Reviews (6)

THE POOR ARE WITH YOU ALWAYS...
This is the seminal work on the poor in America, analyzed within the context of government proffered, anti-poverty programs. It is a scathing critique and analysis of the war on poverty, where bold rhetoric and political grandstanding have often supplanted action. The author in his analysis categorizes poverty as a cultural and often institutional way of life that would require radical innovations, social planning, and long term financial investment, were the government really serious about eradicating poverty in America. What is amazing is that the arguments made by the author, when he wrote this book forty years ago, are still sound today.

Ho Hum
This is a classic for sure but a classic of what? Most of the people Harrington writes about have created their own worlds and then populated them. Yes, we do feel sorry for the underprivileged but most people in America have the privilege of a free education, free libraries and free charity. If they fail, whose fault is it?

Outdated
I was bored. I want real stories and examples. I read "There are no Children here" and loved it!!! I read somewhere that the author was inspired by this book, so I couldn't wait to get it. My guess is this author is a liberal, and not objective. The information was boring and one sided. I would have probably liked it more if the time frame was more current. I want to know more about today, not the 60's.

America's Primer on the Existence of the Underclass!
Few works of contemporary non-fiction have had more lasting impact on the social consciousness of the overall society from which it arose than "The Other America", Michael Harrington's now classic tome on the egregious conditions under which what we would now call the "underclass" lived in mid-20th century American society. With an uncommon verve and uncanny precision, Harrington painstakingly detailed the disgusting and shocking realities of life for those many millions of Americans of both color and ethnicity living lives of desperate poverty in the midst of the affluent society. Millions of readers, myself included, were shocked to discover the extent to which this world coexisted with our own, and many of the social action programs that arose in the 1960s and thereafter used this book as a kind of reference guide to the realities of poverty in contemporary society. Indeed, what is most disturbing about anyone re-reading the book is the discovery of how little conditions have changed for those who through the accident of birth, color, and ethnic origin, find themselves inexorably trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty.

Sadly, for all the glad-handing of politicians and the proclamations by global corporations of the new and more widespread prosperity of the 1990s, the sobering truth is that very little progress has been made. Indeed, in more recent books such as William Finnegan's excellent "Cold New World", Harrington's basic thesis of the co-existence of a starker, poorer, and powerless populace left stranded to live lives of quiet desperation is reconfirmed, putting the lie to the many proclamations of universal opportunity and promise that politicians now ballyhoo. The book, which was first published in the early 1960s, was required reading for most introductory sociology and contemporary history courses, and millions of young academics first learned of the extent of the national problem through a reading of this book. It is, in that sense at least, a modern classic. Harrington's basic thesis is incontrovertible; poverty is extensive and endemic, and is usually hidden from the view of most affluent Americans due to the ways in which the two subcultures coexist in modern society. Through the de-facto residential segregation of the two elements of the society, there is little meaningful contact, and the media tends to ignore the facts of the existence of the underclass, portraying arch-types which conform more to the sensibilities of the more affluent segments of the society that regularly view its programming and enforcing unrealistic images of what exists. As a previous reviewer commented, we no longer habituate the same environments, and we tend to avoid all unnecessary contact with anything to do with this other world of poverty and want. What Harrington originally described in such anguished and inflammatory terms, hoping to purposefully ignite America's slumbering conscience, has instead become a permanent feature of our conscienceless socio-cultural landscape.

It is a sad truth that Harrington's book is as timely and as shocking today as it was some forty years ago. His account of the fate of millions of impoverished people of color and ethnicity remains as cogent and as relevant as it was then. Despite the long and tortured history of the social legislation that attempted to rework this problem in the decades since, the reality of the situation seems to be that nothing much has changed in terms of the life-chances and hopes of the members of the underclass. It remains a mainstay of introductory courses in social stratification, providing an excellent overview of the myriad of the sociological, political, and economic issues surrounding the underclass, and is a wonderful example of just how important one man's vision of the truth can be in orienting others meaningfully toward rectifying a social problem. Poverty may remain, as they say, always with us, but the shocking truths found in this book still sheds the light of day into an unappetizing aspect of contemporary society we all should be aware of.

The Other America
The Other America was first published in 1962, before Johnson's "Great Society" and "War on Poverty," before Vietnam, before the urban riots of the late 60s, before the Civil Rights legislation, and before the formation of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. As such, it may well seem a dinosaur to apply the revelations and ideas proposed by author Michael Harrington to a society that has advanced so far. Or has it? Harrington develops his thesis on the central premise that poverty in America is both there and widespread. More importantly, however, is the fact that it is hidden. People no longer have day-to-day contact with the urban poor. Before the mass exodus of the middle class, the majority of Americans lived in or near areas inhabited by the poor. Even if they did not, they walked through or drove through the rows of tenements on their way to work downtown. They saw the conditions the poor lived in and saw the faces of the poor. When Harrington wrote, as is true today, the "ghetto" is a place to avoid. We have successfully severed all economic use of the poor from our daily lives and are able to drive into downtown from the suburban fringe without even having to stop to see the lives of the poor. Even today's trend toward reconstructing highways below-grade so as to have less impact on the poor neighborhoods they divide further removes the lives of the poor from our daily routine-we don't even have to see the buildings pass by anymore. They are safely beyond the highway wall. Harrington differentiates between the poverty existing today and that of previous urban centers. The old ethnic ghettos were indeed permeated by poverty, had miserable living conditions, and were centers of disease and urban mischief. They did have one thing, however, that is lacking in today's ghettos: aspiration. The ghettos of yesterday melded the old world with the new, and served as stepping-stones toward the American dream. Those who form today's ghettos, primarily African-Americans, do not have an "old world." They come from within our society but are not part of it. Generations of slavery, Jim Crow, discrimination, and despair have disenchanted many, so much so that most of America is foreign to them and they are said to have a "twisted spirit." Harrington discusses the various classes of poverty, ranging from that of blacks to the elderly to the rural farmer and many in between. Curiously, however, he only mentions poverty of children, a major issue of modern times, in passing. Public housing is discussed in some detail, and looking back from the failures we have witnessed in public housing projects, much could have been avoided had we paid attention to Harrington's thoughts. He condemns the towering projects as instant ghettos, providing poverty with a simple facelift, detached from surrounding neighborhoods. As early as 1962, an argument was being made against the demolition and removal of entire neighborhoods for the construction of high-rise towers and in favor of dispersed public housing. Only recently have HUD programs such as Section 8 vouchers and HOPE VI project grants implemented this ideology. Overall, Harrington's account of poverty in America has, unfortunately, remained a very viable account. Even after Johnson's "War on Poverty," the civil rights legislation, urban riots, and the longest peacetime economic expansion ever, Harrington's book might as well have been written today. It provides a good summary of the sociological and economic issues concerning poverty, and would be a good introductory book before expanding on specific aspects of poverty by contemporary sociologists such as William Julius Wilson. A reader today may question his persistent call for a federal solution, given the miserable track record of federal programs and the increasing focus on local solutions. Harrington does, however, shed light and provide a realistic picture of a large portion of American's that most never see. ... Read more

Book Description

Public Finance--while continuing to follow an innovative approach that is both theoretical and empirical--is now completely updated to reflect major changes in its key topics. New or revised information includes explanations of the Social Security trust fund, a new section on the alternative minimum tax (AMT), possible links between the corporation tax and high-profile scandals such as Enron, and more.

