The focus of this book is to provide an introduction to the issues and procedures central to local government collective bargaining. There are many books which explain private sector labor relations but there are few books available which provide information pertinent to local governments. Consolidating the elements critical to public sector labor relations and collective bargaining, this book is written for public managers and employees. It defines terms, explains procedures, and provides examples of the legislation governing the mechanics of local government labor relations. Ideal as a supplemental book for courses in public personnel management and labor relations, it is also an important resource for local government administrators serving cities, counties, and school districts.

Written especially for portfolio managers, financial analysts, and corporate economists, this volume considers the practical implications of government economic policies. The contributors illustrate how incentives and disincentives affect economic behavior and the performance of the economy through an in-depth discussion of monetary, fiscal, and international economic issues. In addition, the authors present a unique top-down approach that enables the reader to trace the impact of government policies through the economy and thereby discover the investment strategies most likely to be successful within a given policy context.

The first section of the book focuses on monetary issues and explores issues related to inflation, likely government intervention mechanisms to control inflation, variants of the monetarist model, interpreting the demand curve, and the development of a portfolio strategy designed to take advantage of anticipated changes in financial variables. The next group of chapters looks at supply-side economics and analyzes the effects of the economic incentives and constraints imposed by government. Particular attention is paid to the effects of taxation policies on equity values, economic growth, and savings. In the third section, the contributors present a supply-side view of selected international economic issues including the relationship between tax rate reductions and foreign exchange rates and the trade balance. The concluding section examines the portfolio strategies that can be derived from the analyses presented in previous chapters. An indispensable resource for finance executives, this book will also be of significant value to graduate students in economics, financial management, and business programs.

State governments are ultimately competitors in their economic policies when people, products and capital are free to move across state borders. Nowhere is this competition more apparent than in the United States where individual states compete to promote economic growth by attracting industry with tax holidays, outright grants, subsidized financing and other means. Yet, the arguably greater influence of state fiscal policy on investment decisions has largely been ignored. This book redresses that deficiency by providing a collection of chapters which discuss the theoretical and practical linkage between investment strategy and state economic policy. Specifically, it uses changes in relative state burdens as a measure of state fiscal policy and shows that by altering the incentives to work, save and invest, changes in a state's tax burden relative to other states influence decisions on whether, how much and where to invest.

The book is divided into three parts. The first section provides the theoretical framework for the book and discusses application of the basic model to explain the persistent differences in observed real income across states; the level of economic activity; and business starts and failures. The second section discusses, among other things, the implications of changes in state economic policy for investments in real estate; common stocks of small capitalization firms; and state general obligation bonds. The third section of the book, which examines the political dimensions of state economic policy, begins with a discussion of the effect of state economic policy on relative population shifts and reapportionment and ends with a proposal for a flat tax.

An insightful examination of the skills needed to be a proactive investor and find diverse investment opportunities in the emerging economy

There is no little league on Wall Street and no white belts. Here or abroad, you are put in immediately with the black belts - the best and the brightest. Think like an amateur and they will eat your lunch in China or in the U.S. Attempting to invest overseas like a robot and following the leader will produce results just as bad as investing that way at home. While many investors are smart, creative individuals, when exposed to the herd, they tend to follow group mentality and succumb to what the people around them believe. Avoiding this trap can mean big profits for you.

With "The Investment Warrior, " author Daniel Frishberg-a financial professional with more than thirty years experience in the industry-shows you how to break from the pack and build a winning portfolio. The investor in the old economy didn't think critically about changing economic or political conditions around the world. He never really had to. He was lulled to sleep by the enduring dominance of the U.S. economy. This book teaches you to be an awake and aware investor, ready for the changing financial environment. Throughout the book, Frishberg discusses what it takes to successfully invest both domestically and abroad and provides practical examples. This book
Goes beyond the current crisis and explores the importance of diversifying and escaping the "herd" mentality that hinders most investorsContains insights into investing for the long term and taking advantage of the growing world economyDetails the staggering amount of resources being applied to the global boom and what this means for your investments

The lessons of this book go beyond today's economic crisis. Frishberg will provide you with insights to be used in all investing circumstances. Everyone wants to oversimplify. This is one of the most costly human foibles. You can capture considerable profits by going out on your own, and with "The Investment Warrior" as your guide, you'll quickly discover how.