Reviews (16)

The sad truth
This book is about the destruction of our country by elected officials and Big Business "Interests."
Thom hits the nail on the head in all but this: education
Education in this country is big business and is so hopelessly institutionalized (that is, it has become an institution) Institutions are self-perpetuating.It is extremely difficult--if not impossible--to change anything about an institution, let alone eliminate it, because the individuals currently occupying places in the institution no longer have much to do with it. The institution sustains itself despite any particular complement of workers within it. Yes, individuals in positions to direct policy and command the workforce can fiddle with some things, but the institution itself will go on. (Note that major legislation affecting schools comes several layers above a district superintendent or even the schools board.)Thus, what Thom is saying about "fixing the schools" or "change the way we are teaching" is way off the mark. Teachers are drones within that institution of public education. The best of teachers can sometimes "make a difference" for one or two kids a year. But because of the context of schooling--one teacher, 35 kids, classes rotating in and out every 45 minutes--the young minds are dumbed down and rigidified such that critical/creating thinking is not only impossible, it is prohibited.
Must reading
This book by Thom Hartmann should be required reading in every school in the United States.He lays out concisely what our country has done and needs to do to have a Democracy and a middle class and clearly demonstrates how the so called conservatives now and all the way back to the founding of the nation haave tried to destroy democracy and the middle class in favor of corporatocracy and an elite ruling class.Simple to follow and understand.The book really puts everything into a clear perspective.
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Subjects:  1. Civics & Citizenship    2. Economic Conditions    3. Economic Policy    4. Government - U.S. Government    5. Political Freedom & Security - General    6. Political Science    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Public Policy    10. Public Policy - Economic Policy    11. Social Classes    12. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    13. Political Science / Civics    14. USA   

Editorial Review

It began with a simple $27 loan. After witnessing the cycle of poverty that kept many poor women enslaved to high-interest loan sharks in Bangladesh, Dr. Muhammad Yunus lent money to 42 women so they could purchase bamboo to make and sell stools. In a short time, the women were able to repay the loans while continuing to support themselves and their families. With that initial eye-opening success, the seeds of the Grameen Bank, and the concept of microcredit, were planted.Read more

Reviews (20)

Straight from the Founder
If you are interested in microfinance, this book is a prerequisite.Dr. Yunus gives a historical account of the rise of micro-credit and the Grameen Bank.Of course, he is also the biggest advocate of the program.Therefore, most of his arguments are pro-expansion of micro-credit.In spite of this, he manages to show a clear and compelling picture of the micro-finance industry.But, make sure you balance the information with other microfinance books that does not proselytize as much.A good example is "Beyond Micro-Credit" by Thomas Fisher.
Great book!
Yunus tells a great story about his bank and its battle against poverty.Outstanding business model for someone interested in micro lending.

a must read
This was an absolutely amazing book.It has given me renewed hope that poverty can be eliminated from this earth and will redirect my contribution dollars.I am heartened by what one man could accomplish through his own initiatives.A must read for all economists and humanitarians. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Banks & Banking    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Business    4. Development - Economic Development    5. Political Science    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Public Policy - Economic Policy    8. Biography: general    9. Development economics   

Reviews (17)

First we start with a mistake...
Having observed the healthcare industry for the last couple of decades, I would like to point out a flaw in the author's recommendations:
the next 20 years, explained
Michael Porter, of value chain and competitive advantage fame, has taken on the US health care system.Your reviewer, who is speaking from inside the system, can guarantee that both his diagnosis and his proposed fix are bang on. In short, you bring the US healthcare system in line with other industries by making information about the outcomes of healthcare available to consumers, then letting them choose. How to get there from here takes up most of the book, and it is as brilliant and thoughtful as Porter fans have come to expect. Read this one.

