A lively, engaging and counterintuitive exploration of success stories from across the globe, and what Michelle Obama referred to as ‘the flimsy difference between success and failure’.In this lively and counterintuitive exploration of success stories from across the globe, award-winning journalist Hamish McRae takes the reader on a fascinating journey in pursuit of the flimsy difference between triumph and failure. Why do some initiatives take off while others flounder? How have s...

'A dazzling history of the future – Hamish McRae has given us a tour de force' - Tim Harford_______________A bold and illuminating vision of the future, from one of Europe's foremost speakers on global trends in economics, business and societyWhat will the world look like in 2050? How will complex forces of change – demography, the environment, finance, technology and ideas about governance – affect our glob...

Using highly-readable, non-technical language, the authors, both professional economists, describe all the major global economic forces at work in the 1970s and forecast the kind of future which such forces are creating (and which has indeed been the case). Inflation and recession, an energy crisis, international monetary disorder and a food crisis in the developing world are all discussed.

Originally published in 1985, Capital City: London as a Financial Centre proves in depth analytical description of the financial institutions of the City of London. The book describes in detail the operations of the banks, the stock market, the insurance world and other bodies that make up the world’s largest international financial centre. The book also answers a series of questions on the City’s performance, accountability and honesty and explains how the City reached its presen...

Bloomsbury presents The World in 2050 by Hamish McRae, read by Gordon Griffin.A dazzling history of the future – Hamish McRae has given us a tour de force' – Tim Harford_______________A bold and illuminating vision of the future, from one of Europe’s foremost speakers on global trends in economics, business and societyWhat will the world look like in 2050? How will complex forces of change – demography, the environment, finance, technology and ideas about gov...

For more than half a century, the U.S. dollar has been not just America's currency but the world's. It is used globally by importers, exporters, investors, governments and central banks alike. Nearly three-quarters of all $100 bills circulate outside the United States. The dollar holdings of the Chinese government alone come to more than $1,000 per Chinese resident. This dependence on dollars, by banks, corporations and governments around the world, is a source of strength for the United S...

From the vantage point of many in the West, Africa remains a continent of woe – a place stalked by ethnic conflict, corrupt dictatorships, religious strife, war and famine. But today, at last, the flawed mythology that treats Africa as a homogenous disaster area is being challenged by investors, economists, fund managers and academics. Age is not often associated with speed; but Africa, the cradle of civilisation, now has more of the world’s fastest-growing economies than any other. After ...

The finance sector of Western economies is too large and attracts too many of the smartest college graduates. Financialization over the past three decades has created a structure that lacks resilience and supports absurd volumes of trading. The finance sector devotes too little attention to the search for new investment opportunities and the stewardship of existing ones, and far too much to secondary-market dealing in existing assets. Regulation has contributed more to the problems than th...

If you are looking to understand how tax havens and offshore financial centers work, how they are governed (or not!), and what kind of economic and political impacts they have, then this book is for you! This recent text by well-recognized experts in the field is a most welcome addition to the literatures.... It fills an important void, since there was not until now a general but nevertheless detailed reference text on tax havens... it should be mandatory for courses in IPE, intern...

Canada’s cities are crippled by a lack of financial and governing clout. Their infrastructures are crumbling and their citizens are disaffected by the inability of municipal government—or any government, for that matter—to act on the issues that influence their constituents’ lives. Cities generate a disproportionate amount of Canada’s wealth and are home to the majority of the population, yet they have no means to control their own destinies.Alan Broadbent suggests that the problem...

Is it true that the 2008 financial crisis was worse than the Great Depression of 1929? Why did the Italian writer Andrea Camilleri recently claim that World War III has just started, albeit in a "soft version"? Why did a business magnate like George Soros – “the man who broke the Bank of England" – recently accuse the Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein of being“evil”? What does Italy’s PM Mario Monti, who was a Goldman Sachs international advisor for years, think of all this? And, above all...

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...