BANKS AND BANKING

   Hossian, Akhand Akhtar

Central banking and monetary policy in the Asia-Pacific / Akhand Akhtar Hossain. — Cheltenham, [England] : Edward Elgar, c2009. HG 3253 H67 2009

This timely book reviews the modern literature on inflation and monetary policy, and highlights contemporary issues in the design and conduct of monetary policy for price stability in developing Asia. Akhand Akhtar Hossain surveys the evolution of central banking and provides an introduction to the structure, function and governance of central banks in selected countries in the Asia-Pacific. The author also examines the major theories, models and approaches to inflation and monetary policy and evaluates monetary policy regimes in selected countries in the Asia-Pacific in an historical context. This eloquent and comprehensible book will prove to be invaluable to undergraduate students on monetary theory and policy, as well as banking and financial courses. Researchers exploring monetary policy concepts, principles and case studies will warmly welcome this book, as will policymakers who have an interest in macroeconomics, monetary and financial policies.

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 BUSINESS CYCLES  

Nonlinear time series analysis of business cycles / [editors] Costas Milas, Philip Rothman, Dick van Dijk. Bingley, [England] : Emerald, c2008. HB 31 C65 v.276

The business cycle has long been the focus of empirical economic research. Until recently statistical analysis of macroeconomic fluctuations was dominated by linear time series methods. Over the past 15 years, however, economists have increasingly applied tractable parametric nonlinear time series models to business cycle data; most prominent in this set of models are the classes of Threshold AutoRegressive (TAR) models, Markov-Switching AutoRegressive (MSAR) models, and Smooth Transition AutoRegressive (STAR) models. In doing so, several important questions have been addressed in the literature, including: Do out-of-sample (point, interval, density, and turning point) forecasts obtained with nonlinear time series models dominate those generated with linear models? How should business cycles be dated and measured? What is the response of output and employment to oil-price and monetary shocks? How does monetary policy respond to asymmetries over the business cycle? Are business cycles due more to permanent or to transitory negative shocks? And, is the business cycle asymmetric, and does it matter? “Contributions to Economic Analysis” was established in 1952. The series purpose is to stimulate the international exchange of scientific information. The series includes books from all areas of macroeconomics and microeconomics.

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 CENTRAL PLANNING  

Lin, Justin Yifu

The China miracle : development strategy and economic reform / Justin Yifu Lin, Fang CAI, Zhou LI. Sha Tin, N.T., Hong Kong : Published for the Hong Kong Centre for Economic Research and the International Center for Economic Growth by the Chinese University Press, 2003. HC 427.92 L5613 2003

The tremendous success of China’s economic reform, in contrast with the vast difficulties encountered by the former Soviet Union and Eastern European countries in their transition, has attracted worldwide attention. Using a historical, comparative and analytic approach grounded in mainstream economics, the authors develop a consistent and rational framework of state-owned enterprises and individual agents to analyze the internal logic of the traditional Chinese planning system. They also explain why the Chinese economy grew slowly before the market-oriented reform in 1979 but became one of the fastest growing economies afterwards, and why the vigor/chaos cycle became part of China’s reform process. The book also addresses the questions: Can China continue its trend of reform and development and become the largest economy in the world in the early twenty-first century? What are the general implications of China’s experience of development and reform for other developing and transition economies? In this revised edition, the authors update the data and information in the book and include a new chapter on the impact of China’s WTO accession on its reform.

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CHINA-ECONOMIC POLICY

Naughton, Barry

The Chinese economy : transitions and growth / Barry Naughton. Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, c2007.
HC 427.95 M38 2007

