Confronting Consumption

Book Description

Comforting terms such as "sustainable development" and "green production" frame environmental debate by stressing technology (not green enough), economic growth (not enough in the right places), and population (too large). Concern about consumption emerges, if at all, in benign ways--as calls for green purchasing or more recycling, or for small changes in production processes. Many academics, policymakers, and journalists, in fact, accept the economists’ view of consumption as nothing less than the purpose of the economy. Yet many people have a troubled, intuitive understanding that tinkering at the margins of production and purchasing will not put society on an ecologically and socially sustainable path.

Confronting Consumption places consumption at the center of debate by conceptualizing "the consumption problem" and documenting diverse efforts to confront it. In Part 1, the book frames consumption as a problem of political and ecological economy, emphasizing core concepts of individualization and commoditization. Part 2 develops the idea of distancing and examines transnational chains of consumption in the context of economic globalization. Part 3 describes citizen action through local currencies, home power, voluntary simplicity, âad-busting,â and product certification. Together, the chapters propose "cautious consuming" and "better producing" as an activist and policy response to environmental problems. The book concludes that confronting consumption must become a driving focus of contemporary environmental scholarship and activism.

Customer Reviews:

Confronting Overconsumption.......2005-06-04

Obviously you need to consume in order to survive and consume more in order to live comfortably. But in this country at least, it is almost impossible not to overconsume. Our president encourages us to spend more. Our vice president sneers that some "virtuous" people would have us conserve energy rather than use as much as we want to, at any cost. TV and other media bombard us with messages to eat more and buy more. Our financial advisors tell us to buy the biggest house we can afford. When was the last time anyone suggested saving money rather than "investing" it?

Confronting Consumption tackles the problem from several angles. I'm afraid the larger global arguments Princen and his fellow editors and academics make are lost on me when they write of "commoditization" and "conceptualizing the consumption problem." But in the final section they get down to ground level and talk about voluntary simplicity, Adbusters, and alternate methods of home power (off the grid).

An especially interesting observation appears in Michael Maniates's essay about the voluntary simplicity movement. He attended a voluntary simplicity day at a university. Thousands of people showed up, many more than the organizers expected. They wanted to know about cutting living expenses, downshifting, and job-sharing. They were not at all interested in the Sierra Club presentation or other "save the planet" groups. It isn't that people aspiring to live simply don't want to help save the planet. They just want to do it in a more manageable way, one person, one family at a time.

Unfortunately, that won't undo the ecological, financial, and human damage already caused by overconsumption. For that, we will need leaders who at the very least acknowledge that overconsumption is a problem, not a virtue.

Best book in Global Environmental Affairs.......2003-02-02

This award-winning book ("The Best Book in Global Environmental Affairs" according to the International Studies Association) offers an accessible and engaging analysis of the 800 pound gorilla in the living room that environmentalists find difficult to talk about with force: overconsumption. The early portion of the book documents the problem; the middle chunk offers a set of mental lenses for making sense of our quandry; and the final chapters offer real-life stories of actors and movements (the voluntary simplicity movement, for example, and the home power and local currency movements too) challenging the upward escalating trajectory of the consumption of "stuff."

Best Book in Global Environmental Affairs.......2003-01-30

What's especially helpful about the book -- in addition to its "something for everyone" flavor -- is that it moves beyond simplistic prescriptions to "squash advertising" or "buy recycled products." Indeed, it is rather skeptical of these measures, which it tends to view as diversionary activities meant to take our eye off the underlying forces at war with the planet. Instead, it offers strategies for coming together collectively to challenge broader powers and structures that make it so difficult for people worried about the future of the planet to live more with less.

Cost-Benefit Analysis: Concepts and Practice (2nd Edition)
Average customer rating:

Not the most useful, but comprehensive.

Wonderful

Even the prof had a difficult time getting through it

Straightforward

Complete, Comprehensive, but lengthy

Cost-Benefit Analysis: Concepts and Practice (2nd Edition)
Anthony E. Boardman , David H. Greenberg , Aidan R. Vining , and David L. Weimer
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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A Primer for Policy Analysis

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ASIN: 0130871788

Customer Reviews:

Not the most useful, but comprehensive........2007-09-09

This book by Anthony Boardman et al. is a heavy read. It is not a book you would want to read from A to Z in order to understand Cost-Benefit Analysis or CBA, but it is one of the better reference books I have found. The only downside I found was a very theoretical approach and lack of really useful examples. Nevertheless, not one element of CBA seems to be left untouched. This book is a valuable reference to anyone relying on CBA as a decision-making tool, because it will assist you in understanding what it is that you are analyzing when applying CBA.

Wonderful.......2007-02-22

I have received in the data they promised me, very quick, even I received it early in the morning!!!!!!!

Even the prof had a difficult time getting through it.......2006-12-31

I had to buy this book for a class I took on Cost-benefit analysis (which is probably why you're thinking of buying it, too). The contents of my review won't have much influence on your choice to purchase it, as that decision has already been made by your prof. But I think I owe you a few warnings.

