The massive disorder and economic ruin following the Second World War inevitably predetermined the scope and intensity of the Cold War. But why did it last so long? And what impact did it have on the United States, the Soviet Union, Europe, and the Third World? Finally, how did it affect the broader history of the second half of the twentieth century - what were the human and financial costs? T…
What is capitalism? Is capitalism the same everywhere? Is there an alternative? The word 'capitalism' is one that is heard and used frequently, but what is capitalism really all about, and what does it mean? The book begins by addressing basic issues such as 'what is capital?' before discussing the history and development of capitalism through three detailed and absorbing case studies rangin…
If now in decline since the tumultuous events of 1989, communism was without doubt the great political movement of the twentieth century--at its peak, more than a third of the world's population lived under communist rule--and it is still a powerful force in many areas of the world, most notably in the People's Republic of China. What is communism? Where did the idea come from and what attracte…
It is by no means absurd to say that Engels invented Marxism. His work did more than Marx's to attract and make converts to the most influential political movement of modern times. He was not only the father of dialectical and historical materialism--the official philosophies of history and science in many communist countries--but was also the first Marxist historian, anthropologist, philosophe…
Corruption is one of the biggest global issues, ahead of extreme poverty, unemployment, the rising cost of food and energy, climate change, and terrorism. It is thought to be one of the principal causes of poverty around the globe. Its significance in the contemporary world cannot be undervalued. In this Very Short Introduction, Leslie Holmes looks the history of corruption across the millen…
Critical theory emerged in the 1920s from the work of the Frankfurt School, the circle of German-Jewish academics who sought to diagnose—and, if at all possible, cure—the ills of society, particularly fascism and capitalism. In this book, Stephen Eric Bronner provides sketches of leading representatives of the critical tradition (such as George Lukács and Ernst Bloch, Theodor Adorno and Wa…
Diplomacy means different things to different people, the definitions ranging from the elegant ("the management of relations between independent states by the process of negotiations") to the jocular ("the art of saying 'nice doggie' until you can find a rock"). Written by Joseph M. Siracusa, an internationally recognized expert, this lively volume introduces the subject of diplomacy from a his…
Economics has the capacity to offer us deep insights into some of the most formidable problems of life, and offer solutions to them too. Combining a global approach with examples from everyday life, Partha Dasgupta describes the lives of two children who live very different lives in different parts of the world: in the Mid-West USA and in Ethiopia. He compares the obstacles facing them, and the…
What is fascism? Is it revolutionary? Or is it reactionary? Can it be both? Fascism is notoriously hard to define. How do we make sense of an ideology that appeals to streetfighters and intellectuals alike? That calls for a return to tradition while maintaining a fascination with technology? And that preaches violence in the name of an ordered society? In the new edition of this Very Shor…
This is a historical account of feminism that looks at the roots of feminism, voting rights, and the liberation of the sixties, and analyzes the current situation of women across Europe, in the United States, and elsewhere in the world, particularly the Third World countries. Walters examines the difficulties and inequities that women still face, more than forty years after the "new wave" of 19…
Voltaire's comment--"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"--is frequently quoted by defenders of free speech. Yet it is rare to find someone prepared to defend all freedom of speech, especially if the views expressed are obnoxious or obviously false. So where do we draw the line? How important is our right to freedom of speech? In this accessible and…
In places such as Iraq or Lebanon, moving a few feet on either side of a territorial boundary can be a matter of life or death, dramatically highlighting the connections between geography and politics. This Very Short Introduction illuminates the concept of geopolitics, revealing how a country's location and size as well as its sovereignty and resources all affect how its people understand and …
Global warming is arguably the most critical and controversial issue facing the world in the twenty-first century. This Very Short Introduction provides a concise and accessible explanation of the key topics in the debate: looking at the predicted impact of climate change, exploring the political controversies of recent years, and explaining the proposed solutions.