Book Description

A compelling account of the rebirth of China's greatest city. Earmarked by China's leaders to again become an international business hub, Shanghai, in less than a decade, has blossomed from a depressed industrial town, forgotten by the outside world, into a shimmering metropolis filled with glass skyscrapers, modern factories, and thumping discotheques. Foreign investors are once again flocking to Shanghai, which is commonly seen as an up-and-coming rival to New York, Tokyo, and Hong Kong as the world's most important financial centers. But is it?

Is Shanghai, the capitalist Mecca of the Far East in the 1920s, re-emerging as the New York of Asia? The Whore of the Orient? The stomping ground of China's artistic elite? China's version of Silicon Valley? A tinderbox of social unrest as state-owned companies lay off workers by the hundreds of thousands?

Weaving insightful anecdotes with astute analysis, respected journalist Pamela Yatsko addresses these questions and many others to provide a vivid portr ait of Shanghai, past and present. New Shanghai's lively narrative, culled from interviews with Shanghainese at all levels of society, explores key aspects of contemporary Shanghai – from finance, foreign business and state enterprise reform, to vice, culture and social change. New Shanghai takes us into the world of shady Chinese stock speculators, prosperous yuppies, distraught laid-off workers, determined foreign executives and alluring bar girls, giving texture to the tumult that has rocked urban China. By painting pictures of Shanghai today, New Shanghai offers readers a better understanding of Shanghai and China tomorrow. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Excellent read!
Pam Yatsko's book is a terrific contribution to the understanding of modern Shanghai - and China by extension. The reader is treated to a wealth of personal stories that Ms. Yatsko collected over her several years of living in Shanghai. While many writers tend to focus on the sensational, Ms. Yatsko examines what is really happening in people's lives and why. She has taken the Chinese economic policies that appear to most people as nothing more than news blips in the Wall Street Journal or New York Times, and shown how they have dramatically changed lives in modern China - bringing enormous rewards for some, significant hardship for others.

I have been visiting Shanghai since 1982 and have had an office in the city since 1995, so it is a particular pleasure for me to find an author who not only obviously shares my great love for the city, but who also chronicles the remarkable changes and array of paradoxes that define the city in such a compelling and engaging manner. So whether you are a business person looking to understand the business environment in Shanghai or an armchair traveler looking for insights into the rapidly changing culture of one of the world's largest cities, New Shanghai is a wonderful passport to the real world of Shanghai today.

Bryan Batson, President, The China Business Group, Inc., Boston, MA

The Best Book on China's Urban Revolution
I view "New Shanghai" through the prism of someone who worked in business in Shanghai during 1995-97 and has travelled there frequently from a base in Hong Kong during the last few years. Simply put, I can think of no more useful and interesting book for anyone who does any kind of business in Shanghai or just wants to understand the recent historic transformation of the city. Frankly, I can think of no more interesting or useful book about the metamorphosis of urban China. Among the things that makes this book great is the way Yatsko lets the city speak through the voice if its own people -- some chapters read like a more analytical version of one of Studds Terkel's great oral histories.

As a businessman, I found especially interesting the chapters on the quirks of the local economy, on the experience of foreign investors, and on the city's sputtering efforts to build its financial markets. In each case, her analysis is right on as she makes clear what is going both right and wrong. She observes, for example, that while the local economy has grown respectably in recent years, overly interventionist bureacrats have trampled Shanghai's efforts to build its own brands and to nurture technical innovation. On foreign investment, she offers us the condensed wisdom of most of the smartest people operating in Shanghai today. And on the capital markets, she recounts great tales of scandal and unfulfilled dreams.

Here and elsewhere this is a book filled with fun and revealing stories that show the real fabric of a city in the midst of revolutionary change. Some of my favorite tales come in the chapter on the return of the vices, where Yatsko tells all about her nocturnal explorations. We learn, for example, how kept women in China, known as "caged golden birds", keep themselves amused while the master is away by renting "little wolf dogs", or younger pretty boys with slick hair and cute suits.

Shanghai's re-emergence is a great tale, rich in heroes and villains and a bizarre mix of the city's spectacular visible, physical progress and its profound failures. I so wish this book would be read by all overeager urban and national leaders so that they could realize both what they should do to build their cities as well as the tragic consequences of trying to do too much.

Not the obvious
Yatko's book far exceeded my expectations. Well argued, carefully thought out and with an excellent thesis. It is easy for old Shanghai residents (such as myself) to revel in an Old Shanghai nostalgia that has long ceased to exist. Yatsko highlights and illustrates many points that we overlooked, ignored or never knew in the first place. Valuable reading for anyone planning to do business in China or simply interested in this great city.

New Shanghai
I found "New Shanghai" not long ago as I was preparing to visit Shanghai after six years in the states, and was attracted to it immediately. Having lived in Shanghai most of my life, I have to say that the author knows about Shanghai better than I do. I'm only familiar with the life of my like, but the book has a broad coverage, from the upper class to the cultural underdogs. In particular, I liked to read Yatsko's interviews with various people, which added a sense of reality.

Yatsko has captured Shanghai's fastest socio-economic changes since it lost the luster as the most prosperous city in the Far East early last century. With her solid knowledge of economics and first-hand experience, the stories are credible and the analysis is insightful. Whereas "old Shanghai" has aroused most scholarly interest due to its relation to modernity, Yatsko's depiction of Shanghai's rebirth in the 1990s also offers a unique hindsight on its past.

Although I wish I could have read this wonderful book earlier, it's not so late in the sense that I now know more interesting places

A must read if you are thiniking of China
I had noticed the name of Pamela Yatsko long before she published this book, since the Chinese authorities had translated and published her China-related reviews on the Reference News-a local media circulated among China's officials-from time to time. (I wish the writer had been paid for those translated reviews.)
Reading this book is a really enjoyable experience.Actually I was very surprised of her deep understanding of the city and China's culture. For example, the story of two old gentlemen and the Shanghai Museum: they took the blame first, then, the city take the pride of their success. It's just a typical way of making things happen!-under this government. And, frankly speaking, she just know much more of the night life here than I, a local Shanghaiese.
If you are thinking of China, whatever which aspect you are thinking of, I would recommend this book to you. You will know the place, know what's happening here, know how it has happen.

