Construction Reports 1944-98

Customer Reviews:

Just what I needed.......2006-03-14

Prof. Langford's book provided exactly what I needed -- a review of all the British Government reports on the state of the UK construction industry since WW2. It would have been nearly impossible to obtain copies of all those reports from this side of the pond, not to mention how long it would have taken to extract the gist of each.

Book Description

How should governments and central banks use monetary policy to create a healthy economy? Traditionally, policymakers have used such strategies as controlling the growth of the money supply or pegging the exchange rate to a stable currency. In recent years a promising new approach has emerged: publicly announcing and pursuing specific targets for the rate of inflation. This book is the first in-depth study of inflation targeting. Combining penetrating theoretical analysis with detailed empirical studies of countries where inflation targeting has been adopted, the authors show that the strategy has clear advantages over traditional policies. They argue that the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank should adopt this strategy, and they make specific proposals for doing so.

The book begins by explaining the unique features and advantages of inflation targeting. The authors argue that the simplicity and openness of inflation targeting make it far easier for the public to understand the intent and effects of monetary policy. This strategy also increases policymakers' accountability for inflation performance and can accommodate flexible, even "discretionary," monetary policy actions without sacrificing central banks' credibility. The authors examine how well variants of this approach have worked in nine countries: Germany and Switzerland (which employ a money-focused form of inflation targeting), New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Israel, Spain, and Australia. They show that these countries have typically seen lower inflation, lower inflation expectations, and lower nominal interest rates, and have found that one-time shocks to the price level have less of a "pass-through" effect on inflation. These effects, in turn, are improving the climate for economic growth. The authors warn, however, that the success of inflation targeting depends on operational details, such as how the targets are defined and when they are announced. They also show that inflation targeting is not a panacea that can make inflation perfectly predictable or reduce it without economic costs.

Clear, balanced, and authoritative, Inflation Targeting is a groundbreaking study that will have a major impact on the debate over the right monetary strategy for the coming decades. As a unique comparative study of what central banks actually do in different countries around the world, this book will also be invaluable to anyone interested in how economic policy is made.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book.......2007-09-17

Inflation Targeting is a kind of monetary policy first exercised in New Zealand, in practice, and afterwards brought to the academy research. This book analyses the way that this and many other countries dealed with the new approach of conducting monetary policy towards inflation control, bringing a full and comprehensive description of the behaving of their economies as well as their main macroeconomic variables, before, during and after the targets have been set. It is extremely well written, making its reading very pleasant, and provides the reader a full description of the inflation targeting implementation.

fair.......2006-03-31

This book is designed essentially all audiences, i.e., it could an easy read for undergraduate economic students. The book, while somewhat repetitive, is a good 'read' especially as one of the authors is now the Chairman of the Federal Reserve who advocates inflation targeting.

The prior reviewer was unhappy that developing countries' central bank experiences were not included in the book. I am afraid that would have made for an unweildy book given that the focus is on credible inflation targeting regimes with a 'track record' - not countries who are in need of such a regime. Such a discussion can be found in other books. It is not a coincidence that the authors focused on developed countries - that is their interest and specialty.

The focus is not on policy prescriptions per se but what has and has not been effective. This is not an IMF prescription manual for a developing country. The countries studied underwent shocks but their relative stability leads to a more certain analysis.

Yawn.......2000-01-13

I have never been a fan of condensed books for the obvious reason that they leave out content and motivation. This book, however, could be shrunk by 3/4 without any real loss. Yes, there is much in-depth case study information here, but the paper could have been much better used by substituting much of it for some harder, theoretical motivation and analytical discussions. The authors are capable of this. Also, despite the painstaking redundent detail and a few regressions, for me the authors fail to place inflation targeting and inflation targeting countries into the greater context of inflationary policies and countries facing inflation. It surprises me that there is no mention of some of the, especially developing countries, where inflation has been a serious problem and where most battles of the future are likely to be fought.

