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giovedì 21 ottobre 2010

Citizenship: the civic ideal in world history, politics and education
Derek Benjamin Heater

Antreprima del libro


Citizenshipdescribes, analyzes and interprets the topic of citizenship in a global context as it has developed historically, in its variations as a political concept and status, and the ways in which citizens have been and are being educated for that status. The book provides a historical survey which ranges from the Ancient Greeks to the twentieth century, and reveals the legacies which each era passed on to later centuries. It explains the meaning of citizenship, what political citizenship entails and the nature of citizenship as a status, and also tackles the issue of whether there can be a generally accepted, holistic understanding of the idea. For this new edition an epilogue has been written which demonstrates the intense nature of the academic and pedagogical debates on the subject as well as the practical matters relating to the status since 1990.

Can "it" happen again?:
essays on instability and finance
Hyman P. Minsky




This great book is composed of thirteen essays restating and elaborating Minsky's great contribution to economics: the Financial Instability Hypothesis (FIH). The basic idea is that because the realized returns on any investment project are uncertain (and not merely risky), the contractual debts firms and entrepreneurs incur in financing these investments are inherently unstable. The "subjective state of expectations" will give rise to three different methods of financing: hedge, speculative, and ponzi. Hedge financing occurs when there are considerable margins of safety between fixed payments and *expected* returns. Speculative financing is defined by a project which over the course of its operations will generate *expected* revenue that will be greater than fixed payments, even though in the short-term these payments will be larger than initial realized returns. This gives rise to refinancing, which occurs if both parties to the agreement (lender and borrower) agree on the expected rates of return. Ponzi financing is a very unstable state in which the *expected* realized returns are not even sufficient in paying either the interest or principal on loans.
Now one moves from hedge to speculative and then to ponzi finance according to the general mood of the market. If the market is experiencing a "state of tranquility," then the typical margins of safety that characterize hedge finance will be displaced by speculative finance which is still considered safe according to entpreneurial optimism. This is all subject to change, however. The performance of the market, interest rate changes, rapid changes in animal spirits, etc. etc. are all conditions which give rise to market instability.
In so many words, this is basically Minsky's FIH. Minsky believed that this concept was a logical implication of Keynes' work, although he is careful to point out that the FIH stands on its own even if it is interpreted as being inconsistent with Keynes' message.
Minsky is a pleasure to read and I recommend this book to anyone interested in "endogenous instability". Minsky believed that all market disruptions are *systemic* and not merely accidental. This sets his work apart from most professional economists.

Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling
Third Edition
Rex B. Kline

Anteprima del libro


This bestselling text provides a balance between the technical and practical aspects of structural equation modeling (SEM). Using clear and accessible language, Rex B. Kline covers core techniques, potential pitfalls, and applications across the behavioral and social sciences. Some more advanced topics are also covered, including estimation of interactive effects of latent variables and multilevel SEM. The companion Web page offers downloadable syntax, data, and output files for each detailed example for EQS, LISREL, and Mplus, allowing readers to view the results of the same analysis generated by three different computer tools. New to This Edition *Thoroughly revised and restructured to follow the phases of most SEM analyses. *Syntax, data, and output files for all detailed research examples are now provided online. *Exercises with answers, which support self-study. *Topic boxes on specialized issues, such as dealing with problems in the analysis; the assessment of construct measurement reliability; and more. *Updated coverage of a more rigorous approach to hypothesis and model testing; the evaluation of measurement invariance; and more.
Handbook of antitrust economics
Paolo Buccirossi



Over the past twenty years, economic theory has begun to play a central role in antitrust matters. In earlier days, the application of antitrust rules was viewed almost entirely in formal terms; now it is widely accepted that the proper interpretation of these rules requires an understanding of how markets work and how firms can alter their efficient functioning. The Handbook of Antitrust Economics offers scholars, students, administrators, courts, companies, and lawyers the economist’s view of the subject, describing the application of newly developed theoretical models and improved empirical methods to antitrust and competition law in both the United States and the European Union. (The book uses the U.S. term "antitrust law" and the European "competition law" interchangeably, emphasizing the commonalities between the two jurisdictions.)
After a general discussion of the use of empirical methods in antitrust cases, the Handbook covers mergers, agreements, abuses of dominance (or unilateral conducts), and market features that affect the way firms compete. Chapters examine such topics as analyzing the competitive effects of both horizontal and vertical mergers, detecting and preventing cartels, theoretical and empirical analysis of vertical restraints, state aids, the relationship of competition law to the defense of intellectual property, and the application of antitrust law to "bidding markets," network industries, and two-sided markets.