Some of the chapters are well-written (the chapters on discounting and compounding and time value), but most of them are confusing (the chapters on option value and the section about the optimal growth discount model). Even our professor, who has a BA in econ from Yale and a PhD in econ from Berkeley, had trouble getting through these sections. Some of the homework problems at the ends of the chapters ask about material that the text never fully explains. In a few instances, the book reminds you why you hate integral calculus.

So although I can't stop you from buying this, I can at least warn you that your trip through its pages will be nothing like a trip through the beautiful mountains on the cover. Unless you were planning on climbing the mountains. In January. Without GPS or crampons.

Straightforward.......2003-01-25

The authors have put approached this topic in a step by step way. It explains important background topics as well. I bought this book for a class, so I really didn't have much choice in the matter. I expect that most buyers will do so for the same reason. To them, I say "don't worry about it," this won't hurt as much as you think." If you are considering this for pleasure reading, well, don't let me stop you.

Complete, Comprehensive, but lengthy.......2003-01-17

Probably one of the few only books available that talks about CBA. Lacks in real life examples, otherwise a good read for grasping basic concepts and tools.

The Commanding Heights: The Battle Between Government and the Marketplace That Is Remaking the Modern World

Average customer rating:

Capitalism won. Socialism lost.
Good Primer But Authors Show Shallow Understanding
Not critical enough; offers one perspective and does not back it up
Very Good Review of 20th century political economy
an excellent report of the world economy

The Commanding Heights: The Battle Between Government and the Marketplace That Is Remaking the Modern World
Daniel Yergin , and Joseph Stanislaw
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
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Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

The Prize : The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power
Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy
Russia 2010: And What It Means for the World
Why Globalization Works (Yale Nota Bene)
The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else

ASIN: 0684829754

Amazon.com

The "commanding heights," according to Pulitzer Prize-winner Daniel Yergin and international business advisor Joseph Stanislaw, are those dominant enterprises and industries that form the high economic ground in nations around the globe. In their analysis of the new world economy, The Commanding Heights: The Battle Between Government and the Marketplace That Is Remaking the Modern World, they examine "the individuals, the ideas, the conflicts, and the turning points" that are responsible. And by considering events such as the ongoing Asian monetary crisis, they suggest what the ultimate interconnection of financial markets might mean in the future.

Book Description

Trillions of dollars in assets and fundamental political power are changing hands as free markets wrest control from government of the "commanding heights" -- the dominant businesses and industries of the world economy. Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw demonstrate that words like "privatization" and "deregulation" are inadequate to describe the enormous upheaval that is unfolding before our eyes. Along with the creation of vast new wealth, the map of the global economy is being redrawn. Indeed, the very structure of society is changing. New markets and new opportunities have brought great new risks as well. How has all this come about? Who are the major figures behind it? How does it affect our lives?

The collapse of the Soviet Union, the awesome rise of China, the awakening of India, economic revival in Latin America, the march toward the European Union -- all are a part of this political and economic revolution. Fiscal realities and financial markets are relentlessly propelling deregulation; achieving a new balance between government and marketplace will be the major political challenge in the coming years. Looking back, the authors describe how the old balance was overturned, and by whom. Looking forward, they explore these questions: Will the new balance prevail? Or does the free market contain the seeds of its own destruction? Will there be a backlash against any excesses of the free market? And finally, The Commanding Heights illuminates the five tests by which the success or failure of all these changes can be measured, and defines the key issues as we enter the twenty-first century.

The Commanding Heights captures this revolution in ideas in riveting accounts of the history and the politics of the postwar years and compelling tales of the astute politicians, brilliant thinkers, and tenacious businessmen who brought these changes about. Margaret Thatcher, Donald Reagan, Deng Xiaoping, and Bill Clinton share the stage with the "Minister of Thought" Keith Joseph, the broommaker's son Domingo Cavallo, and Friedrich von Hayek, the Austrian economist who was determined to win the twenty-year "battle of ideas." It is a complex and wide-ranging story, and the authors tell it brilliantly, with a deep understanding of human character, making critically important ideas lucid and accessible. Written with unique access to many of the key players, The Commanding Heights, like no other book, brings us an understanding of the last half of the twentieth century -- and sheds a powerful light on what lies ahead in the twenty-first century.

Download Description

The Commanding Heights is about the most powerful political and economic force in the world today -- the epic struggle between government and the marketplace that has, over the last twenty years, turned the world upside down and dramatically transformed our lives. Now, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Prize joins with a leading expert on the new marketplace to explain the revolution in ideas that is reshaping the modern world. Written with the same sweeping narrative power that made The Prize an enormous success, The Commanding Heights provides the historical perspective, the global vision, and the insight to help us understand the tumult of the past half century. Trillions of dollars in assets and fundamental political power are changing hands as free markets wrest control from government of the "commanding heights" -- the dominant businesses and industries of the world economy. Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw demonstrate that words like "privatization" and "deregulation" are inadequate to describe the enormous upheaval that is unfolding before our eyes. Along with the creation of vast new wealth, the map of the global economy is being redrawn. Indeed, the very structure of society is changing. New markets and new opportunities have brought great new risks as well. How has all this come about? Who are the major figures behind it? How does it affect our lives? The collapse of the Soviet Union, the awesome rise of China, the awakening of India, economic revival in Latin America, the march toward the European Union -- all are a part of this political and economic revolution. Fiscal realities and financial markets are relentlessly propelling deregulation; achieving a new balance between government and marketplace will be the major political challenge in the coming years. Looking back, the authors describe how the old balance was overturned, and by whom. Looking forward, they explore these questions: Will the new balance prevail?

