"Crossing Boundaries is not only characteristic of the physical moves I have undertaken (or had to undertake) in the course of my life: it is also distinctive of the interdisciplinary travels I have engaged in ever since I started to write." —Albert O. Hirschman, from Crossing Boundaries
The collapse of communism in Europe was one of the most important world events since the end of World War II. Although China has taken major steps in the direction of capitalism, in Eastern Europe, China, and Central Asia the transformation has been only partly accomplished; in Cuba and North Korea it has not even begun. In Eastern Europe and Russia, economic reforms were accompanied by huge falls in output, followed by some recovery in Eastern Europe, especially in Poland. By contrast, in China output has grown steadily at a rate never seen in Europe.
The unification of Germany is one of the most wrenching and dramatic transitions in economic history. A policy issue of worldwide interest, it holds key lessons for the remaining post-socialist economies. In Jumpstart two well-known German economists synthesize a vast body of literature to present the first well-structured, clearly argued analytical account of the reunification process and the policy alternatives. The Sinns' authoritative and primarily nontechnical account will Interest nonspecialists who want to keep up with economic events.
This anatomy of financial crises shows that the worldwide debt crisis of the 1980s was not unprecedented and was even forecast by many. Eichengreen and Lindert bring together original studies that assess the historical record to see what lessons can be learned for resolving today's crisis.
Do events of the 1930s carry a message for today? Lessons from the Great Depression provides an integrated view of the depression, covering the experience in Britain, France, Germany, and the United States. It describes the causes of the depression, why it was so widespread and prolonged, and what brought about eventual recovery.
Productivity and American Leadership examines and analyzes the long-run productivity performance of the United States, comparing it with that of the other industrialized nations. It shows that the U.S. record, both recent and over longer periods, is far better than is widely believed.
The juxtaposition of Kennedy and Reagan approaches to economic problems is particularly instructive in that they express the two major - and quite different - approaches of macroeconomic policy in the past three decades: the 1962 Kennedy Camelot which relied on traditional Keynesian economics, and the 1982 Reagan program which called for a supplyside solution to the country's economic difficulties. From today's vantage point it is useful to compare what these two different groups of economic advisors planned to do, what they did, and what the results were.
In this engrossing biography, Dorothy Stein strips away the many layers of myth surrounding Ada Lovelace's reputation as the inventor of the science of computer programming to reveal a story far more dramatic and fascinating than previous accounts have indicated. Working with original sources, Stein clears up a number of puzzles and misinterpretations of Ada's life and activities.
The Invisible Link takes a close look at the influential trading houses like Misubishi, Misui, and C. Ito which are known as sogo shosha. These uniquely Japanese institutions play a key role in the economy. Numbering nine in all, sogo shosha control about half of Japanese imports and exports, coordinating a vast array of business functions that range from the procurement of raw materials, to the fabrication of manufactured goods, and the sale of finished products both in Japan and abroad.
