Reviews (1)

A well done book
A fine book, one that give a rich understanding of what happened and why. Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Contemporary Economic Situations And Conditions    6. Development - Economic Development    7. Economic Conditions    8. Economic Development    9. 20th century    10. Development economics    11. Economic history    12. History / Modern / 20th Century    13. Singapore    14. Singapore--Economic conditions   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Developing countries    5. Development - Business Development    6. Development - Economic Development    7. Development - Sustainable Development    8. Government policy    9. Industries - General    10. Land reform    11. Land tenure    12. Land use    13. Public Policy - Economic Policy    14. Real Estate - General    15. Business & Economics / Economic Development    16. Economics | Agricultural    17. Land rights    18. Property & real estate    19. Property, real estate, land & tenancy law   

Reviews (6)

Expensive--and worth every penny
I was horrified to see how much this book cost when I started my Development Economics course. Now I'm very glad I bought it.
Not really much economics
While Michael Todaro's text is widely used, as another reviewer points out, it is as much political "science" and sociology as economics. I am an economics professor and I have taught Economic Development courses from this text and had to repeatedly bring the perspective of neo-classical economics which was lacking or misconstrued. This text is closer to neo-Marxist than neo-classical. Gives meaning to "development" ...... 5++
Todaro and Smith cover the major issues and influences of poverty in the third world, as we know it today.Read more

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. Economics Of Developing Countries    10. Business & Economics / Economics / General    11. Economics   

Reviews (19)

Another winner out of the Constitutional Library of America's foremost Economist during his lifetime!
A beautifully, short, concise book
Down with the Fed
The Case Against the Fed is one of many of Rothbard's personal attacks on the government.Murray Rothbard, an Austrian economist, has provided yet another great work in a small package.This book runs similar to What Has Government Done to Our Money.Much of the same material is in here, dealing with things like the evolution of the monetary system in the United States.However, Rothbard shows in this book the close ties with the Fed, wall street bankers, and the government.Although, I am not sure how correct is ties are within the book; it is still a remarkable book none the less.
A MUST READ
Everyone knows the gov't is corrupt.If you want to know the truth, you must read this and "What has the gov't done to your money" and "Creature from Jekyll Island, A second look at the Fed".These are real eye openers from people who have researched and care.If you care and want to secure your family and finances, share these with everyone you know.Like the movie Matrix says, if you want the truth to see how far the black hole goes, read these. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Banks & Banking    2. Board of Governors of the Fede    3. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.)    4. Business / Economics / Finance    5. Business/Economics    6. Federal Reserve banks    7. Monetary policy    8. Political Science / Economic Policy    9. Political Science / Public Affairs & Administration    10. United States    11. Austrian school of economists    12. Economic Policy    13. Economics    14. Government    15. Nonfiction    16. Public Affairs & Administration   

Reviews (2)

Fighting Poverty in the Trenches, One Borrower at a Time
More than just a casual pass through Bangladesh to investigate Grameen Bank, the micro-credit phenomenon started a quarter century ago by Muhammad Yunus, The Price of a Dream fills in gaps left by other writings. It puts a human face on the poor of this impoverished Asian country, formerly known as East Pakistan. It brings poverty-stricken Bangladeshis into your livingroom as factual, not fictional, folks. Capitalism for the Landless Poor
I am a junior in highschool.I chose this book from an AP Economics reading list I received this year.When I started reading this book, I expecting a monotonous mass of numbers, terms, and theories.However, I was soon captivated by the story.Bornstein beautifully integrated the story of the Grameen Bank, the lives of its members, and the economic principles behind it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bangladesh    2. Banks & Banking    3. Banks and banking    4. Business & Economics    5. Business / Economics / Finance    6. Business/Economics    7. Development - Economic Development    8. Economic Conditions    9. Public Policy - Social Services & Welfare    10. Rural poor    11. Women    12. Banking    13. Business & Economics / Economic Development    14. Economics | Developmental | Transitional   

Reviews (1)

Bill Moyers, Senator Hillary Clinton and Alan Blinder loved this book too.
Bill Moyers said:
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Subjects:  1. Democracy    2. Economic Conditions    3. General    4. Middle class    5. Political Science    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Politics/International Relations    8. Public Policy - Economic Policy    9. Supply-side economics    10. United States    11. Economic theory & philosophy    12. Political Science / General    13. USA   

Reviews (2)