Customer Reviews:

Capitalism won. Socialism lost........2007-08-13

That's the central message of this book. But to know why it happened, how it happened, and the geographic extent of this outcome, you need to read this fascinating book.

Now if we can just get our own federal government to realize this . . .

Also read what could be a good companion book: The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else

Good Primer But Authors Show Shallow Understanding.......2007-06-19

This book offers a good historical review of the struggle between free market and government controlled, socialist economies, the ideas behind the struggle, the main characters and the intellectuals who shaped the struggle.
Nevertheless, the book makes it look like market controlled economies have achieved the ultimate triumph when the case is far from that. The so called 'capitalist' economies of today are more controlled by government that they ever were and they have been rather re-regulated than deregulated.
The book would make a good reading for those interested in history but I wouldn't subscribe too much to its premise that Capitalism has triumphed.

Not critical enough; offers one perspective and does not back it up.......2006-11-18

This book was rather fun to read but I am not convinced that the authors have as deep an understanding of the phenomena they are writing about as they would like the readers to believe. The book reads like a narrative, full of assertions that are not backed by rigorous analysis of hard evidence. The authors do not critically explore causal relationships, nor do they talk about research that has done so. They present only one particular perspective on the unfolding of events, and they do not defend this perspective against potential criticism.

My experience with economics has always reinforced the idea that causality can be difficult to establish, and can often operate in unexpected ways. An economist must proceed skeptically, being careful to explore alternative explanations and being prepared to defend assertions with theory and data. The authors do not seem to share this view, taking instead a more naive approach.

Maybe I was expecting too much; after all this book is meant to be accessible to non-economists. However, making a book more accessible does not necessitate a lack of rigour or the absence of critical thought; the authors could have removed some of the redundancy in the book (their writing is far from concise!) and replaced it with explorations of alternative perspectives. The book would be greatly enriched by adding more discussion of research that supports (or opposes) their views.

Very Good Review of 20th century political economy.......2006-11-07

This is as painless an education on world 20th century political economy as possible. It is very interesting, providing a lot of good intellectual background to the major events and excellent descriptions of the events themselves. The book places excessive emphasis on Hayek, who was an important figure representing a strong "pro-market" voice in economics, but probably less important than Friedman and no more important than several others. The "conflict" bewteen Hayek and Keynes is somewhat overstated. However, this is an excellent book and the corresponding DVD is also very good.

an excellent report of the world economy.......2006-02-13

Public sector economy or market economy, this is the epic quest of the twentieth century. In a time of unemployment and global markets, everyone is looking for an answer to get growth and employment high. Daniel Yergin examines the twentieth century under the aspects of political and economic point of views.
He begins with the New Deal; in witch Roosevelt tried to regulate the liberal free market. The Anti-Trust- Rules were the first step in a modern regulated market. A neoliberal market constitution was introduced by the German economists. Walter Eucken, Mueller-Armack and Roepke were the person who introduced the Ordoliberalismus"(Freiburg school of economists) into the economic policy. Yergin and Stanislaw discussed the transformation of the socialist states from a socialist market condition into a free market, after the Soviet Union broke down. These new economies of the Warsaw Pact states troubled with the release into the capitalist world. They showed how these transformation works, especially in Poland. Against this transformation they show how the Old Europe had problems with the expansion of the market into the east. In Western Europe the unemployment rate rose to an unknown high and the social problems of the welfare system rose too.
Yergin and Stanislaw explained the economic policy of Margaret Thatcher and the third way of Tony Blair and Gerhard Schroeder.
Beyond this political point of views Yergin and Stanislaw explains the theoretical background of the modern economics. The Chicago school by Milton Friedman, Alfred Kahn economic of regulation and Keynesianism is discussed.
The future lies in the Asian markets and the growing Indian market. They explain the population problems of these countries and how the World Bank gets further with it.
I think it is an excellent book for the economist. It shows how the theoretical background is applied. There are good examples to explain it to the reader who are not familiar with the economic thinking.

The Analysis of Household Surveys: A Microeconomic Approach to Development Policy (World Bank)

Average customer rating:

A masterpiece
Misadventure
Deaton is the man !

The Analysis of Household Surveys: A Microeconomic Approach to Development Policy (World Bank)
Angus Deaton
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Development Microeconomics
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ASIN: 0801852544

Book Description

Deaton analyses household survey data from developing countries, and illustrates how such data can be used to cast light on a range of short-term and long-term policy issues. Using data from several countries including Cote d'Ivoire, India, Pakistan, Taiwan, and Thailand, he examines the design and content of household surveys and explores the econometric issues for survey data.