This comprehensive overview of the modern Chinese economy by a noted expert on China’s economic development offers a quality and breadth of coverage not found in any other English-language text. In The Chinese Economy, Barry Naughton provides both an engaging, broadly focused introduction to China’s economy since 1949 and original insights based on his own extensive research. The book will be an essential resource for students, teachers, scholars, business people, and policymakers. It is suitable for classroom use for undergraduate or graduate courses.After presenting background material on the pre-1949 economy and the industrialization, reform, and market transition that have taken place since, the book examines different aspects of the modern Chinese economy. It analyzes patterns of growth and development, including population growth and the one-child family policy; the rural economy, including agriculture and rural industrialization; industrial and technological development in urban areas; international trade and foreign investment; macroeconomic trends and cycles and the financial system; and the largely unaddressed problems of environmental quality and the sustainability of growth.The text is notable also for placing China’s economy in interesting comparative contexts, discussing it in relation to other transitional or developing economies and to such advanced industrial countries as the United States and Japan. It provides both a broad historical and macro perspective as well as a focused examination of the actual workings of China’s complex and dynamic economic development. Interest in the Chinese economy will only grow as China becomes an increasingly important player on the world’s stage. This book will be the standard reference for understanding and teaching about the next economic superpower.

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COMMODITY EXCHANGE 

 

2012 Commodity flow in the Philippines. Manila : National Statistics Office, 2013.
HF 1040.9 P6 C64 2012 (FI)

Provides annual comprehensive statistics on regional commodity flow or domestic trade by mode of transport. Contains detailed statistics and value of coastwise, air, and rail trade by commodity, port of origin, and destination. Serves as bases in the construction of inter-regional and inter-industry relation tables, and in the formulation and implementation of such regional projects as countryside development and port planning.

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CONSCIOUSNESS  

     Torey, Zoltan

The Crucible of consciousness : an integrated theory of mind and brain / Zoltan Torey ; with a foreword by Daniel C. Dennett. Cambridge, MA : MIT Press, 2009. BF 311 T67 2009

We are material beings in a material world, but we are also beings who have experiences and feelings. How can these subjective states be just a matter of matter? Philosophical materialists have formulated what is sometimes called “the phenomenal concept strategy” (which holds that we possess a range of special concepts for classifying the subjective aspects of our experiences) to defend materialism. In Consciousness Revisited, philosopher Michael Tye, until now a proponent of the approach, argues that the phenomenal concept strategy is mistaken. A rejection of phenomenal concepts leaves the materialist with the task of finding some other strategy for defending materialism. Tye points to four major puzzles of consciousness that arise: How is it possible for Mary, in the famous thought experiment, to make a discovery when she leaves her black-and-white room? In what does the explanatory gap consist and how can it be bridged? How can the hard problem of consciousness be solved? How are zombies possible? Tye presents solutions to these puzzles–solutions that relieve the pressure on the materialist created by the failure of the phenomenal concept strategy. In doing so, he discusses and makes new proposals on a wide range of issues, including the nature of perceptual content, the conditions necessary for consciousness of a given object, the proper understanding of change blindness, the nature of phenomenal character and our awareness of it, whether we have privileged access to our own experiences, and, if we do, in what such access consists.

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COUNTRY RISK

     Hoti, Suhejla

Modelling the riskiness in country risk ratings / Suhejla Hoti and Michael McAleer. Amsterdam : Elsevier, 2005.
HB 31 C65 no. 273

The importance of country risk is underscored by the existence of several prominent country risk rating agencies. These agencies combine information regarding alternative measures of economic, financial and political risk into associated composite risk ratings. As the accuracy of such country risk measures is open to question, it is necessary to analyse the agency rating systems to enable an evaluation of the importance and relevance of agency risk ratings. The book focuses on the rating system of the international country risk guide. “Time” series data permit a comparative assessment of risk ratings for 120 countries, and highlight the importance of economic, financial and political risk ratings as components of a composite risk rating. The book analyses various univariate and multivariate risk returns and corresponding symmetric and asymmetric models of conditional volatility, as well as conditional correlations.

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ECONOMICS

   Economic sciences, 2001-2005 / editor, Peter Englund. Singapore : World Scientific, 2008. HB 34 E26 2008

This volume is a collection of the Nobel Lectures delivered by the prizewinners, together with their biographies and the presentation speeches at the award ceremonies in Stockholm for the period 2001 2005. Each Nobel Lecture is based on the work for which the laureate was awarded the prize. This volume of inspiring lectures should be on the bookshelf of every keen student, teacher and professor of economics as well as of those in related fields.

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EQUILIBRIUM (ECONOMICS)

Essays in dynamic general equilibrium theory : Festschrift for David Cass / Alessandro Citanna … [et al.], editors. Berlin : Springer, c2005.

