of European integration. It will also be a valuable resource for European citizens wishing to understand the basic realities and rationales, as well as some of the dilemmas, behind EU policy-making.

This book elaborates on how China's previous leaders established, consolidated, developed and improved China's basic modern governance system. It also explores and discusses how to correctly, objectively and scientifically perceive, evaluate and promote the modernization of China's state governance and its capacity. Using detailed and accurate data and extensive background information, this book analyzes the changing history and future perspectives of the relationship between China's government and the market, state-owned economy and private economy. Covering an extensive timespan, this comprehensive book includes contributions from Chinese scholars specialized in contemporary China studies discussing the major breakthroughs and decision-making consultations in Chinese development strategies. It also offers insights into the research mechanism and development levels of Chinese think tanks based at research institutes. Last but not least, it sheds light on the democratic advances in the Chinese decision-making process.

Kessler shows how political considerations distorted the liberalization process in Mexico, leading to inconsistent and unsustainable patterns of financial policy. Although market reform is promoted in developing countries to improve economic efficiency and stimulate growth, in Mexico financial liberalization provided rent-seeking opportunities for privileged groups and increased the states' ability to finance politically inspired obligations. The research examines four periods: the populist administrations of Echeverria and Lopez Portillo, during which the foundations of modern financial markets were paradoxically laid; the debt-crisis years of de la Madrid, who reversed his party's political strategy by favoring the business class with financial opportunities; the economic transformation undertaken by Carlos Salinas, who mixed genuine reform with destabilizing anti-market measures; and the political watershed of the Zedillo administration, whose unpopular bank rescue gave opposition parties unprecedented power within Mexico's policy making process. Kessler also provides a comparison of financial collapse in two other emerging markets, South Korea and Russia, and examines the political roots of crisis in both countries. He concludes by suggesting how greater attention to questions of power, social organization, and challenges to state authority can help the policy-making community avoid giving well-meaning advice that is unlikely to be implemented in a sustainable way.

This book examines key determinants of private sector development in West Africa, putting special emphasis on government s cardinal role in fostering and supporting entrepreneurship. Favorable macroeconomic conditions are identified and it is shown that adequate policies that contribute to economic diversification and industrialization are likely to expand the investment base of the economy. The book also examines new business concepts and regional integration initiatives meant to enhance West Africa s private sector and analyzes the role of finance in promoting development of private firms and the extent to which corruption impedes economic growth. All chapters are highly relevant to West Africa s current policy challenges and therefore inform the region s ongoing policy formulation. The empirical evidence supporting the policy recommendations is based on both qualitative field observations and advanced quantitative estimation techniques."

Trade policy has played a vital role in the decline of European electronics business. The events that resulted in the disappearance of the European television industry, of a European and Japanese video recorder format and of other European consumer electronics are directly related to market structures in exporting countries and business practices. In this book, factual business data shows and economic models explain how restrictive trade practices result in elimination of efficient competitors in export markets. It deals with the memorable case how a videocassette recorder format was established by dumping and how politics enabled it. An innovative tariff increase for CD players was invalidated by heavy dumping, causing closure of production in Europe. European CTV industry succumbed under permanent dumping and a series of biases - as the interest of a state-owned company - and serious errors making trade instruments void and rules irreconcilable with international agreements. Practical and theoretical examples and explanations, some in detail, of trade rules are provided. The book sketches events - carelessness, prejudice or special interests, arbitrary and false application of trade instruments and fraud - resulting in disappearance of various European electronics business segments.

By providing a unique combination of theories on the state, on territoriality and on governance, The Disoriented State explores the relationship between state governmentality and specific forms of policy making.

The Disoriented State begins with a theorisation of these new modes of territoriality, governmentality and governance by three prominent scholars in the field: Neil Brenner, Phil Cerny and Bob Jessop. This is followed by a series of in-depth case studies which manifest the variety as well the various forms of co-constitution between state governmentality, new modes of governance and policy-making, focusing on migration, spatial economic policy, city-marketing, urban development, water management and environmental policy.

This book examines democratizing media reforms in Latin America. The author explains why some countries have recently passed such reforms in the broadcasting sector, while others have not. By offering a civil society perspective, the author moves beyond conventional accounts that perceive media reforms primarily as a form of government repression to punish oppositional media. Instead, he highlights the pioneering role of civil society coalitions, which have managed to revitalize the debate on communication rights and translated them into specific regulatory outcomes such as the promotion of community radio stations. The book provides an in-depth, comparative analysis of media reform debates in Argentina and Brazil (analyzing Chile and Uruguay as complementary cases), supported by original qualitative research. As such, it advances our understanding of how shifting power relations and social forces are affecting policymaking in Latin America and beyond.

