New Releases by Julian Lincoln Simon

Arguing that the ultimate resource is the human imagination coupled to the human spirit, Julian Simon led a vigorous challenge to conventional beliefs about scarcity of energy and natural resources, pollution of the environment, the effects of immigration, and the "perils of overpopulation." The comprehensive data, careful quantitative research, and economic logic contained in the first edition of The Ultimate Resource questioned widely held professional judgments about the threat of overpopulation, and Simon''s celebrated bet with Paul Ehrlich about resource prices in the 1980s enhanced the public attention--both pro and con--that greeted this controversial book. Now Princeton University Press presents a revised and expanded edition of The Ultimate Resource. The new volume is thoroughly updated and provides a concise theory for the observed trends: Population growth and increased income put pressure on supplies of resources. This increases prices, which provides opportunity and incentive for innovation. Eventually the innovative responses are so successful that prices end up below what they were before the shortages occurred. The book also tackles timely issues such as the supposed rate of species extinction, the "vanishing farmland crisis," and the wastefulness of coercive recycling. In Simon''s view, the key factor in natural and world economic growth is our capacity for the creation of new ideas and contributions to knowledge. The more people alive who can be trained to help solve the problems that confront us, the faster we can remove obstacles, and the greater the economic inheritance we shall bequeath to our descendants. In conjunction with the size of the educated population, the key constraint on human progress is the nature of the economic-political system: talented people need economic freedom and security to bring their talents to fruition.

Comparison with stationary and very fast rates of population growth shows modern population grwoth to have long-run positive effects on the standards of living. This is Julian Simon''s contention, and he provides support for its validity in both more and less-developed countries. He notes that since each person constitutes a burden in the short run, whether population growth is judged good or bad depends on the importance the short run is accorded relative to the long run. The author first analyzes empirical data, formulating his conclusions using simulation models. He then reviews our knowledge of the effect of economic level upon population growth. A final section of his book considers the framework of welfare economics and values within which population policy decisions are now made. He finds that the implications of policy decisions can prove inconsistent with the values that prompt their recommendation. Originally published in 1977. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

This practical resource shows business professionals how to improve their decision-making skills and enhance their ability to develop effective interpersonal relationships with co-workers and clients. The book covers a wide range of topics -- identifying tastes and preferences, personal skill assessment, cost-benefit analysis, risk and uncertainty, multi-tasking, human resource management, time constraints, data collection, and more. Designed to help busy professionals make the most effective use of time and energy, it will also be useful in the study of organizational behavior and business psychology.

Making the case that population growth does not hinder economic progress and that it eventually raises standards of living, Julian Simon became one of the most controversial figures in economics during the past decade. This book gathers a set of articles--theoretical, empirical, and policy analyses--written over the past twenty years, which examine the effects of population increase on various aspects of economic development in less-developed economies. The studies show that within a century, or even a quarter of a century, the positive benefits of additional people counterbalance the short-run costs. The process is as follows: increased numbers of consumers, and the resultant increase of total income, expand the demand for raw materials and finished products. The resulting actual and expected shortages force up prices of the natural resources. The increased prices trigger the search for new ways to satisfy the demand, and sooner or later new sources and innovative substitutes are found. These new discoveries lead to cheaper natural resources than existed before this process began, leaving humanity better off than if the shortages had not appeared. Originally published in 1992. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Julian Simon was known for his methodical, and often controversial, writings challenging conventional beliefs about overpopulation, pollution, disappearing farmland, and the scarcity of energy sources and raw materials. But throughout his works is a common theme: that responsible, unbiased research and examination of the data is indispensable to formulating a well-informed and accurate opinion. "The Art of Empirical Investigation" teaches student, professor, researcher, and those interested in ascertaining the truth about social issues just how to proceed. "The Art of Empirical Investigation" is a textbook on the basics of social-scientific research. It discusses all the important empirical methods used in social science, and its examples, drawn from a wide variety of academic and applied fields, illustrate the use of each method in its most appropriate context. The actual decisions a researcher must make at every stage of a project are emphasized, as well as obstacles to knowledge--such as observer bias, deception, unreliability of data, and sampling costs--and how to overcome them. Presupposing nothing, the book introduces the reader to the foundations of empirical social-science research, regardless of a specific field. It also makes an important contribution to beginning researchers'' understanding of an operational definition of causality, which cuts through philosophical obscurity and teaches the researcher how to decide whether or not a given relationship is causal. James E. Katz contributes an introduction written for this new edition, in which he explains why, after over three decades, this remains one of the best books on research methods around. Written in a clear, informal style, "The Art of Empirical Investigation" is a must for the student and teacher of the social sciences, researchers, and journalists. Julian L. Simon (1932-1998) was professor of business administration at the University of Maryland and Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Cato Institute. His books, as author or editor, include "Population Matters, Hoodwinking the Nation," and "The Economics of Population: Key Classic Writing," all available from Transaction. James E. Katz is professor of communication at the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies at Rutgers University. He is the author of "Machines That Become Us" and "Connections," both available from Transaction.

Text and color graphs and charts describe changes in health, safety, welfare, and environmental and social conditions since 1900.