Academic's trapped mentality: The limits of linear ideology
Reading this book is almost like reading "China's democratic future" all over again. It is all too familiar how normative idealism ruins positive analysis in these two books. The difference is: this one is disguised by more theoretical tools, the other one was an outright shout for a democratic China.
A book for those who actually know the ABCs of China
For those who's never been to China or lived there, this book might be a little out of their scope. Afterall, the only things you hear in the news are how if Walmart were a country, it'd be China's 7th biggest trading partner, or how Intel is building their fabs in China (away from Shanghai towards inland to further reduce cost). For those people, go read on how China will take over the world economically by the middle of this century and believe what you want.
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Subjects:  1. 1976-2000    2. 1976-2002    3. Asia - China    4. China    5. Democracy    6. Economic policy    7. History    8. History - General History    9. History: World    10. Political Ideologies - Communism & Socialism    11. Politics and government    12. Public Policy - Economic Policy    13. Development economics    14. History / China    15. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    16. Political economy   

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Business/Economics    3. International - General    4. Political Science    5. Public Policy - Economic Policy    6. Business & Economics / International    7. International business    8. International economics   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Colonies    5. Dependency    6. Developing countries    7. Development - Economic Development    8. Economic conditions    9. Poverty    10. Public Policy - Social Services & Welfare    11. Business & Economics / Economic Development    12. Development economics    13. Development studies    14. Economics | Developmental   

Reviews (41)

Connecting economic and political development
What is economic development?This book argues that economic development is the expansion of human choice; i.e. freedom and capability to do what we want.The emphasis of this books is the duality: freedom and capability.Hence a society can give freedom to its citizens, but if they are not equipped with the mental and/or physical capabilities to use these freedoms, then the freedoms can be meaningless.Therefore, investing in education, providing health care, equal rights and other social programs that improve the capabilities of individuals are often as important to economic progress as building roads, airports and starting up businesses.
Freedom as a better goal than GDP
Freedom as a better goal than GDP.
Excelent book
The ideas presented by Professor Sen is beyond any research already made in the area of development. It's not only about economic development, but it's a new and wider approach to the concepts, theories and values that other scholars had made only superficially. Mr. Sen's development is beyond the general and simplified thought related to a so strict concecpt like economic and/or social development. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Business/Economics    3. Development - Economic Development    4. Development - Sustainable Development    5. Economic Conditions    6. Political Science    7. Business & Economics / Development & Growth   

Reviews (1)

non-western water supply
This book reviews the art of roof and ground catchment systems for rainwater.The water collected can be used for household or other purposes.The designs are aimed for individuals with limited access to electricity and/or civic water utilities. The text includes drawings, photographs and step-by-step instructions.
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Subjects:  1. Development - Economic Development    2. Development Studies (Social Sciences)    3. Earth Sciences - Hydrology    4. General    5. Political Science    6. Sociology    7. Technology & Industrial Arts    8. Water Resources Conservation    9. Water Supply    10. Management of land & natural resources    11. Water supply & treatment   

Reviews (9)

Delivers on the promise
This book delivers on its promise of being a textbook on economic growth theory for undergraduates. It is not easy (as economic growth is not), but it is definitely within the grasp of economics undergraduate with knowledge of basic economic principles. It also provides sufficient advance material in the second half of the book to stimulate further study into economic growth. However, beware that this is not a book about policy prescriptions for economic growth, it is about the theoretical framework to understand it (necessary, but not sufficient for policy prescriptions).

Excellent book about the economic growth theory.
This is a excellent book about the economic growth theory. I've read excellent books as "Economic Growth" by R. Barro, "Advanced Macroeconomics" by David Romer and "Endogenous Growth Theory" by Philippe Aghion, the principal problem is the level, if you don't have notions about economic growth theory, you'll have problems to understand. Charles I. Jones wrote a excellent introduction about all the modern economic growth theory. I recommend this book amply.

A thorough introduction
Since most intermediate-level macroeconomics textbooks - probably because of lack of space - usually decide to devote no more than a chapter or two to what is often considered to be the most important topic in economics,Jones' book serves as a very neat introduction to the field.Obviously,noone should expect to see the rigour one can find in advanced treatments,but - without doubt - it is easier to jump to advanced treatments if yousee the intuitive explanation first.I could say this is one of the besttextbooks I had a chance to read. ... Read more

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

Reviews (160)

