This volume recasts our understanding of the practical and theoretical foundations and dynamic experiences of early modern imperialism. The imperial encounter with political economy was neither uniform across political, economic, cultural, and religious constellations nor static across time. The contributions collected in this volume address, with undeniable pertinence for the struggles of later periods, the moral and military ambiguity of profits and power, as well as the often jealous interactions between different solutions to the problem of empire. The book presents a powerful mosaic of imperial theories and practices contributing to the creation of the modern world and to the most pressing concerns of our time.

After his death Thorstein Veblen was hailed as 'America's Darwin and Marx' and is normally portrayed as the perennial iconoclast. He severely criticised traditional economics and attempted to create an alternative approach based on a much more complex view of human beings. He is one of the most celebrated economists of our age and has been the inspiration for many books; the predatory version of capitalism we now again experience, the phenomenon of studying cultures of consumption and the darker sides of gilded ages can be traced back to Veblen. A conference in Veblen's ancestral Norway marked the 150th anniversary of his birth. The aim of the conference was to consolidate Veblen scholarship and evaluate his relevance for the problems of today. This collection offers the results of that endeavour; it is a milestone of Vebleniana which assesses all the most salient aspects of his life and influence. Many of its contributors also push into uncharted territory, examining the man and his work from new and necessary perspectives hitherto ignored by scholarship.

In 'Competitiveness and Development', the author explains the confusion surrounding the concept of competitiveness in the context of developing countries; proposes policies for achieving competitiveness at a high level of development; examines its possibilities and constraints; and suggests policy changes necessary at the national and international levels. Shafaeddin illustrates how developed countries impose restrictive policies on developing countries through international financial institutions and the WTO, as well as regional and bilateral agreements, which limit their policy space for promoting dynamic comparative advantage in order to achieve competitiveness at a high level of development. Ultimately, such policies lock developing countries that are at early stages of development in specialization based on static comparative advantage and competitiveness at a low level of development.

Evolutionary economics gained acceptance for the study of industrialized countries during the 1990s but has, as yet, contributed little to the study of world income inequality. The expert contributors gathered here approach underdevelopment and inequality from different evolutionary perspectives. It is argued that the Schumpeterian processes of 'creative destruction' may take the form of wealth creation in one part of the globe and wealth destruction in another. Case studies explore and analyse the successful 19th century policies that allowed Germany and the United States to catch up with the UK and these are contrasted with two other case studies exploring the deindustrialization and falling real wages in Peru and Mongolia during the 1990s. The case studies and thematic papers together explore, identify and explain the mechanisms which cause economic inequality. Some papers point to why the present form of globalization increases poverty in many Third World nations. Members of the anti-globalization movement will find the explanations given in this book insightful, as will employees of international organizations due to the important policy messages. The theoretical interest within the book will appeal to development economists and evolutionary economists, and policymakers and politicians will find the explanations of the present failure of many small nations in the periphery invaluable.

The Handbook of Alternative Theories of Economic Development explores the theories and approaches which, over a prolonged period of time, have existed as viable alternatives to today?s mainstream and neo-classical tenets. With a total of 40 specially commissioned chapters, written by the foremost authorities in their respective fields, this volume represents a landmark in the field of economic development. It elucidates the richness of the alternative and sometimes misunderstood ideas which, in different historical contexts, have proved to be vital to the improvement of the human condition. The subject matter is approached from several complementary perspectives. From a historical angle, the Handbook charts the mercantilist and cameralist theories that emerged from the Renaissance and developed further during the Enlightenment. From a geographical angle, it includes chapters on African, Chinese, Indian, and Muslim approaches to economic development. Different schools are also explored and discussed including nineteenth century US development theory, Marxist, Schumpeterian, Latin American structuralism, regulation theory and world systems theories of development. In addition, the Handbook has chapters on important events and institutions including The League of Nations, The Havana Charter, and UNCTAD, as well as on particularly influential development economists. Contemporary topics such as the role of finance, feminism, the agrarian issue, and ecology and the environment are also covered in depth. This comprehensive Handbook offers an unrivalled review and analysis of alternative and heterodox theories of economic development. It should be read by all serious scholars, teachers and students of development studies, and indeed anyone interested in alternatives to development orthodoxy. Contributors: M. Alacevich, R. Arocena, J.G. Backhaus, E.B. Barbier, R. Bielschowsky, C.N. Biltoft, R. Boyer, L. Burlamaqui, C.P. Chandrasekhar, M. Cimoli, A.M. Daastol, G. Derluguian, W. Drechsler, S. Endresen, M.S. Erkek, M.S. Floro, J. Ghosh, J.-C. Graz, J.P. Hochard, I. Ianos, P. Jha, A. Kadri, R. Kattel, J.A. Kregel, B.-A. Lundvall, A.C. Macedo e Silva, J.A. Mathews, L. Mjoset, S. Moyo, R.R. Nelson, G. Omkarnath, E. OEzveren, J.G. Palma, P. Patnaik, G. Porcile, E.S. Reinert, S.A. Reinert, P.R. Roessner, A. Saltelli, M. Shafaeddin, A. Singh, I.G. Shivji, J. Sutz, Y. Tandon, E. Thurbon, F. Tregenna, H.S. UEnal, L. Weiss, T. Xu, P. Yeros, X. Zhao

