Most Popular Books by Simon Johnson

From the authors of the national bestseller 13 Bankers, a chilling account of America’s unprecedented debt crisis: how it came to pass, why it threatens to topple the nation as a superpower, and what needs to be done about it. With bracing clarity, White House Burning explains why the national debt matters to your everyday life. Simon Johnson and James Kwak describe how the government has been able to pay off its debt in the past, even after the massive deficits incurred as a result of World War II, and analyze why this is near-impossible today. They closely examine, among other factors, macroeconomic shifts of the 1970s, Reaganism and the rise of conservatism, and demographic changes that led to the growth of major—and extremely popular—social insurance programs. What is unquestionably clear is how recent financial turmoil exacerbated the debt crisis while creating a political climate in which it is even more difficult to solve.

Noted pundit, Simon Johnson--a daily face in the mainstream media--and coauthor Arvind Subramanian ask and answer the questions readers want to know: what happened, what are the likely policy responses, and how will the future international architecture and global world order shake out in light of the crisis. The authors propose what regulation federal and international bodies should impose upon international and domestic finance, and reevaluate the role of the international financial institutions that provide financial and technical assistance, particularly in times of crisis, such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. This book forecasts emerging countries'' responses to the crisis based on their ability to rebound, and predicts countries'' future preventive policy steps to avoid slipping into a crisis once again. In tandem, the authors turn to the question of global order in the crisis'' aftermath; much will depend on which countries emerge better off.

In spite of its key role in creating the ruinous financial crisis of 2008, the American banking industry has grown bigger, more profitable, and more resistant to regulation than ever. Anchored by six megabanks whose assets amount to more than 60 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, this oligarchy proved it could first hold the global economy hostage and then use its political muscle to fight off meaningful reform. 13 Bankers brilliantly charts the rise to power of the financial sector and forcefully argues that we must break up the big banks if we want to avoid future financial catastrophes. Updated, with additional analysis of the government’s recent attempt to reform the banking industry, this is a timely and expert account of our troubled political economy.

The untold story of how America once created the most successful economy the world has ever seen—and how we can do it again. The American economy glitters on the outside, but the reality is quite different. Job opportunities and economic growth are increasingly concentrated in a few crowded coastal enclaves. Corporations and investors are disproportionately developing technologies that benefit the wealthiest Americans in the most prosperous areas -- and destroying middle class jobs elsewhere. To turn this tide, we must look to a brilliant and all-but-forgotten American success story and embark on a plan that will create the industries of the future -- and the jobs that go with them. Beginning in 1940, massive public investment generated breakthroughs in science and technology that first helped win WWII and then created the most successful economy the world has ever seen. Private enterprise then built on these breakthroughs to create new industries -- such as radar, jet engines, digital computers, mobile telecommunications, life-saving medicines, and the internet-- that became the catalyst for broader economic growth that generated millions of good jobs. We lifted almost all boats, not just the yachts. Jonathan Gruber and Simon Johnson tell the story of this first American growth engine and provide the blueprint for a second. It''s a visionary, pragmatic, sure-to-be controversial plan that will lead to job growth and a new American economy in places now left behind.

Protect your children from dangers that lurk on the Internet. Learn to identify the real threats--be they pedophiles, cyber-stalkers, hackers, spyware, viruses, or adware--and formulate an effective protection plan. Choose the best software for your needs and your budget from the book’s independent review of firewalls, web filters, anti-virus products, and more. Plus, a companion Web site hosted by the author includes updated data and information. Get FREE eTrust EZ Antivirus Software for ONE YEAR with Purchase of This Book--a $29.95 USD value.

This is a new release of the original 1928 edition.

This text critically examines the notion of human embodiment in both classical and contemporary thought. An embodied sociology is proposed, one which makes embodiment central rather than peripheral.

The bestselling co-author of Why Nations Fail and the bestselling co-author of 13 Bankers deliver a bold reinterpretation of economics and history that will fundamentally change how you see the world A thousand years of history and contemporary evidence make one thing clear: progress depends on the choices we make about technology. New ways of organizing production and communication can either serve the narrow interests of an elite or become the foundation for widespread prosperity. The wealth generated by technological improvements in agriculture during the European Middle Ages was captured by the nobility and used to build grand cathedrals, while peasants remained on the edge of starvation. The first hundred years of industrialization in England delivered stagnant incomes for working people. And throughout the world today, digital technologies and artificial intelligence undermine jobs and democracy through excessive automation, massive data collection, and intrusive surveillance. It doesn’t have to be this way. Power and Progress demonstrates the path of technology was once—and may again—be brought under control. Cutting-edge technological advances can become empowering and democratizing tools, but not if all major decisions remain in the hands of a few hubristic tech leaders. With their bold reinterpretation of economics and history, Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson fundamentally change how we see the world, providing the vision needed to redirect innovation so it again benefits most people.

