Editorial Review

It began with a simple $27 loan. After witnessing the cycle of poverty that kept many poor women enslaved to high-interest loan sharks in Bangladesh, Dr. Muhammad Yunus lent money to 42 women so they could purchase bamboo to make and sell stools. In a short time, the women were able to repay the loans while continuing to support themselves and their families. With that initial eye-opening success, the seeds of the Grameen Bank, and the concept of microcredit, were planted.Read more

Reviews (20)

Straight from the Founder
If you are interested in microfinance, this book is a prerequisite.Dr. Yunus gives a historical account of the rise of micro-credit and the Grameen Bank.Of course, he is also the biggest advocate of the program.Therefore, most of his arguments are pro-expansion of micro-credit.In spite of this, he manages to show a clear and compelling picture of the micro-finance industry.But, make sure you balance the information with other microfinance books that does not proselytize as much.A good example is "Beyond Micro-Credit" by Thomas Fisher.
Great book!
Yunus tells a great story about his bank and its battle against poverty.Outstanding business model for someone interested in micro lending.

a must read
This was an absolutely amazing book.It has given me renewed hope that poverty can be eliminated from this earth and will redirect my contribution dollars.I am heartened by what one man could accomplish through his own initiatives.A must read for all economists and humanitarians. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Banks & Banking    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Business    4. Development - Economic Development    5. Political Science    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Public Policy - Economic Policy    8. Biography: general    9. Development economics   

Editorial Review

What do the Honda Supercub, Intel's 8088 processor, and hydraulic excavators have in common? They are all examples of disruptive technologies that helped to redefine the competitive landscape of their respective markets. These products did not come about as the result of successful companies carrying out sound business practices in established markets. In Read more

Reviews (140)

Mind-Expanding
This is one of the best -- and scariest -- business books I've ever read. Christensen clearly illustrates why many of the 'tried and true' formulas really don't work. His research is compelling and is presented clearly enough for non-technical readers. I can't recommend this book highly enough!

Counterintuitive, well-supported, and powerful
This text excels on several levels:It is very readable, and tells a story which is understandable and compelling even at a cursory pace.For the motivated reader, digging deeper, especially spending time on the introduction and each chapter's endnotes, there is a huge amount of data and insight into that data that is well-structured for assimilation.Finally, the theories presented, once understood, become both a lens for interpreting past and current market dynamics, and set the stage for deployable actions in a number of industries.

It must have been mistaken identitiy...
During fourth of july vacation, I had a chsance to see an old college friend, who is a vice president for a large computer hard drive firm... he was showing offf his new Toyota hybrid when we began talking about the market forces, which interfered with large companies responding to the emerging needs and changes in the marketplace.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Creative ability in business    5. Customer services    6. Development - Economic Development    7. Economics - General    8. Economics - Theory    9. Entrepreneurship    10. Industrial management    11. Management - General    12. Success in business    13. Business & Economics / Economics / General    14. Reading Group Guide   

Editorial Review

Celebrated economist Jeffrey Sachs has a plan to eliminate extreme poverty around the world by 2025. If you think that is too ambitious or wildly unrealistic, you need to read this book. His focus is on the one billion poorest individuals around the world who are caught in a poverty trap of disease, physical isolation, environmental stress, political instability, and lack of access to capital, technology, medicine, and education. The goal is to help these people reach the first rung on the "ladder of economic development" so they can rise above mere subsistence level and achieve some control over their economic futures and their lives. To do this, Sachs proposes nine specific steps, which he explains in great detail in Read more

Reviews (14)