Shanghai Reader Zhonghua Yu ... Read more

Book Description

In this provocative, important study, Dali Yang examines a wide range of governance reforms in the People's Republic of China, including administrative rationalization, divestiture of businesses operated by the military, and the building of anticorruption mechanisms, to analyze how China's leaders have reformed existing institutions and constructed new ones to cope with unruly markets, curb corrupt practices, and bring about a regulated economic order.

Though still a work in progress, taken together these reforms, Yang argues, have improved the institutional environment for economic development and altered the landscape for China’s ongoing struggle against rampant corruption.These measures are also likely to have important implications for the exercise of governmental authority and for China’s future political development.As China’s role on the world stage expands, the way the Chinese state conducts itself assumes increasing importance not just for those concerned about the welfare of the Chinese people but also for those interested in China’s role in regional and world affairs.For readers interested in either China’s domestic development or in the country’s foreign relations, this timely volume offers much food for thought. ... Read more

Book Description

An A-to-Z guide to economic indicators - what they are and what they really mean

Covering all major economic indicators, from GDP and personal income to government spending and employment cost index, this revised and expanded edition of Using Economic Indicators to Improve Investment Analysis explains what key economic measurements are, how to read and interpret them, and, most importantly, how to use them to make better, more informed financial, trading, and investing decisions.

"Evelina Tainer has created the ultimate guidebook for market watchers and investors. I never keep it more than an arm's-length away. I also encourage my students to read the book, as it provides an invaluable link between economic theory and its application to the real world." -Maureen J. Maguire Senior Economist and Principal, NationsBanc Montgomery Securities LLC Lecturer, University of California Extension Program, University of California at Berkeley

"Using Economic Indicators to Improve Investment Analysis is a must for any journalist, investor, or student seeking to interpret macroeconomic data. Tainer anticipates basic questions and provides clear, thorough answers while explaining industry-specific jargon. The well-organized format makes her guide an easy-to-use reference tool." -Kristi Bahrenburg Reporter, Dow Jones Newswires

"Evelina Tainer has produced the definitive user-friendly guide to understanding and using what is arguably the most important body of information for investors in the United States. It is required reading for everyone at Market News Service. For those looking to make intelligent investment decisions, the information in this book is essential." -Michael J. Conner CEO, Market News Service, Inc.

Economic indicators are anything but "just numbers"- they are the keys to unlocking invaluable information about market behavior. Read and interpreted accurately, they can lead to successful trading, prudent policymaking, smart consumership, and profitable investing. Getting the most out of these important signs, however, requires a firm grasp of what they signify and what they really mean. Using Economic Indicators to Improve Investment Analysis -now revised and expanded -gives you the handle necessary to understand and effectively use a wide range of essential economic measurements.

Covering all the major indicators reported by private and government statistical agencies -including the consumer price index, the employment situation, retail sales, and housing starts -this comprehensive resource provides full descriptions of indicators and what they represent, their impact on the direction of interest rates, exchange rates, and the stock market, and the hows and whys of market reaction. Most importantly, the Second Edition offers practical guidelines for gearing your investment strategies to these ever-changing economic statistics.

Written in clear, nontechnical terms and clearly organized by sectors of the economy, this accessible guide:
* Takes a close look at GDP, with an overview of the macroeconomic framework using the standard national income accounting methodology
* Compares and contrasts consumer sector indicators to distinguish which series are more reliable and consistent
* Differentiates between all measures of inflation, and makes the key distinction between inflation in the goods market and inflation in the services market
* Explores foreign market indicators, including the monthly and quarterly indicators for the foreign exchange, domestic bond, and equity markets
* Features revealing "Did You Know?" tidbits, and cautionary "Watch Out" sections that highlight common and uncommon quirks, as well as special factors unique to specific indicators
* Contains new material on the Federal Reserve-how it works and its policymaking system

Cutting through the ambiguity that often surrounds coverage of economic indicators in the business sections and the financial press, this is essential reading for anyone looking to make sense of vital economic figures. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A dictionary of economic indicators
This book might be a good compliment to an existing library, but I didn't find it very useful myself.I thought the comment of an earlier review's title, 'A Perfect Complement to an academic finance text!' fairly accurate.If you want to know what the talking heads on the financial news are touting, this is an excellent guide.

In other words, if you have bought into the conventional econometrics of the day, whatever that is, this is your guidebook. It ought to help get through a class, but outside the ivory tower, I'm not sure it will be much help.

Personally, the author didn't help me connect the dots.What do these indicators imply for the GNP 2, 3 or 4 years down the road?What connections do foreign indicators have with domestic ones?

These questions are not answered.It's just a dictionary.You get the nominal description, the publishing authority, a bit about why the authority thinks their indicator useful and maybe a few sample numbers.That is it.If you like academic economics or ever have to make a presentation to some government officials, this is probably an exceptional service, though.

Bringing theory to life - an easy read
This is not only an excellent reference source, but also a very interesting book.People who are not experts in the fields of economics or finance will have no problem grasping the concepts.I keep it in the office for reference and from time to time pick it up to read up on different topics.I've been impressed with Tainer's ability to make these concepts so easy to understand.Her "Did you know? and Market Reaction" sections are also very interesting and provide an inside view as to how government policymakers and financial marketmakers shape the economy in ways that are very relevant to the average consumer.I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good reference book or wants to complement his studies in this field.I think that college students can benefit a great deal from it.For those of you who watch CNBC or CNNfn constantly, you stand to benefit the most from a book like this as it will not only teach you the cause and effect of important economic indicators that are put on the screen on a daily basis, but what's more important, the reasons why they impact the economy and the markets the way they do.

A Perfect Complement to an academic finance text!
Anticipating a number of delays while traveling over the holidays recently, I picked up a few books from Amazon.com; one I never put down.

Dr. Evelina Tainer has managed, in a succinct manner, to offeracademicians (particularly those without practical experience in the worldof finance)a way to communicate ideas to students that is compelling andinteresting.

I more carefully read about her background only afterfinishing her book. It make perfect sense that this book was written by anauthor who has worked in both academic and professional circles. Dr. Tainerintegrates material from both perspectives in a meaningful way.

I wasparticularly fond of the "Did you know" sections where Dr. Tainerfine-tunes a specific notion or concept.

Her discussion of "SeasonalAdjustment" helped to clarify a nubmer of questions that once cloudedmy understanding.

