Reviews (6)

Toward a Communist America ???
I don't know anyone would like to read this book unless they are Afrian Americans. In "How Capatalism Underdeveloped Black America," the author writes the only way to achieve economic, political and social development for Blacks is to overthrow Captalist system in United States. As the author said, since the country is dominated by racist, and sexist white Americans, a bloody revolution has to be acted. The first phase of the socialist revolution is voting for progressive and anticapitalist politicians. The second phase is creating a chaotic living condition in America so that government has to cooperate with revoluntists. After the success of the socialist reforms, and totally eliminated captalism in the nation. They are going to support other countries to achieve "equality", too. Our country is going to be working class based nation, with universal health care, volunteer military officers, and equal-paid wage.

Long Live Socialism !!!!!!!!!!
I read this book 1 year ago and has since then enhanced my knowledge of black society here in America. At the end of his book (Towards a Socialist America) Manning pulls all the punches and fortells that the only way blacks and quite possibly other oppressed ethnic groups can get out our situation is through working together and defeat the ruling elite that now has its foot on our backs !!!!!!!!!!! This book is a must read.

How Capitalism Underdeveloped Black America
This at times slightly difficult to read book is very relevant even if the text of the book was published in 1983. Let me give you an idea of the discussion in the book below. Read more

Subjects:  1. African Americans    2. Capitalism    3. Economic Conditions    4. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    5. General    6. Government - U.S. Government    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Racism    9. Social Science    10. Sociology    11. United States    12. Black studies    13. Social Science / African-American Studies    14. USA   

Reviews (4)

Hamiltons basis in stats is excellent
Clive Hamiltons sequel to Growth Fetish, "Affluenza", is rich with statistics on the state of Australian debt, spending habits and attitudes.Based on a great deal of research by the Australian Institute and others, perhaps in response to the more rhetorical basis of his last book.And those stats are truly shocking:the majority of Australians are sacrificing rich, fulfilling lives for overworked ones so they can live like therich.
Another utopian alternative.
I think the basic premise of the book is credible: there is something definitely fishy with our current statistical growth mania and neoliberal political blindness, both from a sustainability and from a conceptual point of view.
Must read - must act
Extraordinarily insightful - significant and urgent.As a 'civilised' society we must dampen the motivation of self interest and greed at the expense of all else (relationships, environment and happiness).This book describes in detail the roots of our unhappiness 'the prisoners of plenty' and seeks to describe a way forward.It will capture your imagination and stir you to reassess your definition of success.Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Consumer Behavior - General    5. Consumption (Economics)    6. Development - Economic Development    7. Development - Sustainable Development    8. Economic Conditions    9. Economic development    10. Environmental aspects    11. Globalization    12. Politics - Current Events    13. Social aspects    14. Sustainable development    15. Social Science / Sociology / General   

Reviews (1)

Excellent, thought-provoking and moving.A real eye-opener.
This is a work in the genre of Orwell's "Down and out in Paris andLondon."Immensely readable, despite the very serious nature of thework, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in development issues,untouchablity and in learningabout how it must be to live in abjectpoverty.Kudos to the author for this fine contribution to the few worksthat existon the subject. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1947-    2. Asia - India    3. Asia - India & South Asia    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Business & Economics    6. Economic History    7. Economic conditions    8. Ethnic Cultures - General    9. History: World    10. India    11. Politics and government    12. Poverty    13. Social Classes    14. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    15. Biography: general    16. Development studies    17. Human rights    18. Political Science / Economic Conditions    19. Postwar period, 1945 to c 2000    20. Social groups & communities   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Capitalism    5. Development - Economic Development    6. Economic Conditions    7. Economic development    8. Finance    9. Business & Economics / Economic Conditions    10. Economic theory & philosophy   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business/Economics    3. Economic Conditions    4. Electric power distribution    5. Electric utilities    6. Energy    7. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    8. Interconnected electric utilit    9. Interconnected electric utility systems    10. Technology & Industrial Arts    11. Electronics & Communications Engineering    12. Management of land & natural resources    13. Technology / Engineering / Electrical   

Editorial Review

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, Read more

Reviews (41)

an excellent report of the world economy
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.
Documents the winners but ignores the losers
Having read The Prize I was disappointed in the story telling but that could be because I come from an oil producing country and oil is central to our lives. The Commanding Heights does not have such an exciting cast of characters as the oil business did: Churchill, Gulbenkian, Rockefeller, Detering, and Lydia Pavlova to name a few.
Globalization's Historical Context
The Commanding Heights tells the fascinating history of the past century through economics. Starting with the reconstruction after the world wars, the rise of communism, socialism, and the economic slump of the 1970's through the rise of globalization and laissez-faire economics in the 1980's and 1990's.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Development - Economic Development    5. Economic Conditions    6. Economic policy    7. Economics - Theory    8. Markets    9. Privatization    10. Business & Economics / General    11. Business strategy    12. Public finance   

