Book Description

In many tropical countries mangrove forests are a crucial component of coastal resources. Nowhere is this more evident than in Thailand where their continued destruction due to shrimp farm expansion is impacting upon forestry, fisheries and the quality of the coastal environment.

In addition to the environmental damage caused, mangrove loss is also a serious social problem. Many people live and work among the mangrove forests and the destruction of the resources and ecological functions these forests provide affect the economic livelihoods and cultural heritage of many communities. Against these losses must be weighed the considerable commercial and foreign exchange benefits of shrimp aquaculture and production, which is a major export industry in Thailand. Through in-depth case studies of local communities in four distinct coastal areas in Southern Thailand, the authors are able to assess objectively the underlying economic causes, and consequences, of mangrove deforestation due to the expansion of shrimp farms.

Economists, ecologists, sociologists and coastal management specialists will all welcome this unique inter-disciplinary appraisal of the ecological, economic and social implications of shrimp farm expansion and mangrove conversion. It will also be of particular value to international and national policymakers concerned with coastal management in tropical countries. ... Read more

Book Description

Business Strategy is becoming increasingly pluralist, drawing on the insights of different disciplines and business practice in different parts of the world. This book brings together the work and ideas of leading international scholars working in the field under three main headings--Technology, Strategy and Organization, and Regions--to explore from different perspectives the dynamic interplay between the technology of a firm; its strategies; organizational choices; and issues of place, region, and location. Together, the contributors address the challenge of explaining the long-run competitiveness of firms in an ever more global world. This book will be a benchmark for anybody wanting to keep abreast of leading-edge strategic thinking. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good for textbook
First of all, this edited book is designed to bring together multi-displinary academic areas, not least business studies, economics and economic geography, which are interested in the dynamics of the firm. It is nice and well structured in terms of economics of the firm. However, from a viewpoint of an economic geographer, some of papers which talk about economic geography of the corporate organisation are too plain, old fashioned. Nevertheless, it is recommended that this book illustrates excellent combination of attempts to understand the firm as a container, seeker and creater of competence itself.

above average book
Sound and understandable book, but not excellent at all ... Read more

Book Description

With the near bankruptcy of centrally planned economies now apparent and with capitalism seemingly incapable of generating egalitarian outcomes in the first world and economic development in the third world, alternative approaches to managing economic affairs are an urgent necessity. Until now, however, descriptions of alternatives have been unconvincing. Here Michael Albert and Robin Hahnel support the libertarian socialist tradition by presenting a rigorous, well-defined model of how producers and consumers could democratically plan their interconnected activities.

After explaining why hierarchical production, inegalitarian consumption, central planning, and market allocations are incompatible with "classlessness," the authors present an alternative model of democratic workers' and consumers' councils operating in a decentralized, social planning procedure. They show how egalitarian consumption and job complexes in which all engage in conceptual as well as executionary labor can be efficient. They demonstrate the ability of their planning procedure to yield equitable and efficient outcomes even in the context of externalities and public goods and its power to stimulate rather than subvert participatory impulses. Also included is a discussion of information management and how simulation experiments can substantiate the feasibility of their model. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A key text defining an alternative to capitalism.
Is there an alternative to the exploitation,
boss domination, environmental havoc, dog-eat-dog
competition and other
ills of capitalism? "Well Soviet central
planning was tried and that failed," you say?
Hahnel and Albert argue that there is a third
alternative -- Participatory Economics or
ParEcon. (The other reviewer's description of
ParEcon is an inaccurate caricature.)
This book provides a concise introduction to
an economic model that is neither Soviet-style
central-planning nor based on the market. The
critique of both markets and central planning is
written clearly. At the same time, this book
contains formal proofs of the economic adequacy
of their model, and is therefore, in parts,
more technical than most of Albert and Hahnel's other
little books like "Moving Forward."