A sentinel work on healthcare reform
Michael Porter and Elizabeth Teisberg have presented a sentinel work in the field of healthcare management.American healthcare is capable of providing the very best skill, professional expertise, and technology the world has ever seen. What is failing in our healthcare system is the management and business organization required deliver value to the recipients of this expertise-- patients.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Cost control    5. Cost effectiveness    6. Economic Conditions    7. Evaluation Of Health Services    8. Health Care Issues    9. Health Policy    10. Industries - General    11. Management - General    12. Medical Economics    13. Medical care    14. Public Policy - Economic Policy    15. Quality control    16. Business strategy   

Editorial Review

What do the Honda Supercub, Intel's 8088 processor, and hydraulic excavators have in common? They are all examples of disruptive technologies that helped to redefine the competitive landscape of their respective markets. These products did not come about as the result of successful companies carrying out sound business practices in established markets. In Read more

Reviews (140)

Mind-Expanding
This is one of the best -- and scariest -- business books I've ever read. Christensen clearly illustrates why many of the 'tried and true' formulas really don't work. His research is compelling and is presented clearly enough for non-technical readers. I can't recommend this book highly enough!

Counterintuitive, well-supported, and powerful
This text excels on several levels:It is very readable, and tells a story which is understandable and compelling even at a cursory pace.For the motivated reader, digging deeper, especially spending time on the introduction and each chapter's endnotes, there is a huge amount of data and insight into that data that is well-structured for assimilation.Finally, the theories presented, once understood, become both a lens for interpreting past and current market dynamics, and set the stage for deployable actions in a number of industries.

It must have been mistaken identitiy...
During fourth of july vacation, I had a chsance to see an old college friend, who is a vice president for a large computer hard drive firm... he was showing offf his new Toyota hybrid when we began talking about the market forces, which interfered with large companies responding to the emerging needs and changes in the marketplace.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Creative ability in business    5. Customer services    6. Development - Economic Development    7. Economics - General    8. Economics - Theory    9. Entrepreneurship    10. Industrial management    11. Management - General    12. Success in business    13. Business & Economics / Economics / General    14. Reading Group Guide   

Editorial Review

Celebrated economist Jeffrey Sachs has a plan to eliminate extreme poverty around the world by 2025. If you think that is too ambitious or wildly unrealistic, you need to read this book. His focus is on the one billion poorest individuals around the world who are caught in a poverty trap of disease, physical isolation, environmental stress, political instability, and lack of access to capital, technology, medicine, and education. The goal is to help these people reach the first rung on the "ladder of economic development" so they can rise above mere subsistence level and achieve some control over their economic futures and their lives. To do this, Sachs proposes nine specific steps, which he explains in great detail in Read more

Reviews (14)

At least it got people talking about global economics...
I really wanted to love this book. It came strongly recommended by a good friend who is very interested in development work.Whenever I read a review I always try and figure out what angle the reviewer is coming from, so for the record I'm deeply interested in development work and I have a background in economics and environmental science, but mostly I'm just really well read.
why we lost the poor
The End of Poverty is an excellent book. It shows how economic thinking can provide a better wealth situation in the underdeveloped world. Jeffrey Sachs describes his last twenty years on development economics. He is the driving force behind the mayor developments in Bolivia and Poland. The book contains his experiences in Bolivia, Poland and Russia. If you introduce economic measures in these countries you can take a big step to let the people help themselves. But if you go to Africa, it seams that these measures are really not the first aid you can give them.
Historic Opportunity for Our Generation
Through clear illustrations and calculations, Jeffrey Sachs lays out a very optimistic and compelling argument that extreme poverty can be ended within our generation. Two major requirements of this plan are the rich nation's commitment to debt relief and their honoring of their promises to dedicate a meager 0.7% of GNP to Official Development Assistance (ODA). If properly invested in infrastructure, health, and education (a topic well covered in the book), these funds could put the extremely poor back on the economic ladder towards growth and development. Sachs sites numerous success stories such as the Marshall Plan and the eradication of African River Blindness and Smallpox where sufficient funding and dedication successfully accomplished development objectives.
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Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Developing countries    3. Development - Economic Development    4. Economic assistance    5. Economic conditions    6. Economics - General    7. Economics Of Developing Countries    8. Poverty    9. Public Policy - Economic Policy    10. Social Science    11. Sociology    12. Third World Development    13. Business & Economics / Economic Conditions   

Reviews (21)