Covering topics such as foreign policy, the world economy, and globalization, this Very Short Introduction exemplifies the many disciplines that come together in the study of international events. Discussing not only the main academic theories, but also the practical problems and issues, Wilkinson considers key normative questions, such as how the international state system might be reformed so…
What is socialism? Does it have a future, or has it become an outdated ideology in the 21st century? This Very Short Introduction considers the major theories in socialism, and explores its historical evolution from the French Revolution to the present day. Michael Newman argues that socialism has always been a diverse doctrine, while nevertheless containing a central core of interconnected …
This is a historical account of feminism that looks at the roots of feminism, voting rights, and the liberation of the sixties, and analyzes the current situation of women across Europe, in the United States, and elsewhere in the world, particularly the Third World countries. Walters examines the difficulties and inequities that women still face, more than forty years after the "new wave" of 19…
Customize your delivery for maximum persuasive power. If you need the best practices and ideas for communicating effectively--but don't have time to find them--this book is for you. Here are 10 inspiring and useful perspectives, all in one place. This collection of HBR articles will help you: - Pitch your brilliant idea successfully - Connect with your audience - Establish credib…
A remarkable structure sits on the west side of Manhattan. Although 111 Eighth Avenue is only eighteen floors high, it consumes an entire massive New York City block and was built with big things in mind. The building (see fig. 1.1), which contains 50 percent more square feet than the Empire State Building, was designed with elevators so large …
Kebajikan adalah suatu modal penting untuk bisa meraih kesuksesan. Dengan banyak memberi kebajikan maka akan semakin banyak rejeki dan keberuntungan. Ajaran Buddha senantiasa mengajarkan untuk bisa berubah nasib adalah dengan memiliki hati baik. Kebaikan hati akan menghasilkan pikiran baik, ucapan baik dan perbuatan baik. Kebiasan baik inilah akan menjadikan karakter dan kepribadian seseorang m…
Agribusiness development is largely predicated on the adoption and utilization of advanced agricultural technologies. This includes precision farming methods, integrated pest management techniques, innovative irrigation systems, and technologies that facilitate value addition such as advanced processing and packaging methods. By leveraging SSTIC, UNIDO is encouraging the exchange and adaptatio…
As an indispensable axis of contemporary international cooperation, South-South and Triangular Industrial Cooperation (SSTIC) operates at the intersection of global value chains and sustainability. This strategic platform embodies an evolving paradigm, explicitly designed to foster the technical and economic prerequisites for the creation of sustainable supply chains. This publication elaborate…
Green Hydrogen represents a unique opportunity for the clean energy transition. Climate change is an existential threat to a sustainable future, but at the same time, facing up to the climate challenge is an opportunity to promote prosperity and a brighter future for all. Green hydrogen and its derivatives will play a vital role in the just energy transition. This collaboration between UNIDO, t…
Whether a Kuhnian change of paradigms in business or simply a new way of performing traditional activities, the gig economy is a latent issue, and its regula-tion is extremely diverse in the Member States of the European Union (EU). Its very terminology is still the object of debate. The beatific initial designation of the ‘sharing economy’ is curren…
he most important subdivisions of the province were calledprefectures; directly subordinate to the provincial governmentthere might also be smaller units called independent departmentsor subprefectures. Prefectures in turn were subdivided into xian,"counties" (or, as some authors have it, "districts"); these werethe lowest units of formal territorial a…
All countries are signatories to the principles and rights laid out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC),1 and comparative studies show that, at the national level, there are some similar basic principles underpinning the family welfare and child protection systems in many high- income countries (Gilbert et al, 2011; Skivenes et al, 2015; Burns et al, 2017; Berrick et al, …
Professional practice is a defining trait of modernity, and democratic and constitutional nation-states depend on professional practitioners and their efforts to solve problems and coordinate activity in order to distribute state services as accurately as possible, thus dealing with the particular problem at hand of implementing human rights. Throughout modern history, legis-lators in different…
The relationship between a worker and his/her employer is one that is infinitely complex. At its core, however, is the simple need of the worker to make a decent living and the simple desire of the capitalist (employer, shareholder, property owner and so on) to make a decent profit. In the pursuit of these objectives hierarchical relationships inevitably emerge. These relationships for…
The world was not doing enough for sustainable development, even before the pandemic. The existing gap in financing for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals has been estimated at around $2.5 trillion.1 Growth in developing and emerging economies was, however, steadily reducing the number of people in extreme poverty. The recession caused by COVID-19 has reversed that process, al…
Equality in the city is an aspiration. Cities have never been equal, equitable or fair. Now, optimum efficiency is celebrated as progress, and reconfigurations of urban spaces are focused on the clean lines of punctual service delivery. Smart cites are controlled cities, where data is the fuel that pumps through the heart. The common denominator in smart city rhetoric is the assumption that org…
Indonesia is no exception. Soon after Suharto’s authoritarian New Order regime came to an end in 1998, Indonesia’s party system entered a new, post-authoritarian era. Political parties, of which there were previ-ously only three because of heavy government regulations, could now form freely. Consequently, a highly competitive multiparty system eme…
Despite progress since the Cold War in reaching negotiated settlements in civil wars, efforts to consolidate peace with effective governance have proven challenging in places as diverse as the Congo, Afghanistan, Haiti, Iraq, Central Africa, and the Middle East. Two decades ago international peacebuilding was understood as a centrally coordinated package of inter-ventions aimed at …
There is a longstanding and well-established regional health divide in England: on average, people in the Northern region of England live two years less than those in the rest of the country. These geographical divides were exacerbated by austerity and feelings of being ‘left behind’ are considered to have contributed to the 2016 Brexit vote and spurred the Cons…