Heavy on the case studies and mildly repetitive........1999-09-21

An easy to read book for people of all levels. It takes the reader through case studies on the various countries which have introduced inflation targeting. This is interesting from a historical perspective, but since inflation targeting really is a very simple concept (announce an inflation target, describe why you aim to hit this target, make it clear how you shall go about achieving this target and at all times be transparent in your pursuit of that target) the book tends to be repetitive. This book simply goes over too many similar regimes and thus cannot help but cover the same points over again. The last chapter is a study of the U.S. (a rare example of a country with very steady inflation which has not introduced an explicit inflation target) with some recommendations on how (and why) it should implement an inflation target. This book is recommended if you want very indepth case studies on the introduction of inflation targeting in countries as different as Sweden, New Zealand, The U.K. and Australia, but if you only need a quick overview of what inflation targeting is then buy a good general Economics textbook and read the section on it.

A Critique of Monetary Policy: Theory and British Experience (Clarendon Paperbacks)

Average customer rating:

A Critique of Monetary Policy: Theory and British Experience (Clarendon Paperbacks)
J. C. R. Dow , and I. D. Saville
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Economic Policy & Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Money & Monetary Policy | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Theory | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Banks & Banking | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

French | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0198283199

Book Description

This book is both a theory of monetary policy, and an examination of how it has worked in the UK. It first analyses the behaviour of the banking system, and then the difficulties of central bank control. The authors argue that money creation is an endogenous process, determined partly by the price level, and not the other way round.

Financial Development and Economic Growth: Theory and Experiences from Developing Countries (Routledge Studies in Development Economics)

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Financial Development and Economic Growth: Theory and Experiences from Developing Countries (Routledge Studies in Development Economics)
Niels Hermes
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Development & Growth | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

International | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Public Finance | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0415133920

Book Description

This work contains original contributions on the theory of the relationship between financial development and economic growth.

Monetary Theory and Policy Experience (International Economic Association Conference Volumes)

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Monetary Theory and Policy Experience (International Economic Association Conference Volumes)

Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Money & Monetary Policy | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0333960890

Book Description

Why do governments prefer to limit themselves to a specific inflation target? Specialists and senior officials of the European Central bank, the OECD and national central banks look beyond inflation targeting as the goal of monetary policy. Among the contributing, Nobel Laureate Robert Mundell surveys the history and prospects of the sovereignty of the state over money, while Michael Bordo and Lars Jonung use data of 14 industrialized countries to show relationships between fiscal and monetary regimes.

Monetary Theory and Practice: The U.K. Experience

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Monetary Theory and Practice: The U.K. Experience
C. A. E. Goodhart
Manufacturer: Crane Russak & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0844814695

Varieties of Monetary Experience. (Economics research studies of the Economics Research Center of the University of Chicago)

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Varieties of Monetary Experience. (Economics research studies of the Economics Research Center of the University of Chicago)
University of Chicago Chicago
Manufacturer: Univ of Chicago Pr (Tx)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Money & Monetary Policy | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Public Finance | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0226519309

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A Critique of Monetary Policy : Theory and British Experience (Clarendon Paperbacks)
J. C. R. Dow
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MUBG5Q

Financial change and the design of monetary policy: Lessons from the U.S. experience (Working papers in applied economic theory / Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco)

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Financial change and the design of monetary policy: Lessons from the U.S. experience (Working papers in applied economic theory / Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco)
John P Judd
Manufacturer: Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Money & Monetary Policy | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00070Y4DM

Monetary targeting: Theory, experiences and implications for the EFTA countries (Occasional paper)

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Monetary targeting: Theory, experiences and implications for the EFTA countries (Occasional paper)
Hans Genberg
Manufacturer: European Free Trade Association, Economic Affairs Dept
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Money & Monetary Policy | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007BP52U

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Monetary Theory and Policy Experience
Axel (Edt)/ International Leijonhufvud
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan 01/1//2001
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N5RCPS

Book Description

ASP.NET 2.0 Instant Results helps you quickly create dynamic Web pages with ASP.NET 2.0. The book is centered around a dozen ready-to-use projects with all the code for all the projects included on the books CD-ROM - that you can use immediately. ASP.NET 2.0 Instant Results dives into working code so you can learn it rapidly. The book and projects are written for intermediate-level programmers with some .NET experience. The projects and book provide a quick start reference so you can use ASP.NET 2.0 immediately.

