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In the past two decades, industrialization on a world scale has undergone significant shifts. This volume develops a new set of conceptual categories for analyzing new patterns of global economic organization. The contributors to this volume explore and elaborate the global commodity chains (GCCs) approach, which reformulates the basic conceptual categories for analyzing new patterns of global organization and change. The GCC framework allows the authors to pose questions about contemporary development issues that are not easily handled by previous paradigms and to more adequately forge the macro-micro links between processes that are generally assumed to be discretely contained within global, national, and local units of analysis. The paradigm that GCCs embody is a network-centered, historical approach that probes above and below the level of the nation-state to better analyze structure and change in the contemporary world. ... Read more

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Nanotechnology and Microelectronics: Global Diffusion, Economics and Policy provides comprehensive research and case studies on the issues surrounding technology transfer and diffusion, trends and developments, and economics and policies as they relate to these technologies. This book serves as a resource for academics, students, policy-makers and professionals interested in advancing their knowledge of nanotechnology and microelectronics. ... Read more

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Guided by the thoughts of Alexis de Tocqueville, Samuel Gregg's The Commercial Society identifies and explores the key foundational elements that must exist within a society for commercial order to take root and flourish. Gregg studies the challenges that have consistently impeded and occasionally undermined commercial order. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Design Solution for Improving Society
Gregg has written an excellent book.This book, in it essence, is a very lucid scholarly, accurate historical-conceptual study of the causal correlations between the commercial society and what Gregg calls its "foundations", meaning the conditions that favor the commercial society.These include moral foundations (e.g., creativity, practical wisdom, trust, civility), economic foundations and legal-political foundations. But to read this book merely as a descriptive study is to miss the more important prescriptive thesis, which is that we ought to encourage and promote the commercial society.Beware, again of missing the important prescriptive thesis if one reads in Gregg merely the suggestion that an appropriate culture supporting these foundations( which intellectuals have a role to shape) needs to be defended and encouraged *in order to* have a commercial society.Rather the equally interesting, if not more interesting proposal, is that one might promote the commercial society *in order to* promote those desirable moral, economic and legal political foundations, which have themselves independent value, and which constitute a culture of civility. So what turned out originally to be means for the sake of the end (i.e., the commercial society) are now proposed as the ends worth seeking via the establishment of the commercial society. Gregg does not harbour pie-in-the-sky illusions: there remains many fine-tuning to be done, and he is alert to these, as seen in his careful qualifications.But this strategy for promoting the culture of civility, if I may, by way of the commercial society needs to be explored, since the causal correlative connections are much in evidence. In inviting us to think this way, Gregg is offering us an example of what Herbert Simon (Nobel Prize in economics, 1978) calls goaless designing (The Sciences of the Artificial, 1983), which he recommends as a fully rational and creative way of designing and engineering society. One seeks a solution (A) for a certain problem (B), but along the way, one discovers that the solution (B) itself is a desirable end, and one can reasonably pursue that (B) instead as the end of the design.Social planning, which aims to improve society, can certainly develop in this way, and the social planner or designer has to be alert, like an entrepreneur, to possibilities, consequences and hence opportunities that result from his solution, and to consider if the solution and the consequences might not itself be worth seeking, and not merely valuable instrumentally.If it is independently valuable, then it might in fact be sought after as the end goal, and what formerly was the end may now be sought instrumentally for the sake of the new end goal, to the extent that there is evidence that they mutually support each other. Gregg's The Commercial Society is just one such kind of design solution for improving the society. Thus it constantly invites us not merely to consider defending the foundations and civil cultures for the sake of the commercial society, but rather that we might consider crafting and engineering the commercial society for the sake of such a civil culture.Gregg pursues here, one might add, a way of thinking found in Michael Novak's works where he invites us to consider the way commercial society requires (and hence promotes) human creativity, which then can be ordered towards imaging God's own creativity. Whether one fully agrees with Gregg or not, one will have to take this work seriously. This is a fine text to challenge policy thinking that many times is senselessly linear and uncreative.Gregg was awarded the very prestigious Culture of Enterprise Award for this book. I am not at all suprised.

A powerful case for commercial humanism
Drawing upon ancient and modern sources, "The Commercial Society" is one of those books that remind us that commercial order is about much more than the market economy. Using clear language free of jargon, this prize-winning book (Templeton Enterprise Award 2007) identifies the central moral, legal, and economic foundations of market orders and illustrates why they are indispensable to any society that aspires to the title of free and civilized.

Many have been waiting for such a book for a long time. Not since reading Wilhelm Ropke have I come across a book that articulates such a strong and morally-convincing case for free societies shaped decisively by the dominance of free enterprise and markets, but in a way that escapes the mathematical justifications offered by most contemporary economists.