Illuminates and explains the emergence of modern economic development in Western Europe after the seventeenth century

Argues convincingly that immigration continues to benefit U.S. natives as well as most developed countries

The first of two volumes reprinting Simon''s articles and essays, primarily excluding those strictly about economics, which are collected in their own volumes. The 38 offerings cover philosophical analyses of basic conceptual issues, managerial economics and general macroeconomics, the microeconomics of advertising, industrial organization, and policy schemes based on exchange and auction. Among specific topics are the concept of causality in economics, a further test of the Kinky Oligopoly Demand Curve, the economic effects of state monopoly of packaged liquor retailing, and a reconciliation of the life-cycle and permanent income theories. The articles were originally published from the middle 1960s through the 1980s. No subject index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This century-spanning collection of essays traces the diverse intellectual history of population economics. Arranged to illustrate the evolution of thought in the field, with its many shifts and changes, the volume gathers varied writings from foremost influential economic theorists.

A debate between an environmentalist and a critic of the environmental movement covers population growth, biodiverisity, soil erosion, and the economics of environmental protection

In 1975, Julian Simon had been severely depressed almost every day for 13 years. He had tried various treatments, always without success. Then, he decided to make one final attempt to get rid of the depression - before giving up. Professor Simon began reading about the new ''cognitive'' therapy, with increasing hope, but with considerable doubts. In the ensuing intellectual and emotional struggle, Simon identified the psychological mechanism that is the immediate cause of sadness and depression. Within two weeks, he had banished his depression, and he has kept himself undepressed until now. Since 1975, Simon has been glad to be alive, and has taken pleasure in his days. Occasionally he has even been ecstatic, skipping and leaping from joy, especially in the early years, when relief of the agony of depression was fresh. He has continued to read the psychological literature on depression, and to hone and develop the theory and practice of the method that saved his own life. Some philosophers have long understood that the self-comparisons we make affect our feelings. But self-comparisons have not heretofore been systematically explored or integrated into scientific understanding of the thinking of depressed persons. Good Mood integrates this element with the other elements of cognitive therapy, now proven in experimental studies to be unsurpassed in effectiveness for alleviating depression. Whenever you think about yourself in an evaluative waywhich most of us do every day - you compare the state you think you are actually in with some other ''benchmark'' state that you think you ought to be in. If the self-comparison is positive, you feel pleasure. If the comparison is negative, you feel pain. If you also feel helpless to change the situation, you will feel sad. If you keep this up continuously over a long period, you will probably become depressed. Good Mood presents a detailed account of the origin and functioning of negative self-comparisons (neg-comps), and the various ways of eliminating them. It will be useful for depression sufferers, their friends and relatives, psychologists, and counselors.

Since 1970, Julian Simon has been challenging the doomsayers and their conventional beliefs in a series of controversial popular essays based upon his technical scholarly research. These have been his central message: Raw materials and energy are getting less scarce. The world''s food supply is improving. Pollution in the United States has been decreasing. Population growth has long-term benefits, even though added people are a burden in the short run. The United States needs more immigrants. These essays are the core of Population Matters. The central vision is of human being who, on balance, create more than they destroy, if they have adequate incentive to create and guarantee protection of the fruits of their labors. The debate on these questions concerns the effect of the number of people on the standard of living. Simon sees the following mechanism at work: Population growth and increased income expand demand, and prices of natural resources are forced up, triggering the search for new supplies. Eventually new sources and substitutes are found, and humanity is better off. How quickly this happens is critical; and here the presence of economic liberty and respect for property are of central importance. There is no doubt that Julian Simon has influenced the professional consensus on these questions. But he does not preach complacency, nor does he think that new resources and economic advances are inevitable. He reminds us that institutions that protect property and reward initiative must be protected. Above all, we must remember that the ultimate resource is people, whose exercise of will and imagination for their own benefit inevitably benefits us all. Those who have read and enjoyed Simon''s other books or his writings in the popular media will find this a spirited examination of the compelling issues of our day. Some of the most provocative essays in the volume have never before been published. Social and physical scientists may be stimulated to rethink some of their assumptions, and the general reader will be engaged by the force and style of his arguments.

Whether the reader is a newcomer starting from scratch on a shoestring budget, or an established business person looking to cash in on the mail-order boom, Julian Simon''s definitive book provides A-to-Z coverage of how to plan, execute, & maintain a successful mail-order operation. Step-by-step, Simon shows how to strike it rich in mail order from selecting the right products, to promoting them effectively, to creating ads & copy that sell, & much more. In each information-packed page, the fifth edition reports on today''s trends & developments in this fast-changing field, while continuing to offer the expert guidance that has stood the test of time. Readers will learn how to: Use computers, databases, & desktop publishing to simplify & enhance operations; Take advantage of the emerging opportunities in international direct marketing; Benefit from insider advice from the field''s biggest success stories thanks to special chapters by David Ogilvy, John Caples, Victor Schwab, & Paul Bringe; Deal with postal incre

Offers a theory of economic effort, discusses industrial payment systems, and analyzes a variety of economic situations