Increasingly marginalized since the end of the Cold War, the continent of Africa is struggling to identify both the root causes and possible solutions to the maladies that continue to plague it. The problems read like a laundry list of misrule in the aftermath of decolonization: rampant political corruption, internecine wars, widespread disease, underdevelopment, and economic collapse. In the early 1990s, a group of statesmen, academics, and civil leaders from all over Africa gathered to put together a comprehensive plan to make the continent become less dependent on the rest of the world and prepare it to compete in the new globalizing economy. Those who gathered to write what would come to be known as the Kampala Document envisioned an organization which would succeed where the Organization for African Unity (OAU) had failed. This new organization, the Conference on Security, Stability, Development and Cooperation in Africa (CSSDCA), will provide a forum for discussion of democratization, security issues, and sustainable development. This new book by noted scholars Francis Deng and I. William Zartman provides a "mid-course" appraisal of the progress of the CSSDCA, as well as charting its future in relation to other regional organizations. With a preface by President Olusegun Obasanjo, this book will undoubtedly become an important tool in understanding Africa's present and future. Francis Deng is a nonresident senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies program at the Brookings Institution. His books include Masses in Flight: The Global Crisis of Internal Displacement (Brookings, 1998, with Roberta Cohen), The Forsaken People: Case Studies of the Internally Displaced (Brookings, 1998, co-edited with Roberta Cohen). I. William Zartman is Jacob Blaustein Professor of International Organizations and Conflict Resolution and Director of African Studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.

To what extent do domestic politics affect the agreement reached in an international trade negotiation? In order to address this question, Christopher C. Meyerson develops an approach to analyzing the relationship between domestic politics and international relations in trade policymaking. This approach is used to analyze both American and Japanese trade policymaking and US-Japan trade negotiations, especially during the GATT Uruguay Round agricultural negotiations between 1986 and 1994.

A major reason complex programs are so difficult to evaluate is that the assumptions that inspire them are poorly articulated. Stakeholders of such programs are often unclear about how the change process will unfold. Thus, it is so difficult to reasonably anticipate the early and midterm changes that need to happen in order for a longer-term goalto be reached. The lack of clarity about the "mini-steps" that must be taken to reach a long-term outcome not only makes the task of evaluating a complex initiative challenging, but reduces the likelihood that all of the important factors related to the long term goal will be addressed. Most of the resources that have attempted to address this dilemma have been popularized as theory of change or sometimes program theory approaches. Although these approaches emphasize and elaborate the sequence of changes/mini steps that lead to the long-term goal of interest and the connections between program activities and outcomes that occur at each step of the way, they do not do enough to clarify how program managers or evaluators should deal with assumptions. Assumptions, the glue that holds all the pieces together, remain abstract and far from applicable. In this book the author tackles this important assumptions theme head-on-covering a breadth of ground from the epistemology of development assumptions, to the art of making logical assumptions as well as recognizing, explicit zing and testing assumptions with in an elaborate program theory from program design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

This book offers a service science perspective on platform orchestration and on collaborative consumption, providing an overview of research topics related to service dominant logic in multi-sided markets. The chapters give an international and multi-disciplinary overview of the current topics of digital service platforms from many angles. This overview helps in filling the gap between service science and recent research of the platform economy and paves the way for future service platform research. Open standards and distributed databases such as blockchain configurations increase the connectivity of business ecosystems as devices and systems exchange data with each other instead of through intermediaries. This exchange opens up opportunities for new value constellations, makes services globally scalable, and connects local service systems as integrated systems of systems. The book brings together established academics from a number of disciplines. This collaboration makes it possible to provide novel constructs and empirical results that help the reader to understand how value is co-created and orchestrated in the era of digital service platforms. In addition to theory building, practical implications for wider managerial and policy use are highlighted. The topics in this book are related to service platform technologies; organizational capabilities; and strategies and management in the contexts of retail, healthcare, and the public sector. A wide selection of case studies is used to demonstrate the implications of platforms for different service and economic contexts. Combining both theory and practice, this book is highly recommended for readers interested in the service and marketing point of view on the platform economy and for practitioners strategizing for scalable service platforms.Chapters 4 and 10 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.