Some Really Good Points.
According to the author economics is in the midst of a revolution. But economics is always in the midst of a revolution. There's the old saying that if you take a thousand economists and lay them in a line that they will all point in a different direction. Yes, there are new economists challenging the field's traditional assumptions. But that's how you get your Ph.D. in economics.
A lot of intrinsic value but...
I bought the book initially because the economist issued an article commenting it which draw my interest. Quite honestly, I was surprised to see that it is basically a compilation of works, essays and academic papers defying orthodox finance and economics viewpoints rather than groundbreaking material. Throughout the book, the author cites many heavyweights in different sciences to augment his thesis of a new paradigm in economics along with the typical historical retrospective on economics, from Adam Smith to Samuelson and beyond which serves the purpose of claiming economics is locked in its own on intellectual embargo.
Ambitious survey; flawed logic
Scattered throughout The Origin of Wealth is a five star survey of new ideas in economics, incorporating discoveries from science and psychology.Unfortunately, in the end, the book is undone by Beinhocker's unfortunate habit of stating hypotheses and non sequiturs as facts, and his continuous harping on "Traditional" economics (and "Traditional" finance) as obsolete and irrelevant.Also, the book is quite uneven in the amount of detail presented; there's too much sometimes (which is tedious), and too little other times (which is frustrating).I really wanted to be able to give the book three stars because of its broad scope and entertaining analyses, but just cannot do so after a few days of mulling over the entirety of its content.If you can separate the wheat from the chaff, it's a decent read; but if you are not already familiar with the subject matter discussed, caveat emptor (buyer beware)!
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Development - Economic Development    5. Distribution Of Income    6. Economic Theory    7. Economic development    8. Economic history    9. Economics    10. Economics - Theory   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Developing countries    5. Development - Economic Development    6. Economic development    7. Economic policy    8. Economics - General    9. Business & Economics / Economics / General    10. Development economics   

Reviews (2)

Very interesting for both the general reader and the student
This is a fascinating book, and that is an amazing achievement for a textbook.The approach David Weil takes to this very important subject allows the reader to get involved in the subject, understand why the easy conceptions we have about this subject are indeed too simple and why they are too simple, and develop some intuitions and models with somewhat greater understanding.It is written for a general reader or student with only a very basic understanding of economics (micro and/or macro).Not much math is required to read the chapters (very little, actually), and the discussions with more math are put in appendices for each chapter.So, if you want the math, it is there, but if it scares you - well, you can read the text of the chapter and skip over the appendices.
Very Accessible!
Professor Weil has provided a very readable text for the senior or graduate student.His organization is excellent, as he steps logically through a description and analysis of the main drivers of economic growth.There is just enough math to display the Cobb-Douglas and Solow models and how they help understand economic growth.Additional appendices with mathematical proofs.Topics covered include physical and human capital formation, productivity, share of a nation's resources devoted to investment, population, technology and institutional elements.A most enjoyable read - I recommend it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Development - Economic Development    5. Economic development    6. Economics - General    7. Business & Economics / Economics / General    8. Economics   

Editorial Review

In Read more

Reviews (67)

A very detailed analysis of sustainability
Just a couple comments and caveats to add not covered in the in-depth Spotlight Reviews.First, this book is absolutely loaded with stats and data and provides a more rigerous, academic treatment of working towards more sustainable way to grow businesses and communities.The fact that the references at the end go on for 55 pages attest to this level of detail!).Given that the authors are from one of the most prominent "think tanks" of eco-capitalism - The Rocky Mountain Institute - explains this level of detail and expertise.But, it really can come across as a "brain dump" where every fact the authors knew of are piled into the chapters (whose origins are earlier position papers). So, if you really need hard data and lots of factoids, this book is a top, well-researched and dependable reference.
Delivers its promise.
Full with advanced thinking and practical examples, this book really is a window (rather, a super-window) to the near future. It explains what is wrong with many systems: optimization of a component pessimizes the whole and gives advice for better available solutions. A must for everyone interested in economics and ecology. along with "Cradle to cradle", the best I have read so far.

Natural Capitalism - China's Future | America's ???
Just this morning I was watching Cashin' In on Fox News. One hot topic was how Oil / Energy prices not only affect gas prices, but ripple across the entire economy - creating potentially deadly inflation. The fact is, our oil addiction is 1) consuming non-renewable resources, and 2) polluting the air, water, and land all around us. This cannot continue for long without irreversible effects on the world.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Economics - Theory    5. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    6. International - Economics    7. Public Policy - Economic Policy    8. Business & Economics / Economics / International   

Reviews (1)

