Volume 17 of International Finance Review focusses on a variety of issues relating to the political economy of Chinese finance, including: The pattern of government ownership and control of Chinese firms; The role of government in corporate governance of industrial and financial firms; The interaction of culture, law and institutions in Chinese governance systems; Corporate social responsibility, stakeholders and sustainable growth; The effect of political connections on corporate performance and society; Privatization, IPOs, exchange listing and firm valuation; The role of government in banking and financial markets; Practice of corporate risk management and insurance; Foreign-exchange policy and its effect on firms and markets; Foreign direct and portfolio investments in China; International investments and operations of Chinese firms; Chinese economic relations with the US and other countries.

In this age of international terrorism and international economic contagion, it is clear that "globalization" in its broadest sense - i.e., the "breaking down of barriers"- is often a double-edged sword. The world economy of the early twenty-first century offers substantial growth potential and strategic benefits for firms, but it also entails much risk, which must be measured and managed effectively. Consequently, business in today's world must constantly be alert to opportunities afforded by improving technology and financial market integration as they seek to develop successful risk management programs.

Often viewed as a narrow field focusing on derivatives or insurance, risk management is in fact a much broader discipline, encompassing operational strategies as well as the financial and/or insurance decisions of the firm. This is particularly true for complex business enterprises operating in the international market.

In view of the importance of risk management in practice as well as in the academic literature, the Fox School of Business and Management at Temple University invited leading scholars of finance, risk management, and international business to examine the current status and future direction of global risk management as a discipline.

The conference was held on April 20, 2001 at the Fox School under the auspices of the Institute of Global Management Studies (IGMS) and the Advanta Center for Financial Services Studies, as the Second Annual International Business Forum sponsored by the IGMS.

The conference was designed to be international in perspective and comprehensive in coverage. It included discussions of concepts, measurement, andmanagement of various types of risk. Each speaker was asked to make a presentation on one topic within the broad theme that not only would address the state of the art but also would provide insights into specific emerging issues within the chosen topic. Much of this volume is a collection of articles presented at that conference. It is hoped that this collection will provide a new research agenda for the risk management discipline, as well as a source of reference for scholars, practitioners, and graduate students.

In recent years, choice no-fault has emerged as a popular but controversial proposal for addressing the problem of high automobile insurance rates. Choice plans offer consumers the option of a lower-cost insurance policy with restrictions on filing lawsuits or a higher-cost policy with full tort rights. Some American states have implemented choice programs, and major federal choice legislation is now pending in the United States Congress. Choice no-fault has caught the attention of policy makers, the insurance industry, and academics. Until now, however, no single book has pulled together the available research on the topic. The Economics and Politics of Choice No-Fault Insurance fills that gap. Edited by scholars from different disciplines, each of whom has written extensively on automobile insurance issues, the book includes some of the best work in the area. Former Massachusetts Governor and presidential candidate Michael S. Dukakis wrote the foreword. Contributors include University of Virginia Law Professor Jeffrey O'Connell, widely considered the father of no-fault, ' as well as authors of the influential RAND study of the potential effects of choice no-fault on insurance rates. The book chapters, most of which were written especially for this volume, cover topics ranging from the impact of choice no-fault on accidents and driving behavior, to the effects of choice on medical care usage, to alternative approaches for resolving accidents involving both no-fault' and tort' electors, to the political feasibility of choice legislative proposals. Emphasis on the potential advantages of choice no-fault is balanced by consideration of possible ill effects.

In recent years, choice no-fault has emerged as a popular but controversial proposal for addressing the problem of high automobile insurance rates. Choice plans offer consumers the option of a lower-cost insurance policy with restrictions on filing lawsuits or a higher-cost policy with full tort rights. Some American states have implemented choice programs, and major federal choice legislation is now pending in the United States Congress. Choice no-fault has caught the attention of policy makers, the insurance industry, and academics. Until now, however, no single book has pulled together the available research on the topic. The Economics and Politics of Choice No-Fault Insurance fills that gap. Edited by scholars from different disciplines, each of whom has written extensively on automobile insurance issues, the book includes some of the best work in the area. Former Massachusetts Governor and presidential candidate Michael S. Dukakis wrote the foreword. Contributors include University of Virginia Law Professor Jeffrey O'Connell, widely considered the `father of no-fault,' as well as authors of the influential RAND study of the potential effects of choice no-fault on insurance rates. The book chapters, most of which were written especially for this volume, cover topics ranging from the impact of choice no-fault on accidents and driving behavior, to the effects of choice on medical care usage, to alternative approaches for resolving accidents involving both `no-fault' and `tort' electors, to the political feasibility of choice legislative proposals. Emphasis on the potential advantages of choice no-fault is balanced by consideration of possible ill effects.