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

Reviews (19)

Excellent Business Perspective on India (until about 2001)
This book presents a picture of India's Economic and Business stroy from just before Independence in 1947 till about 2001.Mr Das uses his family members as a chorus to present the story in the early days, and then transitions to his own experiences as a manager in Richardson Hindustan, where he had a ringside view of the business climate in India during the 70s and 80s and later.
Wonderful first-hand account
I've been reading everything I can find about the modern economic history of India.This first hand account really brings the issues to life.Thak you Mr. Das for writing this wonderful book.

India Unbound
I found this book very informative as I searched for the meaning of globalization and its effects on various countries. We should all try yo learn more about this topic and how it touches our lives and tthose of our global neighbors.
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Subjects:  1. Asia - India    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Economic Conditions    4. Politics/International Relations    5. History / India   

Subjects:  1. 1989-    2. Economic Conditions    3. Foreign relations    4. Government - U.S. Government    5. International Relations - General    6. Military policy    7. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    8. Political Science    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Politics and government    11. Politics/International Relations    12. United States    13. Political Science / International Relations   

Editorial Review

Few Americans have examined carefully the nation whose economy and industry is bound up with their own, whose future will inescapably shape theirs--Japan, that is. Dutch journalist Karel van Wolferen does the job, and very well indeed, depicting a Japan alternately awed and disgusted by the world beyond its shores, governed by a puppet emperor in the service of the Read more

Reviews (22)

Power Explained
Van Wolferen does an excellent job of exploring the basis of power in Japanese society.As you read the book, you'll learn that Japanese power is a very collective and amorphous thing.There is no one person or one group in charge of everything.There is no strong political leader, such as America has in its president.Power flows almost like water.
Fascinating and thought-provoking
Journalist Karel van Wolferen makes a compelling case for the argument that there is virtually no one in control of the Japanese state: it's ruling elite consists of administrators who jockey for position as they seek advantage for their respective ministries, thereby making it difficult for Japan to speak with a unified voice on the international front or make commitments to foreign governments on which it can follow through.Detractors unfairly stain van Wolferen's name with the epithet "Japan-basher," but it was clear to me that he felt a great deal of empathy for the average Japanese, who he says also suffers under the system he describes.
Breathtaking
Published just as the infamous Japanese 'bubble' economy was set to burst - and from which, more than ten years down the road, Japan has yet to recover - van Wolferen's work remains a classic in the field. The Dutch journalist spent more than thirty years reporting from Japan. Though the tenor of Japan's relationship with the outside world has changed considerably in the intervening years, much of what van Wolferen noted remains true.
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Subjects:  1. 1945-    2. Asia - Japan    3. Business/Economics    4. Economic Conditions    5. Economic policy    6. Japan    7. Political History    8. Political culture    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Politics and government    11. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    12. Political Science / International Relations   

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Development - Economic Development    3. Economic Conditions    4. Economic policy    5. Forecasting    6. Globalization    7. Human Resources & Personnel Management    8. Social Science    9. Sociology    10. Sociology - General    11. United States    12. Economics    13. USA   

Editorial Review

Bob Woodward called his biography of Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan Read more

Reviews (81)

Tries to make monetary policy interesting
I have always been interested in the secretive world of the Federal Reserve. The goal of the work is to provide an inside look on how it really operates. Despite its importance, writing on the Fed and its long time chairman Alan Greenspan is difficult because the topic is very dry and boring. The author does all he can to make it interesting, but after awhile all of the stories of rate hike and cuts all sound the same.
How to feel your way to the correct interest rate
Woodward will give you a feel for how Greenspan feels (this feeling is developed from massive amounts of economic dated and dicussions with other experts) his way along to a decision on interest rates. There is no clear-cut method for getting the interest rates to just the right level. Now that Greenspan is gone and left us with a boom, we have to be concerned that Ben Bernanke will also develop just the right feel. And probably more importantly--may he be just as lucky as Alan Greenspan.