On the Unknown Ideal
Those one star reviewers who equate Hayek with neo-conservativism and arge that inequity, death, and war in world today underscore the horrors of capitalism are missing the point: there is no capitalism in the world today. Under a free market, the war in Iraq would be impossible because the state would not have the power to transfer our money (i.e., our time, effort, hopes, dreams, and creativity) to the military-corporate complex. The state's power to do this is a direct result of our reliance on its authority. FDR stands as the prime example in our country of this habit of the state to steal, throw the people a bone, and then pour immense effort and public cash into its own expansion and hegemony. Taxing to help victims of Katrina does one thing and fails to do another: first, it gives the state permission to tax for whatever reason it would like; second, it fails to help anyone in the path of the hurricane. For a good look at the future in this regard, see China's up-and-coming authoritarian capitalism. (In China, the people do not have universal healthcare, but you bet the bureaucrats do; authorianism, whether "capitalistic" or "communist" will always be so, just as social planning will always give elitists power to kill.)
Awesome
Simply Awesome! I keep having to stop the tape so it can sink in.

Karl Marx, R.I.P.
With just 266 pages of conceptual claritythe mild and unassuming Friedrich Hayek reveals the bogeyman, Karl Marx, to be the brutish boor that he was. Marx had no concept of human nature or more specifically, of individual psychology.Individuals did not exist for Marx, only "classes".And Marx had no interest in human beings as they now exist, but only as they will come to exist in his imagined utopian future.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business/Economics    3. Development - Economic Development    4. Economic History    5. Economic policy    6. General    7. Sociology    8. Totalitarianism    9. Social Science / General    10. Socialism & left-of-centre democratic ideologies   

Reviews (11)

Strategy - It's a matter of life and death
As an active Business Consultant I'm often appalled at the lack of disregard for the importance of strategy. It's a matter of life and death (at least for your company).
Virtuosic analysis of national productivity and technology
Forty to fifty years ago economists and political theorists did much armwaving about what makes nations competitive. In the past 20 yearstools like analysis of patents, R&D expenditures, the numbers of scientifically educated people, have provided more quantitative insight. To these tools Porter adds realistic analyses of top industries in various countries - from shoes and couture in Italy, to Silicon Valley in the U.S. He points out that the fastest growth comes when favorable factors are concentrated in centers where diverse groups - industrial, academic, sometimes government or traditional industries come together and have intense interactions. This book glitters with insights and ideas. The author is among the leading US analysists of economic performance, heading a study discipline at Harvard and working with the National Bureau of Economic Research

Reasons for success and failures of nations
Michael E. Porter is a Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and a leading authority on competition and strategic management. Porter is the author of the legendary business and management books 'Competitive Strategy' (1980), and 'Competitive Advantage' (1985). I cannot start this review without a word of warning: This book is consists of 850 pages and is thus not a quick weekend-read.Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Business/Economics    3. Competition, International    4. Development - Economic Development    5. Economic development    6. Economics - Theory    7. Industrial policy    8. International - General    9. International Economic Relations    10. International Relations - General    11. International business enterpr    12. International business enterprises    13. Political Science    14. Strategic planning    15. Business & Economics / Management Science    16. International economics    17. International relations   

Reviews (12)

Global and American Troubles and What Can Be Done
I suspect that many Americans might be intimidated by the title of this book. Americans are told not to think in terms of conflicting class interests; after all, most people are supposedly middle class. Critiques of the wealthy and powerful are seen as expressions of envy, or of antique Stalinist, hippy, or New Deal thinking. In my opinion Jeff Faux does us all a valuable service by trying to revive the debate about the political nature of our world and its implications for our current lives and for our future. His writing is energetic and fresh; this is no dull social science text! At the same time, he presents a lot of evidence in making his arguments, reflecting thorough and careful scholarship. This is no simple partisan account; for example, chapter seven on NAFTA presents is hard-hitting in its critique of the alleged benefits of free trade, but the reader gets the feeling that Faux is basing his analysis on what his data revealed about its complex impacts on the majority of Americans, Canadians, and Mexicans. Overall, whether you are in America or Armenia, you will be entertained and provoked by Faux's writing.