At least it got people talking about global economics...
I really wanted to love this book. It came strongly recommended by a good friend who is very interested in development work.Whenever I read a review I always try and figure out what angle the reviewer is coming from, so for the record I'm deeply interested in development work and I have a background in economics and environmental science, but mostly I'm just really well read.
why we lost the poor
The End of Poverty is an excellent book. It shows how economic thinking can provide a better wealth situation in the underdeveloped world. Jeffrey Sachs describes his last twenty years on development economics. He is the driving force behind the mayor developments in Bolivia and Poland. The book contains his experiences in Bolivia, Poland and Russia. If you introduce economic measures in these countries you can take a big step to let the people help themselves. But if you go to Africa, it seams that these measures are really not the first aid you can give them.
Historic Opportunity for Our Generation
Through clear illustrations and calculations, Jeffrey Sachs lays out a very optimistic and compelling argument that extreme poverty can be ended within our generation. Two major requirements of this plan are the rich nation's commitment to debt relief and their honoring of their promises to dedicate a meager 0.7% of GNP to Official Development Assistance (ODA). If properly invested in infrastructure, health, and education (a topic well covered in the book), these funds could put the extremely poor back on the economic ladder towards growth and development. Sachs sites numerous success stories such as the Marshall Plan and the eradication of African River Blindness and Smallpox where sufficient funding and dedication successfully accomplished development objectives.
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Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Developing countries    3. Development - Economic Development    4. Economic assistance    5. Economic conditions    6. Economics - General    7. Economics Of Developing Countries    8. Poverty    9. Public Policy - Economic Policy    10. Social Science    11. Sociology    12. Third World Development    13. Business & Economics / Economic Conditions   

Editorial Review

On September 23, 1998, the boardroom of the New York Fed was a tense place. Around the table sat the heads of every major Wall Street bank, the chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, and representatives from numerous European banks, each of whom had been summoned to discuss a highly unusual prospect: rescuing what had, until then, been the envy of them all, the extraordinarily successful bond-trading firm of Long-Term Capital Management. Roger Lowenstein's Read more

Reviews (160)

Is Hollywood sleeping?
Disclaimer: this was the first-ever, and so far the only, "business novel" (as I call them), I have read. Hence my benchmark is not other books of the same genre, but literature in its broadest sense.
Very Good Book and a look at "the Experts"
As an academic & a "Wall-Streeter" & a professional trader (of my own money) I must surely qualify as an "expert."
This book is suspect.
I am by no means an economist, and much less an expert on finance, but this book strikes me as a thinly veiled, unsubtle hatchet job on the efficient markets hypothesis.I've seen much subtler discussions of the Efficient Market Hypothesis written for general audiences, enough of them so I can recognize that Lowenstein doesn't get it; he equates efficient markets with "the price that the market offers is always the intrinsic value," and not with "you can't reliably predict intrinsic value any better than market prices themselves do."This is a crucial difference, because it is only by assuming that market efficiency is the first that his attack holds water.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Economics - General    5. Economics - Theory    6. Finance    7. Free Enterprise    8. Investments & Securities - General    9. Business & Economics / General   

Reviews (7)

Deconstructing neoliberalism's peculiar definition of 'freedom'
"A Brief History of Neoliberalism" by David Harvey is a concise and razor-sharp deconstruction of the neoliberal movement. Mr. Harvey convincingly demonstrates that neoliberalism is an ideology that has been wielded to enshrine elite privilege at the expense of people and the environment. Assiduously researched and cogently argued, Mr. Harvey offers a jargon-free and readable text that helps readers gain a greater understanding about the political economy of our neoliberal world and what this might hold for us in the future.
Masterful??? Yes, indeed...!!!
Some other reviews described this book as Masterful.., Outstanding!!...and I am just taking a minute to agree with them.This is a solid book. Full of facts and of a profound knowledge of recent history. It simply goes to the core. The neoliberal theory is nothing more than a disguise or a distractionfor taking control and relocate class domination. Why?? Not only for political, racial or financial reasons, but mainlybecause the availability of natural resources ( mainly oil) is going to reach sometime soon a critical point, and then we, the rest of the people, are going to be redundant by the billions...and if this is so, we can forget about financial or institutional solutions to the contradictions that exist within the system or about popular movements, NGOs or whatever other alternatives you could think of...the solutions or better still, the reactions of the dominant elites are going to be hard and applied by military means.... and I think that they are exploring this option in practical ways as you are reading this humble opinion...just follow the news..