Fed primer
A great intro to our central banking system that shows us just how tenuously we sway between prosperity and decay, and how guys like Alan Greenspan ride the serpent in the hopes they can get it to go where they want it to, with mixed results. I find it nothing short of existentially frightening that the best economists in the world really don't fully understand how modern macroeconomics works, and that our most important fiscal policies are based on incomplete models.
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Subjects:  1. 1926-    2. 20th century    3. Banks & Banking    4. Board of Governors of the Fede    5. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.)    6. Business    7. Business & Economics    8. Business/Economics    9. Economic Conditions    10. Economics - General    11. Government - U.S. Government    12. Greenspan, Alan,    13. History    14. Monetary policy    15. Money & Monetary Policy    16. Politics / Current Events    17. United States    18. Greenspan, Alan    19. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    20. Political Science / Government / National   

Reviews (1)

Yes, if you can read only one book, read this one.
I agree with the reader below. So I would only add some more recommendations to read: "The world economy. A millennial perspective" by Angus Maddison; "Power and privilege: A theory of social stratification" by Gerhard Emmanuel Lenski; "The History of Government" by S.E. Finer; "World History. A new perspective" by Clive Ponting; and "The Phenomenon of Religion", by Moojan Momen. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Economic Conditions    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. World - General    6. History / World    7. Social history    8. World history   

Editorial Review

"The United States today is an empire—but a peculiar kind of empire," writes Niall Ferguson. Despite overwhelming military, economic, and cultural dominance, America has had a difficult time imposing its will on other nations, mostly because the country is uncomfortable with imperialism and thus unable to use this power most effectively and decisively. The origin of this attitude and its persistence is a principal theme of this thought-provoking book, including how domestic politics affects foreign policy, whether it is politicians worried about the next election or citizens who "like Social Security more than national security." Ferguson, a British historian, has no objection to an American empire, as long as it is a liberal one actively underwriting the free exchange of goods, labor, and capital. Further, he writes that "empire is more necessary in the twenty-first century than ever before" as a means to "contain epidemics, depose tyrants, end local wars and eradicate terrorist organizations." The sooner America embraces this role and acts on it confidently, the better. Ferguson contrasts this persistent anti-imperialistic urge with the attitude held by the British Empire and suggests that America has much to learn from that model if it is to achieve its stated foreign policy objectives of spreading social freedom, democracy, development, and the free market to the world. He suggests that the U.S. must be willing to send money, civilians, and troops for a sustained period of time to troubled spots if there is to be real change—as in Japan and Germany after World War II--an idea that many American citizens and leaders now find repulsive. Rather than devoting limited resources and striving to get complex jobs done in a rush, Americans must be willing to integrate themselves into a foreign culture until a full Americanization has occurred, he writes. Overall, a trenchant examination of a uniquely American dilemma and its implications for the rest of the world. --Read more

Reviews (37)

Well written and argued, whether you agree or not
In the 19th century a "Liberal" was someone who believed in free trade, meritocracy (instead of inherited privilege) and the advancement of science and civilization, the last meaning generally European civilization.Thus the "White Man's Burden".
The Case for "Liberal" Empire:Ferguson misses the point.
Niall Ferguson is an economic historian who is very good at writing for the general public.He tends to take conservative positions, and positions that are deliberately provocative.He also enjoys using irony, the "tongue-in-cheek" approach, and is a proponent of what is called "counter-factual" history, the "what-if" school of historical writing.
Anti-Imperial Empire, Anti-Historical History
I find it difficult to nail down whatever point Niall Ferguson is trying to make here, and must conclude that this is an academic exercise that does not succeed. A British scholar's take on America's imperial behavior can be useful, and he does come up with a few great insights on how empires operate now and in the past. For example, there is plenty of evidence that America's behavior around the world is that of an empire, even though our politicians and population refuse to admit it, while we don't have the will or fortitude to occupy and administer countries for the many years that are necessary for our own "regime change" missions to succeed. Unfortunately, these few solid points are lost in Ferguson's awkward attempts to apply his area of expertise, financial history, to world politics.
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Subjects:  1. 2001-    2. 20th century    3. Colonies And Colonization    4. Economic Conditions    5. Foreign relations    6. Government - U.S. Government    7. Imperialism    8. International Relations - General    9. Philosophy    10. Political Science    11. Politics / Current Events    12. Politics/International Relations    13. U.S. Foreign Relations    14. United States    15. American history    16. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    17. Political Science / Economic Conditions    18. USA   

