2 comments about China Rising: Peace, Power, and Order in East Asia.

1. A must have for anyone doing business in China or one just interested in the world economy.



2. China may be the United States' "strategic rival," but Kang prefers to examine East Asia's political forces from a non-realist point of view. In other words, Kang argues that the region's countries are accommodating - rather than balancing - China's economic, military, and political rise. This is a refreshing theoretical perspective in a time when realism appears to be the norm.
   
   My only complaint with Kang's book is that it's riddled with grammatical and spelling errors. This is simply unacceptable for an academic publication, and it makes me think that Kang was eager to have his book published as soon as possible.
   
   However, Kang's ideas are presented logically and are expressed well, making "China Rising" an enjoyable read for anyone who's interested in the political economy of East Asia.

3 comments about Global Passage: Transformation of Panama and the Panama Canal.

1. This book provides a really unique perspective on the past, present and future of Panama and the Panama Canal. Very well written. I highly recommend it.



2. A facinating view of a country and resource that will continue to play an increasingly important role in US and world trade.



3. The former canal chairman has written a book rich in interesting content as well as well-written and easy to read. With Christmas around the corner, we recommend this as a perfect gift for friends, family and business contacts interested in Panama and its canal. (this is part of a larger review I wrote for Latin Business Chronicle)

2 comments about Linguistic Imperialism (Oxford Applied Linguistics).

1. Phillipson's Linguistic Imperialism is an important book and I doubt that any serious discussion of English as a World Language should avoid a discussion of his work. Linguistic Imperialism raises the point (all too often disregarded) that English Language Teaching doesn't happen in thin air, that it is connected with politics and ecconomy.

   Phillipson argues that the center (that is the English speaking countries of the West) have used English to supress the people of the former colonies. This phenomenon he refers to as "linguistic imperialism". He deals with 5 tenets,or rather fallacies, which have been used for such imperialistic purposes; the most important of these fallacies are that English is best taught monolingually (without using other languages) and that it is best taught by a native speaker.

   While Phillipson raises many interesting points (the fallacies of ELT among them) his overall thesis has to be rejected on the following grounds (to name but a few):

   on its in-built power asymmetry, that is that the devloping countries are seen as being incapable of independent decisions.

   that fact that linguistic imperialism is not falsifiable: there is no scenario where Phillipson would admit that English DOES fulfill a useful role in a third world country.

   Phillipson's left-wing terminology and tone: imperialism itself is a left-wing term.

   a country's linguistic ecology is to complex to fit into Phillipson's neat "black and white" scenario.

   Phillipon's book can thus be only a start for a discussion on global English. For further reading I recommend Kachru's "The Alchemy of English", Crystals "English as an International Language" (critical reading necessary) and Pennycook's "The Cultural Politics of English as an International Language."




2. The good thing about this book is that it becomes clear that linguistic imperialism is really just a widespread (but not universal) shambles in English teaching. It also becomes clear that this shambles is the result of an unholy alliance between shabby EFL "professionals" and undeserving elites in certain countries where English is taught as a non-native language. It follows that effective reform of paranoid language policy in the relevant countries can deal with the problem of linguistic imperialism as defined.

   The author has no need for preposterous "linguistic theories" of the kind that crop up in Pennycook's work, for example. We don't have to worry about the possibility that colonialism has somehow attached itself to the English language, for example. Nothing in Phillipson's book rules out straightforward reform of language policy.

   Indeed, the strength of this book is the fact that it does not distract from the fact that the responsibility for reform lies with the policy-makers in the countries where these neo-colonialist relationships exist. Indeed, by pointing out the problem in unpretentious terms, the author is arguing that reform of language policy is the key to breaking the relationships which lie at the heart of the problem.

   This is far superior to Pennycook's work, which focuses on the responsibility of the western teacher (who is expected to shoulder the white man's burden by being self-critical, while ignoring the malpractice going on around him).

   Phillipson loses a star for not making it clear why theoretical linguists don't police the field better. We can guess that they have little to gain, and a lot to lose, by doing so, but this is left to the imagination.

No comments about Wealth into Power: The Communist Party's Embrace of China's Private Sector.

2 comments about Local Economic Development: Analysis and Practice.

1. Blair's Local Economic Development is an undergraduate level text on regional economics. In this regard, it automatically fills a need left by the now out-of-print An Introduction to Regional Economics by Edgar M. Hoover and Frank Giarratani. (Frank Giarratani tells me that no future editions are in the offing.) The title difference from the Hoover and Giarratani volume lends a more contemporary flavor to Local Economic Development. Indeed, it adds brief treatments of the following topics: housing and neighborhood development, local public finance, and planning perspectives.

   Having taught (and in all academic practicality weaned) from Hoover's book, I find Blair's approach to the same subject matter refreshing. In the first chapter, he starts with a sketch of general economic principles_assumptions behind the behavior of individuals and firms; efficiency versus equity; market forces; and some causes of market inefficiencies_and moves quickly through a discussion of the notion of "region." The second chapter briefly edifies some critical economic principles in regional analysis: unemployment and low wages, externalities, and public choice. All of this is achieved in a mere 40 pages. I find such brief introductions necessary for undergraduate urban and regional studies courses, and wish that such a handy text would have been available when I first prepared my lectures. After this theoretical but pragmatic introductory material, Blair immediately hits core material to local political economics_business development. Here he draws as much from his own research experience in "industry targeting" as from the vast literature on industry location. Names like Weber and Hotelling fail to appear here but their main ideas do, however briefly. Most of the chapter is appropriately devoted to explaining such notions as "quality of life," "political climate," "business climate," and other factors thought to influence business location decisions, as well as to explaining the nature of the business location decision process itself. Chapter 4 deals with market areas and central place theory. As he does throughout much of the book, Blair discusses this material with the ultimate goal of providing a means of affecting local economic development through public policy. Hence, he focuses the chapter toward strategies for expanding a center's hinterland. In Chapters 3 and 4, Blair covers (perhaps indirectly) material on inter- and intraregional competition; in Chapter 5 "Understanding Economic Structure," he switches to a discussion of intraregional cohesive forces_agglomeration economies_and their measurement. As in previous chapters Blair does a good job on the main principles first developed by the likes of Walter Isard and as well as Edgar M. Hoover. In this case, however, I found at least one chink in the book's armor-the subject of Marshallian industrial districts (industrial complexes) are not well handled. Why did Detroit develop as a center for the world's auto industry? Why is it dispersing southward toward Birmingham, Alabama? Why are financial districts still relatively strong in major national urban centers? In summary, Blair fails to discuss the dynamics of agglomeration, specifically localization economies. He does not answer or bring up the subject of why some industries still bent on localizing while other are dispersing in an age with declining transactions and shipping costs.

   In Chapters 6 and 7, Blair takes on the topics of regional development and its measurement. In these chapters he touches on export base theory, shift-share analysis, econometric modeling, and regional input-output analysis. He also discusses region importance-strength analysis, a critical component of industry targeting. Here I found that he may have missed a perfect opportunity to provide some structure via Saaty's analytical hierarchy to a method void of academic rigor. The analytical hierarchy approach is also a good lead into sensitivity analysis for students. Sensitivity of business location decisions to changes in the importance of regional characteristics would be an ideal and pragmatic application of this tool.

   After returning to terse theoretical economic treatments of welfare economics and factor mobility, Local Economic Development turns to topics of land use, housing, and neighborhood development in Chapters 10 and 11. The section on housing is one of the best in the book, evenly covering all of the basic requirements in a mere 25 pages. The organization and content of the section on land use is less well developed. For a book that is oriented to practitioners, Blair gets bogged down in defining economic theories of land rent. Consequently, sharp transitions are required to and from the section entitled "The Land Development Process," most of which deals with project feasibility. In addition both the transition to and the discussion of government's potential role in development planning are left wanting.

   The chapter on government is almost strictly a lesson on public taxation and the allocation of public goods, and less on ways in which government can induce local economic development. For this reason Chapter 12 was the most disappointing of the lot, despite its quality discussion of the more theoretical aspects of government finance. The most pragmatic piece in the chapter was a discussion of cost/benefit analyses.

   Despite my comments on the particular contents of some chapters, I found that Local Economic Development well fills a need for a combined treatment of regional economic and planning issues at the undergraduate level. Its greater depth on topics in economics-its main strength-lends it more for use in survey courses in regional economics. The book's weakest component is its coverage of government policy and planning tools. Planners will find the book particularly wanting at times, although unlike economists they are more likely to be aware of readings that fill its main gaps.




2. Blair's "Local Economic Development: Analysis and Practice" is clearly written and gives good, practical examples. The graphs are carefully explained, and even an economics beginner can understand this book. It is also well edited and professional.

5 comments about For the Common Good: Redirecting the Economy toward Community, the Environment, and a Sustainable Future.

1. Because of the large number of issues and sometimes conflicting solutions proposed, this is a difficult book to classify. Key, however, is the authors' profound refusal to subordinate the common good of the community to the god of the free market. This does not mean the elimination of markets where they have proven effective and non-destructive. It does mean keeping their operation within strict limits, so that people can regain a sense of community and a sustainable environment. Much of the book is taken up with showing the limits of market theory and practice, and in that sense should be studied by all with an interest in America's secular religion. Proposed solutions are decidedly non-ideological and largely eclectic. Both the left and the right should find points of agreement. All in all, this is an invaluable guide to many of the planet's most pressing problems and should be required reading for college undergraduates.



2. The opening criticisms of how economics is taught in today's university structure along with the inappropriate credence given this largely theoretical topic's conclusions are well-presented and well-received. Similarly, the general theme of the recommendations is presented very nicely. Basically, we must focus on more local goods, more self-sufficiency in communities. The authors take the time and care to address such technicalities as what exactly they mean by communities. In general their care is a strength of the book, though perhaps more of the details could have been put in appendices or footnotes rather than disturbing the flow of the text. My main complaint is that no EXAMPLES are given--real-life attempts, either successful or failed, at some of their recommendations. Without examples, all their suggestions seem unsubstantiated. A lengthy but decent read, with a nice underlying philosophy.



3. Edit of 21 Dec 07 to add links
   
   Dr. Herman E. Daly may well be a future Nobel Prize winner ...he is especially well-regarded in Norway and Sweden, where he has received prizes one step short of the Nobel. He is the author, co-author, or primary contributing editor of many books that fully integrate the disciplines of economics and ecology. I bought the three most recent for the purpose of selecting one to give out at my annual Global Information Forum. I ended up choosing this book to give away to hundreds, in part because it is available in paperback and is not a more expensive "trade" publication; and in part because it is strong in laying out specific ecological policy areas in the context of a strong theological or ethical perspective.
   
   Of the three books I reviewed, (the newest Ecological Economics: Principles And Applications, the oldest, updated, Valuing the Earth: Economics, Ecology, Ethics) the first, the text-book, is assuredly the most up-to-date and the most detailed. If you are buying only one book for yourself, that is the one that I recommend, because these are important issues and a detailed understanding is required with the level of detail that this book provided. It should, ideally, be read with "Valuing the Earth" first (see my separate review of that book, from the 1970's updated with 1990's material and new contributions), then this book ("For the Common Good"), and finally the text book as a capstone. But if you buy only one, buy the text book.
   
   This is a second-edition work, updated from the 1984 first edition. I like it very much in part because it comes across as less academic and more common-sense in nature. Part One does a lovely job of tearing apart the fallacy of misplaced concreteness with respect to economics, the market, measuring economic success, the reduction of the human to a "good" that can be traded without regard to humanity and ethics and community, and land. Part Two gently introduces the reader to the many distinguished thought-leaders and practitioners who have gradually matured the discipline of economics to embrace humanity, community, and sustainability as non-negotiable realities that cannot be ignored.
   
   Part Three, a major factor in my choosing this book over the others for broad pro-bono distribution, addresses the specifics of policies one element at a time: free trade versus community; population; land use; agriculture; industry; labor; income policies and taxes; from world domination to national security as an objective. Finally, Part Four, without being corny or preachy, describes the religious or ethical vision (I still think the Golden Rule works as a one-sentence definition of common interest).
   
   An afterword on debt in relation to money and wealth is particularly timely as the American public foolishly allows the White House carpetbaggers to run up a $7 trillion deficit that our great-grandchilden will never be able to pay off if we continue is these evil and irresponsible directions, all in sharp opposition to the sensible and ethical constructs in this book.
   
   Of the three books, none of which really duplicate one another in any negative way, albeit with overlaps, this is the second that I recommend for purchase, after the textbook.
   
   See also, with reviews, published since then:
   The Battle for the Soul of Capitalism: How the Financial System Underminded Social Ideals, Damaged Trust in the Markets, Robbed Investors of Trillions - and What to Do About It
   Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution
   Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage
   Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things



4. I have been a fan of Professor Daly's for some time. This book has some excellent analysis and some truly great commentary. The writing is a bit dry; if you're new to Professor Daly's work, you might want to try one of his other books first, like "Beyond Growth." "For the Common Good" does have some wonderfully thought-provoking lines. Just to give you a taste: "Economics cannot do without simplifying assumptions, but the trick is to use the right assumptions at the right time." Or, with regards to relying on technological fixes for environmental problems: "It is one thing to say that knowledge will grow (no one rejects that), but it is something else to presuppose that the content of new knowledge will abolish old limits faster than it discovers new ones." Another on the same subject: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it; if you must tinker, save all the pieces; and if you don't know where you're going, slow down." On population control: "Nature's way is not always best, but in this instance it seems more responsible than our current practice of allowing new human beings to be unintended by-products of the sexual fumblings of teenagers whose natural urges have been stimulated by drugs, alcohol, TV, and ill-constructed welfare incentives." Daly's Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare deserves to be far better known than it is. The analysis of misplaced concreteness, especially as it relates to the nature of debt, is very good.
   The authors sometimes come across as a little naive in this book. For example, they propose making the government the employer of last resort. I think they do not realize just how hard it is to make such programs work; they inevitably decline into a morass of dependency and corruption. The Washington DC municipal government has taken precisely this approach in the past few decades, with predictable results.
   I think the authors would also do well to do some research on the failures of utopian communities; since I was raised a Mormon, I know a lot about some of these. The chapter on religion strikes me as a bit silly. They want to bring God into the building of a more humane society; this is not necessarily bad, but I tend to think that science will take us farther than God will. In my opinion, Christianity's idea that the Second Coming of Christ is not far off is a very serious barrier to giving humanity's long-term future the attention it deserves. Talking about ethics, the authors say "But to believe that God does exist makes the ethical life more authentic." Well, that's only true if God really does exist, which I doubt.
   Overall, the book has some excellent points to make. If you're interested in economics and public policy, don't miss it.



5. This is a seminal work in the field of Ecological Economics, a real primer.
   
   Neatly organized in parallel chapters dealing, one point-of-view at a time, with some of the main consequences from the fallacy of misplaced concreteness.
   
   I just have restrictions to his views at the chapter on Population, where he advocates for abortion and euthanasia. See, on the former I'd rather advocate sending unwanted children for adoption. As for the latter, ortothanasia (no desperate measures) is ethically right, but euthanasia is quite selfish stuff, not to be advocated for by people bent on reconstructing community. That is why I didn't grade it as 5-star.
   
   Except for that, just another fine book by one of the finest thinkers in our time.

No comments about The Economists' Voice: Top Economists Take On Today's Problems.

No comments about Development Redefined: How the Market Met Its Match (International Studies Intensives) (International Studies Intensives).

5 comments about The Mystery of Economic Growth.

1. What factors influence and drive economic growth? Numerous titles have studied the sources of economic growth, but mysteries remain, especially for novice readers without a solid background in economics. Enter The Mystery Of Economic Growth, presenting a fine survey of what is known and unknown in economics, and how to improve an understanding of global economic influences. Here the story of growth economics is organized around themes of technological and institutional influencers, total productivity, and interdependent growth rates of different countries.



2. I was expecting - hoping - for something a little different. Helpman runs through the Solow growth model and does little else. I ended up putting it down. Nothing about competing theories, why economic growth models work some places and not in others, or anything beyond the mainstream model. If that's what you're looking for, that's great, but otherwise, take a look at The Elusive Quest for Growth by Bill Easterly, or The Mystery of Capital, by Hernando de Soto. Those offer a departure from the norm of development theory.



3. Helpman here offers a survey of many important aspects of economic growth theory. He gives some general background and then deals with accumulation, productivity, innovation, interdependence between countries, inequality, and institutions. Be warned, however, that although he claims that his book "provides a nontechnical description of growth economics," the word "nontechnical" here simply means non-mathematical. Much of the book is peppered with economics jargon, and although the glossary at the back is helpful, a reader without some advanced undergraduate or basic graduate background in macroeconomics will struggle.
   
   Some chapters are definitely more approachable than others, and you generally don't need to have read an earlier chapter to understand a later one. The chapters on inequality and on institutions, for example, could be understood by most readers, whereas the chapter on innovation is much more challenging.
   
   Having some advanced training in economics, I found the book a helpful refresher course on the latest research in many areas of growth economics. A better book for someone interested in a truly nontechnical (but definitely not dumbed-down) exploration of how growth theory has been applied to economic development policy is Easterly's The Elusive Quest for Growth. A non-technical (and slim) volume focusing on the empirical aspects of growth research is Barro's Determinants of Economic Growth.



4. Helpman, his name notwithstanding, doesn't help much in understanding "the mystery". Maybe the title is far too ambitious, maybe it's because of his often convoluted writing, maybe because the most important recent evolutions in growth theory seem not to have been thoroughly digested by the author, maybe because there's little about the politics of economic growth. In fact, the part on governance and institutions in particular is less than clear. The first chapters are better, though: clear and comprehensive. But that is not enough to make of this book a classic.



5. It is simply a summation of my international economics class from five years ago. Factors of production effect growth. We don't know what inequality does. It has been found that countries with good institutions have higher growth.
   
   If you were expecting a book like Sen's or Sach's (or even de Soto) meant for the lay person to unerstand: you got the wrong book. If you can keep up with all of the references and know some of the unexplained uses of accepted models, then you probably don't need to read it. Meanwhile if you haven't taken at least six semesters of economics, this book might as well be in Sanskrit. It's kinda like the movie Catch-22 (if you haven't read the book, don't bother; and if you have read the book, you don't need the movie).
   
   The references to the literature are at times machine gun paced. I cannot imagine who is the target audience for this. It too simple and unrevolutionary for the economist and too esoteric for the layman. Just a waste of paper resources!

5 comments about PowerNomics : The National Plan to Empower Black America.

1. I have been a self-proclaimed conscious person for 5 years now.
   I began with reading black history studying ancient african civilizations and traditions. When I found out about Ancient Kemit and Kush and the African connection to the Hebrews I honestly believed that the major problem we had in this country was lack of self-knowledge. Even though I still beleive that to be a major issue, I know now that the force that keeps us down is ignorance of a different type. It is the ignorance of how a Democratic Capitalist system truly works that keeps us at the bottom. It was and is the ignorance of our past and present leaders who push and promote intergration when it's obvious it has failed us. And finally it is each and every black individuals ignorance when he moves out of a black community when they become middle class, diluting our voting and economic base. But now i have no excuses I now know what is going on around me. If you want to know buy this book.



2. A continuation of Black labor White wealth, this account is a program of action for those interested with the implimentaion of the economic model based on Powernomics and the fascinating industries available for exploitation within certain communities. Additionally this addition has updated stats and excellent examples of programs designed to help control-preserve community economic development and culture as well as history...to protect communities from outsiders with their own interests thru ethno-aggregation and consolidation urban communities can learn to impliment basic protective procedures. Fascinating far reaching analysis, that should be of interest for those areas facing population displacement thru gentrification. If developed properly this Powerenomics plan can serve areas well into the next century and beyond.



3. Mr. Andersons' book provides a thorough examination, diagnosis, and best possible cure for what ails black america. Not poor whites, hispanics, arabs, jews, gays, or white women. You owe it to you and your family to at least check out the facts of this examination and then decide.
   
   White america has always put their modus operandi in our face; this is our society, these are our rules, do the best you can with what we decide to give you; don't bother me while I make my money. If you do, the police will handle you.
   
   Here is Black americas' call to focus on what should have been the legacy of civil rights - economic empowerment.



4. Before I read this book, I had not one clue how bad we as African Americans had it. This book truly opened my eyes. The statistics that were presented would make Dr. King literally cry. We have gotten so far behind other nationalities that it is literally pathetic. Claud Anderson's vision if implemented can really change the course that us as Blacks are on. This book should be in every Black American's household.



5. PowerNomics should be required reading for every African American book club, community organization, church, and family. The book embodies tenents set forth from Marcus Garvey to Elijah Muhammed to DuBois and Washington. If you believe that "God helps those who help themselves," PowerNomics is an action plan to achieve self-sufficiency.