Economists make confident assertions in op-ed columns and on cable news—so why are their explanations at odds with equally confident assertions from other economists? And why are all economic predictions so rarely borne out? Harnessing his frustration with this contradiction, Schlefer set out to investigate how economists arrive at their opinions.

Bringing rare interviews and meticulous research to the cloaked world of Mexican politics in the mid-twentieth century, Palace Politics provides a captivating look at the authoritarian Mexican state—one of the longest-lived regimes of its kind in recent history—as well as the origins of political instability itself, with revelations that can be applied to a variety of contemporary political situations around the globe.Culling a trove of remarkable firsthand accounts from f...

A massive uprising against the Mexican state of Oaxaca began with the emergence of the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca (APPO) in June 2006. A coalition of more than 300 organizations, APPO disrupted the functions of Oaxaca's government for six months. It began to develop an inclusive and participatory political vision for the state. Testimonials were broadcast on radio and television stations appropriated by APPO, shared at public demonstrations, debated in homes and in the stree...

Safe drinking water counts for nothing. A pollution-free environment counts for nothing. Even some people - namely women - count for nothing. This is the case, at least, according to the United Nations System of National Accounts. Author Marilyn Waring, former New Zealand M.P., now professor, development consultant, writer, and goat farmer, isolates the gender bias that exists in the current system of calculating national wealth.As Waring observes, in this accounting system women a...

The primary aim of the text is to introduce the reader to the relationship between economics and ethics and to the application of economic ethics in the evaluation of the market. The reader will gain insight into:The ethical and methodological strategy of economics and criticism of the core assumptions that underpin the economic defence of free market operation.The characteristics of different ethical theories (utilitarianism, duty and rights ethics, justice and vir...

A travelogue and historical exploration of Mexico from one of the twentieth century's greatest travel writersDame Rebecca West travels through Mexico and explores its people, history, religion, and culture in her unfinished work Survivors in Mexico, carefully stitched together by Bernard Schweizer in this posthumously published edition. West tackles the country's broad historical legacy—the Spanish conquest and Mexican revolution, the muralist movement, rac...

“In some respects, Palmer & Cay was too good to be true—a great place to work with snowballing success. Good leadership, talented personnel, personal freedom, and generous compensation contributed to the overall success of The Ship. This is a story not of evil wrongdoing, but of runaway egos, greed, and the lack of entrepreneurial skill or knowledge to lead the company forward. Those egos were willing to bet everything on an unproven scheme and ride The Ship to the bottom, if allowed.”...

The world economy is in a crisis. From the United States to Europe to Africa, growing uncertainty exists over the future. In the midst of this, however, some nations are thriving. In Out of the Rabble, author David Chiweza dissects the real causes of the financial crisis and presents likely scenarios for the future.Based on Zimbabwes past forty-five years of experience, Chiweza, a resident of Zimbabwe, relates his nations economic fortunes to markets and establishes that a...

The charismatic former president of Mexico offers a candid and provocative perspective on the state of world affairs.As president of Mexico, Vicente Fox brought true democracy to the country after seven decades of one party rule. Elected as a political outsider with a message of honesty, change, and hope, he is truly a hero of democracy, and this vivid book interweaves his inspiring personal story with his hopeful new vision for the future of the Americas.P...

First published in 1980, this book collects 17 lectures presented at the annual conference of the Association of University Teachers of Economics covering a wide range issues and debates. They include new theoretical points, criticisms of existing theory, the reporting of empirical studies and their implications, and refinements of methodological techniques. Among the topics covered are government deficits and capital accumulation; macroeconomic issues of management policy and foreign trad...

When scientists discovered transgenes in local Mexican corn varieties in 2001, their findings intensified a debate about not only the import of genetically modified (GM) maize into Mexico but also the fate of the peasantry under neoliberal globalization. While the controversy initially focused on the extent to which gene flow from transgenic to local varieties threatens maize biodiversity, anti-GM activists emphasized the cultural significance of the crop in Mexico and demanded that campes...

The Great Financial Crisis, which started in 2007-08, was originally called the ‘sub-prime’ crisis because its origins could be traced to excessive lending in the real estate sector in the US, concentrated mostly in sunbelt states like Nevada, Florida and California. There were similar pockets of excess lending for housing in Europe, notably in Ireland and Spain. But a key difference emerged later: in Ireland and Spain, the local banking systems almost collapsed and the governments experie...