Borrowed Title, Missing Bits, Worthy Restatement of the Threat to Labor
The title appears borrowed from Sam Marcy's original work in 1979 on "The Global Class War and the Destiny of American Labor," but then, no one wanted to listen in the 1970's, when I did my first master's degree, to the three major themes in the political science literature:
Good
A well written book that confirms books I was writing (till my power supply blew out.)
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Subjects:  1. Elite (Social sciences)    2. Global Analysis    3. Globalization    4. Government - U.S. Government    5. Political Science    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Politics/International Relations    8. Public Policy - Economic Policy    9. Social Classes    10. Social Sciences (General)    11. United States    12. American history    13. North America    14. Political Science / Globalization   

Subjects:  1. Development - Business Development    2. Econometrics    3. Reference    4. Yearbooks & Annuals    5. Development economics    6. Development studies    7. Yearbooks, annuals, almanacs   

Subjects:  1. Development - Business Development    2. Philosophy & Social Aspects    3. Political Science    4. Politics / Current Events    5. Politics/International Relations    6. Public Policy - Social Policy    7. 21st century    8. Development economics    9. Development studies    10. International economics    11. Reference works   

Reviews (3)

useful book on current healthcare economics

Tort Reform Ignored
While I found Dr Cutler's analysis penetrating, I was disappointed that he did not discuss in any detail the large impact on medical costs of medical malpractice lawsuits. Not only do these lawsuits increase malpractice insurance premiums of physicians and health insurance premiums of patients, they lead to wasteful defensive medicine, as physicians do unnecessary tests and procedures in order to reduce the risk of malpractice suits. Tort reform is essential to control rising medical costs.

compelling approach to fix the broken American health system
Forty million Americans lack health care insurance and costs leap three and four times the inflation rate yet few Americans feel the system provides adequate care.Harvard economics professor and health-care expert Dr. David M. Cutler believes that the problem lies with the inability for most people to understand opportunity costs based on choices that may not lead to an improved life quality.The government and medical leadership exacerbate the problem with saving money as their solution, ignoring effectiveness.He makes a strong case on how much health care has dramatically improved over the past five decades as dramatized by longer productive life spans.Dr. Cutler believes that more money should be spent on further medical advances and that universal coverage for all needs should be implemented so that the present day uninsured can afford care rather than drain at a more costly rate the system.The key is to change from a system that economically encourages doctors to choose techniques that are not always the best for the patient factoring in cost and life quality to a system that reimburses doctors for quality service (not as hard as it first sounds).Read more

Subjects:  1. Consumer Health    2. Diet / Health / Fitness    3. Health Care Delivery    4. Health Care Issues    5. Medical Law & Legislation    6. Political Science    7. Politics/International Relations    8. Public Policy - Economic Policy    9. Economics | Health    10. Political Science / Economic Policy   

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. International - Economics    3. International economic relations    4. International finance    5. Political Science    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Public Policy - Economic Policy    8. International economics    9. Political Science / Globalization   

Reviews (25)

Engaging Style
This book shows people solving ecological problems as a community.Weisman engages the reader by showing the people involved, not only the ones with training in certain disciplines, but also natives with practical solutions for living in a Columbian village. Even the children got involved in problem solving in Gaviotos.
Not DIY
The vision described in the book is inspiring and very hopeful.The idea is to use our ingenuity in ways directly adapted to our environment so that small towns can be self-sufficient.Along the way, very clever uses of wind and water are discovered and described.If the reader is looking for great general ideas or approaches, this book would be hard to beat.On the other hand, if you are a garage-tinkerer and would delight in building the clever devices described, this book is close but no cigar.The drawings offered in the book purposely omit the most important details required to fabricate the devices in a proper working form.If you are a tinkerer and want to build these "goodies," you have three options.In the U.S., you can e-mail with the "Sustainable Village" web site and get the plans (eventually---they are not quick in responding).You can contact the Gaviotas offices in Bogota, Colombia.You can, of course, also take the basic idea and think through the details for yourself.That could take longer and be a little more expensive---perhaps. If you primarily want the ideas and the inspiration, then buy the book, by all means.If you primarily want to tinker and build, go straight for the plans.

interesting
In 1998, journalist Alan Weisman collected and presented information about a little known, yet quite monumental, village known as Gaviotas. To get there, one must travel 16 hours by car from the nearest major Columbian city, Bogot�. Even then the path there is not a smooth one; rough, muddy roads and severe political unrest serve as some major barriers in getting to Gaviotas. So why then is such an arduous trip worth it; in essence, Gaviotas is yet another tiny village located in a generally uninhabitable region and possesses none of the modern modes of transportation or communication that we are accustomed to. While in a sense these aspects may be true of Gaviotas, it is also undeniable that this community holds as one of the most efficient, supportive, and thoughtful communities on the planet.
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Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Colombia    3. Description and travel    4. Development - Economic Development    5. Environment    6. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    7. Environmental Science    8. Environmental Studies    9. Environmental conditions    10. Human Ecology    11. Nature    12. Nature/Ecology    13. Rural communities    14. The Environment