Academic texts rarely allocate space (for obviousreasons) to details regarding economic indicators. This is where Dr.Tainer's book picks up to bring to light the relevance of the indicators toinvestment analysis.

I can readily see how Dr. Tainer's, "UsingEconomic Indicators to Improve Investment Analysis," would be awelcome text in the classroom -- as a stand alone text for an electivecourse or as supplement to other required texts. I think that students willtake to its lucid approach. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (5)

The Christian community should read this book
"Most people think that Americans are generous because we are rich.The truth is that we are rich...because we are generous..." So writes Claire Gaudiani.Why should Christians read this book?We don't want to save "Capitalism," do we?Perhaps not, but we know we'd miss it, if it was destroyed.Yes, the Christian community ought to find time to read this wonderful book on the history of American Philanthropy and how it has, in the past, played a vital role in helping to maintain the uniqueness of the American experiment.More importantly, Gaudiani explains the perils of our current "giving habits," the cultural reasons for the trend, and solutions to restore the spirit of philanthropy.She writes, "As more of us are better able every year to satisfy our wants and needs, we are not sharing a larger percentage of our income and wealth.We are retaining it in savings or spending it on ourselves and our families.Yet some segments of the population...are experiencing reductions in their well-being, notably children."Christians for the most part should appreciate America's history of philanthropy, for much of it stems from either the Judeo-Christian worldview or simply from a genuine Christian faith that seeks to "give away what God has given to make other people's lives better."The Christian community should also find a welcome friend in her words: "Philanthropy has, in the past, been quicker than government to imagine, test, and implement innovative methods for solving social problems."Of all people and social groups, the Christian community should read this book, if for anything to learn to appreciate the history of Philanthropy.Giving and developing strategies for philanthropic adventures are more than mere altruism.After reading Gaudiani's book, I find that philanthropy of any kind (American or Christian charity) is the human experience where self-interest and compassion are not in conflict.It is in the best interest of Americans (dare I say Christians) to ensure that everyone has access to the American Dream--the dream of upward mobility.In the humble opinion of this reviewer, more Christian communities and churches should design their own philanthropic adventures and meet the social needs that are knocking on their church doors.

Not so Ancient Wisdom
The Philanthropic Revolution started thousands of years ago in the fields of Eygpt when people then new that we need to "care" for each other. Give water to the thirsty passer by.

Claire, with a lot of compassion and breadth, reminds us the the "greater good" needs to be reenvigorated, as did Jane Addams' project to care for the larger community.

Chapter 6 go directly to the undrlyting feeling of the American Spirit.

The past 100 years shows us how to really appreciate and gain from that original intent. This book put's it into perspective and rekindles the spirit of giving.

Happy New Year.

What have you done for mankind lately?
I felt compelled to write this review because of the poor content by some of the other contributors -- one who didnt event read the book and the other ranting a personal attack with no focus on the book itself.
As a teacher, Colleen Kyle should know better than anyone else to actually read books before judging them. She might find herself actually learning something from the research of others. This is not a history book, and it doesnt claim to be one. Its encouraging people to re-think philanthropy and the long term impact generosity can have by showing how we have all benefitted from private giving already.
Mr. Chuck Jones needs to spend more time actually giving something back to society and little less time complaining about those who choose to take the personal and professional risks required to be a leader.
I would encourage people to read Gaudiani's book, to learn about how generosity affects society, and then think about what they can do in their local community to improve the lives of the less fortunate.

Bravo to an exceptional leader, scholar, and human being!
Any leader, executive, or member of our world society can learn and immediately benefit from this book. Dr. Gaudiani is one of the most exceptional and worthy leaders of our time. Her words of wisdom in this book exemplify the essence of her daily leadership practices. Just as the best leaders of our time have displayed, she is optimistic about human behavior and motivation. Critics' opinions expressed only underscore her importance and our need for her as a leader. Ironically, these opinions bring to light the necessity for a civil society and the "Greater Good." Where there is resistance, there is dissatisfaction with the current state in a social system, and Gaudiani is the ideal leader to provide the vision and first steps to bring us to a more democratic, unified, and satisfied state. Read this book with an understanding that you are learning from an exceptional, understanding, compassionate, highly emotionally intelligent, extremely knowledgable, cultured, worldly leader.

Initial reviews do not bode well
While I have not yet read this book and am opposed to purchasing it, as a history teacher I must object to at least one egregious error in the Booklist review: the GI bill as an example of American philanthropy?Excuse me?It was a federal law using federal monies for the greater good of the nation. Everyone paid for it.

As a former fundraiser, I know (as does Ms. Gaudiani) that motivations for philanthropy are rarely entirely altruistic: ego and self interest are huge motivators, as is the current tax system which provokes wealthy individuals to make donations to institutions of their choosing.Politicians going back to Alexander Hamilton have understood this.I applaud the largesse of the American people, but an argument that, among other flaws, compares our rate of giving with Breat Britain's, a country whose inhabitants pay higher taxes for the greater good of all citizens, seems specious.

I advise those considering purchasing this book to get their American history from more reliable sources. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Excellent chronicle of the demise of civil society in Africa
George B. N. Ayittey's latest book, together with his previous ones ("Indigenous African Institutions" and "Africa Betrayed"), places Ayittey within a small group of African scholars whose commitment to classical liberalism is a breath of fresh air on a continent where most well-known scholars are statists. Ayittey and like-minded African scholars regard advancing the ideas of classical liberalism as the cornerstone for the restoration of civil society in Africa....

What explains the dismal performance of African economies? Ayittey's book provides a detailed account of government policies that adversely affect the functioning of markets. Instead of building on markets that prevailed in the indigenous institutions, African leaders adopted policies that involved heavy intervention in markets.... One result of this form of government intervention is that farmers, whose performance is a key to economic development, face extremely high taxes and other forms of intervention that undermine production incentives. Furthermore, in many countries, property rights are insecure, and leaders often engage in arbitrary expropriation....

If political independence did little to advance the material well-being of the majority of Africans, even less was accomplished with regard to the advancement of individual liberties. There is no doubt that colonial rule was oppressive. Institutions and laws established by the colonialists were clearly designed to serve the interests of colonialists, not Africans. As Ayittey documents, however, political independence in Africa has given rise to some of the most oppressive governments in history. The first wave of civilian leaders adopted oppressive laws and outlawed political competition. Laws were enacted that undermined the freedom of expression, and in virtually all countries, governments enacted laws that empowered rulers to detain opponents without trial. In numerous cases, those opposed to the government were killed or disappeared mysteriously....