Subjects:  1. 1985-1991    2. Economic Conditions    3. Ethnic relations    4. History & Theory - General    5. Nationalism    6. Political Ideologies - Nationalism    7. Political Science    8. Political aspects    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Politics and government    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Post-Communism    13. Soviet Union    14. Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe)    15. Political Science / General    16. Political economy    17. Revolutions & coups    18. Sociology, Social Studies    19. Soviet Union--Politics and government--1985-1991   

Reviews (5)

A Balanced Look at Immigration
If you only read one book about immigration this year read Lockout.It does have a bias towards allowing immigration but both sides of the argument are explored.She quotes John F. Kennedy saying: "Immigration policy should be generous; it should be fair; it should be flexible." Lockout is filled with very good historical data about how we got into the immigration mess that we are in today.It is not primarily about the low skilled Mexican illegal immigrants. It is focused much more on the difficulties encountered by skilled, highly educated people who would like to work in the United States.Michelle Wucker makes a very good argument that the labyrinth of immigration law that we have created is hurting our competitiveness in the world.
One sided view of acomplexproblem
It is too easy to write a book which has one sided view about a complex problem. This book is on the liberal side of immigration policy. The real issue is why we failed as a nation enforcing our immigration laws. Just painting sorry stories about immigrants but forgetting that we have serious economical problems to solve. Today's manufacturing GDP in USA is about 12.7% according to Clyde Prestowitz; soon America will stop being the honey pot. We are diluting the standard of living of average Americans, and Mexico is just dumping their unemployment problem into our country.
Eloquent Advocacy of a Sensible Immigration Policy for the United States
My favorite camera store in Tucson, AZ had two wonderful Mexican-American women employees who became close confidants and surrogate mothers of mine. We spent hours discussing not only photography, but also politics and immigration, noting with much dismay, the porous border existing between southern Arizona and the adjoining Mexican state of Sonora (For example I can recall at least two instances where young pregnant Sonoran women had moved into my apartment complex, staying long enough to deliver their babies in a Tucson hospital, before returning, almost immediately, to Sonora.). Both were proud to be American citizens, recognized the necessity of speaking in English in public, and were strongly opposed to government funding of bilingual education in public schools (But in private, amongst themselves, their families, and close friends, they enjoyed speaking the Mexican Spanish they had known since their youth.). If theirs were views widely held by Tucson's Mexican-American community - and I have much reason to believe that they were - then I'm not surprised that eight years after I had moved back to New York City, the citizens of Arizona voted in favor of Proposition 120 by a 56% to 44% margin, requiring public officials to verify the legal status of those seeking public assistance or the right to vote, and to deny them to those unable to offer such proof. I have no doubt that my Tucson friends would greet Michele Wucker's "Lockout: Why America Keeps Getting Immigration Wrong When Out Prosperity Depends On Getting It Right" with ample interest, but also harbor some reservations about her positive, somewhat practical, view of immigration to the United States, both now and in the future. These may be reservations that I too might share, but I would also add that Wucker's latest book is one deserving of wide readership, regardless of how one perceives this issue.
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Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Economic Conditions    3. Emigration & Immigration    4. Emigration And Immigration    5. General    6. Government policy    7. Immigrants    8. Law    9. Public Policy    10. Public Policy - Economic Policy    11. Sociology    12. United States    13. Central government policies    14. Immigration & emigration   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Economic Conditions    5. Job hunting    6. Labor    7. Labor Economics (Specific Aspects)    8. Unemployment    9. Wages    10. Business & Economics / Labor    11. Labour economics   

Reviews (2)

Good Book on Political Economy
As the last reviewer, who appears to be the author, said, this is a good book for undergraduate courses on international political economy.It does a great job of explaining the basic concepts and is a very readable book.It was an assigned reading for a course I took on international political economy and it provided an excellent structure and basis for the course. The Politics of International Economic Relations
This is a text book for use in undergraduate courses on international political economy.Currently, it is the top choice of many instructors because it provides a thorough but readable historical account of how the world economy has been managed since the end of World War II.The book is organized in chapters about the international monetary system, foreign direct investment, and trade in both the developed and developing countries.In addition, it contains chapters about world oil politics, theories of economic development, and economic transitions in the formerly communist countries. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Economic Conditions    3. International - Economics    4. International Relations - General    5. International economic relatio    6. International economic relations    7. Political Science    8. Politics/International Relations    9. International economics    10. Political Science / General    11. Political economy   