I will, I won't, decide my indecision.
I buy a product because I find it useful and if someone makes something better then I spend my money on that instead. There's a simplicity to that system I can understand. Instead, these guys say classlessness is more important, so dump the market and have a committee of self managing workers decide on the product's worth and then mediate and refine their desires in the light of feedback by other committees taking into account issues of classlessness, race and environmental impact. Pay will be decided on the basis of who has made the most effort and sacrifice in making the product. As far as books are concerned, the committee of self participatory workers will decide the worth of the book and whether or not it is worth making the neccessary sacrifice to make the book and then presumably send it to the printers so they can have a meeting as to whether they wish to participate in printing the book and send back their imput as to their desires and the commitee will have another participatory self managing meeting to take this into account and come to a mutually beneficial agreement on whether or not to proceed. This simpler system falls apart over one unanswerable question. What the hell are we going to do about Oliver Stone? ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Book Description

This book uses household survey data from five Central Asian countries to analyze the important consequences of, and elements that constitute, the creation of a market economy. The countries studied - Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - had taken minimal action towards creating a market economy before the dissolution of the USSR in late 1991. From similar initial conditions they have pursued different post-independence economic strategies, making them ideal candidates for comparative analysis.

The pivotal question concerns the determination of living standards. Who gained and who lost from the transition to a market economy? Which characteristics are rewarded in a new market economy? How do national policies and other systematic factors affect these outcomes? The authors also address other important issues that have emerged during transition debates: the position of women and the role of small businesses. The book analyzes the gender issue in the narrow, but significant, sense of what happened to women in the labor market and examines the characteristics of households with non-farm businesses.

This book will prove invaluable to academics and researchers of Asian studies and particularly those with an interest in economic development and labor economics within the region. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Unquestionably meant for advanced students and scholars
Consequences Of Creating A Market Economy: Evidence From Household Surveys In Central Asia collects household survey data from five Central Asian countries - Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan - each put forth some effort toward creating a market economy before the breakup of the USSR in late 1991. Each nation began with similar conditions, yet pursued a different economic strategy after receiving independence. The resulting data concerning living standards, winners and losers in the transition to a market economy, the influence of national policies and other systemic factors, women's issues in the new labor market, and much more helps paint a revealing picture of the economic challenges facing struggling nations today. Evaluations of the statistical data do have a high level of complexity and involve calculus; Conseq-uences Of Creating A Market Economy is unquestionably meant for advanced students and scholars. A revealing, insightful text, highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

Praise for MAO, MARX & THE MARKET

"This is a gripping tale from start to finish, an extraordinary adventure told by a brilliant and idealistic businessman confronted by political disloyalty and chicanery on an epic scale. LeBaron tells his story with a punch, but his basic instincts of morality and decency shine throughout." —Peter L. Bernstein, President, Peter L. Bernstein, Inc., author of The Power of Gold: The History of an Obsession

"An insight-packed thriller summarizing a brilliant contrarian investors adventures in the two great dramas of our era–Russia and China; chock-full of pithy lessons relevant for investors and observers alike." —Graham Allison, Director, Robert and Renee Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

"Dean LeBarons book on his adventures in Russia and China is a fun read. I recommend it to anyone taking their first–or second or third–visit to either country for business or pleasure. LeBaron brings out the personal warmth of these countries in terms of their individuals, as well as the obvious complexities of dealing with them." —David Gill, Board Member of several companies involved with Russia, Retired International Finance Corporation Official

"This is the fascinating story of Dean LeBaron in his quest to participate right from the start in the opening of China and Russia following the demise of their socialist/ communist regimes. It is the best account of what happened in the emerging market world in the nineties." —Marc Faber, Editor, The Gloom Boom & Doom Report,Managing Director, Marc Faber Limited

"Adventure capitalist Dean LeBaron is the Indiana Jones of finance. Follow his escapades in emerging markets and get an insiders view of the birth of capitalism in Russia and China. Youll be amused, entertained, and instructed. Mao, Marx & the Market provides a fascinating insiders view of the creation of market economies with all their attendant travails. A must read." —Bill Miller, CFA, Chief Executive Officer, Legg Mason Funds Management, Inc. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Highly Recommended!
Dean LeBaron has crafted an insightful volume that is part travelogue, part cultural analysis, and part memoir. The resulting book will bring you up-close and personal with the forces that shaped the two great cultures of Russia and China. The text is adorned with vignettes, anecdotes, parables and humor that keep the read as entertaining as it is weighty. We from getAbstract strongly recommend this book to anyone looking to understand two countries that have greatly influenced the last century of human history and will play a central role in the next.

a front-row seat on history
This first-hand account of some of the most momentous events of the twentieth century is an extremely compelling read. The account is lucid and engaging, but it's the analysis that takes it over the top. It was a pleasure to read.

