Management by Agreement (1973) examines the ramifications of the 1971 Industrial Relations Act and industrial relations in Britain. It looks at the threats of Government legal action against trade unions and the reform of collective bargaining, and concludes that the Act fails to deal with management’s crucial problem: the interaction of two opposing pressures from the workforces and the economic climate.

First published in 1983, Strikes in Post-War Britain provides the first systematic long-run examination of official strike statistics since the war. It is based on a wealth of new material and analysis.The overall strike pattern is first compared with the relevant data on economic activity rates—e.g. movements in prices, output, and employment. Theories linking strikes with variations in all these factors are examined in some detail. Studies of strike prone industries and ...

Where Does Money Come From? reveals how, contrary to public perception, the bulk of today's money supply is created and allocated by commercial banks in their role as providers of credit. The authors argue that this system is inherently unstable, with little effective regulation of how much credit is provided, or whether it is used for productive or speculative purposes. Based on detailed research and consultation with experts, including from the Bank of England, Where Does Mo...

Thirty years ago, Anglo-American politicians set out to make the public sector look like the private sector. These reforms continue today, ultimately seeking to empower elected officials to shape policies and pushing public servants to manage operations in the same manner as their private-sector counterparts. In Whatever Happened to the Music Teacher?, Donald Savoie provides a nuanced account of how the Canadian federal government makes decisions. Savoie argues that the traditional role of...

“If [The End of Alchemy] gets the attention it deserves, it might just save the world.” —Michael Lewis, Bloomberg ViewSomething is wrong with our banking system. We all sense that, but Mervyn King knows it firsthand; his ten years at the helm of the Bank of England, including at the height of the financial crisis, revealed profound truths about the mechanisms of our capitalist society. In The End of Alchemy he offers us an essential work ...

Bored with endless grandstanding and people being wise after the event? Then The Age of Instability is the one book you should read on the financial crisis. Setting the near collapse of the international financial markets and banking system in a global and historical context, Sunday Times economics editor and bestselling author David Smith looks not only at the political and economic factors that contributed to the fall of Lehmans, collapse of Iceland and disintegration o...

In September 2008, Thabo Mbeki was ‘recalled’ as president of South Africa, seven months before his term was due to end. This book takes stock of Mbeki’s presidency, by focusing on a simple question: how has South Africa prospered or weakened under his stewardship? The Mbeki Legacy considers how Mbeki consolidated power and why he was defeated at the ANC’s 2007 Polokwane conference. It weighs up the successes of his macro-economic policies and his shortcomings in the fields of crime fighti...

The questions surrounding how the Irish economy was brought to the brink – who was to blame, and who should pay for these mistakes – have been rightly debated at length. But beyond this very legitimate exercise, there are deeper questions that need to be answered.These questions relate to why we made the decisions we did, not just in the last 10 years, but over the last 80. How did certain industries become prominent at the expense of others, banking as opposed to ...

In this informative critique of contemporary leadership, renowned political scientist Donald Savoie poses and answers the crucial questions: where is power located, and who is in charge? In recent years it has become extremely difficult to pinpoint the location of political and economic power, making it complicated to determine who is to blame for political and economic catastrophes and leading to increased disenchantment with Western politicians and bureaucrats. Power considers how forces...

In 1979, Margaret Thatcher’s new government was faced with rampant double-digit inflation, rising unemployment and flatlining economic growth. In response, Thatcher pursued an economic policy which rejected the old orthodoxies and was promoted by only a minority of economists: a policy based on the doctrine of monetarism.Tim Lankester was the private secretary for economic affairs to Thatcher during the early years of her government. His insider’s account explains her attitudes and...

The real story of how power works in this country ... In recent years, the trust in Australian politics and politicians has been at an all-time low. From political polarisation and the spread of disinformation to the lack of trust in the public institutions that underpin our government, the truth can often be hard to find. How Australian Democracy Works is a pulse check of our country's political health and a helpful guide to understanding our nation's political history and our place in th...

This book looks at how Ireland as a small open economy can prosper in the medium term. It contains recommendations from Irelands top economic and policy commentators for boosting and sustaining the post-crisis economy. The book is policy relevant accessible and written to stimulate public debate.