It is difficult to classify this book as "conservative" or "classical liberal", not least because the author utilizes sources from both traditions, such as Edmund Burke, Adam Smith, Friedrich von Hayek, and Alexis de Tocqueville. It is, in short, a book grounded firmly in various strands of the Western tradition, especially that synthesized in the Scottish Enlightenment, but prefigured by a number of late-medieval and early-modern thinkers, such as Thomas Aquinas. It is refreshing to read a text that is so unambiguously committed to authentic human liberty, but which cannot be boxed so easily in any one intellectual paradigm.

Those inclined to planned economies or socialism will find this book very challenging to their core beliefs. "The Commercial Society", however, does not seek to persuade by hectoring. Nor does it suggest that commercial order contains all the answers to humanity's questions and problems. Rather, it expresses its arguments through logic, by carefully marshaling the facts, and judiciously surveying history. The book closes with a sophisticated discussion of the possibility of building commercial orders as opposed to simply letting them evolve. It is one of the most intriguing discussions I have read of a problem that has puzzled thinkers such as Smith, Montesquieu and Tocqueville - this alone makes the book worth reading.
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This book contrasts regional economic integration in the Asia Pacific Region and in Europe. In the Asia Pacific Region, regionalism is developing by means of "open regionalism," constructed through the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic CooperationProcess). This is different from the regionalism that has developed in Europe through the construction of a single European Market and Monetary Union within the European Union. In the light of this contrast, a number of important contemporary policy questions are considered by an international team of contributors. How should Europe and other parts of the world respond to the development of open regionalism in the Asia Pacific Region?Can these regions develop a shared global agenda directed toward sustaining genuinely multilateral solutions to international trade policy problems over the coming years? ... Read more

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The first half of the printed module for the Economics ebook discusses the historical context of the global economic crisis. The next 16 pages of the module discuss the impact of the global economic crisis on the Economics discipline.This 32-page module also provides learning goals, questions, key terms and digital access to the entire Global Economic Crisis Resource Center. Please visit www.cengage.com/gec. ... Read more

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In the early modern period, England radically expanded its participation in an economy that itself was becoming increasingly global. Yet less than twenty years after the highly profitable English East India Company made its first voyage, England was suffering from an economic depression, blamed largely on the shortage of coin necessary to exploit those very same profitable routes. How could there be profit in the face of so much loss, and loss in the face of so much profit?

In Tragicomic Redemptions, Valerie Forman contends that three seemingly unrelated domains—the development of new economic theories and practices, especially those related to global trade; the discourses of Christian redemption; and the rise of tragicomedy as the stage's most popular genre—were together crucial to the formulation of a new and paradoxical way of thinking about loss and profit in relationship to one another.

Forman reads plays—including Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice, Pericles, and The Winter's Tale, Fletcher's The Island Princess, Massinger's The Renegado, and Webster's The Devil's Law-Case—alongside a range of historical materials that provide a fuller picture of England's participation in a global economy: the writings of the country's earliest economic theorists, narrative accounts of merchants and captives in the Spice Islands and the Ottoman Empire, and documents that detail the development of the English East India Company, the Levant Company, and even the very idea of the joint-stock company. Unique in its dual focus on literary form and economic practices, Tragicomic Redemptions both shows how concepts fundamental to capitalism's existence, such as "free trade," and "investment," develop within a global context and reveals the exceptional place of dramatic form as a participant in the newly emerging, public discourse of economic theory.

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The international framework for a climate change agreement is up for review as the initial Kyoto period to 2012 comes to an end. Though there has been much enthusiasm from political and environmental groups, the underlying economics and politics remain highly controversial. This book takes a cool headed look at the critical roadblocks to agreement, examining the economics of climate change, the incentives of the main players (the US, EU, China) and examines the policies governments can put in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and ultimately shift our economies onto a low-carbon path.

The volume brings together leading climate change policy experts to set out the economic analysis and the nature of the negotiations at Copenhagen and beyond. In addition to reviewing the main issues discussed above, a number of the articles question the basis of much of the climate change consensus, and debate the Stern Report's main findings.

The book is in four parts. Following an overview of the main issues, the first part is a reassessment of the economics of climate change. This is fundamental to the rest of the volume, and it contains new material which goes well beyond what might be called the new conventional wisdom. The second part looks at the geography of the costs and benefits of climate change - the very different perspectives of Africa, China, the US and Europe. These chapters provide a building block to considering the prospects for a new global agreement - the very different interests that will have to be reconciled at Copenhagen and beyond. The third part looks at policy instruments at the global level (whereas much of the literature to date is nationally and regionally based). Trading and R&D feature in the chapters, but so too do more radical unilateral options, including geo-engineering. Part four turns to the institutional architecture - drawing on evidence from previous attempts in other areas, as well as proposals for new bodies. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

What you wanted to know about globalisation!!
David Held continues a tradition of uncovering the whole side of social processes. Now it is time to uncover the great cliche of our times: globalisation (considered here as a process)!! Reviews and categorizes current thinking on the issue plus explores the multi-dimensionality of the processes of globalisation in a comparative way with the past globalisations (i.e. military-industrial, trade, finance, production, people on the move, culture). ... Read more

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Despite the growing importance of the global emerging market (GEM) for the world’s business, economies, and politics, it has received a relatively scant amount of academic attention in business and economics courses. This textbook is the first to focus on the GEM and its strategic and economic characteristics.