HB 145 E87 2005

In the area of dynamic economics, David Cass’s work has spawned a number of important lines of research, including the study of dynamic general equilibrium theory, the concept of sunspot equilibria, and general equilibrium theory when markets are incomplete. Based on these contributions, this volume contains new developments in the field, written by Cass’s students and co-authors.

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EXCISE TAX

Theory and practice of excise taxation : smoking, drinking, gambling, polluting, and driving / edited by Sijbren Cnossen. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2005. HJ 5703 T44 2005

Excise taxes are not only convenient sources of government revenue, they can also be designed to reflect the external costs of excisable products, such as global warming, acid rain, traffic congestion, and the costs of cigarette and alcohol consumption. This book by internationally recognized experts analyzes the art of excise taxation, providing a systematic, insightful, and often provocative treatment of a major fiscal instrument that policy-makers often neglect, and that gets little attention in the professional literature.

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FINANCE

Global finance in crisis : the politics of international regulatory change / [edited by] Eric Helleiner, Stefano Pagliari, and Hubert Zimmermann. London ; New York : Routledge, 2010. HG 173 G55 2010

From the vantage point of the key powers in global finance including the United States, the European Union, Japan, and China, this highly accessible book brings together leading scholars to examine current changes in international financial regulation. They assess whether the flurry of ambitious initiatives to improve and strengthen international financial regulation signals an important turning point in the regulation of global finance. Also providing the first systematic analysis of the international regulatory response to the current global financial crisis, this ground-breaking volume is vital reading for students and scholars of international political economy, international relations, global governance, finance and economics.

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FREE TRADE

Manzano, George N.

An Analysis of the Philippine offensive and defensive interests in the non-agricultural sector: inputs to the Philippine-European Union free trade agreement / George N. Manzano. Makati City : Philippine Institute for Development Studies, 2014.

HC 460 D43 P534 2014 no. 04 (FI)

In drawing up the negotiating stance of the Philippines in light of the Philippines-European Union (PH-EU) free trade agreement (FTA), it is important to articulate its offensive and defensive interests. Indications of the offensive and defensive interests can be gleaned from standard measures of competitiveness as well as complementarities of the partners. However, in operational terms, negotiators would require analysis that is carried out at more specific tariff levels. This paper proposes the framework to generate different offensive and defensive lists of commodities in the non-agricultural sector as input to the Philippine negotiators. Because the criteria that is used in generating the offensive and defensive lists is purely economic in nature, the negotiators are expected to weigh in the political and non-economic criteria to determine the final lists for negotiations in the PH-EU FTA.

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FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS

MacCluer, Barbara D.

Elementary functional analysis / Barbara D. MacCluer. New York, N.Y. : Springer, 2009. QA 320 M325 2009

Functional analysis arose in the early twentieth century and gradually, conquering one stronghold after another, became a nearly universal mathematical doctrine, not merely a new area of mathematics, but a new mathematical world view. Its appearance was the inevitable consequence of the evolution of all of nineteenth-century mathematics, in particular classical analysis and mathematical physics. Its original basis was formed by Cantor’s theory of sets and linear algebra. Its existence answered the question of how to state general principles of a broadly interpreted analysis in a way suitable for the most diverse situations. A.M. Vershik ([45], p. 438). This text evolved from the content of a one semester introductory course in fu- tional analysis that I have taught a number of times since 1996 at the University of Virginia. My students have included ?rst and second year graduate students prep- ing for thesis work in analysis, algebra, or topology, graduate students in various departments in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and several und- graduate mathematics or physics majors. After a first draft of the manuscript was completed, it was also used for an independent reading course for several und- graduates preparing for graduate school.

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HOUSEHOLDS

  

Integrated survey of households bulletin : labor force, series no. 157. Manila : National Statistics Office, 2014.
HA 1824 A4 no. 157 (FI)

Deals with Philippine labor force and its socioeconomic characteristics primarily based on Labor Force Surveys conducted every quarter by the NSO. Data are published on national and regional levels. Also includes previous ISH results for comparative purposes. Aims to provide users with additional insights on the size, structure, composition, and implications of the growing work force to the country’s economy.