Subjects:  1. Economic Conditions    2. Globalization    3. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    4. Political Science    5. Politics/International Relations   

Subjects:  1. Africa - General    2. Demography    3. Economic Conditions    4. Genocide    5. History    6. History & Theory - General    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Photojournalism    10. Pictorial works    11. Refugees    12. Rwanda    13. Sociology    14. Violence in Society    15. African history: postwar, from c 1945 -    16. Civil war    17. Photography / Photo Essays    18. Sudan    19. c 1990 to c 2000   

Reviews (13)

Excellent case for public ownership of water services
This excellent book makes the case for public ownership and control over our water services.
NEVER AGAIN
This was, without question, one of the most depressing and boring books that I have ever read.I made the mistake of choosing this book for an analytical book report, and found it to be the most depressing choice I could have made.I wouldn't even reccommend this book to my worst enemy.

Addresses Threats to Our Most Valuable Global Resource
This was a great book that highlights the current threats to our global water supply. This book was particularly thorough in the analysis of the privatization of water resources. It explains the international institutions that prop up global water companies. I was very impressed with the extensive research that the authors must have put into this book - they used many examples of water issues from around the world. This book is a great introductory book for someone interested in becoming more knowledgable in water issues. It is also a great book for the general public to help them to understand more about a resource they probably take for granted. Don't buy bottled water! It is environmentally wasteful of resources and economically unjustifiable. It contributes funds to private companies and helps to support global water corporations! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Economic Conditions    2. Economic aspects    3. Globalization    4. International Economic Relations    5. International Relations - General    6. Natural Resources Management    7. Nature    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Political aspects    10. Politics / Current Events    11. Water Supply    12. Water-supply    13. Nature / General   

Subjects:  1. 21st century    2. Asia - India    3. Asia - India & South Asia    4. Civilization    5. Economic Conditions    6. Government - International    7. History - General History    8. India    9. Political Science    10. Politics / Current Events    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Political Science / Government / International   

Editorial Review

Robert Kaplan has reported from locales as diverse and chaotic as shantytowns in the Ivory Coast, death camps in Cambodia, and the frontlines of the war-ravaged Balkans, but his most challenging assignment may have been covering his own country. In this ambitious and evocative study, Kaplan vividly chronicles his "travels into America's future," a journey that begins in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas--"the starting point for what would one day be called Manifest Destiny"--and continues across the West, where the population is growing faster than anywhere else in the country and multiple American identities reveal a nation in flux. He explores cities such as St. Louis and Omaha, Nebraska, that typify the increased urban fragmentation of the heartland; onward to Tucson, Arizona, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, where great wealth and poverty exist cheek by jowl; through the sprawl of multiethnic Southern California, where the landscape is perched somewhere between urban and suburban; and up through the Pacific Northwest into Canada. He also visits towns along the U.S.-Mexico border, dipping as far south as Mexico City, to investigate the conditions driving so many Mexicans north, despite feverish efforts by the U.S. to keep them out, and the new cultural hybrid being formed by this migration.Read more

Reviews (47)

No sense of humor
I read this book a while back, and while I really think Kaplan is a very smart and astute guy, he has, at least in his writing, almost no sense of humor. A guy like P.J. O'Rourke can visit Somalia and bring humor back. Kaplan can go almost anywhere and find "the coming anarchy" there. I personally like the West, the natural beauty is great, and people are freer, more optimistic, and more individualistic than in other parts of America. Some of the best places to live are out West. I think this book is worth reading, but don't expect any humor !

A Book Overtaken by Events
Events, namely one big one (9/11), have pretty much overtaken this book, copyrighted 1998, rendering most of the sociological observations academic or even dated, leaving only a travelogue, albeit a very good one.The message I got from this book is that the U.S. is morphing from a nation-state into something new and hertofore unseen -- a North American entity without borders, an entity with a smaller government concerned mostly with military, environment and protecting the less fortunate among us.Maybe that's how things looked in 1998, but 9/11 presented a paradigm shift and I suspect that Kaplan, writing the same book today, eight years later, might revise some of his observations.In any case, I like Kaplan's books.They are the thinking man's travelogues and whether here or in some third world country, his interactions with the people he encounters are stimulting, educational and fascinating.

