Blending economic analysis with political drama, EuroTragedy chosen by both Foreign Affairs and The Financial Times as one of the best books of 2018is a groundbreaking account of the euros history and tragic consequences. In this vivid and compelling chronicle, Ashoka Mody describes how the euro improbably emerged through a narrow historical window as a flawed compromise wrapped in a false pro-European rhetoric of peace and unity. Drawing on his frontline experience as an official with the IMF, Mody situates the tragedy in a fast-paced global context and guides the reader through the forcedand unforcederrors Eurozone authorities committed during their long financial crisis. The decision to switch from national currencies to the euro unfolded as both economic and political tragedy. It weakened the growth potential of member states, which made financially vulnerable Europeans more anxious. It deepened perceptions of unfairness and widened the division between nations. Now, the burden falls on younger Europeans, a generation with a discouragingly bleak future. A compassionate view of European possibilities, EuroTragedy makes clear that the euros structural flaws will continue to haunt the continent. Instead of centralizing authority to prop up an ossified pro-Europeanist model, it is time to loosen ties that bind too tightly so that a liberal order can once more flourish. Now updated to cover the most momentous events since original publication, this will remain the authoritative book on the crisis.

A provocative new account of how India moved relentlessly from its hope-filled founding in 1947 to the dramatic economic and democratic breakdowns of today. When Indian leaders first took control of their government in 1947, they proclaimed the ideals of national unity and secular democracy. Through the first half century of nation-building, leaders could point to uneven but measurable progress on key goals, and after the mid-1980s, dire poverty declined for a few decades, inspiring declarations of victory. But today, a vast majority of Indians live in a state of underemployment and are one crisis away from despair. Public goods—health, education, cities, air and water, and the judiciary—are in woeful condition. And good jobs will remain scarce as long as that is the case. The lack of jobs will further undermine democracy, which will further undermine job creation. India is Broken provides the most persuasive account available of this economic catch-22. Challenging prevailing narratives, Mody contends that successive post-independence leaders, starting with its first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, failed to confront India's true economic problems, seeking easy solutions instead. As a popular frustration grew, and corruption in politics became pervasive, India's economic growth relied increasingly on unregulated finance and environmentally destructive construction. The rise of a violent Hindutva has buried all prior norms in civic life and public accountability. Combining statistical data with creative media, such as literature and cinema, to create strong, accessible, people-driven narratives, this book is a meditation on the interplay between democracy and economic progress, with lessons extending far beyond India. Mody proposes a path forward that is fraught with its own peril, but which nevertheless offers something resembling hope.

Asking the question of whether Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is 'integrating' the world economy, this comprehensive volume consists of an overview of current FDI research.

While the term 'integrating' is often used, the real test should be whether FDI is instrumental in bringing per capita incomes across countries closer together. By this yardstick, the answer is no. The forces driving FDI are strong; they lead it to flow to countries with attractive investment conditions and, moreover, investors have a tendency to follow each other. It is in such settings that FDI appears to have the most beneficial effect in raising growth.

Written by an authority in this area, Ashoka Mody, this book will greatly appeal to all international and development economists.

In this volume, world-renowned contributors, including Martin Ravallion, Michael Kremer and Robert Townsend, deal with the institutional characteristics of poverty resulting from the time pattern of aid, the nature of financial systems and the political economy of budgetary decisions. Going beyond the traditional literature on poverty, this original book deals with themes of broad interest to both scholars and policymakers in a clear yet technically sophisticated manner. Departing from conventional methods employed in poverty studies, these innovative essays enquire into the institutional characteristics of poverty, and using current case studies, they examine the crucial idea that periods of crises seriously affect poverty.

In this volume, world-renowned contributors, including Martin Ravallion, Michael Kremer and Robert Townsend, deal with the institutional characteristics of poverty resulting from the time pattern of aid, the nature of financial systems and the political economy of budgetary decisions. Going beyond the traditional literature on poverty, this original book deals with themes of broad interest to both scholars and policymakers in a clear yet technically sophisticated manner.

Departing from conventional methods employed in poverty studies, these innovative essays enquire into the institutional characteristics of poverty, and using current case studies, they examine the crucial idea that periods of crises seriously affect poverty.

Asking the question of whether Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is 'integrating' the world economy, this comprehensive volume consists of an overview of current FDI research. While the term 'integrating' is often used, the real test should be whether FDI is instrumental in bringing per capita incomes across countries closer together. By this yardstick, the answer is no. The forces driving FDI are strong; they lead it to flow to countries with attractive investment conditions and, moreover, investors have a tendency to follow each other. It is in such settings that FDI appears to have the most beneficial effect in raising growth. Written by an authority in this area, Ashoka Mody, this book will greatly appeal to all international and development economists.

Security concerns, the AIDS epidemic, environmental degradation, and financial contagion are salient features of today's landscape of threats to global stability. A characteristic of these challenges is that they cannot be solved by individual nations acting alone. Enlightened cooperation is needed. This book focuses on actions in the international arena to complement domestic efforts in addressing a set of policy challenges that has become more prominent in the age of globalization. It focuses on the strategic and practical challenges of fostering solutions that have the character of international public goods, paying particular attention to the financing of these goods.

Security concerns, the AIDS epidemic, environmental degradation, and financial contagion are salient features of today's landscape of threats to global stability. A characteristic of these challenges is that they cannot be solved by individual nations acting alone. Enlightened cooperation is needed.

This book focuses on actions in the international arena to complement domestic efforts in addressing a set of policy challenges that has become more prominent in the age of globalization. It focuses on the strategic and practical challenges of fostering solutions that have the character of international public goods, paying particular attention to the financing of these goods.

The promise of the European pursuit of ever closer union created tremendous optimism that conflict was the past and harmony would be the future. The enthusiasm for economic integration and monetary union, through the Euro, enhanced the confidence that differences among countries could be overcome. In this dynamic and incisive overview of the European project from its beginnings, Ashoka Mody convincingly demonstrates that the tensions and flaws of the European project were both baked-in and foreseen from the beginning. He focuses on personalities whose ambitious and relentless push for integration led them to choose facts and analysis consistent with their visions and to dismiss warnings of turbulence. They thus laid the seeds for disappointment. Mody examines key moments when contradictions were papered-over, compromising the integrity of integration. And throughout he shows how political and economic leaders believed the stories they told themselves about the inevitability of a united Europe as a foundation of peace, prosperity, and democratic ideals, even in the face of warnings from the earliest stages that while the political pillars seemed strong, the economic foundations were weak. Mody compellingly shows how monetary union impaired European integration rather than enhancing it. European countries have always has vastly different economic conditions, and the common currency increased divergences rather than smoothing them, as many analysts warned at the time. The economic, financial, and political pathologies of the euro were there from the beginning, even if the global economic boom hid them. With political and economic elites benefitting, they could ignore the growing the discontent of those who suffered and the growing antipathy to the European project in national heartlands. When crisis inevitably hit, leaders denied, delayed, and took half-measures that only further alienated people. And if once the inability to deliver on the economic promise caused the political handicaps to worsen, now the political splintering is making it harder to mount an economic response.