In this sample of 49 Latin America, OECD, and transition economies, it is the ineffective and discretionary administration of tax and regulatory regimes--not higher tax rates alone--as well as corruption, that increases the size of the unofficial economy. And countries with a large unofficial economy tend to grow more slowly.

Chronic obstructive airways disease (COAD: bronchitis, emphysema and chronic asthma) is a major medical, psychological, social and economic problem. Breathlessness is one of the most distressing and disabling symptoms of COAD, and it has long been apparent that the condition results in impaired quality of life. Drawing upon sociological and psychological sources and his own detailed research within this area, Simon Williams sensitively portrays the meaning, experience and impact of COAD from the perspective of sufferers and their families. He also provides a comprehensive review of the relevant psychosocial literature and concludes by discussing some of the policy implications for health care professionals. Chronic Respiratory Illness will be of immense value to health professionals and others who care for sufferers and their families. It will also be of interest to students and researchers working in medical sociology, health psychology, medicine and nursing.

In this paper, we review the role of the political economy in inclusive growth. We find that political economy forces on the demand and supply side have weakened redistribution over time and contributed to a new wave of populism. We document growing support for a rethink of the social contract to make growth more inclusive and discuss some of its broad elements.

No matter what you teach, there is a 100 Ideas title for you! The 100 Ideas series offers teachers practical, easy-to-implement strategies and activities for the classroom. Each author is an expert in their field and is passionate about sharing best practice with their peers. Each title includes at least ten additional extra-creative Bonus Ideas that won''t fail to inspire and engage all learners. _______________ An essential collection of 100 practical, tried-and-tested ideas for teaching computing in secondary schools. This is the perfect resource for computing teachers at all levels, whether specialist or non-specialist, newly qualified or experienced. From rubber duck debugging to teaching algorithm design through magic tricks and even setting up an escape room to raise awareness about cyber security, this is the ultimate toolkit for any teacher looking to diversify their lesson plans or revamp their teaching of computing. The activities are research-informed and ready to use in Key Stages 3 and 4 classrooms of all abilities, requiring minimum preparation and resources. 100 Ideas for Secondary Teachers: Outstanding Computing Lessons will ignite students'' passion for coding, programming and computational thinking. Additional online resources for the book can be found at www.bloomsbury.com/100-ideas-secondary-computing

The 21st Geneva Report on the World Economy first provides a summary review of the basics of blockchain technology and its challenges, costs, and benefits. It then gives an overview of blockchain technology and the potential direct impact on the financial sector, including a discussion of tokens, initial coin offerings (ICOs), and crypto-exchanges--all salient regulatory and market issues today. Building on this, it assesses possible use cases beyond the world of finance.

"Develops the empirical and theoretical case that differences in economic institutions are the fundamental cause of differences in economic development." - abstract.

Exploring the sociological aspects of sleep and their links to current health debates, this unique text discusses why sleep has been so neglected in sociological literature and examines significant modern issues such as: the 24-hour society sleep and work homelessness dream analysis the medicalization and commodification of sleep. Written by a key international figure in medical sociology, this is the first sociological examination of sleep, making it important reading for academics and advanced students of medical sociology, health studies, and sociology, as well as for professionals and policy makers involved in the area.

A dozen countries had weak institutions in 1960 and yet sustained high rates of growth subsequently. We use data on their characteristics early in the growth process to create benchmarks with which to evaluate potential constraints on sustained growth for sub-Saharan Africa. This analysis suggests that what are usually regarded as first-order problems-broad institutions, macroeconomic stability, trade openness, education, and inequality-may not now be binding constraints in Africa, although the extent of ill-health, internal conflict, and societal fractionalization do stand out as problems in contemporary Africa. A key question is to what extent Africa can rely on manufactured exports as a mode of "escape from underdevelopment," a strategy successfully deployed by almost all the benchmark countries. The benchmarking comparison specifically raises two key concerns as far as a development strategy based on expanding exports of manufactures is concerned: micro-level institutions that affect the costs of exporting, and the level of the real exchange rate-especially the need to avoid overvaluation.