Customer Reviews:

A masterpiece.......2004-03-31

This book is a masterpiece. In practice, it deserves to become the "Holy Bible" of Microeconometrics applied to (but not only to) Development Economics. It is beautifully written by an amazingly knowledgeble economist, who has actually worked for years (and still does) on most of the issues this book deals with. It is no easy reading, and it would be worth spending a day for every single page, but it's excellent even if you don't want to go through the details, and you just need an intuition about the issues covered. The first chapter introduces the reader to many important aspects of the contruction and use of household surveys. The second chapter masterfully reviews many concepts of applied econometrics. Chapter 3 is about poverty and inequality measurement. Chapter 4 is about "Nutrition, children, and intrahousehold allocation", Chapter 5 deals with prices and tax reforms, and Chapter 6 with saving and consumption smoothing. The book also contains many useful Stata codes the author wrote and used for his many papers. Again, this is not a trivial reading, but if you are interested in applied economics you will find reading this book extremely rewarding, and often almost entertaining, because Deaton is one of the very few economists around able to write about technical stuff in a brilliant and intuitive way.

Misadventure.......2001-11-15

It is a great book, and I would have not canceled the order if you would have shipped as your website said it would.

Deaton is the man !.......2000-03-22

This is an excelent manual for anyone interested in studying consumption or welfare in developing countries. Profesor Deaton is certainly one of the experts in the field. His book is well written and flows easily from theory to practice. Really enjoy it !

Valuing the Earth: Economics, Ecology, Ethics

Average customer rating:

A Treasure Chest--The Originals Plus the Current Masters
Long-awaited essay collection for the ecological economist
VTE is an example of scholarship that is rare in its field.

Valuing the Earth: Economics, Ecology, Ethics

Manufacturer: The MIT Press
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Similar Items:

Beyond Growth: The Economics of Sustainable Development
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Ecological Economics: A Workbook For Problem-Based Learning

ASIN: 0262540681

Book Description

Valuing the Earth collects more than twenty classic and recent essays that broaden economic thinking by setting the economy in its proper ecological and ethical context. They vividly demonstrate that, contrary to current macroeconomic preoccupations, continued growth on a planet of finite resources cannot be physically or economically sustained and is morally undesirable.

Among the issues addressed are population growth, resource use, pollution, theology (east and west), energy, and economic growth. Their common theme is the notion, popular with classical economists from Malthus to Mill, that an economic stationary state is more healthful to life on earth than unlimited growth. A number of essays in the first edition have become classics and have been retained for this edition, which adds six new essays.

Herman E. Daly is Senior Economist at the World Bank. Kenneth N. Townsend is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Economics at Hampden-Sydney College.

Contributors: Kenneth E. Boulding. John Cobb. Herman E. Daly. Anne H. Ehrlich. Paul R. Ehrlich. Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen. Garrett Hardin. John P. Holdren. M. King Hubbert. C. S. Lewis. E. F. Schumacher. Gerald Alonzo Smith. T. H. Tietenberg. Kenneth N. Townsend.

Customer Reviews:

A Treasure Chest--The Originals Plus the Current Masters.......2004-01-02

This is one of three books that I bought for review with the intent of selecting one for broad pro-bono distribution. Although I chose "For the Common Good" and I recommend "Ecological Economics" as the one book to buy if you buy only one (see my reviews of those books at their own pages), this book is a treasure chest of original and current thinking that should certainly be in your hands if you can afford all three books. As another reviewer has noted, it finally re-publishes some of the hard to get original thinkers from the steady-state economics era of the 1970's. However, it does so with an ample leavening of 1990's authorship, and hence could reasonably be regarded as a first-class "readings" complement to the text book ("Ecological Economics").

There is a chart on page 20 of this book that is quite extraordinary. Titled "The ends-means spectrum", it brilliantly runs down from the top: Religion and Ethics as guidelines to ultimate and intermediate ends of humanity; to the middle Political Economy as a means of managing the factors of production to specific political ends; to the bottom: Technics and Physics as the "ultimate" foundation or "ground truth" of flow-entropy-matter-energy that must constrain political and religious ends.

This book, in which Kenneth N. Townsend is the second contributing editor-author, blends practical, political, economic, and theological writings, over several decades, in a most pleasing manner. E. F. Schumacher's "Buddhist Economics" jumped out at me, reminding me that our predominantly Protestant corporate capitalist ethos is very far removed from the realities that guide and repress billions around the Earth, all of whom have fewer options than we do. With that thought in mind, I strongly recommend William Greider's "The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy" as a very current complement to any of the books that Dr. Daly has helped bring into the marketplace of ideas.

Long-awaited essay collection for the ecological economist.......1998-02-03

For the advanced student of the discipline of ecological economics this essay-collection provides a handfull of the most influential classics of the field, of which many has been hard to come by for years. The essays by Garrett Hardin, Herman Daly, Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen and Paul and Anne Ehrlich are among the most frequently cited essays of the field - and for good reasons.