Escaping the Pods with Little Desert Light
HISTORY IS DESTINY. Believe that and there's still no guarantee you'll read An Empire Wilderness: Travels Into America's Future without frustration. This is no traditional history book.
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Subjects:  1. Economic Conditions    2. General    3. Nature    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Sociology    6. Sociology - General    7. United States - State & Local - General    8. Travel / United States / General    9. Travel writing    10. USA   

Subjects:  1. 1980-    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Economic Conditions    6. Economic policy    7. Latin America    8. Politics and government    9. Business & Economics / Economic Conditions    10. Political economy   

Editorial Review

After nearly a decade of bull markets, Americans have come to equate free markets with democracy. Never one for mincing words, social critic Thomas Frank, editor of Read more

Reviews (51)

Very Worthwhile
If you want to know how the economy really works and who is really in charge, read this book. You don't need to agree with all of the author's conclusions, but the the facts and arguments presented are very compelling.

Solid thoughtful, nails our national policy failures in a big way

Enlightening romp through a decade of idiocy
From John Perry Barlow to Virginia Postrel, from _Liberation Management_ to _Who Moved My Cheese?_, from dot-com millionaires to cult stud academics, Thomas Frank summarizes, contextualizes, and debunks a decade's worth of pro-business propaganda. The major theme, he argues, was the concept of "market populism", the notion that The Market was far more democratic than actual democracies, doing whatever their copious focus groups had determined the people wanted. Frank, a serious supporter of genuine democracy, skewers their absurd myths and provides some insight into the harm they did to working people. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Current Affairs    3. Economics - Theory    4. General    5. Political    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Sociology - Social Theory    8. Economics    9. Political Science / Economic Conditions    10. USA   

Features

• Illustrated

Subjects:  1. Anthropology    2. Anthropology - Cultural    3. Anthropology - General    4. Archaeology / Anthropology    5. Economic Conditions    6. Globalization    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. Social Science / Anthropology / General   

Reviews (23)

Couldn't put it down
Amazing story, beautifully written.It has all the elements of an exciting novel, and it is true, which makes it even more awesome.

loss...
A Persian friend gave me this book. I couldn't put it down, so poetic and real. As we live in times of war and devastation, this book reminds us of the power of ideologies and politics.
A real eyeopener
Reading Roya's accounting of her ordeal gives one a profound feeling of the reality of the time.It is amazing that Roya's experience had such an effect on her that the details still remain intact for her reproduce such an amazing book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authors, Persian    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Business & Economics    5. Business/Economics    6. Economic Conditions    7. Ethnic Cultures - General    8. Hakkakiyan, Ruya    9. Iranian American women    10. Middle East - Iran    11. Political refugees    12. United States    13. Women    14. Biography & Autobiography / General    15. Reading Group Guide   

Editorial Review

Ghanaian-born economics professor George B.N. Ayittey takes a hard, unsentimental look at the continuing economic, cultural, and political downfall of African countries. While Africa is the world's second-largest continent, containing 770 million people and much of the world's natural resources, he contends that the postcolonial African nations cannot reconcile what he calls "the two Africas," one traditional and one modern (or "Western"). That split, he says, wreaks havoc on the African people, and he comes down hard on "the elites, the parasitic minority group [that operates] by an assortment of imported or borrowed institutions." Read more

Reviews (18)

Nkrumah, Nyerere, Kaunda failures all
Excellent book by Ayittey showing the yet again the failures of the liberal-left vision, and its cynical collaborators in business and government bureaucracies. Yet again and again Western taxpayers are called upon to prop up these vampire states- money down an endless rathole. All true, but...
Ayittey has written an excellent book. In fact, I'm just as critical of Africa's despotic and kleptocratic regimes in all the books I have written. But I don't entirely agree with his assessment of Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, and Kenneth Kaunda.