Ayittey is critical of some of the commonly proposed solutions to the crisis in Africa. For example, foreign aid and loans, such as those advanced by the international organizations, appear to have no positive impact in the long run. In fact, in most cases such aid has contributed to the crisis. Ayittey proposes reform policies that concentrate on the restoration of civil society, whereby civil and economic liberties would be guaranteed. To achieve such a society, Ayittey proposes building on traditional systems of governance. For example, he proposes the establishment of institutions based on the confederacy principle. Such institutions would be more responsive to the public and would more effectively constrain the actions of leaders. Ayittey makes a persuasive case regarding the importance of economic freedom in dealing with the economic crisis in Africa....

In sum, "Africa in Chaos" is an informative book that advances our understanding of African institutions. The book is clearly written and rich in detail. It should be particularly helpful to the "development experts" who are involved in prescribing policies to Africans but who themselves have limited understanding of African institutions.

Africa needs more than this
I think there is nothing new in the book. If one has been following African politics, this book is just is another record of what goes on in Africa and it does not really help in solving problems that I, as an African am faced with. It is exposing things that Africans are aware of. I think what Africans need now are books that will bring approaches to solving problems that have been identified. There are lots of people who have written about problems confronting the continent of Africa, but very few have written about solutions.

I would appreciate if the author could reverse the book, and propose practical and reasonable solutions to all the problems he identified. The author should try to put himself in the shoes of those people who are fighting for multi party politics in some countries and their livbes are at risk.

The title of this book is too broad, the author put more emphasis on political and economic issues in countries like Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya. Other countries are mentioned in passing. " Africa in Chaos" should look at all countries in Africa, not few countries the author has much knowledge and information about.

I would like to point out that Joe Modise is still alive, he has been serving as a Minister of Defense during the first term of the Government of National Unity in South Africa (He was not killed, as the author puts it in his dedication).

Nkrumah, Nyerere, Kaunda failures all
Excellent book by Ayittey showing the yet again the failures of the liberal-left vision, and its cynical collaborators in business and government bureaucracies. Yet again and again Western taxpayers are called upon to prop up these vampire states- money down an endless rathole.
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The "leaders" of many of these failed states have been feted and celebrated in the liberal West, none more so than Nkrumah, Nyerere, and Kaunda. Buit it is all hypocrisy and delusion. Some claim glowing accomplishments by these leaders, but in fact things like high literacy rates are carry-overs from the colonial administrations. In short, the literacy rate and educational opportunities were ALREADY rising rapidly when the colonialists pulled out, rendering claims of "improvement" in these areas suspect. The same pattern is repeated in economic development. Agriculture and industry were ALREADY expanding when the kleptocrats and dictators took over. Under them this progress not only declined but in many cases simply vanished.

As for Nkrumah's or Nyere's much touted educational "progress" and "free" medical care, it was neither progressive or free. What use is "free" when your "health" clinics are chronically short of medicine, and competent staff? Just how much "improvement" is there when you don't have enough money to staff or maintain your "free" institutions to even minimal standards? What use is "education" amid cruimbling schools and unpaid teachers, or when you are herding forcibly herding people into dirty, poverty mired "ujamma" villages to be harangued by party hacks about "African socialism"? When has "socialism" fed starving people?

Ayittey exposes the bogus claims, and nonsensical fantasies, and cynical self-serving by Western elites and their vampire-like African compradors. A great read, but of course- no one will lesson while even yet more millions of Africans are needlessly sacrificed to fulfill the greed, corruption and self-congratulatory fantasies of Western elites and their African lackeys.

All true, but...
Ayittey has written an excellent book. In fact, I'm just as critical of Africa's despotic and kleptocratic regimes in all the books I have written. But I don't entirely agree with his assessment of Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, and Kenneth Kaunda.

He says his focus is not on the leadership qualities of any of the African leaders but on their policies. It is true that socialism failed to fuel economic growth. But an objective evaluation of what Nkrumah, Nyerere, and Kaunda did, shows that they had some success in a number of areas. Yet, Ayittey has almost nothing good to say about them in his book, "Africa in Chaos." In fact, these are the three leaders of whom he's most critical in his book, devoting several pages to them more than any other African leader.

Under Nkrumah, Ghana had the highest per capita income in sub-Saharan Africa. It was Nkrumah who laid the foundation for modern-day Ghana. He built the infrastructure that has sustained and fuelled Ghana's economic development through the years. It is true that there were also many failures under Nkrumah, and after he was gone; for example institutional decay and crumbling infrastructure. But who built those institutions and the infrastructure?

Nkrumah built schools, hospitals, roads, factories, dams and bridges, railways and harbors. Tens of thousands of people in Ghana who are lawyers, doctors, engineers, nurses, teachers, accountants, agriculturalists, scientists and others wouldn't be what they are today had it not been for the educational opportunities provided by Nkrumah.

Ayittey talks about quality, saying that what mattered during Nkrumah's reign was quantity, not quality. What's the quality of the Ghanaian elite, including Ayittey himself, educated under Nkrumah? Are they not as good as anybody else? What was the quality of education at the University of Ghana, Legon? Did it admit and train students of mediocre mental calibre? Did it have inferior academic programmes? And an inferior faculty? Were more people dying in Ghanaian hospitals than they were being saved? Did the schools, hospitals, factories, roads and other infrastructure Nkrumah built do more harm than good? Would Ghana have been better off without them like Zaire under Mobutu?

In Tanzania, Nyerere also built schools, hospitals, clinics, factories, roads and railways, dams and bridges, hydroelectric power plants and other infrastructure. Although his policy of Ujamaa (meaning familyhood in Kiswahili) was not very successful, it did enable the country to bring the people together and closer to each other in order to provide them with vital social services. The people had easier access to schools, clinics, clean water and other services provided by the government, than they otherwise would have been, because they lived closer to each other; which would have been impossible had they been spread too thin across the country, living miles and and miles apart.

Also under Nyerere, education was free, from primary school all the way to the university level. Medical services were also free, in spite of the fact that Tanzania is one of poorest countries in the world. Still, under Nyerere, it was able to afford all that. Everybody had equal opportunity. Under his leadership, Tanzania also made quantum leaps in education. It had the highest literacy rate in Africa, and one of the highest in the world, higher than India's which has one of the largest numbers of educated people and the third largest number of scientists after the United States and the former Soviet Union.

One of the biggest achievements under Nyerere was in the area of adult education. Tanzania, on a scale unprecedented anywhere else in the world, launched a massive adult education campaign to teach millions of people how to read and write. Within only a few years, almost the entire adult population of Tanzania - rural peasants, urban workers and others - became literate. Almost everybody in Tanzania, besides children not yet in school, was able to read and write. And the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania became one of the most renowned academic institutions in the world, in less than ten years, with an outstanding faculty including some of the best and internationally acclaimed scholars from many countries.