Each of the 12 project features step-by-step set-up instructions with a description of each project that enables you to understand and then modify it so you can reuse it in different situations.

The 12 projects covered in the book with complete source-code on the CD are:

Online diary and organizer
File share
Chat server
Survey engine
CMS
Blog
Photo album
Customer support site
WebShop
Appointment booking system
Greeting cards
Bug base

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Download Description

"ASP.NET 2.0 Instant Results helps you quickly create dynamic Web pages with ASP.NET 2.0. The book is centered around a dozen ready-to-use projects with all the code for all the projects included on the books CD-ROM - that you can use immediately. ASP.NET 2.0 Instant Results dives into working code so you can learn it rapidly. The book and projects are written for intermediate-level programmers with some .NET experience. The projects and book provide a quick start reference so you can use ASP.NET 2.0 immediately.

Each of the 12 project features step-by-step set-up instructions with a description of each project that enables you to understand and then modify it so you can reuse it in different situations.

The 12 projects covered in the book with complete source-code on the CD are:

Online diary and organizer
File share
Chat server
Survey engine
CMS
Blog
Photo album
Customer support site
WebShop
Appointment booking system
Greeting cards
Bug base

Customer Reviews:

Yuck! Many bad designs.......2007-08-29

It ain't instant results, buddy. It is quick-and-DIRTY results, as the book presents a lot of bad designs. Where is the multi-tier design? Some chapters in the book show how to put those SQL queries right in aspx pages where only user interface code should be in. Some chapters show how to spit datasets out of business logics. Well it is quick, but should you want to expand or fix things, you would have to redesign and code all over again. Trust me I used to do the quick and dirty works many times and got burnt with broken websites.

Parameterized sql query and stored procedure are so little talked about. These allow you to avoid SQL injection attacks 100% even you don't validate user inputs! (but you should).

Consideration of performance gains and hits of their designs are not discussed at all. The book says you can spawn this and that in matter of minutes, but it doesn't tell you that you'll pay the cost later to support more visitors.

There're inconsistencies between different chapters and authors. This is trivial though, but they should explain why some use auto-generated INTEGER while some use UniqueIdentifier to store ID values. Why char(1) not bit data type? Why ntext and nvarchar(MAX)? Why varchar and nvarchar?

I don't recommend this book to anyone. Go with ASP.NET Problem - Design - Solution by Marco Bellinaso

THIS IS IN VB ONLY, PEOPLE!!.......2007-07-09

How I wish descriptions of these asp books would indicate the LANGUAGES used!! That is a big deal. Very seldom does anyone say which language is used. Like, it isnt important???

Title and Description of this book is misleading.......2007-05-04

[...] ASP.NET 2.0 Instant Results helps you quickly create dynamic Web pages with ASP.NET 2.0." This description made me think this book would offer "step-by-step" examples of how to go about designing and building .net applications from scratch. In fact, the opposite is true.

This book works in reverse, by offering you several already made applications, then the authors discuss how the applications function, the classes, controls and so forth. The only instruction you will get to "quickly create dynamic web pages" is from yourself, after you have studied all the examples and learned enough to do it on your own!

Now, this is good stuff, don't get me wrong. However, the term [...] instant results" is completely misused when refering to this book. You will not get "instant results" in any way, shape or form. If you are new to programming .net, it will take you many hours of studying to understand the concepts of the applications. If you wish to modify the applications for your own use, again, you will need to understand them first, and this will take time.

But again, it is a good reference to study how to design and construct applications based on multi-tier architecture, which is what you want to use. So, I give it high marks for that. It is a good book. I'm glad I bought it and I'm spending a lot of time with it. Just don't think it's an "idiot's guide" kind of thing. It's not.

Buyer beware.......2007-03-20

This book is absolutely not for beginner. Do not buy this book unless you know how to set up your Database with Sql Server 2005 and work with IIS. The book does not give any instruction on how to do this. Try to use the example and upload to your site and see what happen. I wonder if the author tried their examples online to see if it works before finishing this book. Chapter 5 is a disaster, after you almost complete the examble, you know that the authorization does not work, you have to go to their site and get the fix. There is no instant result at all but instant of frustration and confused.