Monetary theory and policy
Carl E. Walsh



Monetary Theory and Policy presents an advanced treatment of critical topics in monetary economics and the models economists use to investigate the interactions between real and monetary factors. It provides extensive coverage of general equilibrium models of money, models of the short-run real effects of monetary policy, and game-theoretic approaches to monetary policy. Among the topics covered are money-in-the-utility-function models, cash-in-advance models, money and public finance, the credit channel of money, models of time consistency, monetary policy operating procedures, and interest rates and monetary policy.
The book uses dynamic simulations to evaluate quantitatively the significance of the channels through which monetary policy and inflation affect the economy. It extensively examines modern approaches to monetary policy that stress the incentives facing central banks and the strategic interactions between central banks and the private sector. Where most treatments of monetary policy emphasize money supply control and money demand, this book focuses on the implications of interest rate control for monetary policy. The book is designed for advanced graduate students in monetary economics, economic researchers, and economists working in policy institutions and central banks.
This second edition includes new discussions of empirical evidence on the interest elasticity of money demand, the fiscal theory of the price level, the new Keynesian model, optimal policies in forward-looking models, stability and the Taylor principle, and open economy new Keynesian models. It also expands its coverage of multiple equilibria, the role of timing assumptions in cash-in-advance models, and the Ramsey approach to optimal monetary taxation. A new chapter treats policy analysis in new Keynesisan models; the discussion includes the derivation of the policy objective function, optimal commitment and discretionary outcome, targeting rules,and instrument rules.

Introduction to modern economic growth
Daron Acemoglu



Introduction to Modern Economic Growth is a groundbreaking text from one of today's leading economists. Daron Acemoglu gives graduate students not only the tools to analyze growth and related macroeconomic problems, but also the broad perspective needed to apply those tools to the big-picture questions of growth and divergence. And he introduces the economic and mathematical foundations of modern growth theory and macroeconomics in a rigorous but easy to follow manner. After covering the necessary background on dynamic general equilibrium and dynamic optimization, the book presents the basic workhorse models of growth and takes students to the frontier areas of growth theory, including models of human capital, endogenous technological change, technology transfer, international trade, economic development, and political economy. The book integrates these theories with data and shows how theoretical approaches can lead to better perspectives on the fundamental causes of economic growth and the wealth of nations. Innovative and authoritative, this book is likely to shape how economic growth is taught and learned for years to come.Introduces all the foundations for understanding economic growth and dynamic macroeconomic analysis Focuses on the big-picture questions of economic growth Provides mathematical foundations Presents dynamic general equilibrium Covers models such as basic Solow, neoclassical growth, and overlapping generations, as well as models of endogenous technology and international linkages Addresses frontier research areas such as international linkages, international trade, political economy, and economic development and structural change A solutions manual for professors will be available at press.princeton.edu (spring 2009)

Solutions Manual for "Introduction to Modern Economic Growth":
Student Edition
Michael Peters, Alp Simsek



This is an essential companion to Daron Acemoglu's landmark textbook, Introduction to Modern Economic Growth . Designed for students, this manual contains solutions to selected exercises located throughout Acemoglu's text, helping students to maximize and reinforce their understanding of the material. Students will find this book invaluable for coursework and self-study.
Counterfactuals and causal inference:
methods and principles for social research
Stephen Lawrence Morgan, Christopher Winship

Anteprima del libro



Did mandatory busing programs in the 1970s increase the school achievement of disadvantaged minority youth? Does obtaining a college degree increase an individual's labor market earnings? Did the use of a butterfly ballot in some Florida counties in the 2000 presidential election cost Al Gore votes? Simple cause-and-effect questions such as these are the motivation for much empirical work in the social sciences. In this book, the counterfactual model of causality for observational data analysis is presented, and methods for causal effect estimation are demonstrated using examples from sociology, political science, and economics.

Cases in European Competition Policy: The Economic Analysis
Bruce Lyons



Competition between firms is usually the most effective way of delivering economic efficiency and what consumers want. However, there is a balance to be struck. Firms must not be over-regulated and so hampered in their development of innovative products and new strategies to compete for customers. Nor must they be completely free to satisfy a natural preference for monopoly, which would give them higher profits and a quieter life. The economic role of competition policy (control of anticompetitive agreements, mergers and abusive practices) is to maintain this balance, and an effective policy requires a nuanced understanding of the economics of industrial organization. Cases in European Competition Policy demonstrates how economics is used (and sometimes abused) in competition cases in practical competition policy across Europe. Each chapter summarizes a real case investigated by the European Commission or a national authority, and provides a critique of key aspects of the economic analysis.