Wow! A business adventurer!
I'm a graduate student, earning my MBA at Stanford, and I just have one point to make: Dean LeBaron deserves all of our attention and respect. Here's a man who risked his (considerable) reputation to help transform the economies of Russia and China. And unlike the most folks these days (dare I mention Enron), he wasn't in it just for the money. LeBaron is a thoughtful, insightful, highly original analyst. Read this book and you will discover, as he writes, that "nothing is as contrary as reality." I can't wait for his next book.

LeBaron is the business John Grisham!
This book is a true financial thriller. And it is as insightful as it is exciting. Highly recommended to all!

Bravo!
An amazing tale. If you read no other book about the transformation of Russia and China to free-market economies, make it this one. Mao, Marx, and the Market is a true-to-life account that will entrall you from beginning to end. It is like no other published on the subject. Read it to gain an entirely fresh perspective on capitalist earthquakes that shook -- and continue to shake -- these two great nations. ... Read more

Book Description

Global Civil Society: Dimensions of the Nonprofit Sector provides a comprehensive country-by-country analysis of the scope, size, composition, and financing of the nonprofit sector in twenty-two countries in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, with new data on nonprofit employment, volunteering, expenditures, and revenues.In addition, it provides a comparative overview and documents recent trends in sector size and composition.

Among other things, the results demonstrate that the nonprofit sector is a far more significant economic force around the world than is commonly understood, that substantial differences exist in both the overall size and the composition of this sector in different countries, that private philanthropy plays a far less significant role in the financing of this sector than either fees or public sector support, and that the sector has grown substantially in recent years in most of the countries for which trend data are available.

Included in the book are Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom in Western Europe; the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia in Central and Eastern Europe; Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru in Latin America; as well as Australia, Israel, Japan, and the United States.

Global Civil Society is essential reading for nonprofit and foundation leaders, public policy makers, educators, and others interested in nonprofit activity around the world.This 511-page volume is the result of years of study by nearly 150 researchers in 22 countries through the Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project. ... Read more

Book Description

Comparative Economic Systems: Culture, Wealth and Power in the 21st Century explains how culture, in various guises, modifies the standard rules of economic engagement, creating systems that differ markedly from those predicted by the theory of general market competition. This analysis is grounded in established principles, but also assumes that individual utility seeking may be culturally determined, that political goals may take precedence over public well being, and that business misconduct may be socially detrimental. The book clarifies conceptual misunderstandings about the comparative merit of free competition and perfect governance, showing in many cases how the same results are attainable using either mechanism, or by combining them. It illuminates why engineering variables like the quantity and quality of fixed and variable inputs, management, entrepreneurship, technological progress, and economic governance don't adequately explain disorders like the increasing poverty of the world's poorest nations.

End of chapter questions and an extensive glossary enhance the book's utility and enable readers to fully comprehend the key features of each chapter. ... Read more

Book Description

This volume compares strategic properties of the leading macroeconometric models of the United States. It summarizes the work of an ongoing seminar supported by the National Science Foundation and chaired by Lawrence R. Klein of the University of Pennsylvania. The Seminar meets three times annually. Comparisons are made across models for such characteristics as conventional multipliers (fiscal, monetary, and supply side shocks), J-curve response to dollar depreciation, and forecast performance under consistent assumptions.There are in-depth comparisons of some models and investigation of use of high frequency information to improve forecasts. There are also analyses of the sources of forecast error. The core structures of models, especially their ISLM cores, are compared.The volume contains one chapter on comparison across models of different developing countries.In addition to the contributions by participating model builders who meet regularly, the book contains critical appraisals by outsiders. The contributors include many distinguished economists in model use and analysis. Many are operators of the countries best known modelling facilities. The introduction was written by Lawrence R. Klein, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economic Science in 1980, for his work in construction and use of econometric models. ... Read more

Book Description

The diffusion of information and communication technologies is rapidly changing the structure of advanced economies and the fear of mass technological unemployment has emerged. This book addresses this controversy. ... Read more

Book Description

Over the last decade, economists have increasingly recognized the role of meta-analysis and value transfer in synthesizing knowledge and efficiently exploiting the existing pool of knowledge. Comparative Environmental Economic Assessment explores the potential significance of using these techniques, particularly in environmental economics.