A factual "Must Read" with real stories and real numbers
James Kynge has drawn on over 20 years of life in China as a journeyman reporter for the Financial Times. I read the British release of the book and commend this with enthusiasm. This is a no-BS, readable but fact-filled story of what is really happening in China and throughout the western world as a result, told with finesse and understanding of the deep political and economic impacts unfolding around us. To read it is to arm ones self with knowledge that we all need going forward. It is a red flag warning, but also holds some interesting, ameliorating facts, such the reality that a vast number of Chinese will be swinging to retirement and related cost escalation status in 2040. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 2000-    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. China    6. Commercial Policy    7. Economic conditions    8. Foreign economic relations    9. International - General    10. Public Policy - Economic Policy    11. Business & Economics / Commercial Policy   

Reviews (33)

Current and Comprehensive
Author Oded Shenkar provides up-to-date information, specific
Insightful and well-written
China is a quickly rising economy on the world stage and many liken it to another Japan on the horizon.However, there are as many differences as there are similarities between the rise of the Chinese economy and the rise of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, or Hong Kong.These differences are critical if you are going to understand the impact this will have on the American and world economy.What is the legacy of China's history and how is that impacting their current economy?How is China dealing with (or not dealing with) the problem of piracy and bootlegging of legitimate products on the world market and how will that affect their position on the world market stage?The author deftly covers opportunities and challenges in the China market and in United States Chinese market.The Chinese Century is highly recommended for anyone who wishes to understand the Chinese market and the implications of that market for the United States.

A Window into Worldwide Change
For some time I have been concerned that China's ascent is more than a case of an emerging economy awakening from an extended period of slumber.
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Subjects:  1. 2000-    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. China    6. Contemporary Economic Situations And Conditions    7. Economic Conditions    8. Foreign economic relations    9. International - Economics    10. International Economics (General)    11. Labor & Industrial Relations - General    12. Public Policy - Economic Policy    13. Business & Economics / International    14. Economics   

Reviews (1)

Good and not a "heavy" book
I'm a undergraduate economic student and have tried a good sort of books in this matter, and I finally get one that fits very nice to my needs. This book touches all the aspects of the subject without being very hard tounderstand or too boring to read, and that is hard to find in book aboutindustrial organization! Another good point is that the book is very newand have useful and contemporary examples. A liked very much! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Development - Economic Development    5. Economics - General    6. Industrial organization    7. Industrial organization (Econo    8. Industrial organization (Economic theory)    9. Industrial policy    10. Business & Economics / Economics / General    11. Industry & Industrial Studies    12. Ownership & organization of enterprises   

Reviews (3)

A beginning
My opinion on this book lies some where between the two already presented. The application of economics and game theory to this problem is most definitely original and is the greatest achievement of the book. It is a tribute to the authors that such a simple model that so ruthless applies Occam's razor can explain so much, however the work is flawed it simply does not reflect reality. The reasons behind democratisations are more complex than this model, as powerful as it is, can reflect. This book and the model developed within should be viewed as beginning which other works can develop and expand upon. I have no doubt that economists will continue to contibute to this field with more advanced and better models. For this reason alone political scientists and historians should not ignore this text, but rather accept it for what it is a new way of looking at an old problem.

Wielding Occam's Razor
Economists are turning their focus of inquiry to subjects that were once the exclusive preserve of their colleagues in other social sciences--history, sociology, and political science. The title of this book, "Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy," appears to have been deliberately, even provocatively, chosen for contrast with its famous predecessor, "Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy," by the sociologist Barrington Moore. It is as if the economists are saying, "You've had your go. It is now our turn."
Interesting but ...
This substantial work provides a useful review of the relevant literature,and outlines the simple but powerful idea that the political impact of different types of assets [land, labor or capital] and the costs of repression rather than democratization are key influences on the process of democratization or political repression.This approach has however already been spelt out more succinctly by Carles Boix.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Democracy    5. Democratization    6. Economic aspects    7. Economics - General    8. Equality    9. Government - Comparative    10. Political Ideologies - Democracy    11. Politics / Current Events    12. Public Policy - Economic Policy    13. Business & Economics / Economics / General    14. Economic history    15. Political economy    16. Political structures: democracy    17. Political structures: totalitarianism & dictatorship   

Editorial Review

China has the world's most rapidly changing large economy, and according to Ted Fishman, it is forcing the world to change along with it. "No country has ever before made a better run at climbing every step of economic development all at once," he writes, in