In Search of National Economic Success or Managing with the Wisdom of Love

In Search of National Economic Success: Balancing Competition and Cooperation

Author: Lane Kenworthy

Recent work in comparative political economy has generated a host of alternative explanations for variation in national economic performance--institutional sclerosis, flexible specialization, governance relations, etc. In each case, these explanations have trouble accounting for more than a handful of instances. In Search of National Economic Success uses detailed case studies with statistical analysis to comparatively assess the "market liberal" belief in free markets, limited government, and the tradeoff between economic efficiency and social justice. Lane Kenworthy argues that the key to economic success lies in combining competition with cooperation. Among advanced industrialized nations, the countries achieving the best economic performance results over the past three decades have been the most committed to combining competition and cooperation. Those faring the worst rely predominantly on atomistic, individualistic competition. In the end, the comparative record strongly supports a focus on cooperation-inducing institutions. This volume will prove invaluable to scholars and students in comparative politics, international political economy, and comparative economics. "[This volume] presents an alternative explanation of the cross-national variation in performance, arguing that national economic success lies in combining competition with cooperation." --Journal of Economic Literature

Booknews

The two-century old gospel of competition as the equation for economic success is wrong, says Kenworthy (sociology, Rochester Institute of Technology), and alternative models emphasizing government activism, corporatism, flexible specialization, and labor relationships are inadequate. He finds the key in a deliberate and careful combination of competition and cooperation, and draws on qualitative case studies and statistical analyses of the 17 richest industrialized economies to demonstrate. Policy makers, business analysts, and students of the social sciences will find the non-technical language accessible. Paper edition (unseen), $19.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Read also Knowing Practice or Baldness

Managing with the Wisdom of Love: Uncovering Virtue in People and Organizations

Author: Dorothy Marcic

Make a change for the better

Why do the best-laid plans for organizational transformation go awry? In this compelling work, Dorothy Marcic tells managers that no prescribed formula is ever complete without factoring in the human side of the equation. She asks, How would the workplace change if we acknowledged that spiritual values are as important in the operations of organizations as they are in the lives of the people who work there? The answers -- garnered from real-world examples -- banish the notion that a business can't be both spiritual AND successful, and show what it means to act as a manager with virtue.

Booknews

Discusses the potential of incorporating spiritual values into the world of management, for managers trying to figure out why reengineering and downsizing efforts aren't working. Outlines workplace applications for spiritual principles, and provides many checklists and charts to help management operationalize spirituality and internalize what it means to act as a manager with virtue. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Table of Contents:

	Preface
	Prelude: A Plea for Love	1
1	Spirituality in the Workplace	13
2	Moving Toward Balance	25
3	Love and the New Management Virtues	45
4	The New Management Virtues at Work	89
5	Acting with the Wisdom of Love	113
	Addendum	131
	Endnotes	133
	References	141
	The Author	149
	Index	151