In contrast to neo-classical mainstream approaches to economics, this innovative Modern Guide addresses the complex reality of economic development as an inherently uneven process, exploring the ways of theorizing and empirically exploring the mechanisms with which the unevenness manifests itself. Advancing experience-based theories in the debate of economic development, this Modern Guide provides a qualitative, holistic and nuanced understanding of economic inequality by uniquely combining explanations from a large number of academic fields. It covers a wide array of issues influencing wealth and poverty, technological innovation, ecology and sustainability, financialization, population, gender and geography, and considers the dynamics of cumulative causations created by the interplay between these factors. By looking at falling real wages, world income distribution, and refugees and migrants in poorer regions, it ultimately explains why wealth and poverty are so unevenly distributed globally. The cutting-edge discussions in this Modern Guide will prove invaluable for students and scholars from a range of disciplines including economics and development studies. In today's world of 'single-issue management', the alternative theories of mutual influence in this book will prove useful to policy makers working across a variety of economic fields.

Ragnar Nurkse (1907-1959) was one of the most important pioneers of development economics, and although his writings have been neglected in recent decades, leading development economists and international organizations such the United Nations are now turning to Nurkse in search for new inspiration, due to the failure of neoclassical economics to adequately explain the experience of poor and developing countries. Until now, however, all Nurkse's published works were out of print, and the most recent editions stem from the early 1960s.

'Ragnar Nurkse, Trade and Development' reprints Nukse's most important works, making them widely available for an audience of economists, policy makers, researchers and students. The works reprinted here include two essays never printed before in this format: 'Growth in Underdeveloped Countries', (1952) and 'International Trade Theory and Development Policy' (1957), as well as the collected essays from 'Equilibrium and Growth in the World Economy' (1961), and the monograph 'Problems of Capital Formation in Underdeveloped Countries' (1953).

Ragnar Nurkse (1907-1959) was one of the most important pioneers of development economics, and although his writings have been neglected in recent decades, leading development economists and international organizations such as the United Nations are now turning to Nurkse in search for new inspiration, due to the failure of neoclassical economics to adequately explain the experience of poor and developing countries. Yet Nurkse's contribution to the field has never before been analysed before at book length. The present volume, 'Ragnar Nurkse (1907-2007): Classical Development Economics and its Relevance for Today', contains a selection of papers that cast new insight on Nurkse's thought, and discuss his relevance for today. The volume also celebrates the 100th anniversary of this profoundly important thinker's birth.

'Techno-Economic Paradigms' presents a series of essays by the leading academics in the field discussing one of the most interesting and talked-about socio-economic theories of our times, 'techno-economic paradigm shifts', and its role in explaining processes of innovation and development. This festschrift honours Carlota Perez, founder of the theory of 'techno-economic paradigm shifts'.

Ragnar Nurkse (1907-1959) was one of the most important pioneers of development economics, and although his writings have been neglected in recent decades, leading development economists and international organizations like the United Nations are now turning to Nurkse in search for new inspiration, due to the failure of neoclassical economics to adequately explain the experience of poor and developing countries. Until now, however, all Nurkse's published works were out of print, and the most recent editions stem from the early 1960s. 'Ragnar Nurkse, Trade and Development' reprints Nukse's most important works, making them widely available for an audience of economists, policy makers, researchers and students. The works reprinted here, include two essays never printed before in this format 'Growth in Underdeveloped Countries', (1952) and 'International Trade Theory and Development Policy' (1957), as well as the collected essays from Equilibrium and Growth in the World Economy (1961), and the monograph Problems of Capital Formation in Underdeveloped Countries (1953).

Ragnar Nurkse (1907-1959) was one of the most important pioneers of development economics, and although his writings have been neglected in recent decades, leading development economists and international organizations like the United Nations are now turning to Nurkse in search for new inspiration, due to the failure of neoclassical economics to adequately explain the experience of poor and developing countries. Yet Nurkse's contribution to the field has never before been analysed before at book length. The present volume, 'Ragnar Nurkse (1907-2007): Classical Development Economics and its Relevance for Today', contains a selection of papers that cast new insight on Nurkse's thought, and discuss his relevance for today. The volume also celebrates the 100th anniversary of this profoundly important thinker's birth.