Reviews (16)

Your opinion is required
My India-born spouse once described the difference in how he and I had been taught, through subtle societal reward, to make and respond to assertions. "If you say, 'The sky is blue,'" he said, "I think, 'Ann thinks the sky is blue.' But if I say to you, 'The sky is blue,' you say, 'Oh, it is?' You're ready to believe, just because I stated it as fact. That's why you hedge your thoughts with the words, 'I think,' rather than just saying what you think."
Powerful
This is the first book by Roy that I read, and my favorite.In comparison to The God of Small Things, that's saying a lot.The first essay is the most powerful and clear explanation I have ever read anywhere about the failings of organisations such as the WTO; however, it is not only an attack on international financial institutions.It also discusses the abuses that occur on a national and local level in conjunction with the work of international groups.I suggest this book to anyone who is having trouble understanding the objections to globalization and the WTO.

Dams, poverty, and nuclear insanity
This is a short but effective book. It's divided into two parts. In part one, Arundhati Roy writes about dam-building in India. This heavily-footnoted chapter gets a longer treatment in her next book, Power Politics. Here she introduces the topic, adding a lot of context to the statistics. Her outrage is palpable. This leads into the second part, and angry essay about India and Pakistan becoming part of the nuclear fraternity (both countries publicly tested nuclear weapons in May of 1998). Both countries have so many problems --- and so much tension between them over Kashmir --- that this development can only be considered a disaster for the hundreds of millions of people in the region.Read more

Subjects:  1. Contemporary Economic Situations And Conditions    2. Current Affairs    3. Dams    4. Economic Conditions    5. Environmental aspects    6. General    7. Government - Comparative    8. Gujarat    9. India    10. Irrigation    11. Political    12. Politics / Current Events    13. Politics/International Relations    14. Sardar Sarovar (Narmada) Proje    15. Water And Marine Resources Management    16. Water resources development    17. Social Science / General   

Reviews (2)

If You're Choosing Only One ...
Let me speak here in law teacher mode: if you wanted to read just one book as background for law school, I think perhaps this should be the one. It's a model in terms both of substance and of presentation. In substance, the authors have done an admirable job of summing up the best available knowledge about the economy and how it came to be. In presentation, what they've done is to take an array of technical or specialized studies and to make them accessible to the determined non-specialist. Exceptional!
This is an incredible introduction to economic history.It is clearly written, and it is easy for the non-economist to read and enjoy.If you have any interest in economic history, then this is a must read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Economic Conditions    2. Economic History    3. General    4. History - General History    5. United States    6. American history    7. USA   

Reviews (1)

An interesting book for readers with a BA in economics
Colander and his coauthors have provided an interesting inside view on a group of economists(some examples are McCloskey,Binmore,Gintis,Rabin,Foley,and Samuelson)whose scholarly work attempts to integrate new techniques and approaches(for example,evolutionary theory,fractals,chaos theory,catastrophe theory)into the mainstream of standard neoclassical economics.Unfortunately,this is not leading to any significant change in economics.This can easily be confirmed by reading any of the current and new economics textbooks at the undergraduate or graduate level.None of these textbooks integrate any of this new material into the teaching of economics.For example,the Mas-Collel graduate microeconomics textbook makes no attempt to integrate into its chapters on decision making the extremely important work done by Ellsberg on ambiguity.Ambiguity is introduced in an exercise problem and treated as a minor anomaly that has no real theoretical importance.A better title for the book would be "Conversations with Some Cutting Edge Economists".I especially enjoyed reading the interviews conducted by the authors with McCloskey,Foley,and Samuelson.The interview with McCloskey highlights her major point about the misuse of statistical significance levels,this time in regards to mammograms.The interview with Foley touches upon the importance of the work done by Mandelbrot on power law distributions because "...skewed,self-similar,and fat tailed distributions are extremely common in economic data...".Unfortunately,the standard neoclassical approach is to model"...according to a Normal Probability Law."(2004,pp.205-206) .Samuelson'ssmall interview is excellent.Strangely,he has to state again for the nth time that he does not accept Say's law.He even commits a small miscue in bracketing Mandelbrot with Markowitz,Modigliani,Merton,Bachelier,Tobin,Sharpe,and Fama(2004,p.310)as regards modern finance theory.All of theseindividuals,except Mandelbrot,rely on the normal probability distribution. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Economic Conditions    6. Economics    7. Economics - Comparative    8. Economics - General    9. Economists    10. Interviews    11. Economic theory & philosophy    12. Political Science / General   

Reviews (45)