Provision of vital services even to some of the most remote parts of the country - far removed from urban and social centres - was not uncommon although the services were, I must admit, curtailed through the years because of economic problems. Yet, all that was achieved under Nyerere who sincerely believed, and made sure, that everybody had equal access to the nation's resources. I know all this because I am a Tanzanian myself, born and brought up in Tanzania, and was one of the beneficiaries of Nyerere's egalitarian policies.

Tanzania has come a long way, and still has a long way to go. But give credit where credit is due, in spite of failures in a number of areas, and which must be acknowledged by all of us. I even admit that in my books. But also look at where we were before: At independence in 1961, Tanganyika (before uniting with Zanzibar in 1964 to form Tanzania) had only 120 university graduates, including two lawyers who had to draft and negotiate more than 150 international treaties for the young nation and handle other legal matters for the country. With 120 university graduates, Tanganyika was, of course, better off than the former Belgian Congo which had only 16 at independence in 1960, and Nyasaland (now Malawi) with only 34 at independence in 1964. Still, that was nowhere close to what Tanganyika would have been had the British tried to develop the colony; which was never their intention. None of the 120 university graduates got their degrees in Tanganyika. There was no university in the country. The British never built one, and never intended to build one. Tanganyika built one after independence, and it became internationally renowned as an excellent academic institution in less than a decade.

The 120 university graduates Tanganyika had at independence was nothing in terms of manpower for a country; not even for a province or region. As Julius Nyerere said not long before he died:

"We took over a country with 85 percent of its adults illiterate. The British ruled us for 43 years. When they left, there were two trained engineers and 12 doctors. When I stepped down there was 91 percent literacy and nearly every child was at school. We trained thousands of engineers, doctors, and teachers."

Nyerere stepped down in 1985. And all that was achieved within 24 years since independence. No mean achievement.

Africa is Chaos
It has been said that there is nothing new in this book. Africa indeed has problems. That is exactly the point of this book and Keith Richburg's "Out of America." Africa has problems and it is not up to AID agencies (USAID could not fix anything even if they wanted to) or foreigners to fix those problems. It is up to "Africans" to fix their problems.

ALL nations have problems. The difference between most nations and the African continent is that Africa just gets worse, and worse and worse. I've lived there. I've lived it. I will never return.

As a black American that lived in Africa over a period of twenty years, I find the state just gets worse and worse and most African people continue to blame their problems on colonialism, they defect to Europe or the US or just take what their dictators dish out. A Kenyan friend of mine who was MD of the Kenyan Human Rights League, tired of being jailed and tear gased while the people he was demonstrating and fighting for looked on and pointed, said: "Kenya and Africa will never change until the average Kenyan or African is prepared to die for his freedom."

No, there is nothing new in "Chaos" or the other books on this subject. Again, that's the point. Contructively Africa: fix your problems. That's what these books are all about: YOU need to fix YOUR problems.

This is a great book. I will keep it and others like it for my children to read. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

A searing indictment of corporate management in the roaring '90s which has shattered the future of the white-collar worker. If you look at the stock market, or at the corporate bottom line, it seems the best of times. But look into the lives of average middle managers, and we are living in the worst of times. Media attention has focused either on the horrors of massive layoffs or on episodic explosions of corporate violence. But for those millions of Americans who have neither been laid off nor "gone postal," life at the office has become a corporate nightmare: seven-day-a-week work loads; reduced salaries, pensions, or benefits; virtual enslavement to technology; and a pervasive fear about job security. What has happened to the American dream? With facts, figures, and trenchant case histories, Jill Fraser chronicles this catastrophic sea change in industry after industry: telecommunications, the media, banking, information technology, Wall Street. Her book is essential reading for anyone concerned with the future of the American economy . . . or worried about his or her own job. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Good Analysis, Weak (and Dated) Solutions
Fraser hits the nail on the head with her hard-hitting stories and analysis of the current state of "corporate America." Hard-working employees are not reaping the rewards they really earn, and create wealth without getting any in return. What employees do get is less time off, longer workdays, more broken homes, more job insecurity, and less satisfaction out of life -- and most corporate executives are just fine with harming the ones they depend upon as long as it's profitable.

While Fraser accurately diagnoses the problems of overwork, she offers little in the way of a viable solution aside from "pick up your things and leave", especially in the current weak economy.

If you want some solutions, this book is not what you're looking for. If you do want some great writing about quality of life issues that affect all of us, especially in the corporate environment, this book is insightful and thought-provoking.

Compelling, Thought-Provoking, Unsettling
The author of this book is a professional journalist, with experience covering business for the New York Times, The New York Observer, and Forbes. She's served as an editor for Inc. Magazine and Bloomberg Personal Finance. She knows how to write in a style that grabs and holds a reader's attention. I went straight through cover-to-cover with this book, turning pages and turning down pages.

After several years of research, this book was assembled to tell the story of the nightmare that has been the life of the white collar worker in America in recent decades. Using an enticing mixture of facts and figures and real-life stories collected from people in the trenches, Fraser documents a story that cries for exposure. White collar employees from large companies will recognize-painfully-the picture that's painted, with personal histories and company names and practices illuminating the text. Page after page reveals the details of an embarrassingly destructive period in our country's corporate history. Sadly, the story continues, with complications and far-reaching implications, far beyond what's presented in White Collar Sweatshop.

You'll experience a wide range of emotions as you move through this factual report. Those emotions will range from pity to sympathy, from empathy to rage. Using the internet, Fraser found a wide range of people to open their hearts, share their experiences, and expose the questionable, unfeeling, almost inhumane acts of corporate executives. You'll read about people who invested their lives, at the expense of their families and themselves, to help build companies that later chewed them up and spit them out.

The research for this book was conducted during the late 1990s and into 2000. These were the years of the hot economy where opportunities to change jobs were plentiful. Many of the people who worked for large corporations, where this book is centered, did not leave for greener pastures; they were trapped in a never-ending cycle of working, working, working for companies-emotional and professional handcuffs that held them in a no-alternatives, no-win rut.

Since this book was written, the economy has shifted. During the slowdown of 2000-2002, employers became even more ruthless. With fewer jobs to jump to, workers had their escape routes blocked. The current reality is probably even worse than the deterioration described in Fraser's documentary. As the economy picks up, we'll see some cataclysmic changes in the relationship between employers and employees. The historical period recorded in this book will be a foundation for a major upheaval.

To understand what's coming, read this book to understand what's happened. Special note to senior corporate executives: If you want to attract, inspire, and optimize top talent, read this book to comprehend how your employees feel. Even if you're not the size of the major companies cited in the case histories, know that your future or even current employees-directly or indirectly-are influenced by the experiences described.