Both meta-analysis and value transfer constitute major research tools which efficiently use knowledge previously acquired from other studies. The book focuses on the potential role and usefulness of these tools in environmental economic research, and goes on to address their validity, relevance and applicability. A future agenda for research is also illustrated.

Combining methodological analysis with a variety of case studies - on aircraft noise, environmental policy in European space and urban energy policy, among others - the contributors present an illuminating examination of the utilization of meta-analysis and value transfer.

The insightful techniques highlighted in this book will prove invaluable in the field of environmental economics. Policymakers in various areas including the environment and planning will also find this state-of-the-art study interesting and informative. ... Read more

Book Description

"Monetary policy in Japan, through the years of rapid growth, the `bubble economy,' the Japanese banking crisis, and now a weak economy but with virtual price stability, is one of the most interesting stories in modern central banking. Cargill, Hutchison, and Ito tell this story well. More important, they analyze the interaction of the economics and the institutions in a way that makes clear the central role that party politics, business practices, international pressures and other institutional constraints often play in shaping the conduct of actual monetary policy." -- Benjamin M. Friedman, William Joseph Maier Professor of Political Economy, Harvard University

In The Political Economy of Japanese Monetary Policy, Cargill, Hutchison, and Takatoshi investigate the formulation and execution of monetary and financial policies in Japan within a broad technical, political, and institutional context. Their emphasis is on the period since the collapse of the Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates in the early 1970s, and on the effects of policies and institutions in shaping the modern Japanese economy. The authors present basic themes and recent developments, as well as their own research findings. They also review and integrate the large literature in the area. They consider theoretical arguments and empirical evidence for each topic discussed.

Topics covered include Japan's low inflation record (despite the central bank's lack of formal independence from the government); politically motivated business cycles and the timing of elections; exchange rate policy and international policy coordination; the historical development of central banking; Japan's "bubble economy" of the 1980s; and the causes, magnitude, and regulatory responses to Japan's banking and financial crisis of the 1990s. ... Read more

Book Description

This unique book offers a comprehensive analysis of the changing role of government with respect to domestic technology development in eight countries in both the developed and the developing world. The author distinguishes between those countries which can be classed as creators of new technologies (Japan, Korea and Israel) and those which possess the potential to create new technologies (Singapore, Malaysia, India, South Africa and Brazil).

The author details the fiscal and non-fiscal policy measures each country employs to stimulate investments in R&D in the enterprise sector. He finds that, for financial instruments such as tax incentives and research grants to succeed, a strong emphasis also needs to be placed on non-fiscal policy measures. The most important of these is human resource development which is emphasized as an integral component of successful innovation policy. The book is written in a manner which allows the comparison of results between each country.

Government, Innovation and Technology Policy will be a valuable text for governments, NGOs and multilateral institutions interested in the practicalities of promoting innovation at the enterprise level. It will also be useful supplementary reading for scholars and students of the theory and practice of innovation policy. ... Read more

Book Description

Improving the economic performance of Arab countries is now more critical than ever. The region faces high population growth rates, rising unemployment, and modest economic growth coupled with increasingly intense competition from emerging markets in eastern Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Meeting these challenges requires finding ways to overcome political obstacles that impede socially beneficial economic reforms. Despite fifty years of repeated attempts at Arab economic integration, the results in terms of intraregional trade and investment flows have been very modest. This book explains why and discusses possible ways forward. The authors draw especially on the success of the European Union to assess the scope of Arab economic integration as an instrument for narrowing the persistent gap between the region’s economic potential and its performance. ... Read more