Michael Hudson - Böcker

In the 1990 the Gulf War, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Arab-Israeli peace process and the trend to market-driven economies impacted the regional political and economic order of the Arab world dramatically. How do these events affect the processes of Arab integration? Is the idea of an Arab political and economic comunity in the broadest sense no longer viable? What lessons can be learned from recent attempts toward the future of Arab unity? A team of respected political scientists, historians, and economists carefully assesses the state of regional integration and cooperation, and explains why integration in general has proven so elusive. From the unification of North and South Yemen, to the struggle for Mahgreb unity, and the experiences of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, this book presents a complex portrait of the history and prospects for Arab integration. Part I examines the trends and points the way toward a more rational Arab order. Bahgat Korany reminds us of the continuing relevance of the balance-of-power in understanding Arab world dynamics. Bassam Tibi traces the decline of the Arab "imagined community" and the rise of the Arab state system.Part II offers five case studies exploring the political forces behind integrative attempts on the subregional level. Essays include Mustafa Al-Sayyid on the short-lived "United Arab Republic" of Egypt and Syria; and Abdul Khaleq Abdulla on the hastily established Gulf Cooperation Council. In Part III, economic integration and development are discussed. Roger Owens reviews the efforts to organize an Arab common market. Yusif Sayigh offers a blunt critique of the Joint Arab Economic Action project. Finally, Michael Hudson raises the possibility of a new model of inter-Arab coordination based on sovereign institutional realities and rational collective choice.

This is a clear guide to the German financial system. It begins by outlining its historical development, emphasising the growth of close ties between the banking system and industry, and goes on to describe in details the nature of the credit institutions in general and the money and capital markets. The book emphasizes the crucial role played by the autonomy of the Bundesbank and it explains with clear illustrations the instruments available to it to conduct monetary policy. It analyses the type of monetary target adopted by the Bundesbank in the early 1970s and deals with the ‘transferability’ of the West German financial system to other countries. Wherever relevant, parallels and differences between that system and the ones operating in the US and UK are pointed out.

The second volume in an ongoing series sponsored by the Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends (ISLET), "Urbanization and Land Ownership in the Ancient Near East" examines the impact of debt, private land ownership, and urbanization on ancient societies. Evidence of privatization of land is supported by archaeological data, surviving documents, and financial records.This volume contains three sets of papers ranging from the Ice Age through early Egypt and Bronze Age Sumer, Babylonia, and Israel, given by archaeologists, economists, Assyriologists, and Egyptologists.The first set of papers deals with the social cosmology of early urban areas as ritual centers. The second set focuses on the physical archaeology of Near Eastern cities and reconstructs their land-use patterns. The final set examines what Assyriologists have been able to extract from the cuneiform record concerning urban land use, land tenure, and the emergence of real estate as something privately owned and transferable.One of the most valuable parts of this volume is the oral discussion of each paper by the participants. Highlighting the different methodologies used in each discipline and the difficulties in establishing a common vocabulary, these discussions raise universal questions concerning ancient economies and their relevancy to long-term economic trends.The first volume in this series was "Privatization in the Ancient Near East and Classical World," edited by Michael Hudson and Baruch A. Levine (Peabody Museum Bulletin 5, ISBN 0-87365-955-4).

This is a clear guide to the German financial system. It begins by outlining its historical development, emphasising the growth of close ties between the banking system and industry, and goes on to describe in details the nature of the credit institutions in general and the money and capital markets. The book emphasizes the crucial role played by the autonomy of the Bundesbank and it explains with clear illustrations the instruments available to it to conduct monetary policy. It analyses the type of monetary target adopted by the Bundesbank in the early 1970s and deals with the ‘transferability’ of the West German financial system to other countries. Wherever relevant, parallels and differences between that system and the ones operating in the US and UK are pointed out.