This book will be a catalyst for change if corporate leaders apply the knowledge they'll gain to assure that sweatshop practices are terminated.

Extra benefits: strong notes section with a number of valuable book references, as well as a comprehensive index.

Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter
Depending on what you are looking for your will either love this book or you will hate it. I suppose that's true for all books, really, but it seemed especially true with this one. If you seek validation or some form of group-hug catharsis in knowing that you are not alone in hating your job and it's diminishing rewards then this book is for you. If, on the other hand, you know that work [isn't good] and want some kind of strategy for making it better then you will probably be disappointed. Unfortunately, for me, my reaction to was more hate than love.

I say "unfortunately" because technically it really is a good book. It is well-written and well-researched and the author really has captured a good deal of what's wrong with the workplace these days, so it's not that it was executed poorly. In fact it was often too on target. I found myself growing increasingly uncomfortable reading some of the accounts of corporate sadism. Like a rape victim who reads another woman's account of her ordeal or a veteran who reads about another soldier's experience in a desperate firefight these accounts can be very exhausting to get through at times.

The problem I had was that despite really nailing the problem the author has little to offer in the way of solutions (or hope) other than what seemed to me to be wish-upon-a-star platitudes. Now, it's really not fair to expect that one person should have the answer to over 30 years of corporate greed and profit-addicted short sightedness. Still, I felt many times that reading this book was a waste of my time since I already knew how messed up things were; I was looking for relief not a chance to relive the horror.

If you want an accurate, often excruciating, blow-by-blow account of why work [is no good] and why no matter how hard you work you will earn less and less and still get laid off then this book may be for you. If you pretty much know why you're getting shafted at work but want to find a way to avoid the pain then you probably should pass this one by.

Too liberal, yet interesting
Fraser does an excellent job of detailing many high stressed white collar jobs that continually demand more and more work. She explains the cost, and details it with smidgen of statistics and a lot of one-person stories. Though one sided, it does do an excellent job of telling her point of view.

She details the effects fanatic pace of the average white collar worker, the invasion of the professional life into the private life, the effects of layoffs, the slow erosion of benefits, and the complete absence of job security. She incorporates great stories about companies, certain people, CEOs, and certain ideas.

This book is a fluid page-turner and puts most other non-fiction books to shame. It's an easy read that captures and fascinates you.

The main flaw in the book is "evil corporation" and victimization idea, and how CEOs are just in for stock market increases. She doesn't blame the stockholders, which are often pensions and mutual funds, for supporting such short-sided CEOs. She gives the impressions that layoffs are all bad, and that they should be avoided totally, despite the health of the company and economy. Most importantly, she places no guilt on the employees who continue to endure the continuously demanding pressures of their job. Instead of quitting, they abide by their job in order to pay for their current lifestyle, despite the increasing workload and disappearing benefits. It's not the corporation's fault that there is a huge mortgage or car payments, it's purely on the employees end there.

Bottom-up analysis of corporate self-destruction
Jill Andresky Fraser's "White Collar Sweatshop" is an effective and empowering mixture of research, case histories and analysis on the subject of declining workplace conditions in the corporate world. The author's bottom-up analysis offers a vivid description of corporate self-destruction at work, and suggests why mega-mergers in certain industries (such as banking) have failed to meet expectations.

The book suggests that much of the heralded productivity gains of the 1990s were due not to the wonders of technology but to the kind of old-fashioned sweatshop labor practices that Karl Marx might have recognized in an earlier era: unpaid and compulsory overtime, cuts in pension and health benefits, homework, speed-up, etc. Fraser cites numerous sources and statistics to show that the era of the paternalistic corporation that thrived from the 1950s to the 1970s has given way to today's unsentimental corporation that values only the bottom line and regularly uses fear as a motivating factor.

However, Fraser challenges the idea that fear is a good motivator and that management failures should always be corrected by squeezing the rank and file. She cites figures showing that most companies that have suffered massive layoffs do NOT enjoy better stock market performances than other firms. Her oftentimes moving correspondence with the human casualties of this corporate callousness suggests that this is because the surviving employees become demoralized. They have learned that the rewards for their hard work may never materialize. Their teamwork suffers when workers are taught to become self-reliant but protective "free agents" of their own careers, and the tendency to self-identify with the success of the company has practically been destroyed.

Fraser also highlights the blatant and unconscionable lack of consistency in the executive suites to the call for shared pain among the workers. "Chainsaw" Al Dunlop, Jack Welch and Michael Eisner are a few of the CEOs who are criticized for accepting lavish pay-outs when their respective corporations were supposedly enduring hard times.

Fraser concludes the book with some optimism and proposes a number of suggestions that could help end sweatshop conditions, such as: caps on CEO pay, limits on the use of contingent labor, increased use of employee stock ownership plans, better benefits, and so on. Unfortunately, many of Fraser's ideas depend on their support from enlightened executives and consequently may be of little use. But with the wave of corporate scandals that have roiled America since the book's publication in early 2001, it is possible that change may be legislated anyway to help curb the public's disgust and investor mistrust of corporate America.

In the end, Fraser has succeeded in focusing our attention to the fact that the fate of business depends on the well-being of its workers. I believe that "White Collar Sweatshop" should be read by CEOs, legislators and disaffected workers alike if we are to avoid doing further damage to our lives and our economy. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

In Market Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa, Marcel Fafchamps synthesizes the results of recent surveys of indigenous market institutions in twelve countries, including Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, and presents findings about economics exchange in Africa that have implications both for future research and current policy. Employing empirical data as well as theoretical models that clarify the data, Fafchamps takes as his unifying principle the difficulties of contract enforcement. Arguing that in an unpredictable world contracts are not always likely to be respected, he shows that contract agreements in sub-Saharan Africa are affected by the absence of large hierarchies (both corporate and governmental) and as a result must depend to a greater degree than in more developed economies on social networks and personal trust. Fafchamps considers policy recommendations as they apply to countries in three different stages of development: countries with undeveloped market institutions, like Ghana; countries at an intermediate stage, like Kenya; and countries with developed market institutions, like Zimbabwe.

