New Releases by Steven Pressman

Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century reached the top of most best-seller lists last year shortly after it was released. Nonetheless, few people actually read the book. Yet reviewers have agreed that the book is important because it touches on one of the major problems facing the US economy, the UK economy and many developed nations: rising income and wealth inequality. It also provides an explanation of the problem and a policy solution: a global wealth tax. This book is intended to do three things. First, it provides a summary of the argument of Piketty’s book, which many people have bought and few people have read. Second, it fills in some of the gaps in the book, by providing readers with the background that is needed to understand the volume and the argument. This background information discusses economic data sources, measures of inequality and why income inequality is such an important issue today. Finally, the work provides a defense of Piketty’s analysis and at times some criticism of his work. Pressman explains why the problem of rising inequality is important, where Piketty’s data comes from, and the strengths and weaknesses of that data. It defends Piketty’s inequality, ru003eg, as the reason inequality has risen over the past several decades in many developed nations. Using Piketty’s own data, this book argues that rising inequality is not just a characteristic of capitalism, but results from different growth rates for income and wealth, which can occur under any type of economic system. Understanding Piketty''s Capital in the Twenty-First Century is the ideal introduction to one of the most important books of recent years for anyone interested in Piketty’s work and the inevitability of inequality.

This text highlights the major empirical questions and issues facing Post Keynesian economics today. Featuring contributions by leading Post Keynesian economists, it focuses on public policy and real-life analysis of this vibrant and dynamic economic theory. In language that is accessible to upper-level undergraduate and graduate students, professional economists, and public policy makers, each of the chapters takes on a specific issue of concern to all professional economists, provides empirical analysis of the issue, and then discusses the Post Keynesian view on the topic and contrasts it with the orthodox perspective. The topics covered are grouped into three main categories: empirical studies of consumption; empirical studies of business investment; and empirical studies of international economic relations.

“A classic tale of American initiative . . . A rich and rewarding read. . . . paints a moving picture of the rescue” of Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Austria (Wall Street Journal). In early 1939, America’s rigid immigration laws made it virtually impossible for European Jews to seek safe haven in the United States. As deep-seated anti-Semitism and isolationism gripped much of the country, neither President Roosevelt nor Congress rallied to their aid. Yet one brave Jewish couple from Philadelphia refused to silently stand by. Risking their own safety, Gilbert Kraus, a successful lawyer, and his stylish wife, Eleanor, traveled to Nazi-controlled Vienna and Berlin to save fifty Jewish children. Steven Pressman brought the Kraus’s rescue mission to life in his acclaimed HBO documentary, 50 Children. In this book, he expands upon the story related in the hour-long film, offering additional historical detail and context to offer a rich, full portrait of this ordinary couple and their extraordinary actions. Drawing from Eleanor Kraus’s unpublished memoir, rare historical documents, and interviews with more than a dozen of the surviving children, and illustrated with period photographs, archival materials, and memorabilia, 50 Children is a remarkable tale of personal courage and triumphant heroism that offers a fresh, unique insight into a critical period of history. “Astonishing. . . . With a careful eye to detail and dialogue, Pressman vividly re-creates this epic rescue.” —Kirkus Reviews “[A] stirring account of determination against overwhelming odds. . . . [I]nspirational.” —Publishers Weekly “Well-crafted.” —Booklist “Deeply affecting.” —Jewish Book Council “It can be challenging to create suspense in a tale for which the ending is known. Pressman does a good job.” —New York Journal of Books

This paper provides a short history of family allowances and documents that Keynes supported family allowances as early as the 1920s and continuing through the 1930s and early 1940s. Keynes saw this policy as a way to help households raise their children and also as a way to increase consumption without reducing business investment. The paper goes on to argue that a policy of family allowances is consistent with Keynesian economics. Finally, the paper uses the Luxembourg Income Study to estimate the impact of family allowances on child poverty in several developed nations and estimates the poverty-reducing impact of several possible family allowance programs for the US.

An introduction to the life, work and ideas of the people who have shaped the economic landscape from the sixteenth century to the present day. Now in a third edition, it considers how major economists might have viewed challenges such as the continuing economic slump, high unemployment and the sovereign debt problems which face the world today, it includes entries on: • Paul Krugman • Hyman Minsky • John Maynard Keynes • Adam Smith • Irving Fisher • James Buchanan Fifty Major Economists contains brief biographical information on each featured economist and an explanation of their major contributions to economics, along with simple illustrations of their ideas. With reference to the recent work of living economists, guides to the best of recent scholarship and a glossary of terms, Fifty Major Economists is an ideal resource for students of economics. Steven Pressman is Professor of Economics and Finance at Monmouth University. He has published around 120 articles in refereed journals and as book chapters, and has authored, or edited 13 books, including Women in the Age of Economic Transformation, Economics and Its Discontents, Alternative Theories of the State, and Leading Contemporary Economists.

Eichner''s classic A Guide to Post-Keynesian Economics (1978) is still seen as the definitive staging post for those wishing to familiarise themselves with the Post-Keynesian School. This book brings the story up-to-date.Of all the subgroups within heterodox economics, Post-Keynesianism has provided the most convincing alternative to mainstream theo

Las autoras, profesoras de Economía y Finanzas, coordinan este importante trabajo elaborado por veinte mujeres, especialistas en los temas tratados. El libro analiza cómo afecta a las mujeres la transformación económica que como consecuencia de los cambios políticos, están teniendo lugar en diversos países. Los datos reflejan la existencia de marcadas desigualdades entre mujeres y varones. Sobre las mujeres recae el peso del trabajo más duro, la responsabilidad de levantar la economía del propio país, aunque sin compensación ni reconocimiento de la tarea que realizan, y también la pesadilla del despido cuando las condiciones se tornan negativas. La obra demuestra cómo, debido a su escaso estatus social, económico y político, las mujeres sufren más que los varones estos procesos de transformación, con la consiguiente feminización de la pobreza.

Using data from the Luxembourg Income Study, compares poverty rates for female-headed families and for other families in a number of developed countries.

Changes are sweeping the world economy and are most apparent in post-socialist Europe and in the developing world. This volume examines the impact these changes are having on women. The authors discuss the evidence of gender bias and reach some telling if unsurprising conclusions. Regardless of the country involved, the findings point to consistent female disadvantage in the transformation process.

Sizable paragraphs describe books and articles written over the past century in a wide range of disciplines that deal with the measurement, causes, and consequences of poverty in the US. The chapters slice different ways, some considering history and welfare measures, others examining specific groups, such as children, minorities, and residents of ghettos and rural areas. Indexed only by name. Co-published with Salem Press. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR