Book Description
This book examines the problems and issues facing formerly communist states as they seek to develop a new democratic political order and a market economy. Studies of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia provide detailed empirical data concerning constitution making, the shaping of democratic institutions, marketization of the economy, and social policy. This new research is then linked to innovative theoretical material to offer a unique assessment of the difficulties of creating a new political order in the region.
Book Description
With the end of the Cold War, the International Monetary Fund emerged as the most powerful international institution in history. But how much influence can the IMF exert over fiercely contested issues in domestic politics that affect the lives of millions? In Lending Credibility, Randall Stone develops the first systematic approach to answering this question. Deploying an arsenal of methods from a range of social sciences rarely combined, he mounts a forceful challenge to conventional wisdom. Focusing on the former Soviet bloc, Stone finds that the IMF is neither as powerful as some critics fear, nor as weak as others believe, but that the answer hinges on the complex factor of how much credibility it can muster from country to country.
Stone begins by building a formal, game-theoretic model of lending credibility, which he then subjects to sophisticated quantitative testing on original data from twenty-six countries over the 1990s. Next come detailed, interview-based case studies on negotiations between the IMF and Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and Bulgaria. Stone asserts that the IMF has exerted startling influence over economic policy in smaller countries, such as Poland and Bulgaria. However, where U.S. foreign policy interests come more heavily into play, as in Russia, the IMF cannot credibly commit to enforcing the loans-for-policy contract. This erodes its ability to facilitate enduring market reforms. Stone's context is the postcommunist transition in Europe and Asia, but his findings carry implications for IMF activities the world over.
Customer Reviews:
Book Prize Winner.......2004-11-20
Lending Credibility is the winner of the 2003 Ed A. Hewett book prize awarded annually by the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies for the most outstanding publication on the political economy of the former Soviet Union, East Central Europe, and/or their successor states.
The book prize committee wrote the following citation about this volume:
One of the central debates of the transition from socialism over the past decade has been the role of the International Monetary Fund. It is vilified by some as the satanic agent of globalization, and ignored by others who treated democratization as a self-contained process divorced from the messy processes under way in the region's economies.
These debates about the role of the IMF have generated a lot of heat, but not that much light. Just how much influence did the IMF really have over the economies in transition? And was that influence a help or a hindrance the process of economic transition?
Randall Stone's book, Lending Credibility, is the first systematic effort to address these questions. It is a major achievement, the result of both careful reflection on how to conceptualize and investigate the problem, and a prodigious amount of effort gathering data.
A political scientist, Stone addresses one of the standard problems in that discipline: what influence can an international organization (in this case, IMF) have on the domestic policies of member countries (in this case, transition economies). To solve this problem, he deploys a variety of analytical tools. He uses a game-theoretic model of interaction between the IMF, borrower countries, and private investors to derive their equilibrium strategies. The predictions of the model are then tested statistically using a set of monthly data for the 1990s for 26 post-Communist countries, including over 20 variables. In an unprecedented feat of thoroughness, the author complements statistical testing with detailed interviews with dozens of former officials to reconstruct the decision-making process in four of the countries under study and test his theoretical results.
Stone develops the notion of credibility as the key factor linking IMF leverage to domestic decision making. He comes to a balanced conclusion, neither demonizing nor whitewashing the IMF, but arguing that the IMF can play a pivotal and positive role by using its lending to signal support and encouragement for the adoption of effective policies by national leaders.
An astonishing read.......2003-11-29
Quite the read: fluid, sober, well written and systematic in its approach. Pioneering the approach to this question, Randall Stone utilizes many different tools to present his argument and send his message. Not only is it sound in its argument, but also an enjoyable read. Anyone interested in real research about the impact of the IMF should consult this book.
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Post-Communist Democratization: Political Discourses Across Thirteen Countries (Theories of Institutional Design)
John S. Dryzek , and
Leslie Templeman Holmes
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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ASIN: 0521001382 |
Book Description
The study of the democratic transitions of former Communist states has been fertile ground for students of politics. This book provides a novel "ground up" perspective by examining the ways in which ordinary people have viewed and responded to democracy. Examining a number of countries at different stages of transition, they argue that democracy has been understood differently in different places and with varying levels of approval. The authors define their research within the context of each country's history and relate their analysis to future prospects for reform.
Download Description
The study of the democratic transitions of former Communist states has been fertile ground for students of politics. This book provides a novel "ground up" perspective by examining the ways in which ordinary people have viewed and responded to democracy. Examining a number of countries at different stages of transition, they argue that democracy has been understood differently in different places and with varying levels of approval. The authors define their research within the context of each country's history and relate their analysis to future prospects for reform.
Book Description
Including essays by several leading contemporary specialists, this volume addresses the extent to which postcommunist societies have successfully institutionalized democratic politics and capitalist market economies over a decade after the collapse of the Soviet bloc. As the first volume to apply a systematic "comparative historical" approach to the subject matter, it reveals the precise social, cultural, and geographical constraints and opportunities facing postcommunist reformers.
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Constructing Capitalism: The Reemergence of Civil Society and Liberal Economy in the Post-Communist World
Manufacturer: Westview Pr (Short Disc)
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0813314828 |
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Albania Today: A Portrait of Post-Communist Turbulence
Clarissa de Waal
Manufacturer: I. B. Tauris
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1850438595
Release Date: 2005-08-25 |
Book Description
This new book examines Albania's transition from Communism via the experiences of a diverse range of families, highland villagers, urban elite, shanty dwellers--Clarissa de Wall has followed the lives of Albanians there since 1992. As such, this is a history--of economic, social and political change--told from the perspective of the participants. We see how far the archaic world of customary law continues to pervade highland life, from dispute settlement to arranged marriages. At the same time, the author shows us members of the ex-communist elite in Tirana embracing rentier capitalism, while squatters on state farmland live under constant threat of eviction. Albania, the author suggests, is a country wracked by contradictions: in flight from its Communists past and yet still beholden to its rural traditions; keen to embrace free markets but without foregoing the security of central planning. I.B.Tauris in association with the Centre for Albanian Studies
Book Description
The dramatic collapse of state socialism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union and the emergence of new political, social and economic structures has had a profound impact on every aspect of these societies. This volume - the first significant analysis of its kind - brings together leading European and American commentators who examine the impact of this social revolution of cities and urban life. And because cities and the process of urbanization play central roles in shaping the wider processes of change now occurring, this book will be essential reading for all those who claim more than a passing interest in the transition from state socialism to capitalism and the far-reaching implications of this process.At the heart of this book lie several crucial questions: What were socialist cities and what is succeeding them? What is the legacy of the old system for the new one? What are the dynamics of this transition? Are these remade cities similar in most respects to those in the advanced capitalist world? Or are they more like the peripheral capitalist cities of the Third World, or some hybrid or new form? How diverse are the processes of transition in the different national urban systems? Is urbanization best understood as a functional consequence of advanced industrial societies, rather than of capitalism or socialism? What role are the doctrines of neo-liberalism, imported from the West, playing in the remaking of urban societies and policies and what are the consequences of this policy recipe? These are some of the fascinating and pressing questions addressed in Cities after Socialism.Focusing on the nature of state socialist urban development and regional development and exploring key aspects of cities after socialism - the privatisation of land and housing, the role of urban social movements and of ethnicity and nationalism in the new urban politics and the changes which are occurring in socio-economic and physical structures - this book is a vivid guide to the realities of transition.Contributors: Gregory Andrusz, Michael Harloe, Ivan Szelenyi, David Smith, Georgy Enyedi, Peter Marcuse, Raymond Struyk, Hartmut Haussermann, Chris Pickvance and Klaus von Beyme.
Book Description
We Wait for You chronicles the lives of average citizens in Post-Ceausescu Romania. Annabelle Townson, an American Peace Corps volunteer in Romania from 2001-2003, offers a fascinating personal account of the aftermath of the fall of Communism.
Customer Reviews:
Sensitive account of a few ordinary Romanians.......2007-10-08
This book was a refreshing change from the many books I've read about Romania. Typically, books are written about the powerful people ... politicians; military leaders; or great poets, novelists, musicians, or artists. This book expressed the hopes, wishes, and dreams of the average Romanian. Although the sampling of people was few, their stories - at least in a general sense - represent what the real people felt.
My heart went out to those who had seen many of their dreams shattered by the corruption of the powerful people ... having to always lay their hopes on somewhere "outside" and just waiting for their opportunity to escape to another country where life was more humane.
After reading this book, I was ready to sign up with the Peace Corps with an assignment in Romania. And I still might do just that. And I just might buy this book as a gift for some of my family and friends.
Reaching Out to Today's Romanians.......2005-12-31
I found Annabelle Townson's reminiscences of her service in the Peace Corps in Romania a delightful, touching read. Giving of herself in her senior years is admirable, and her spirit of adventure enviable. The book title, however, foretells her real story; it's not so much about her as about today's Romanians, how they endured the brutality of a cruel dictatorship, and how this marked their lives to this day, the good, the bad and the ugly. What mostly came through for me is how much these almost forgotten people on the fringe of the western world want to be understood, have other people, especially Americans, show an interest in them, and at least acknowledge their existence. Annabelle Townson obviously reached out to them, formed close friendships, listened to (and heard) what they had to say, and clearly touched their hearts, traits not often extended by Americans abroad. Good for her and for the Peace Corps for having had the good sense to send her there.
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Post-Communist Romania: Coming to Terms with Transition
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0333791878 |
Book Description
This up-to-date collection analyzes Romania's experiences of the transition form the harsh realities of the Ceausescu dictatorship to the uncertainties of the efforts to consolidate democracy and introduce a market economy. This volume focuses on Romania's progress in coming to terms with the legacy of its communist past, the realities of pluralism, the introduction of a market economy, and the challenge of European integration.
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Women in the Face of Change: The Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and China
Manufacturer: Routledge
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ASIN: 0415075416 |
Book Description
The years 1989 and 1990 will probably be best remembered for the speed and breadth of political and economic change which swept through the former Communist Bloc. With the disintegration of this bloc, Western advice has focused on how to "democratize" economy and policy in these societies.
Women in the Face of Change is one of the first efforts to examine the implications of this change for the millions of women who have toiled for decades alongside men in the factories and fields while managing the needs of the home.
This collection, which draws from women in both Eastern and Western Europe, and China, poses many questions about the impact of change. It contributes to the debate that seeks to combat inertia and ethnocentrism within western feminism and also to the separate and critical "women's voice" which is re-emerging in the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and China.
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Contextual Marketing: The Real Business of the Internet
David Kenny , and
John F. Marshall
Manufacturer: Harvard Business Review
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Binding: Digital
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ASIN: B00005RZAN
Release Date: 2007-09-22 |
Book Description
The painful truth is that the Internet has been a letdown for most companies--largely because the dominant model for Internet commerce, the destination Web site, doesn't suit the needs of those companies or their customers. Most consumer product companies don't provide enough value or dynamic information to induce customers to make the repeat visits--and disclose the detailed information--that make such sites profitable. Instead of trying to create destinations that people will come to, companies need to use the power and reach of the Internet to deliver tailored messages and information to customers. Companies have to become what the authors call "contextual marketers." Delivering the most relevant information possible to consumers in the most timely manner possible will become feasible, the authors say, as access moves beyond the PC to shopping malls, retail stores, airports, bus stations, and even cars. The authors describe how the ubiquitous Internet will hasten the demise of the destination Web site--and open up scads of opportunities to reach customers through marketing "mobilemediaries," such as smart cards, e-wallets, and bar code scanners.
Download Description
The painful truth is that the Internet has been a letdown for most companies--largely because the dominant model for Internet commerce, the destination Web site, doesn't suit the needs of those companies or their customers. Most consumer product companies don't provide enough value or dynamic information to induce customers to make the repeat visits--and disclose the detailed information--that make such sites profitable. Instead of trying to create destinations that people will come to, companies need to use the power and reach of the Internet to deliver tailored messages and information to customers. Companies have to become what the authors call "contextual marketers." Delivering the most relevant information possible to consumers in the most timely manner possible will become feasible, the authors say, as access moves beyond the PC to shopping malls, retail stores, airports, bus stations, and even cars. The authors describe how the ubiquitous Internet will hasten the demise of the destination Web site--and open up scads of opportunities to reach customers through marketing "mobilemediaries," such as smart cards, e-wallets, and bar code scanners.
Book Description
Revolutionary and life changing, the "voluntary simplicity" movement is about achieving financial freedom and living well for less. Now Getting a Life shows how real people have left the rat race for a more meaningful--and financially manageable--life that reflects their own true values and individual goals. Written by a couple who used the nine steps in the bestselling Your Money or Your Life to transform their own relationship with money, Getting a Life offers proven, practical ideas on how to use each step of the program. With honesty and humor, the authors and more than two dozen families and individuals share their personal experiences on such issues as paying for health care, raising children in a materialistic world, and breaking the link between what you do for a living and who you are. Getting a Life shows you how to adopt voluntary simplicity in your own life and what to expect once you do.
Customer Reviews:
The Devil is in the Details.......2005-03-23
In Your Money or Your Life, Dominguez and Robin lay out an easy-to-undestand system that will result in financial security. The challenge is in implementation. It's the little things that tend to derail even the most well-intentioned plans.
The value of this book is that it is a great implementation tool. If you haven't read YMOYL, you'll be scratching your head at many of the the things that Heitmiller and Blix assume you already know. The authors do tend to spend a lot of time on "the way we were" but I suspect it's because their epiphany has so dramatically altered their lives. Don't dwell on it. This is a book about living better, not class struggle.
The bottom line is that if you're going to commmit to the 9 step program Dominguez and Robin outline in YMOYL, you're going to need help. This book is the best source of help I've found and I recommend it (as others have) because the real life stories of others who have taken the journey you've embarked on serve as a source of motivation and how to advice that simply isn't available elsewhere.
Good price but not very useful.......2003-02-09
We read Duane Elgins excellent book Voluntary Simplicity decades ago, and would simply caution that this book Getting A :Life will probably appeal to those who have lots of money and really do not have to worry about making ends meet. For those who are on some type of a fixed income. or those with middle class incomes in a precarious economy it doesn't have much useful information. And I agree with those reviews that note the "yuppy" element.
We run a small simple living group in the Sierras, that is like the ones we ran in Alameda and San Joaquin counties here in California. So we are not new to the live simply and get out of debt ideas. And I note that there is a big difference between spoiled brats needing to learn what is really important in life and those who know what is important in life and want to know even more about how to simplify their lives.
The Intenet be it google searches or Yahoo groups has a whole lot more free information that is useful than this book. Amazon[.com]offers a whole lot more books on the subject that I would recommend.
Not even close to YMOYL.......2001-11-30
Should be subtitled, "How Two Seattle Yuppies Retired Early on 3.5K a Month". This book contains some helpful info, but I was hoping to see someone with a negative net worth pay off their debts and become FI. What I got was the story of a couple of yuppies saying, "Whoa, were worth a bundle and if we refuse to pay for our kids' college we can retire early". Not too impressive to me. I would not read this book if I were looking for material on voluntary simplicity. Why does Vicki Robin endorse this book?
Not as good as Your Money or Your Life, but still good.......2001-11-01
After reading Your Money or Your Life by the late Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin, Getting a Life: Strategies for Simple Living Based on the Revolutionary Program for Financial Freedom Your Money or Your Life seemed to be a natural progression.
This book *does* offer some very helpful examples of individuals who used the advice in Your Money or Your Life. However, after reading the original book, I was somewhat disappointed by these authors' inconsistent choices in areas of voluntary simplicity. For example, they talk about how they cut their food bill down to just ($) a month for two people, and I know many couples who are into voluntary simplicity who can easily spend much less than that in a month. They also mention that they kept Call Waiting because they only have one phone line, which made me think, What did people do in the past with only one phone line when people were trying to call them? It just seemed inconsistent with some of the other advice they give in the book. Another annoyance was their example of a family who decided to go without health insurance, and just put money away in savings every month in the event of health expenses down the road. This would seem to me false economy. What would happen to this family if after saving a few thousand dollars they were hit with a serious accident or illness? Such an event could easily wipe out all of their savings.
In spite of the inconsistencies, this book does offer some good advice as well as list plenty of helpful resources for anyone interested in voluntary simplicity. The epilogue does a follow-up of the individuals listed throughout the book and tells you where they're at now in their lives. The epilogue is followed by a section of resources listing foundations, books, newsletters, organizations and other helpful resources for those interested in voluntary simplicity and financial independence.
Very satisfying........2000-10-12
I recommend that you read 'Your Money or Your Life' (YMOYL) before you read this book. I waited about 2 or 3 months to give YMOYL time to really sink in before I read this. When I started reading, I found myself trying to read very slowly so that I could absorb everything. It is very inspiring and englightening to read about other people's experiences following the YMOYL philosophy and the ways that they have integrated this into their lives.
I think your experience with this book will closely follow YMOYL. If you liked YMOYL, then you should find this book inspiring and very interesting. If you didn't, then you won't. If you want more detail on how YMOYL has affected people's lives, then you will enjoy...
Books:
- International Economic Indicators and Central Banks (Wiley Finance)
- International Tax Agreements, Supplement No. 39. Sales No E.83.Xvi.2
- Inventing Retirement: The Development of Occupational Pensions in Britain
- Investing in Japan: an introduction to Japanese real estate business and practices
- Japan's Emergence as a Modern State: Political and Economic Problems of the Meiji Period
- Lenin's Legacy: A Concise History and Guide to Soviet Collectibles
- Making Your Move to One of America's Best Small Towns: How to Find a Great Little Place as Your Next Home Base
- Market Liberalism: American Foreign Policy Toward China
- New Development Strategies: Beyond the Washington Consensus
- One South or Many?: Plantation Belt and Upcountry in Civil War-Era Tennessee
Books Index
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