VTE is an example of scholarship that is rare in its field........1997-04-29

As a citizen who is concerned about the health of the environment, I was enlightened by the essays in the first section of this book. The authors leave little room for doubt that the Earth can sustain a finite population, and for a finite length of time. Without any of the hysterical rhetoric which so often characterizes the political debate on this topic, these scholars demonstrate the fact that our existence on this, the eastern shore of Eden, is ephemeral. As a student of economics, I was impressed by the lucid exploration of free-enterprise, steady-states, and market forces in the third section. This section is home to some of the best essays in the book: T. H. Tietenberg's exposition of free-market solutions to the pollution problem as well as Ken Townsend's expert discussion of the ecological problems facing the nations of the former communist world are as important as they are timely. But, the most important respect in which I was struck by this book was as a human being. It is in the second section that Daly and Townsend--with the help of such friends as C. S. Lewis and E. F. Schumacher--address the important issue of morality. Are humans obligated to preserve something off this planet for future generations? How much consumption should we engage in? Does our economic system promote an ungodly destruction of the world in which we live. The reader should not come to this volume without a willingness to challenge his own deeply held notions about the state of the environment or the economy's role in creating that state. Neither should a reader open this book if he is searching for easy solutions to our environmental problems. Those readers with the courage to think, however, will not be dissatisfied.

Encyclopedia of the Global Economy [Two Volumes]: A Guide for Students and Researchers

Average customer rating:

For college and high school collections alike

Encyclopedia of the Global Economy [Two Volumes]: A Guide for Students and Researchers
David O'Connor
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0313335842

Book Description

There is no doubt that we live in a truly global economy. Japanese automobiles are manufactured in American plants and exported to Europe. The Golden Arches of McDonalds beckon to customers in over 100 countries. Skyrocketing oil prices have a ripple effect on the cost of thousands of goods worldwide. From Seattle to Genoa, protestors decry the injustices of trade agreements perceived to favor the "rich" countries over the "poor." The Encyclopedia of the Global Economy illuminates these issues and many more, covering a wide spectrum of concepts, people, and organizations related to economic globalization--from its origins in the quest for exotic spices in the 16th century to the debates and controversies that reflect it today. Volume 1 features over 150 entries, organized alphabetically, with definitions and descriptions, examples, photographic illustrations, references, and exhibits featuring the most current data. Topical coverage includes international trade, foreign investment, transnational corporations, and economic and human development, highlighting such contemporary issues as offshore outsourcing, corporate social responsibility, child labor, sustainable consumption, and the digital divide. This volume also includes profiles of prominent economists, business leaders, and policymakers who have contributed to our understanding of globalization, as well as organizations, such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, that work to promote it. A timeline of major events and a glossary of key concepts and institutions complement the narrative entries. Volume 2 includes a wide array of primary documents, a "data bank" of world statistics on demographic and economic trends, and print and Internet resources for further research. Each document is introduced with an explanation of its context and linked to related articles in Volume 1. Examples include the text of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), reports on environmental degradation and poverty reduction from the United Nations, and dozens of tables and graphs reflecting international investment, business activity, productivity, labor, and socioeconomic conditions around the world. Cross-referenced throughout, featuring a comprehensive index, and cutting across such disciplines as politics, sociology, and business, this unique reference will be an indispensable resource for students, teachers, businesspeople, and general readers interested in the dynamics of the global economy and its profound impact on nations, businesses, communities, and individuals.

Customer Reviews:

For college and high school collections alike.......2006-04-20

David E. O'Connor's 2-volume ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY: A GUIDE FOR STUDENTS AND RESEARCHERS is recommended not just for college-level collections strong in economics, but for high school collections which include basic business books. Volume 1 holds over a hundred alphabetical entries which blend definitions and descriptions with photos and references incorporating the most current data with contemporary issues. Volume 2 uses primary documents on statistics and economic trends to explain context, related articles, and studies on issues of global economy. Add an index and extensive cross-referencing and you have a winning, lasting reference.

Globalization and Poverty (National Bureau of Economic Research Conference Report)

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Globalization and Poverty (National Bureau of Economic Research Conference Report)

Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It
A Farewell to Alms: A Brief Economic History of the World (Princeton Economic History of the Western World)

ASIN: 0226317943

Book Description

Over the past two decades, the percentage of the world’s population living on less than a dollar a day has been cut in half. How much of that improvement is because of—or in spite of—globalization? While anti-globalization activists mount loud critiques and the media report breathlessly on globalization’s perils and promises, economists have largely remained silent, in part because of an entrenched institutional divide between those who study poverty and those who study trade and finance.

Globalization and Poverty bridges that gap, bringing together experts on both international trade and poverty to provide a detailed view of the effects of globalization on the poor in developing nations, answering such questions as: Do lower import tariffs improve the lives of the poor? Has increased financial integration led to more or less poverty? How have the poor fared during various currency crises? Does food aid hurt or help the poor?

Poverty, the contributors show here, has been used as a popular and convenient catchphrase by parties on both sides of the globalization debate to further their respective arguments. Globalization and Poverty provides the more nuanced understanding necessary to move that debate beyond the slogans.