A Critical Look at the Post-Keynesian Era
The term neoliberalism is usually heard in the pejorative sense, often coming from Latin American leaders such as Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales.The term refers to an international economic policy that has been predominant in policy-making circles and university economics departments since the 1970's.The four faces on the cover of this book (Reagan, Deng, Pinochet, and Thatcher) are considered by David Harvey the primemovers of this economic philosophy.Reagnomics, Thatcherism, Deng's capitalism with Chinese characteristics, and Pinochet's free market policies marked the beginning of new era of global capitalism.
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Subjects:  1. Economic policy    2. Free Enterprise    3. History & Theory - General    4. Liberty    5. Neoliberalism    6. Political Ideologies - Conservatism & Liberalism    7. Political Science    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Liberalism & centre democratic ideologies    11. Political Science / History & Theory    12. Political science & theory    13. Politics | Political Theory | Contemporary Political Thought    14. Postwar period, 1945 to c 2000   

Reviews (21)

Some Really Good Points.
According to the author economics is in the midst of a revolution. But economics is always in the midst of a revolution. There's the old saying that if you take a thousand economists and lay them in a line that they will all point in a different direction. Yes, there are new economists challenging the field's traditional assumptions. But that's how you get your Ph.D. in economics.
A lot of intrinsic value but...
I bought the book initially because the economist issued an article commenting it which draw my interest. Quite honestly, I was surprised to see that it is basically a compilation of works, essays and academic papers defying orthodox finance and economics viewpoints rather than groundbreaking material. Throughout the book, the author cites many heavyweights in different sciences to augment his thesis of a new paradigm in economics along with the typical historical retrospective on economics, from Adam Smith to Samuelson and beyond which serves the purpose of claiming economics is locked in its own on intellectual embargo.
Ambitious survey; flawed logic
Scattered throughout The Origin of Wealth is a five star survey of new ideas in economics, incorporating discoveries from science and psychology.Unfortunately, in the end, the book is undone by Beinhocker's unfortunate habit of stating hypotheses and non sequiturs as facts, and his continuous harping on "Traditional" economics (and "Traditional" finance) as obsolete and irrelevant.Also, the book is quite uneven in the amount of detail presented; there's too much sometimes (which is tedious), and too little other times (which is frustrating).I really wanted to be able to give the book three stars because of its broad scope and entertaining analyses, but just cannot do so after a few days of mulling over the entirety of its content.If you can separate the wheat from the chaff, it's a decent read; but if you are not already familiar with the subject matter discussed, caveat emptor (buyer beware)!
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Development - Economic Development    5. Distribution Of Income    6. Economic Theory    7. Economic development    8. Economic history    9. Economics    10. Economics - Theory   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Developing countries    5. Development - Economic Development    6. Economic development    7. Economic policy    8. Economics - General    9. Business & Economics / Economics / General    10. Development economics   

Reviews (1)

Great quality!
The textbook purchased was in excellent condition and was received in a very timely manner. The price was a bit much, but all in all I would consider it a positive purchasing experience. Thanks! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1945-    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Economic conditions    6. Economics    7. Economics - General    8. Free Enterprise    9. United States   

Reviews (2)

Very interesting for both the general reader and the student
This is a fascinating book, and that is an amazing achievement for a textbook.The approach David Weil takes to this very important subject allows the reader to get involved in the subject, understand why the easy conceptions we have about this subject are indeed too simple and why they are too simple, and develop some intuitions and models with somewhat greater understanding.It is written for a general reader or student with only a very basic understanding of economics (micro and/or macro).Not much math is required to read the chapters (very little, actually), and the discussions with more math are put in appendices for each chapter.So, if you want the math, it is there, but if it scares you - well, you can read the text of the chapter and skip over the appendices.
Very Accessible!
Professor Weil has provided a very readable text for the senior or graduate student.His organization is excellent, as he steps logically through a description and analysis of the main drivers of economic growth.There is just enough math to display the Cobb-Douglas and Solow models and how they help understand economic growth.Additional appendices with mathematical proofs.Topics covered include physical and human capital formation, productivity, share of a nation's resources devoted to investment, population, technology and institutional elements.A most enjoyable read - I recommend it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Development - Economic Development    5. Economic development    6. Economics - General    7. Business & Economics / Economics / General    8. Economics   

Reviews (93)

A book that gives a good feel of the period.
Written in the context of the Cold War, the author emphasizes the need for free markets and an open society for a society to property function.It stresses the importance of the individual and the needs of the individual against the backdrop of an "ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country" era and the basic economic honesty of selfishness in general.There are several ideas in the book that probably need to be revisited (which is why you should read it) since they are becoming issues again in today's world.