"What is the effect of increasing life expectancy on economic growth? To answer this question, we exploit the international epidemiological transition, the wave of international health innovations and improvements that began in the 1940s. We obtain estimates of mortality by disease before the 1940s from the League of Nations and national public health sources. Using these data, we construct an instrument for changes in life expectancy, referred to as predicted mortality, which is based on the pre-intervention distribution of mortality from various diseases around the world and dates of global interventions. We document that predicted mortality has a large and robust effect on changes in life expectancy starting in 1940, but no effect on changes in life expectancy before the interventions. The instrumented changes in life expectancy have a large effect on population; a 1% increase in life expectancy leads to an increase in population of about 1.5%. Life expectancy has a much smaller effect on total GDP both initially and over a 40-year horizon, however. Consequently, there is no evidence that the large exogenous increase in life expectancy led to a significant increase in per capita economic growth. These results confirm that global efforts to combat poor health conditions in less developed countries can be highly effective, but also shed doubt on claims that unfavorable health conditions are the root cause of the poverty of some nations"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site.

Introduces twenty successful gardens with professional scale drawings and planting plans, color-theme plans, maintenance and care advice, and information on plants for all climates

Digital photography, which transfers traditional film and darkroom techniques to the desktop computer, is offering new possibilities that are changing our entire approach to taking pictures.The Digital Photography Handbookis a complete illustrated guide to electronic photography, written in non-technical language that anyone can understand. The manual begins with an equipment guide to finding the right digital camera; there is also information on computers, monitors, scanners, and printers. The techniques section covers topics such as the gathering of digital images, creating a digital library, scanning, color printing, digital imagery and the Internet, and downloading to a PC. Finally, there are creative step-by-step projects for editing, retouching, special effects, and practical applications, such as greeting cards and sales documents.

Discusses the restructuring of state enterprises and the development of private businesses, and examines the progress made by Poland

In this sample of 49 Latin American, OECD, and transition economies, it is the ineffective and discretionary administration of tax and regulatory regimes--not higher tax rates alone--as well as corruption, that increases the size of the unofficial economy. And countries with a larger unofficial economy tend to grow more slowly. Johnson, Kaufmann, and Shleifer (1997) found that, in post-communist economies, the unofficial economy''s share of GDP is determined by the extent of control rights held by bureaucrats and politicians. Exploring in detail the role of taxation and bribery, and using data from an expanded data set of 49 Latin American, OECD, and transition economies, Johnson, Kaufmann, and Zoido-Lobaton find that the unofficial economy accounts for a larger share of GDP where there is great bureaucratic inefficiency and discretion, and where firms experience a greater tax and regulatory burden, as well as more bribery and corruption. The unofficial economy is also much larger where there is less state revenue and where the rule of law is weak. They also find that countries with a larger unofficial economy tend to grow more slowly. Thus, this framework suggests an additional channel whereby corruption and ineffective regulatory and tax administration can result in lower growth: the unofficial economy. Wealthy OECD economies and some Eastern European economies find themselves in the "good equilibrium" of relatively low regulatory and tax burden (not necessarily low statutory tax rates), sizable revenue mobilization, good rule of law and control of corruption, and a small unofficial economy. Several countries in Latin America and the former Soviet Union exhibit characteristics consistent with a "bad equilibrium": the discretionary application of heavy regulatory and tax burdens, the weak rule of law, heavy bribery, and an active unofficial economy. In this large country sample (unlike in the earlier framework for transition economies only), the authors find that it is the ineffective and discretionary application of regulatory and tax regimes in many countries--not higher tax rates by itself--that increase the size of the unofficial economy. The tax burden reported by firms appears to be more a function of regulatory and bureaucratic inefficiency and discretion rather than of tax rates alone. This paper - a product of the Governance, Regulation, and Finance Group, World Bank Institute - is part of a larger effort in the institute to improve our understanding of institutional issues and their effects on development and of building a major new database on institutional indicators.

Taking recent debates on the body and society as its point of departure, the book critically re-examines a series of embodied issues and emotional agendas in health and illness.

Lavishly illusrated collection of recipes accompanied by a discussion of a range of food and beverages - for example oils, cheese, grains, pulses, fungi, vinegar, condiments, chocolate, tea and coffee. Recipes include sourdough bread, truffled chicken and steamed surf clams. Discusses the way in which various ingredients are produced and emphasises the importance of selecting quality ingredients. Includes an index. The author is a providore and food educator.