Giving Western literature and art many of its most enduring themes and archetypes, Greek mythology and the gods and goddesses at its core are a fundamental part of the popular imagination. At the heart of Greek mythology are exciting stories of drama, action, and adventure featuring gods and goddesses, who, while physically superior to humans, share many of their weaknesses. Readers will be int…
The term ‘bioeconomy’ is commonly met with a sense of uncertaintyregarding its meaning and purpose. In general, there are three differentfields of public and scientific debate about the bioeconomy. NicholasGeorgescu-Roegen (1971) referred to the bioeconomy as a transforma-tional pathway towards a degrowth society. In contrast, the debate about‘biocapitalism’ focuses on the commodificati…
History, not ideology, holds the key to growth. Brilliantly written and argued, Concrete Economics shows how government has repeatedly reshaped the American economy ever since Alexander Hamilton’s first, foundational redesign. This book does not rehash the sturdy and long-accepted arguments that to thrive, entrepreneurial economies need a broad range of freedoms. Instead, Steve Cohen an…
This book presents a collection of essays discussing a history of the five myths of Dionysus, Narcissus, Prometheus, Marcolf, and Labyrinth in twentieth-century literature. The author traces their transformations against the wider backdrop of Polish and European literature. The book is an excellent, thought-provoking lesson in understanding the signs of contemporary culture and a fascinating jo…
Across anticolonial discourse the mastery of the colonizer over the colo-nies was a practice that was explicitly disavowed, and yet, in their efforts to decolonize, anticolonial thinkers in turn advocated practices of mas-tery—corporeal, linguistic, and intellectual—toward their own liberation. Within anticolonial movements, practices of countermastery were aimed explicitly at defeating col…
Finance has gone farming. Since the financial and food price crises of 2007/ 8, the world has seen a stark rise in financial investments in farmland and agri-cultural production by investment banks, sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, private equity funds, insurance companies, family offices, endowment funds and high- net-worth individuals (HNWIs). Indeed, finance has been …
When we examine power in social worlds – even in a place as seemingly mundane as a farm – our eye is inevitably drawn towards visible expressions of power. For critical social theorists, activists and practitioners, a farm makes a particular kind of empowered world visible. We can see it in the way that farmers treat animals, cultivate fields, and i…
In this 7th edition of his award-winning Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction, John Storey has extensively revised the text throughout. As before, the book presents a clear and critical survey of competing theories of and various approaches to popular culture. Its breadth and theoretical unity, exemplified through popular culture, means that it can be flexibly and relevantly app…
Extreme longevity has long been a topic of interest to the media and to the broader public. There are many legends of people who set longevity records, with tales of individuals who lived 200, 500, and even 969 years. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to validate the ages of long-lived individuals until the twentieth century. In the second half of the twentieth century, the nu…
Debates about the aging process go back into ancient societies. Philosophers suchas Aristotle, Cicero, and Seneca pondered questions about the life-course and theways that human nature develops into advanced age. Age(ing) is often regardedin relation with ‘old’ age, as the stage in life that is most commonly associatedwith derogatory stereotypes of decay. Andrew W. Achenbaum explains that R…
Whether this new project, along with its new and ambitious agenda, will in fact be any dif er ent from its forerunners or whether it will also end up using mass house construction and sedentarization to demonstrate devel-opment will become clear only in years to come. Statistics from 2020 and beyond will likely show that there are no longer any poor people—those with income below th…
This is a book about the experiences, hopes, fears, responses and re-actions of Circumpolar people who are engaging with rapidly shifting environmental circumstances. As reflected in our opening quotation, these changing conditions herald futures that may well be global, but that Arctic inhabitants are trying to imagine even as they develop strategies to cope with today’s event…
Great teams don’t just happen. How often have you sat in team meetings complaining to yourself, “Why does it take forever for this group to make a simple decision? What are we even trying to achieve?” As a team leader, you have the power to improve things. It’s up to you to get people to work well together and produce results. Written by team expert Mary Shapiro, the HBR Guide to …
In the fall of 2014, the small suburban Massachusetts town of Chelmsford was stirred by news about problems with their public school budget. The superinten-dent of schools announced an unexpected budget shortfall caused by various fac-tors within and beyond the school district. As an immediate emergency measure, it was announced that the school would relieve three administrators fr…
This volume addresses the issue of how a country, which was incorporated intothe world economy as a periphery, could create a path of economic developmentand industrialization as the ‘emerging state’ in Asia and Africa. We offer historicaland contemporary case studies of development paths, as well as the internationalbackground under which a transition to the emerging state was successfully…
How can we begin to chronicle the ecological ruination of the Pacific and Transpacific? What radiates outward to reveal the extent of the catastrophe? The editors and authors of Empire and Environment offer profound analyt-ics, poetics, and tools toward understanding the historical and contemporary dynamics of the relationship between capitalism, empire, and our planet in crisis. …
Ecology has become a means through which to express and constitute state power in China. In 2012, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) wrote “ecological civilization building” into the party constitution. In 2018, it was written into the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China with amendments that emphasized conservation and a “scien…
For more than two decades Islamic veils, niqabs, burkinis, forced and arranged marriages, polygamy and Sharia rules concerning women have been the object of intense public scrutiny and legal regulations in many Western countries, especially in Europe, and feminists have been actively engaged on both sides of the debates. In Feminist Trouble, Eléonore Lépinard draws on extended fieldwork with …