Classic Liberalism at its best
An all-time favorite of mine, Capitalism & Freedom creates a framework of classic liberalism and argues forcefully in favor of free-markets and decentralization over the expansion of government involvement in economic and social affairs.Friedman builds his argument from the ground up by identifying coercion as the State's distinguishing feature over all other societal organizations.From the (classic) liberal's perspective, this aspect shapes the relationship between citizen and government, and strictly limits the appropriateness of State involvement in society, particularly with regard to well-intentioned programs and policy.
Outdated. Can better be understood as polemics with Galbraith
This book probably should not be treated as "capitalist manifesto" a la Marx but more like an attempt to present a position opposite to famous Galbraith "The Affluent Society" (1958). Reading the book without reading Galbraith first creates an impression of cheap advocacy of capitalism and unrestricted market almost in best libertarian (anarcho-capitalist) style. But as a polemic with Galbraith vision of post-capitalism (post-industrial society) the book looks like an interesting historical document.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Capitalism    5. Economic policy    6. Economics - General    7. Economics - Theory    8. Free Enterprise    9. Liberty    10. Political Ideologies - Democracy    11. State, The    12. United States    13. Business & Economics / Economics / Theory    14. Capitalist or free market economies    15. Economic theory & philosophy    16. Political economy   

Reviews (60)

THE BEST GRADUATION GIFT YOU CAN BUY
for any kid graduation from a public high school in America today,

The most important economics book of the 20th century
Freedman is the best economist of the 20th century, and this book is the most important book of the last 100 years. It is impossible to exaggerate the influence this book has had (it kick-started the free market revolution under Reagan and Thatcher). I re-read it often. I wish all college students read this book, we would have to hear a lot less rubbish, if they did.

Freedom to choose among consumer goods
As time goes by, I have less and less respect for anything Milton Friedman has to say. Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Business/Economics    3. Capitalism    4. Economic policy    5. Economics - Theory    6. Free Enterprise    7. Industrial policy    8. Industry and state    9. Welfare state    10. Business & Management   

Reviews (1)

Good and not a "heavy" book
I'm a undergraduate economic student and have tried a good sort of books in this matter, and I finally get one that fits very nice to my needs. This book touches all the aspects of the subject without being very hard tounderstand or too boring to read, and that is hard to find in book aboutindustrial organization! Another good point is that the book is very newand have useful and contemporary examples. A liked very much! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Development - Economic Development    5. Economics - General    6. Industrial organization    7. Industrial organization (Econo    8. Industrial organization (Economic theory)    9. Industrial policy    10. Business & Economics / Economics / General    11. Industry & Industrial Studies    12. Ownership & organization of enterprises   

Editorial Review

It's become clear by now the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism in most places around the globe hasn't ushered in an unequivocal flowering of capitalism in the developing and postcommunist world. Western thinkers have blamed this on everything from these countries' lack of sellable assets to their inherently non-entrepreneurial "mindset." In this book, the renowned Peruvian economist and adviser to presidents and prime ministers Hernando de Soto proposes and argues another reason: it's not that poor, postcommunist countries don't have the assets to make capitalism flourish. As de Soto points out by way of example, in Egypt, the wealth the poor have accumulated is worth 55 times as much as the sum of all direct foreign investment ever recorded there, including that spent on building the Suez Canal and the Aswan Dam.Read more

Reviews (124)

a BIG idea for social change
Every now and then, a book comes along that opens our minds to an idea that can change the world, and in so doing changes us and reminds us why we read and search for that next great book with that next big idea.I have a very short list of contemporary books like this, and "Mystery of Capital" is one of them.

A wake-up call for economists
Since the Keynesian revolution the economics profession has been busy writing up mathematical models of incentives that show how IMF and World Bank loans, free trade deals, "fiscal policy" or "game theory" can be used by governments to generate economic growth. Hernando de Soto's Mystery of Capital is a slap in the face for every economist that has ever had a high-paid position in the countless agencies built to promote growth. It turns out that the classical economists (and their Austrian school heirs) have been right all along, that the source of economic growth is individual businessmen. And what can these individuals do when it takes a year of full-time work and years of savings paid out in bribes to get a legitimate business license? Nothing. The only people that can do business in these countries are the already-wealthy and well-connected.
Enhanced real estate markets = prosperity?
I enjoyed this book, particularly the legal history of property rights in the United States.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Economics - General    5. Economics - Theory    6. Free Enterprise    7. International - Economics    8. Economics   

Editorial Review

China has the world's most rapidly changing large economy, and according to Ted Fishman, it is forcing the world to change along with it. "No country has ever before made a better run