Programming Language.......2006-08-05

The only reason I give this book a 4-star review is the fact that I wish it said somewhere in the description that the code provided as VB, and that there was no C# examples.

The examples work very good for the most part, with a few corrections and the publisher's forum for this book is a great source of info. Imar, one of the authors, has been very helpful in helping me translate one of the chapters to C#.

Definitively not a beginner's book.

Average customer rating:

Don't waste your money
VB Only?
Excellent applications
Good Examples !! and very well defined.
Too Easy Applications

Instant ASP.NET Applications(with CD)
Greg Buczek
Manufacturer: Osborne/McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASP.NET at Work: Building 10 Enterprise Projects with CDROM

ASIN: 0072192917

Book Description

This is the ultimate collection of ready-to-use code and expert techniques for developing ASP.NET applications. The book covers all the new features, syntax, and structure of ASP.NET and presents solutions for a wide range of ASP.NET applications, including company intranet applications, an online store, chat rooms, and more. The bonus CD-ROM contains all the source code from the book, ready-to-run.

Customer Reviews:

Don't waste your money.......2003-02-25

If you want to learn to write spaghetti code buy the book. This book is really a regurgitation of the first one written for ASP. The author demonstrates very little knowledge of the new OBJECT ORIENTED language that VB.NET has become which s a far cry from ASP (Hint: The original book). Additionally, this so called application might be useful if you need a website with very few visitors certainly not enterprise strength or NTier. I feel this book WILL send those new to ASP.NET in the wrong path. Inline coding is out the window with .net.
If you are looking for a book that is enterprise strength (maybe not a starter), try ASP.NET Website Programming: Problem - Design - Solution
by Marco Bellinaso, Kevin Hoffman by Wrox. They have one for vb.net and another one for c#. I purchased both which allows me to compare languages as well.

VB Only?.......2003-01-28

I just wish I would have know that all of the examples use VB.NET to power the applications. It doesn't really matter if you already know VB, or if you want to. But if you are more familiar with C# make sure and buy a book that specifies the language.

Excellent applications.......2002-12-17

The book has excellent applications for use in everyday problems where I work. I have used many of them in my re-design of my company's website. I only wish there was a better message board application, but that is only a small issue compared with all of the other great code contained inside.
Thanks for a great book, Greg. I am waiting on Instant ASP.NET version 2!

Good Examples !! and very well defined........2002-07-26

This is the book you need not only deploy apps quickly, but also to learn the .NET language more efficiently. I also own other books by Greg, Instant ASP Components (A Very Nice Book). The examples within this book (Instant ASP.NET applications) are well written and easy to tailor to your own applications needs.

Too Easy Applications.......2002-06-29

This book comes with dozens of useful, not trivial applications for ASP.NET web applications. I enjoyed the book and each example made me sit down and learn more about ASP.NET. The entire book is well organized and keeps you hungry for the next example. The source practically ran right off the CD. I did have a little trouble with one or two examples, but there were dozens that required me to simply create the database table. I definately recommend this book to ASP.NET Developers.

Average customer rating:

Instant ASP.NET Applications(with CD)
Greg Buczek
Manufacturer: Osborne/McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OFZK1K

Average customer rating:

Visual Basic .NET Instant Reference
Justin Whitney , and TBA
Manufacturer: Sybex Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Book Description

--This compact guide covers virtually every function, feature and command of Visual Basic.Net.
--Offers simple descriptions, code examples, and cross-references to related topics.
--For beginning, intermediate and advanced users, this handy reference is the guide programmers reach for.

Book Description

An in-depth analysis of eight microenterprise projects undertaken by three agencies in India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Peru, Guatemala, Honduras, Ghana and Tanzania. It is unique in its highly detailed presentation of such a varied range of individual projects, and in its use of a single analytical framework for all the projects, enabling comparisons to be tightly drawn between them. The study has generated some significant and controversial results. Looked at from the point of view of the women this book attempts to describe the impact of the different projects on their lives.

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