The Global Emerging Market: Strategic Management and Economics describes the fundamental economic base and trends of the global marketplace (GMP) as well as business and management development for the conditions of emerging-market countries (EMCs). Focusing on the formation of a strategic mindset and the decision making process, it explains how to analyze the basic economic factors and the global order, especially in times of crisis. This text also explains how to classify countries related to this new market of tremendous opportunities. Furthermore, the book includes recommendations on how to develop entry and exit strategies for the GEM, work in it and create efficient management systems.

Features include:

• Extensive tables, charts, and graphs illustrating the strategic considerations of the GMP and the GEM
• End-of-chapter study questions
• Practical examples based on the author’s involvement in the development of the GEM, from both sides of the international transactions

This academic book is the ideal guide for current business leaders and students on how to make strategic, symmetric, and asymmetric time-sensitive decisions related to the GEM.

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Farm managers will appreciate this book as they learn the principles of farm management; from the basics of management and economics; to the details of strategy and operations. It presents economic concepts, such as the discussion of markets, competitive forces, and macroeconomics, which is new to farm management texts. Material is included on strategy, marketing, budgeting, production and operations, quality, finance, investment, risk, contracts, staffing, business organisation, farm succession, and the future. Strategic management and quality management as well as new techniques and tools in production and operations management are also examined. This approach will help farm managers improve the efficiency, effectiveness, objectivity, and, ultimately, success of their decisions. ... Read more

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This book examines just what the European Union is, in the context of the ongoing structural transformation of the global system. The author develops an integrated approach to global transformations, drawing on geopolitics, political geography, international relations, economics, economic and political history, political economy and macro-sociology to discuss how this supra-state organisation, that shares and pools the sovereignty of some of the wealthiest states of the modern world, makes sense. The book:

• Interprets the ongoing transformation of west European public authority in the context of the global geopolitical economy of competition, cooperation and conflict
• Examines the consequences of west European integration for the global system in a longue-durée perspective, developing a new, geopolitical dialect within world-systems analysis, sharpening some of the conceptual tools developed by its paradigm-setters.
• Develops a new conceptualization for the EU’s global geopolitical strategy, which the author describes this strategy as the elasticity of size

Developing a deeper understanding of global social change and west European strategies of global advantage-maintenance and power-management, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of European Politics, International Politics, International Relations Theory and Globalization Studies.

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Written by leading economists including Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, this collection combines rigorous economic analysis with insider perspectives on key policy debates surrounding the future of the International Monetary Fund.As the role of the IMF and the "Washington Consensus" have come under intense scrutiny, this collection offers a valuable wide-ranging overview of the debate, making it an essential reference for anyone interested in the role of international financial institutions in our globalized economy. ... Read more

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Over the next 50 years the work force in most developed countries will decline while the proportion of elderly will nearly double. The change is expected to lead to sluggish growth rates and to put a brake on rising living standards. This book reviews and analyzes the impact of this and examines as well the potential for gains in productivity and technological innovations to counter the effect of global aging. ... Read more

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The annual Global Competitiveness Report is widely recognized as the world's leading cross-country comparison of data and information relating to economic competitiveness and growth. Over the years, the Report has become the most authoritative and comprehensive assessment of the comparative strengths and weaknesses of national economies throughout the world. The World Economic Forum continues its tradition of excellence with The Global Competitiveness Report 2002-2003, which provides the most updated and recent data, rankings and analysis of 75 industrialized and emerging economies and the latest thinking and research from prominent academics and international institution leaders on global competitiveness.This year's report begins by presenting the widely quoted global competitive index that really comprises two indices-one for growth and one for productivity. It then provides global and regional analyses, with examinations of the competitive landscapes of Africa., Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America. Essays on a wide range of special topics follow, including national innovative capacity, governance, foreign direct investment, and trade performance. The Report concludes with detailed country profiles, data presentation and an exhaustive survey of senior business executives that touches on business conditions, infrastructure, the character of the regulatory regime, the quality of government, organized labor, corruption and tax evasion. The Global Competitiveness Report 2002-2003 provides essential information for business leaders, government decision-makers and for academics to examine the critical challenges facing a multitude of the world's economies. ... Read more

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Economists have come a long way in understanding the economic growth process since Adam Smith. Economic growth research has not only had a great impact on policy making, it has also generated a large and diverse literature. Designed to facilitate teaching and research on economic growth, this book will help the scholar and student to navigate the literature on determinants of economic growth. The book's opening essay highlights the important theories and empirical findings, while the bibliography includes over 1,2000 annotated entries. International in scope, the volume covers individual-country studies, cross-country comparative studies, and cross-continent and worldwide research. ... Read more