The effective use of development economic theories in practice is limited, the authors contend, by the lack of explicit criterion for judging their scientific content. The directional progress of critical research and teaching is also constrained by this deficiency. This study advances a meta-theory designed to assist in evaluating the scientific validity of theories in economic development and how these theories can be improved to assist social practice. Using this model, the study then examines existing theories, dividing them into explanatory and prescriptive theories. The explanatory...

The Carter administration took office at an unfortunate time as far as economics is concerned. The economy was floundering, and the oil crisis and energy problems were all too prevalent. The author explains that as Carter turned to fighting inflation, he abandoned the traditional Democratic agenda and became a forerunner of Reagan. In the end, he did not conquer inflation, but he did sacrifice his ambitious programs for restructuring government, crafting a lasting energy program, and reforming the tax structure, welfare, and health care.

This book refutes prevailing theories that attribute post-1950 state per capita income convergence to (1) neo-classical adjustment mechanisms, (2) institutional sclerosis, and (3) southern industrialization. Wheat and Crown argue that southern income was low because of slavery's legacy--sharecropping, agricultural dependence, low urbanization, poor education, high Black population percentages, and low wage rates. The legacy's dominant feature was the sharecropper-tenant farmer system, which replaced slavery. Sharecropping was the foundation of southern poverty. Sharecropping's collapse,...

Currently, the research community lacks the capacity to provide accurate, up-to-date information about conditions and trends in rural areas. Bringing together some of the best known rural development researchers, this volume begins to build an information base that can serve as a foundation for rural development policy. It deals with four components of development--education, entrepreneurship, physical infrastructure, and social infrastructure. The opening chapters address two aspects of each component--the use of the component to achieve rural development and measuring the impact of its...

This interesting work presents a unique perspective on the history of economic thought by showing that classical economists from Adam Smith to Alfred Marshall had sympathy for workers - for example, the theory of the subsistence wage echoed the theological call for a just wage that existed in the middle ages. It also describes how these thinkers promoted either a set of social obligations or a form of social insurance to assist workers. These economic thinkers of the past argued that a subsistence standard of living was important to maintain and improve workers' efficiency and to raise...

Many countries have attempted to employ privatization programs to restructure their economies; however, some of the programs are rejected by the polity in the early stages of consideration. Research on privatization has mainly focused on programs that have been accepted, but it often ignores issues associated with rejection. Dr. Molano breaks new ground by examining the microeconomic, macroeconomic, and political factors that shape all outcomes of privatization. A case study method is employed to review attempts to privatize state-owned telephone companies in countries in the southern cone...

The economic relationship between the U.S. and China during the 1940s has long been neglected, with few scholarly works focusing on the period. This era was overshadowed by the political and diplomatic changes during and after the failure of the Nationalists in 1949. Without a close and insightful look into the reconstruction of China with American involvement during the late 1940s, one cannot identify the problems which led to the Nationalists' failure, nor can one answer the questions dealing with the impact of American economic policy toward China during that time.

This history of Burrell & Son of Glasgow describes the way in which ship ownership and operation developed during the final years of the age of sail and the beginning of the era of steamships. Not only does the work contain background material on tramp shipping commerce, it also includes a substantial database on ship building, ownership, and operations during this period. The information will be of interest to the maritime historian since it describes this important era in detail, and to the business historian interested in the strategy and structure of the shipping industry.

Against the background of the globalization of private finance, the predominance of states in global affairs cannot be taken for granted. New actors, such as commercial banks or securities houses, have entered the global arena and, therefore, need to be included in any informed analysis of social reality. The actions of these institutions have to be regarded as influential forces impacting world politics. The theory of transnational regimes is advocated as a new way of structuring the global system.

For many observers of international politics, the classical gold standard is the premier example of successful international monetary cooperation. Curiously, most studies portray this 19th century system as a spontaneous development. Reti, after a thorough investigation of diplomatic records, argues that the gold standard grew out of several years of international negotiation. At the Conference of 1867, delegates for 20 states debated the monetary standard and agreed to adopt gold as soon as possible. In response to worldwide deflation from 1873 to 1896, the Conferences of 1878, 1881, and...