Integrated survey of households bulletin : labor force, series no. 155. Manila : National Statistics Office, 2014.
HA 1824 A4 no. 155 (FI)

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HOUSEHOLD INCOME

Parel, Danileen Kristel C.

Growth and redistribution: is there ‘trickle down’ effect in the Philippines? / Danileen Kristel C. Parel. Makati City : Philippine Institute for Development Studies, 2014. HC 460 D43 P534 2014 no. 02 (FI)

This paper aims to explore the determinants of household income and expenditure growth, and assess whether the poor are benefiting from economic development. Using regression analysis, five factors were examined: (1) location of the household, (2) access to infrastructure, (3) changes in rice prices, (4) peace situation, and (5) initial household endowments. The most important finding is that impacts of the five factors vary significantly across households belonging to different income groups–the rich benefit more than the poor. This calls for an effective policy intervention in targeting the poor.

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HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION

   Ferris, Elizabeth G. 

The politics of protection : the limits of humanitarian action / Elizabeth G. Ferris. Washington, D.C. : Brookings Institution Press, c2011. JZ 6369 F47 2011

For the past decade, humanitarian actors have increasingly sought not only to assist people affected by conflicts and natural disasters, but also to protect them. At the same time, protection of civilians has become central to UN peacekeeping operations, and the UN General Assembly has endorsed the principle that the international community has the “responsibility to protect” people when their governments cannot or will not do so. Elizabeth Ferris explores the evolution of the international community’s understandings of protection, with a particular emphasis on the humanitarian community.

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INCOME

2012 Family Income and Expenditure Survey: final report. Manila : National Statistics Office, 2014. HA 4611 F35 2012 (FI)

Provides data on family income and expenditure which include among others levels of consumption by item of expenditure as well sources of income in cash and in kind. Specifically discusses levels of living and disparities in income and spending patterns of families belonging to different income groups. Also includes related information such as number of family members employed for pay or profit (or as wage, salary, or own-account workers); occupation, age, and educational attainment of household head; and other housing characteristics.

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INCOME DISTRIBUTION

Nahuis, Richard 

Knowledge, inequality, and growth in the new economy / Richard Nahuis. Cheltenham, [England] : Edward Elgar, c2003. HC 79 I5 N34 2003

Richard Nahuis explores and combines the seemingly separate phenomena of wage inequality between high-skilled and low-skilled workers and the relatively low productivity growth experienced by most countries. The author provides a number of alternative theories for the increase in wage inequality as a result of new technologies, combined with an extensive review of the associated literature. He then goes on to detail the technological revolution, describe why this does not necessarily result in high productivity growth and outline the best methods to measure productivity in the new economy.

 

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INFRASTRUCTURE (ECONOMICS)

Navarro, Adoracion M. 

Financing infrastructure in the Philippines: fiscal landscape and resource mobilization / A. M. Navarro and Gilberto M. Llanto. Makati City : Philippine Institute for Development Studies, 2014.
HC 460 D43 P534 2014 no. 01 (FI)

This study assesses the sources and levels of infrastructure financing in the Philippines for the last five years (2008-2012). The mapping of fiscal resources showed that there had been underinvestment in infrastructure. To illustrate, in 2008-2012, public infrastructure spending as a share of GDP ranged between a low of 1.40 percent to a high of 2.09 percent–a far cry from the target 5 percent of GDP over the medium term. The result of many years of infrastructure underinvestment is woefully manifested in the Philippines` place in quality-of-infrastructure ranking among ASEAN member-states; it is currently second to the bottom. Recently, there had been significant improvements in the government`s fiscal position that augur well for more substantial infrastructure spending in the future. New regional sources of financing, the liquid domestic capital market, and a low interest-rate environment also present opportunities for investing in infrastructure by both the government and the private sector. However, it is not only the constrained availability of financial resources that could restrain infrastructure investments but also institutional weaknesses and, therefore, the government must firmly commit to reform policies and strengthen institutions. 

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INTERNATIONAL FINANCE

Johnson, Hazel J. 