A Liberal Whinefest Disguised as an Economic Analysis
Tamara Draut is the Director of the Economic Opportunity Program at Demos, a public policy center based in New York City. This is essentially a liberal think tank whose primary purpose is to influence public policy to address economic issues impacting "young adults." In the context of this book, it's adults in their 20's and 30's. Draut herself is in her mid-30's and married, living in New York City.
Mixed Feelings
"Strapped" is a book that left me with mixed feeling, Ms. Draut seem to blame all of the debt on going to college, but lets face there are a lot of factors for Gen Xers being in debt.One could that that debt is somethig that we learn from our parents, in our parents race to keep up the jones, they incure debt and as their children,we learn all about credit cards from them. This is something that Ms. Draut does not good into. Another factor that Ms. Draut does not talk about, is now some of us Gen Xer's are having help care for pre-boomer parents, therefore we are having put aside our own goals to care for them.Ms. Draut makes debt seem to be based one problem, but its face it, debt comes from different sources and so the solutions.

Indeed, Draut DOES Lay Blame in the Wrong Places!
I wish I'd read the inside flap before buying this book--the author blows her own premise with this one sentence:"Budding families, even those with two incomes struggle to pay bills, while Visa and MasterCard have become the new safety nets."Emphasis on THE NEW SAFETY NETS!
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Contemporary Economic Situations And Conditions    5. Economic Conditions    6. Life Stages - General    7. Social Conditions Of Labor    8. Social conditions    9. Sociology - General    10. United States    11. Young adults    12. Family & Relationships / Teenagers   

Reviews (1)

A pretty good textbook with material not found elsewhere
If you are considering buying this book, you will probably want to do so.If you are interested in applying regional analysis or the "new" spatial economics that they present, you will have a good starting point. The necessary background is probably be a year of Ph.D. level economictheory.Specific high points are the exposition of the Dixit-Stiglitzmodel of monopolistic competition and the evolution of urban systems.Allnew Ph.D. students will have a use for chapter 4, which is an easy-to-readdiscussion of monopolistic competition.Further, the book is rigorousenough to be used in academic work.I recommend it to anyone interested inregional or urban economics.It is useful to students and practicingeconomists alike.Its rigor makes it academic, but its ease of expositionmakes it useful for those without extraordinary math backgrounds.Comparedto similar books, you get a lot of value for the price. ... Read more

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

Reviews (3)

to the point
the book is very usefull to those intresting in the indian economy and market,but a little dry and dull

Needs a proof read
Firstly, it's not Biljani - it's Bijlani. I bought this book hoping to get some quick background before flying to India on a business trip. I am disappointed. Yes, it has information that will help, but it has GLARING mistakes & typos. Succeed in Business India
This book does an excellent job of covering the practical nuts and bolts of doing business in India--including government policy, historical context, some of the changes in business climate that are happening, opportunities for investment, setting up a joint venture, taxation and labor issues, and a few pages of basic facts and travel tips, etc. A lot of business people going to India want somethig that gives them the "bullet points," and the author does that job well in a book that can be read in a few hours.Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Contemporary Economic Situations And Conditions    5. Economic Conditions    6. General    7. International - General    8. Economic systems    9. Economics   

Reviews (1)

Miles to Go Before We Rest
This book is a fascinating study of the differences between the wealth held by Blacks and Whites in the United States.A historical perspective is provided, yet the book makes clear how the momentum of past actions continue though the present.It was this facet of the book that provided the greatest emotional impact.The authors did an excellent job of stressing the differential effects of income and wealth, and how wealth is by far the better measure for examining economic well-being.The data was broken down and explained according to education, income, housing, and many other variables.Case studies helped to put poignant "faces" on the facts to show how Blacks have been impacted by the differing conditions that they experience.Read more

Subjects:  1. African Americans    2. Contemporary Economic Situations And Conditions    3. Economic Conditions    4. Equality    5. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    6. History: American    7. Minority Studies - General    8. Moral and ethical aspects    9. Race And Ethnic Relations    10. Sociology    11. United States    12. Wealth    13. Ethnography    14. Multicultural studies    15. Social Science / African-American Studies    16. Social groups & communities    17. Social issues    18. USA    19. Work & labour   

Reviews (6)

The Oligarchs
I'm about a quarter into the book.I am very impressed.It is riveting.I went on a tour of Russia in June and wanted to know more about what is going on.I have talked my husband and sister into reading it.I think Americans get some insight into a country we know little about.

A good thumbnail sketch of the oligarchic interregnum
Daniel Hoffman of the Washington Post has written a good introduction to the interregnum between the reign of the Commununist Party of the USSR and the Presidency of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.When Communism and the Russian legal system collapsed, the boldest and brashest quickly amassed fortunes in rather unusual circumstances.