Using multivariate statistics
Barbara G. Tabachnick, Linda S. Fidell




This book takes a practical approach to multivariate data analysis, with an introduction to the most commonly encountered statistical and multivariate techniques. Using Multivariate Statistics provides practical guidelines for conducting numerous types of multivariate statistical analyses. It gives syntax and output for accomplishing many analyses through the most recent releases of SAS, SPSS, and SYSTAT, some not available in software manuals. The book maintains its practical approach, still focusing on the benefits and limitations of applications of a technique to a data set - when, why, and how to do it. Overall, it provides advanced users with a timely and comprehensive introduction to today's most commonly encountered statistical and multivariate techniques, while assuming only a limited knowledge of higher-level mathematics. For those interested in statistical analysis.

The science of wealth: Adam Smith and the framing of political economy
Tony Aspromourgos

Anteprima del libro


This study clarifies the character of 'political economy' as a distinct and separable intellectual discipline in the generic sense, in the texts of Adam Smith. It focuses upon the scope and fundamental conceptualizations of the new science. Smith's conceptualization of economic analysis is shown to constitute a unified intellectual piece for understanding economic society and its dynamics. Smith's fundamental economic language is exhaustively examined, in all his texts, with a view to clarifying the meaning of the basic concepts of his system. As well, the 'prehistories' of those concepts, in literature prior to Smith, back to the earliest times, are quite comprehensively treated, thereby placing his political economy in its larger historical context and conveying a rich sense of the history of these ideas over the whole course of our civilization. A quite complete account of Smith's economics as a whole is also entailed by this undertaking: his key substantive economic doctrines are thoroughly considered as well, and all the elements of his economic theory receive attention. To that extent, notwithstanding the focus on concepts, an interpretation of the substance of Smith's political economy is also provided. This focus is partly motivated by the view that Smith's intellectual triumph in the history of social science is not so much about the success of specific doctrines. His more considerable theoretical success is at a deeper level: gaining a wide and long-lasting acquiescence in the conceptual universe framed by the fundamental structures of his system, for a newly emerging discipline. Those who subsequently contested Smithian doctrine did so within Smith's framework; they did so 'on his terms'. While the book's primary purpose is to reconstruct the character of Smith's political economy as a distinct intellectual enterprise, it also addresses its relevance to modern economics, and to policy and practice in contemporary liberal society.

mercoledì 6 ottobre 2010

Passions and Constraint:
On the Theory of Liberal Democracy
Stephen Holmes


Anteprima del libro


In this collection of essays on the core values of liberalism, Stephen Holmesnoted for his scathing reviews of books by liberalism's opponentschallenges commonly held assumptions about liberal theory. By placing it into its original historical context, Passions and Constraints presents an interconnected argument meant to fundamentally change the way we conceive of liberalism. According to Holmes, three elements of classical liberal theory are commonly used to attack contemporary liberalism as antagonistic to genuine democracy and the welfare state: constitutional constraints on majority rule, the identification of individual freedom with an absence of government involvement, and a strong emphasis on the principle of self-interest. Through insightful essays on Hobbes's analysis of the English Civil War in Behemoth, Bodin's writings on the benefits of limited government, and Mill's views on science and politics, Holmes shows that these basic principles provide, to the contrary, a necessary foundation for the development of democratic, regulatory, and redistributionist politics in the modern era. Holmes argues that the aspirations of liberal democracyincluding individual liberty, the equal dignity of citizens, and a tolerance for diversityare best understood in relation to two central themes of classical liberal theory: the psychological motivations of individuals and the necessary constraint on individual passions provided by institutions. Paradoxically, Holmes argues that such institutional restraints serve to enable, rather than limit, effective democracy. In explorations of subjects ranging from self-interest to majoritarianism to "gag rules," Holmes shows that limited government can be more powerful than unlimited governmentindeed, that liberalism is one of the most effective philosophies of state building ever contrived. By restricting the arbitrary powers of government officials, Holmes states, a liberal constitution can increase the state's capacity to focus on specific problems and mobilize collective resources for common purposes. Passions and Constraint is an assessment of what that tradition has meant and what it can mean today.

Economic Growth
David N. Weil



Why are some countries rich and others poor? David N. Weil, one of the top researchers in economic growth, introduces students to the latest theoretical tools, data, and insights underlying this pivotal question. By showing how empirical data relate to new and old theoretical ideas, Economic Growth provides students with a complete introduction to the discipline and the latest research.
With its comprehensive and flexible organization, Economic Growth is ideal for a wide array of courses, including undergraduate and graduate courses in economic growth, economic development, macro theory, applied econometrics, and development studies
.