'It is difficult to summarize in a short space the extreme richness of this book, which involves arguments taken from physics, philosophy, history of science and epistemology, as well as economic thought and recent developments in econometrics. . . . Louçã's book makes for extremely interesting and useful reading: it provides a solid criticism of the foundations of neoclassical theory and constitutes the unavoidable starting point for any theoretical construction aiming to understand real societies. . . . The vast erudition of the author - who moves easily in many fields of the social and natural sciences - makes the book a mine of information and a valuable source of new ideas.' - Angelo Reati, Review of Political Economy 'This book will be a landmark in the history of economic thought. It is an extremely powerful and original critique of mainstream econometrics, based on a thorough knowledge of its historical origins and its contemporary applications. It will be essential reading for everyone involved in teaching or learning economic theory and model-building. The book also provides new insights into the work of Frisch, Keynes and Schumpeter . . . it is also a very important contribution to philosophy in the social sciences and in particular, to the development of evolutionary theory in economics. The rapid recent growth of interest in evolutionary theory means that the book will be of special interest to those concerned with these exciting new developments.' - Christopher Freeman, SPRU - Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Sussex, UK and Maastricht University, The Netherlands

This book studies economic development in two of the world's fastest growing developing countries, Tanzania and Vietnam, by examining the interplay between market liberalization, institutions, and the distribution of power in society.

A commanding survey of the world economy from 1950 to the present, from the author of the acclaimed The Boom and the Bubble.

Over the course of the last thirty years post-communist Russia has either been struggling with crises, discussing the lessons learned from past crises, or attempting to trace the contours of future crises. Based on the author’s own experiences and his research over this long period, this book traces the logic of the development of the crises and the anti-crisis policies, and shows the continuity, or discontinuity, in determining particular solutions. It demonstrates how perceptions of the priorities for economic policy, and the problems of economic growth and the formation of a new model and its alternatives were formed and how they changed. It also outlines the evolution of ideas about the role of social politics and human capital sectors in addressing anti-crisis and modernization issues, and discusses the changing views on the institutional and structural priorities for Russia’s development. This is an important book on an economic subject of crucial global significance by a leading participant.

The book is composed of several articles that explore complexity in its most varied aspects. The solution of contemporary problems, whatever they may be, requires a multifaceted vision, far beyond the reductionist perspective. The study of complex systems, however, does not have the capacity to offer ready answers to the challenges of humanity. On the contrary, it points to the increase in uncertainty, the need to control variables, and uncertainty. This does not mean, therefore, that we should simply ignore the social, economic, and political phenomena that are all around us. What this book demonstrates is the importance of knowledge being disseminated, and it is imperative that different sciences exchange ideas, theories, and breakthroughs.

Every day, in every sector of our economy, a business shuts down while another starts up, jobs are created while others are cut, and workers are hired while others are laid off. This constant flux, or turbulence, is a defining characteristic of our free market system, yet it mostly inspires angst about unemployment, loss of earnings, and the overall competitiveness of corporations. But is this endless cycle of fluctuation really so bad for America? Might something positive be going on in the economy as a result of it? In this penetrating work, three esteemed economists seek to answer these questions by exploring the real impact of volatility on American workers and businesses alike. According to the authors, while any number of events--shifts in consumer demand, changes in technology, mergers and acquisitions, or increased competition--can contribute to economic turbulence, our economy as a whole is, by and large, stronger for it, because these processes of creation and destruction make it more flexible and adaptable. The authors also acknowledge and document the adverse consequences of this turbulence on different groups of workers and firms and discuss the resulting policy challenges. Basing their argument on an up-close look into the dealings and practices of five key industries—financial services, retail food services, trucking, semiconductors, and software—the authors demonstrate the positive effects of turbulence on career paths, employee earnings, and firm performance. The first substantial attempt to disentangle and make clear the complexities of this phenomenon in the United States, Economic Turbulence will be viewed as a major achievement and the centerpiece of any discussion on the subject for years to come.

James Busumtwi-Sam and Laurent Dobuzinskis have assembled a leading team of experts in the field to examine how phenomena associated with globalization impact on political economy in theory and in practice. The volume employs a variety of theoretical and analytical approaches to examine the very changeable nature of the global political economy, in terms of academic analysis, policy and practice.

The presence of turbulence in multiple areas of our society--food, fuel, and finances-being but three critical areas presently being impacted means that long-held assumptions are no longer true, that the past is not prologue, and that the future is not clear. And enter into this unstable present the discipline of evaluation-a discipline formed and shaped in the past fifty years of stability, little turbulence, and strong assumptions that everything will go according to plan. If things do not go well, it is because of either a poor theory of change on how to bring about positive outcomes, or weak efforts at implementation. It is not because of the stormy present upsetting our quiet past. As it is, conventional evaluation behavior and beliefs are ill suited for these times. The transformational nature of the 'Arab Spring' is just one arena in which it is clear that a business as usual approach to evaluation is entirely inappropriate. The papers in this volume are from the 2011 Global Assembly of the International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS). Nearly 350 development evaluators from eighty-five countries came together in Amman, Jordan to discuss and analyze the consequences of turbulence on evaluation. The intent of these papers is to systematically assess what changes have come during this time of turbulence and how these changes are impacting the craft of development evaluation. To be clear: this book is not about how to assess the impacts of crises on development and on people's lives. It is about the meaning of a changed world and changed assumptions on the concepts and methods used in evaluation.

The present collection of reprints covers the main contributions of David Ruelle, and coauthors, to the theory of chaos and its applications. Several of the papers reproduced here are classics in the field. Others (that were published in less accessible places) may still surprise the reader.The collection contains mathematical articles relevant to chaos, specific articles on the theory, and articles on applications to hydrodynamical turbulence, chemical oscillations, etc.A sound judgement of the value of techniques and applications is crucial in the interdisciplinary field of chaos. For a critical assessment of what has been achieved in this area, the present volume is an invaluable contribution.