Wild Capitalism

1. Making of the Hungarian Environmental Movement -- 2. Chernobyl Stories and Anthropological Shock in Hungary -- 3. Consumers or Citizens? Environmentalism, new Markets and the Public Sphere -- 4. Eco-colonialism: the Emergence of an Environmentalist Critique -- 5. Does Everyone Suffer Alike? Race, Class, and the Postsocialist Environment.

In the 1990s, all eyes turned to the momentous changes in Russia, as the world's largest country was transformed into the world's newest democracy. But the heroic images of Boris Yeltsin atop a tank in front of Moscow's White House soon turned to grim new realities: a currency in freefall and a war in Chechnya; on the street, flashy new money and a vicious Russian mafia contrasted with doctors and teachers not receiving salaries for months at a time. If this was what capitalism brought, many Russians wondered if they weren't better off under the communists. This new society did not just appear ready-made: it was created by a handful of powerful men who came to be known as the oligarchs and the young reformers. The oligarchs were fast-talking businessmen who laid claim to Russia's vast natural resources. The young reformers were an elite group of egghead economists who got to put their wild theories into action, with results that were sometimes inspiring, sometimes devastating. With unparalleled access and acute insight, Chrystia Freeland takes us behind the scenes and shows us how these two groups misused a historic opportunity to build a new Russia. Their achievements were considerable, but their mistakes will deform Russian society for generations to come. Along with a gripping account of the incredible events in Russia's corridors of power, Freeland gives us a vivid sense of the buzz and hustle of the new Russia, and inside stories of the businesses that have beaten the odds and become successful and profitable. She also exposes the conflicts and compromises that developed when red directors of old Soviet firms and factories yielded to -- or fought -- the radically new ways of doing business. She delves into the loophole economy, where anyone who knows how to manipulate the new rules can make a fast buck. Sale of the Century is a fascinating fly-on-the-wall economic thriller -- an astonishing and essential account of who really controls Russia's new frontier.

1. Making of the Hungarian Environmental Movement -- 2. Chernobyl Stories and Anthropological Shock in Hungary -- 3. Consumers or Citizens? Environmentalism, new Markets and the Public Sphere -- 4. Eco-colonialism: the Emergence of an Environmentalist Critique -- 5. Does Everyone Suffer Alike? Race, Class, and the Postsocialist Environment.

Over the past 20 years, the world has undergone nothing less than a global business revolution, driven by the force of capitalism. Yet capitalism is a two-edged sword. It has propelled forward human ingenuity and creativity to a new peak. However, it threatens fundamentally the very existence of the human species.

The Wild East bridges political economy and anthropology to examine a variety of il/legal economic sectors and businesses such as red sanders, coal, fire, oil, sand, air spectrum, land, water, real estate, procurement and industrial labour. The 11 case studies, based across India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, explore how state regulative law is often ignored and/or selectively manipulated. The emerging collective narrative shows the workings of regulated criminal economic systems where criminal formations, politicians, police, judges and bureaucrats are deeply intertwined. By pioneering the field-study of the politicisation of economic crime, and disrupting the wider literature on South Asia’s informal economy, The Wild East aims to influence future research agendas through its case for the study of mafia-enterprises and their engagement with governance in South Asia and outside. Its empirical and theoretical contribution to debates about economic crimes in democratic regimes will be of critical value to researchers in Economics, Anthropology, Sociology, Comparative Politics, Political Science and International Relations, Criminologists and Development Studies, as well as to those inside and outside academia interested in current affairs and the relationship between crime, politics and mafia enterprises.

What, and who, are we working for? A thoughtful assessment on our current society from “probably America’s most prominent Marxist economist” (The New York Times). Capitalism as a system has spawned deepening economic crisis alongside its bought-and-paid-for political establishment. Neither serves the needs of our society. Whether it is secure, well-paid, and meaningful jobs or a sustainable relationship with the natural environment that we depend on, our society is not delivering the results people need and deserve. One key cause for this intolerable state of affairs is the lack of genuine democracy in our economy as well as in our politics. The solution requires the institution of genuine economic democracy, starting with workers managing their own workplaces, as the basis for a genuine political democracy. Here Richard D. Wolff lays out a hopeful and concrete vision of how to make that possible, addressing the many people who have concluded economic inequality and politics as usual can no longer be tolerated and are looking for a concrete program of action. “Wolff’s constructive and innovative ideas suggest new and promising foundations for much more authentic democracy and sustainable and equitable development, ideas that can be implemented directly and carried forward. A very valuable contribution in troubled times.” —Noam Chomsky, leading public intellectual and author of Hope and Prospects

A timely examination of capitalism's influence on the world and the consequences of its expansion. An important big picture book, containing expert analysis, about recent business events and what that holds for the future. Current financial crisis has forced a complete reassessment of capitalism's role in global business - this book is essential reading for that. Controversial yet authoritative - author provides a platform for saving humanity from the uncontrolled excesses of capitalism. Major review and feature coverage expected in national and business media. Over the past 20 years, the world has undergone nothing less than a global business revolution, driven by the force of capitalism. Yet capitalism is a two-edged sword. It has propelled forward human ingenuity and creativity to a new peak. However, it threatens fundamentally the very existence of the human species. This major book provides an overview of capitalism's global rise and its consequences. The global ecology is profoundly threatened by the uncontrolled energy and material consumption that is at the heart of capitalism. Large global corporations have burst on the scene in pursuit of profits, and have become more important than nation governments. And the revolution in financial markets has produced a system that is essentially 'flying blind' today. Humanity is at a crossroads and disaster is looming. Mechanisms are required to contain the self-created monster of unconstrained global capitalism. About the author - Peter Nolan(recently awarded CBE) is an eminent professor at Jesus College, Cambridge University. He also holds the Sinyi Chair in the Judge Business School and is visiting professor at Copenhagen Business School. He is the author of China and the Global Economy (Palgrave) and advisor to government ministers and CEOs.

"A thoughtful treatise on how popular representations of nature, through entertainment and tourism, shape how we imagine environmental problems and their solutions"--Provided by publisher.