Trade agreements and financial services / Hazel J. Johnson, Patricia M. Langley. River Edge, N.J. : World Scientific Pub., c2002. HG 3881 J64 2002

Trade Agreements and Financial Services examines the cross-border agreements that have historically been focused on the trade of merchandise goods. Increasingly, emphasis is being placed on the provision of cross-border services. Notable among these are financial services. There is a clear link between economic development and the availability of financial products. Moreover, the financial services sector is, itself, a major industry that is fueling growth. The conditions under which financial services are offered in an international context are the subject of debate in the Western Hemisphere, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. 

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE

At the crossroads : the world trading system and the Doha round / Stefan Griller [editor]. Wien : Springer, c2008. HF 1385 A88 2008

Set against the backdrop of the spectacular failure of the Doha Round of world trade talks, this fascinating yet crucial analysis examines some of the fundamental problems of world trade law, such as its position in the system of public international law. It also looks at, among many other things, problems of legitimacy and democratic control, and some of the more practical items on the agenda, including whether the Doha Development Round really fostered development.

  

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POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

   Corrales, Javier 

Dragon in the tropics: Hugo Cháves and the political economy of revolution in Venezuela/ Javier Corrales, Michael Penfold Washington, D.C. : Brookings Institution Press, c2011.
JL 3831 C67 2011

Since he was first elected in 1999, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez Frías has reshaped a frail but nonetheless pluralistic democracy into a semi-authoritarian regime —an outcome achieved with spectacularly high oil income and widespread electoral support. This eye-opening book illuminates one of the most sweeping and unexpected political transformations in contemporary Latin America. Based on more than fifteen years’ experience in researching and writing about Venezuela, Javier Corrales and Michael Penfold have crafted a comprehensive account of how the Chávez regime has revamped the nation, with a particular focus on its political transformation. Throughout, they take issue with conventional explanations. First, they argue persuasively that liberal democracy as an institution was not to blame for the rise of chavismo. Second, they assert that the nation’s economic ailments were not caused by neoliberalism. Instead they blame other factors, including a dependence on oil, which caused macroeconomic volatility; political party fragmentation, which triggered infighting; government mismanagement of the banking crisis, which led to more centralization of power; and the Asian crisis of 1997, which devastated Venezuela’s economy at the same time that Chávez ran for president. It is perhaps on the role of oil that the authors take greatest issue with prevailing opinion. They do not dispute that dependence on oil can generate political and economic distortions —the “resource curse” or “paradox of plenty” arguments —but they counter that oil alone fails to explain Chávez’s rise. Instead they single out a weak framework of checks and balances that allowed the executive branch to extract oil rents and distribute them to the populace. The real culprit behind Chávez’s success, they write, was the asymmetry of political power. 

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POVERTY

Niemietz, Kristian

A new understanding of poverty: poverty measurement and policy implications / Krisitian Niemietz ; [foreword by John Meadowcroft]. — London : Institute of Economic Affairs, c2011. HB 171 157 no. 65

This groundbreaking study on the measurement of poverty shows how policy in this field has taken a wrong turn with disastrous results. In recent years, poverty has generally been understood in “relative” terms: people are regarded as poor if they earn less than some benchmark relative to average earnings. One perverse result of such relative poverty measures amongst many is that poverty often declines in a serious recession when those who are better paid lose their jobs. The policy response of income transfers, which are used to address the perceived problem of relative poverty, has often led to serious problems that actually reduce long-term opportunities for poorer people. The author proposes an entirely new way of measuring poverty. If this measure was applied, public policy would orientate itself toward creating the conditions that allowed the poor to become better off. Such a strategy would focus not only on ensuring economic growth and more labor market participation, but also on supply-side reforms that would reduce the cost of living for the poor. This monograph is essential reading for all involved in the poverty debate.

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PROBABILITIES

Meester, Ronald 

A Natural introduction to probability theory / Ronald Meester. Basel, Switzerland : Birkhaeuser Verlag AG, 2008.
QA 273.18 M44 2008

Compactly written, but nevertheless very readable, appealing to intuition, this introduction to probability theory is an excellent textbook for a one-semester course for undergraduates in any direction that uses probabilistic ideas. Technical machinery is only introduced when necessary. The route is rigorous but does not use measure theory. The text is illustrated with many original and surprising examples and problems taken from classical applications like gambling, geometry or graph theory, as well as from applications in biology, medicine, social sciences, sports, and coding theory. Only first-year calculus is required.

   

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TOURISM