The Rise and Decline of Nations: Economic Growth, Stagflation, and Social Rigidities

Average customer rating:

Why isn't this book more famous?
Taking "The Logic" Cross-National
On the Virtues of Flexibility
Not totally bad book, but its thesis is somewhat simplistic
Powerful marginal explanation

The Rise and Decline of Nations: Economic Growth, Stagflation, and Social Rigidities
Mancur Olson
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups, Second printing with new preface and appendix (Harvard Economic Studies)
Power and Prosperity: Outgrowing Communist and Capitalist Dictatorships
Structure and Change in Economic History
Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance (Political Economy of Institutions and Decisions)
The Rise of the Western World: A New Economic History

ASIN: 0300030797

Customer Reviews:

Why isn't this book more famous?.......2007-05-18

Olson's book is difficult to classify, since on the one hand, it's not for the general reader, but on the other hand not so forbiddingly dense that it should be classified as scholarly. Lemme put it this way: it's for economically literate people. It makes use of, say, the concepts describing steady-state growth, supply factors, and expeduture-approach identities that one learns about in a college econ class.

If you don't know what I just said, I imagine much of this book will be opaque to you.

But if you can handle such stuff (and don't let me scare you too much: the gist of this book is clear enough even if you can't), man, O man! Olson's thesis is so brilliant it will give you whiplash!

In brief, great empires invariably collapse not because of cultural overstretch, internal discord, or military misfortune, but rather because the very process of building an empire gives rise to myriad vested interests that eventually claw their way so deeply into the neck of the government that they eventually choke it. In other words, empires collapse because they are invariably made sclerotic by special-interest groups.

An idea that is truly, classically brilliant: not obvious, but once developed at length, undeniable and endlessly applicable.

Taking "The Logic" Cross-National.......2007-03-11

Olson seeks to explain why some nations achieve high rates of economic growth while others suffer bouts of stagflation. He contends that the number and strength of "distributional coalitions," coupled with the length of economic and political stability will influence a nation's rate of economic growth. As such, Olson's hypothesis is two fold. First, Olson argues that states with lower levels of "distributional coalitions" often have higher rates of economic growth. Second, states which have experienced prolonged periods of disorder or armed conflict will have lower numbers of interest-group, or collusion organizations.

Olson's explanation builds upon his early work in The Logic of Collective Action, which holds that "...large groups, at least if they are composed of rational individuals, will not act in their group interest" (18). Rather, the rational actor will seek to further his or her self-interest, and will subsequently free-ride when possible. Olson expands the scope of this logic to encompass not only the rationality of the individual, but the rationality of the firm in explaining The Rise and Decline of Nations.

As the power of the firm expands, the firm seeks to maximize its own utility at the expense of a societal common good. In order to simplify a complex argument, we can think of Olson's theory in this way. An organization or firm will not expend its energy to create a benefit to society writ large, as it, and its members, will only receive a fragment of that benefit in relation to the costs incurred. On the other hand, if the same firm seeks to maximize its utility, it will seek to obtain a larger slice of the social "pie." In so doing, it may lower the benefits of society as a whole, but will significantly expand its own gain and that of its members. Meanwhile the firm will only incur a fraction of the costs such action projects on society at large. As such, Olson writes, "The great majority of special-interest organizations redistribute income rather than create it and in the ways that reduce social efficiency and output" (47).

Olson argues that a society with long-term stability - free from war, and economic and political turmoil - tend to accrue more special-interest and collusion groups. This occurs because it takes time and reasonable amount of stability for such interest-groups to organize, solidify, and begin to achieve some collective benefits for their members. Once collective benefits are seen as the result of organization, a host of other interests will begin to coalesce and seek to obtain gains for themselves. What emerges is a highly pluralistic society.

This leads us to the second part of Olson's hypothesis, those nations with high numbers of special-interest or collusion groups have lower levels of economic growth. Olson writes, "Distributional coalitions slow down a society's capacity to adopt new technologies and reallocate resources in response to changing conditions, and they reduce the rate of economic growth" (65). First, distributional coalitions stymie technological adoption when such innovation stands to benefit a rival group. A present day illustration can be found in a labor unions vehement opposition to the implementation of labor saving machinery. Second, distributional coalitions will attempt to block policy initiatives that change the status quo. When policy needs to be developed to increase economic or social advancement, the special-interest groups are likely to feel a certain displacement and will act to prevent such policy. According to Olson, these actions, coupled with others, often lead to policies which promote policies which have the potential to stifle economic growth.

On the Virtues of Flexibility.......2006-12-29

I had always wanted to read this book and am glad that I did !

On the one hand the argument is quite obvious and one is left wondering what is really novel in this work (virtues of competition, market flexibility etc.), but I found the last chapter to be an interesting perspective on the effect of imperfect competition on the impact of changes in nominal demand on employment and inflation.

Olson explains social rigidities ,with all their negative collective effects, as the outcome of rational microeconomic behaviour and integrates these into macroeconomic theory (other mainstream macroeconomic theory attribute price rigidity to error or simply make ad hoc assumptions on wage rigidity).

This is a very valuable and important contribution to macroeconomics and explains why some economies are more resiliant than others. The main message is that governments must either make their economies more flexible or have to rely on macroeconomic conditions not fluctuating too much for acceptable macroeconomic performance.