Techno-economic paradigm shifts are at the core of general, innovation-based theory of economic and societal development as conceived by Carlota Perez. Her book on the subject, Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital, is a seminal enunciation of the theory, and has had immense influence on business strategy, state development programs and policy, and academic thinking on the subject. 'Techno-Economic Paradigms' presents a series of essays by the leading academics in the field discussing the theory of techno-economic paradigm shifts, and its role in explaining processes of innovation and development. This festschrift honours Carlota Perez, the founder of the theory 'techno-economic paradigm shifts'.

The Handbook of Alternative Theories of Economic Development explores the theories and approaches which, over a prolonged period of time, have existed as viable alternatives to today?s mainstream and neo-classical tenets. With a total of 40 specially commissioned chapters, written by the foremost authorities in their respective fields, this volume represents a landmark in the field of economic development. It elucidates the richness of the alternative and sometimes misunderstood ideas which, in different historical contexts, have proved to be vital to the improvement of the human condition. The subject matter is approached from several complementary perspectives. From a historical angle, the Handbook charts the mercantilist and cameralist theories that emerged from the Renaissance and developed further during the Enlightenment. From a geographical angle, it includes chapters on African, Chinese, Indian, and Muslim approaches to economic development. Different schools are also explored and discussed including nineteenth century US development theory, Marxist, Schumpeterian, Latin American structuralism, regulation theory and world systems theories of development. In addition, the Handbook has chapters on important events and institutions including The League of Nations, The Havana Charter, and UNCTAD, as well as on particularly influential development economists. Contemporary topics such as the role of finance, feminism, the agrarian issue, and ecology and the environment are also covered in depth. This comprehensive Handbook offers an unrivalled review and analysis of alternative and heterodox theories of economic development. It should be read by all serious scholars, teachers and students of development studies, and indeed anyone interested in alternatives to development orthodoxy. Contributors: M. Alacevich, R. Arocena, J.G. Backhaus, E.B. Barbier, R. Bielschowsky, C.N. Biltoft, R. Boyer, L. Burlamaqui, C.P. Chandrasekhar, M. Cimoli, A.M. Daastol, G. Derluguian, W. Drechsler, S. Endresen, M.S. Erkek, M.S. Floro, J. Ghosh, J.-C. Graz, J.P. Hochard, I. Ianos, P. Jha, A. Kadri, R. Kattel, J.A. Kregel, B.-A. Lundvall, A.C. Macedo e Silva, J.A. Mathews, L. Mjoset, S. Moyo, R.R. Nelson, G. Omkarnath, E. OEzveren, J.G. Palma, P. Patnaik, G. Porcile, E.S. Reinert, S.A. Reinert, P.R. Roessner, A. Saltelli, M. Shafaeddin, A. Singh, I.G. Shivji, J. Sutz, Y. Tandon, E. Thurbon, F. Tregenna, H.S. UEnal, L. Weiss, T. Xu, P. Yeros, X. Zhao

Evolutionary economics gained acceptance for the study of industrialized countries during the 1990s but has, as yet, contributed little to the study of world income inequality. The expert contributors gathered here approach underdevelopment and inequality from different evolutionary perspectives. It is argued that the Schumpeterian processes of 'creative destruction' may take the form of wealth creation in one part of the globe and wealth destruction in another. Case studies explore and analyse the successful 19th century policies that allowed Germany and the United States to catch up with the UK and these are contrasted with two other case studies exploring the deindustrialization and falling real wages in Peru and Mongolia during the 1990s. The case studies and thematic papers together explore, identify and explain the mechanisms which cause economic inequality. Some papers point to why the present form of globalization increases poverty in many Third World nations. Members of the anti-globalization movement will find the explanations given in this book insightful, as will employees of international organizations due to the important policy messages. The theoretical interest within the book will appeal to development economists and evolutionary economists, and policymakers and politicians will find the explanations of the present failure of many small nations in the periphery invaluable.

This collection of essays draws on fresh readings of classic texts as well as rigorous research in the archives of Europe's greatest imperial power. Its contributors paint a powerful picture of the nature and implementation of political economy in the long eighteenth century, from the East to the West Indies.

How Rich Countries Got Rich is a narrative history of modern economic development from the Italian Renaissance to the present day. In it Erik S. Reinert shows how rich countries developed through a combination of government intervention, protectionism, and strategic investment. Reinert suggests that this set of policies in various combinations has driven successful development from Renaissance Italy to the modern Far East. Yet despite its demonstrable success, orthodox development economists have largely ignored this approach and insisted instead on the importance of free trade. Reinert presents a strongly revisionist history of economics and shows how the discipline has long been torn between the continental Renaissance tradition on one hand and the free market theories of English and later American economics on the other. He argues that our economies were founded on protectionism and state activism and could only later afford the luxury of free trade. When our leaders come to lecture poor countries on the right road to riches they do so in almost perfect ignorance of the real history of mass affluence.