Market Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa caps ten years of personal research by the author. Fafchamps, in collaboration with such institutions as the Africa Division of the World Bank and the International Food Policy Research Institute, participated in the surveys of manufacturing firms and agricultural traders that provide the empirical basis for the book. The result is a work that makes a significant contribution to research on the continuing economic stagnation of many countries in sub-Saharan Africa and is also largely accessible to researchers in other fields and policy professionals. ... Read more

Book Description

The Human Development Report 2004 debunks myths that regard diversity as a threat to nations and states, the source of inevitable clashes, and an obstacle to development. It asserts that struggles over economic resources and political power, not diversity, are most often at the root of conflict. The Report opens with an analysis of the vital links between human development and cultural liberty by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen. It goes on to examine issues that the dynamics of globalization have brought to the forefront of policy agendas in rich and poor countries alike: migration, predatory extremism, and the expansion of cultural diversity. Drawing on data from national and local governments around the world, it proposes evidence-based constitutional, juridical, and socioeconomic policy options to promote cultural liberty and multicultural democracy in the context of universally accepted human rights. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

A short article would have sufficed
I cannot speak fairly of the rest of Friedson's work, so perhaps this book is received differently by those who are familiar with his oeuvre.That being said, there is nothing in this book that justifies its length.Its subject matter could have been soundly dealt with in an article-length piece.

Friedson's ambition is to establish a presence in the scholarly field for the study of ideotypical Professionalism (as practice, ethos, and so on) alongside free-market economic organization and bureaucratic organization.He compares and contrasts differenct aspects of each, focusing on labor markets, careers, claims to bodies of knowledge, and contemporary contests.The analysis attempts to be comprehensive, but sacrifices specificity as well as liveliness in that respect.Not only is Friedson limited by his ambiguous use of the Weberian methodological ideal type (you get the feeling he is switching back and forth, but you can't quite place when), his lack of sharp insights makes this something of a dull read.

Perhaps, again, this is an unfair judgment, as I have not read the rest of his work.But for me, it seemed a shame that a book with such bold ambitions, even standing on the shoulders of a giant like Weber, could only come up with a handful of mediocre insights.The next generation of sociologists studying the professions will, I hope, be able to incorporate more contemporary theories and data and give us the analyses and perspectives that this book could and should have. ... Read more

Book Description

The Asian crisis has sparked a thoroughgoing reappraisal of current international financial norms, the policy prescriptions of the International Monetary Fund, and the adequacy of the existing financial architecture.To draw proper policy conclusions from the crisis, however, it is necessary to understand its domestic politics.In this study, political scientist Stephan Haggard focuses on the most seriously affected countries-Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand-while also drawing lessons from those economies, such as Taiwan, that escaped the most severe distress.

Haggard focuses on the political economy of the crisis, emphasizing the longer-run problems of moral hazard and corruption, the politics of crisis management and the political consequences of severe economic downturn.Looking forward, he focuses on two critical policy issues:changes in social safety nets in the crisis countries and efforts at corporate and financial restructuring. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Journalistic title from famous scholar
Haggard has a good name in East Asia field. but this title disappointed me. it's not that scholarstic but journalistic. what are enumerated on his book is not new or insightful at all to asian specialist. if you have read articles on Asia from FT or Wall Street Journal, The Economist, You should know what I mean. at best this book is no more than enlarged The Economist.

Great Resource
This is an excellent resource for both political economics and Asian studies students. Following currency devaluation through the creation of the crisis and its development across the intertwined economies of Southeast Asia. Making rational decisions about Asian markets requires in-depth knowledge of the first fall to avoid the repercussive aftershocks which will continue to follow. ... Read more

Book Description

Offering a rare pan-Caribbean perspective on a region that has moved from the very center of the western world to its periphery, The Caribbean journeys through five centuries of economic and social development, emphasizing such topics as the slave-run plantation economy, the changes in political control over the centuries, the impact of the United States, and the effects of Castro's Cuban revolution on the area.The newly revised Second Edition clarifies the notions of "settler" and "exploitation" societies, makes more explicit the characteristics of state formation and the concept of fragmented nationalism, incorporates the results of recent scholarship, expands treatment of the modern period, updates the chronology of events, and adds a number of new tables.Integrating social analysis with political narrative, The Caribbean provides a unique perspective on the problems of nation-building in an area of dense populations, scarce resources, and an explosive political climate. ... Read more

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Reviews (6)

Great passion and conviction -- terribly written
I completely agree with the political agenda of this book. I am glad it was written. Kovel is RIGHT ON TARGET.
But the book was dreadful to plow/bore through. Talk about OBTUSE VERBIAGE. There is still this awful tradition out there that if you wor dsomething so that it "sounds" brilliant -- it must be. I hate that tradition. We need plain language and simple articulation. This book is just the opposite. Here are but a couple of random examples to give you some idea: "Capital's invasion takes place across an ecosystemic manifold encompassing both culture and nature, with points of commodity formation arising everywhere" (p.55) -- got that? or "If 'entropy' is a logarithmic measure of the probabilistic disorder of a given physical system, the Second Law states that for such a system, whether it be the air in a room, a living body, or the earth as a whole, so long as neither energy nor matter is added to said system -- that is, so long as the system is 'closed' -- then its entropy will rise with time" (p.93) -- got that?
Look, there were many times in this book where I wrote "right on!" in the margins. There were also many times whene I wrote "blah blah blah"...I was going to assign this to my students of social theory -- I teach at a small liberal arts college. No way. Very few people can plow through this dense stuff.

Makes a powerful case
Anyone who considers themselves an environmentalist should read this book. Kovel makes the case the environmental destruction is inherent to the capitalist system and for the most part, reforms are little more than band-aids for a system that is, by its very nature, out of control.

Kovel focuses less on the environmental problems we face today (which you can find in any other book); and focuses more of the book lies in describing how the nuts and bolts of the capitalist economy works (which is what sets this book apart from all others).

He makes the case that actions like voluntarism, isolated cooperatives, bioregionalism, and so forth will eventually get rolled over by the immense power that capital has and are not long-term solutions.

My only problem with the book is that, while Kovel accurately describes the underlying environmental problem as having its root in capitalism itself, he doesn't present a coherent solution except an extremely vague "eco-socialism" (that's why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5). You can tell by this last chapter that he is groping for some sort of answer - going off in many directions.

If you want a cutting analysis of the problem human beings face today, get this book! If you want a revolutionary solution, this book is only a start.

Some background to a flawed but brilliant book
For Joel Kovel the revolution is only a matter of time. Marx was right: Capitalism cannot help but prepare the stew in which it will roast. But Old Whiskers got one thing wrong. The crucial antagonist of capital is not labor but nature. If Marx made a fetish of capital's propensity to generate too much wealth to be profitably re-invested, Kovel does the same in regard to planetary ecosystem crackup. Instead of periodic economic downturn catapulting the proletariat into History, it's the shattering of life-essential natural processes that's destined to set off socialist (make that ecosocialist) revolution.

Professor Kovel, who ran to the left of Ralph Nader for the Green Party nod in 2000, wastes no time making the case tha