Not totally bad book, but its thesis is somewhat simplistic.......2006-12-27

This one-idea book by late professor Olson tries to explain why some countries did better than others in terms of economic growth after World War II - namely Germany and Japan, in contrast with Britain. His explanation is that World War II weakened many institutions in those two countries that, by trying to retain their usual privileges, were holding back economic progress. The weakening of those institutions, permitted the economic miracle in both Germany and Japan. In contrast, England's institutions were not as weakened, so they continue to slow England's progress. I suppose that there are grains of truth in Olson's explanation - though if it was true, then the required policy recommendation would be that is good to suffer a devastating war every once in a while. I think Olson omits another possible explanation: the fact that Germany and Japan had both a strong industrial base before the war, a base that was not completely destroyed by it. Britain was in the 1940s suffering a slow economic decline in its industrial base - which really come back from the late 19th century, when Germany overcome Britain as Europe's leading industrial and economic power. And how would Olson had explained that after he wrote the book (in 1982), Britain went through a much higher economic growth than Germany and Japan - without the intervention of a war. So, while the book is interesting to read, I think its thesis is way too simplistic.

Powerful marginal explanation.......2006-06-06

Holding productive and destructive efforts constant, small distributional coalitions have the incentives to form political lobbies and influence policies that tend to be protectionist and anti-technology; since the benefits of these policies are selective incentives concentrated amongst the few coalitions members and the costs are diffused throughout the whole population, the "Logic" dictates that there will be little public resistance to them; as time goes on, these distributional coalitions accumulate in greater and greater numbers, the nation burdened by them will fall into economic decline.

However, if we think beyond the "natural" cost-incentive structure of Olson's "collective action logic", there are then four possible directions:
1. intentionality from the knowledge of this logic results in certain institutional design that prevents the nagative effects of the distributional coalitions;
2. the dynamics of distributional coalitions may be changed by political or economic factors, e.g., globalization may affect the formations of the distributional coalitions so that the power of protectionist coalition is now balanced by a coalition of big importers;
3. If a society has positive economic growth while distributional coalitions in fact have negative impact on it, or if a society has negative economic growth while distributional coalitions in fact have positive impact on it, then we should further look at how a society's institutions favor or disfavor its productive and destructive efforts;
4. Distributional coalitions may be formed by the pure "logic", they can also be formed by institutional incentives; they could be "natural" due to the free-riding logic, but they are more likely to be "institutionally-induced".

The explanation power of distributional coalitions comes from the strength of its "internal logic", we could be easily overwhelmed if "external logic" is neglected. Still, Olson's contribution is his offering of a powerful marginal explanation for the academic world.

Natural Resource and Environmental Economics (3rd Edition)

Average customer rating:

A Good Book!

Natural Resource and Environmental Economics (3rd Edition)
Roger Perman , Michael Common , James Mcgilvray , and Yue Ma
Manufacturer: Addison Wesley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Environmental and Natural Resources Economics: Theory, Policy, and the Sustainable Society
Natural Resource Economics: Notes and Problems
The Theory of Environmental Policy
Resource Economics
The Measurements of Environmental and Resource Values: Theory and Methods (RFF Press)

ASIN: 0273655590

Customer Reviews:

A Good Book!.......2000-06-23

I first met the book in the uni library. Having been teaching natural resources and environmental economics, I find this intermediate textbook with is useful and worthy of recommendating for those postgraduates who have strong interests in theoretical exploration. Since almost all textbooks in the market are elementary and are not suitable for the advanced readers, this book with new approaches has been increasingly used in the uni. However, this book does not pay enough attention to environmental policy. This should be considered by the authors when the third edition is composed.

Beyond Reengineering: How the Process-Centered Organization is Changing Our Work and Our Lives

Average customer rating:

Mr. Hammer has little knowledge of the real business world
Heresy
A must read for anyone interested in how organizations work
Almost a homer, just a long double off the top of the wall
It is a shake-down to tradition!

Beyond Reengineering: How the Process-Centered Organization is Changing Our Work and Our Lives
Michael Hammer
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Reengineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolution (Collins Business Essentials)
The Reengineering Revolution
The Agenda: What Every Business Must Do to Dominate the Decade
Reengineering Management: Mandate for New Leadership, The
The Leadership Experience (Thomson - South-Western)

ASIN: 0887308805

Amazon.com

The coauthor of Reengineering the Corporation offers insights into the consequences of today's process-centered reengineering that marks the end of the Industrial Revolution. This book is required reading for executives and front-line workers, for students and investors, for everyone who wants to be prepared for the new world that is at our doorstep.

Book Description

Reengineering has captured the imagination of managers and shareholders alike, sending corporations on journeys of radical business redesign that have already begun to transfigure global industry. Yet aside from earning them improvements in their business performance, the shift into more-process-centered organizations is causing fundamental changes in the corporate world, changes that business leaders are only now beginning to understand. What will the revolutions final legacy be? Beyond Reengineering addresses this question, exploring reengineering's effects on such areas as:

Jobs: What does process-centering do to the nature of jobs? What does a process-centered workplace feel like?

Managers: What is the new role of the manager in a process-centered company?

Education: What skills are vital in the process-centered working world, and how can young or inexperienced workers prepare?

Society: What are the implications of process-centering for employment and the economy as a whole?

Investment: What are the characteristics of a successful 21st-century corporation?

An informed look at one of the most profound changes to ever sweep the corporate world, Beyond Reengineering is the business manual for the 21st century.

Customer Reviews:

Mr. Hammer has little knowledge of the real business world.......2004-01-26

I come from four generations of independent businessmen, none of whom needed a book to tell them how to run one. And none of whom ever failed at the business they owned. I currently work for a company that has been in business for 102 years, and this book has sold some of the marketing types in management down the Hammer River of "process", whose implementation and loose interpretation of this book has resulted in mass retirements; fragmentation of skilled staff; loss of communication between working departments, and physical movements of employees that follow no logical purpose. The effect upon moral as a whole has de-motivated all of us. You cannot come to work or take a break without small groups of people venting their outrage at what's going on. There are increased hand-offs and rather than report to one person, now we must go through five, wait for a number to be generated for each task we perform (2 to 5 days). It's the craziest way to run a business that I've ever seen! We are left trying to figure out who is the leader and how we are supposed to get a project completed. None of us can figure out why management would go along with what Mr. Hammer proposes, when we won the JD Powers award for Customer Satisfaction in 2003. If we were not successfully doing our jobs before this "process change implementation", I'd like to know how this company stayed in business for 102 years! His proposals have intentionally set us up to fail. The only reason I can find for a company to use his recommendations is if they intend to be bought, want to get rid of all their employees, and want to cause general dishelvement and frustration. We were told that no jobs would be eliminated, this was not a reorganization, not a restructure. And yet entire departments that were instrumental in the core business of this company have been dissolved. And those who have retired would not have otherwise done so, had this company not chosen Mr. Hammer's path. Staff that has left is not being replaced. And no one prefers the job title "Subject Matter Expert" over the one they had before. Nobody wants "Process Leader" on their business cards. We all want to be productive, to feel that our work has real purpose and relevance. Mr. Hammer would have us all be nothing more than the by-product of some process that was unnecessary. I'd like to be there the day they lock Mr. Hammer away for insanity. I guess it's worth the price of this book just to buy it for a dartboard (which is precisely what I intend to do). Yes, Mr. Hammer, this has definately impacted my life, and I hope I never see you stranded by the side of the road: the result will be the implementation of a process you didn't mention in your book...

Heresy.......2002-03-14

Sorry, but I'm not as impressed by Hammer as he is of himself. I work for a large Fortune 100 company as a Director of Business Process Reengineering, and I'm NOT convinced after reading this that Hammer has rolled up his sleeves and gotten dirty (we all think it but no one will admit to it out loud). Just read the chapter about process owners and his theory about managing the employee and it is clear he has littler or no experience working with front-line $20K/year employees that are found in our operations. Sure, if you're working with professionals making $50K+ his theories are more plausible.

My boss swears by Hammer but when it comes to planning and performing the Redesign work she calls on my team to get it done. We aren't disciples of Hammer, but everyone on my team has read this book and in order to understand the terminology. Using the methodology found in this book will be of minimal use for planning and completing your BPR.

A must read for anyone interested in how organizations work.......1999-04-06

I recently had the privilige of attending a Dr. Hammer seminar in Boston and can tell you that this book tracks closely with his seminar which was the best I have ever attended. The book however goes into much greater detail and depth than a one day high level seminar can go to. The portions that described the first principles of business (chapter 6)and the dramatic impact that process centered organizations will have on employees (the entire book)were standouts. I have already used information contained here in my work as a consultant for a major federal systems integrator. I am also going to try and get my children who are attending college and high school to read at least chapter 14 (What I Tell My Children)so that they can take advantage of Dr Hammer's guidance with respect to the selection of fulfilling educational and career choices. I think it is the best book on business that I have ever read.

I also understand the book was written for a general audience but it would have been nice to have some footnotes and research to underpin some of the pronouncements of business benefits. I tried to track the performance of American Standard, Texas Instruments, and GTE to see if I could confirm Hammer's assertions but it would have taken too much time. Maybe he can publish an addendum for those of us interested in such matters.

Almost a homer, just a long double off the top of the wall.......1999-03-09

After the first nine chapters, I thought this book was better than the original, Reengineering the Corporation. But the second half of the book wanders off into repetition, ambiguity and irrelevance. Oh well, it is still worth the cost just to read the first half of this sequel, because it adds depth to the original book.

It is a shake-down to tradition!.......1998-10-30

After going thru all the series of Michael's "state-of-the-art" books, I also applied some ideas and approaches while doing consulting work with my clients. However, it is not a happy ending for every case I consulted with in the real world. But to myself, I definitly believe in what Michael promoted all about - process thinking, process organizing - without any doubt. The "thing" we deliver to the customer, even we can say the reason why a comapny can exist is VALUE, not product, technology, or so-called "service". I know it's hard to define what VALUE means, but what I do believe is to delight the customers may represent they feel the value! By the way, Chapter 7 in the book - A Football Team is my favorite part, because I also use "Basketball team" to motivate my staff! And believe me, it does WORK!

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