Japan's Economic Dilemma: The Institutional Origins of Prosperity and Stagnation

Book Description

After decades of seemingly unsurpassable growth and prosperity, Japan's economy declined in the 1990s. The reversal stunned observers: How could the economy have reversed itself so abruptly? Bai Gao's illuminating analysis of Japan's economic story demonstrates how the same economic institutions could produce both remarkable successes and a prolonged slump. In Japan's Economic Dilemma, Gao describes tensions within the Japanese economic system that created a bubble in the 1980s, yet became unsustainable and led to a stagnant domestic economy in the 1990s. Those who have been following the lively debate over "What became of the Japanese Miracle?" will appreciate Gao's historical perspective and multilayered analysis. Bai Gao is an associate professor in the department of sociology at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. He was a visiting scholar at Tokyo University and taught at Hitotsubashi University and Yokohama National University. He is the author of Economic Ideology and Japanese Industrial Policy (Cambridge, 1997), which received the 1998 Hiromi Arisawa Memorial Award in Best Books in Japanese Studies from the Association of American University Presses.

Bai Gao, Japan's Economic Dilemma: the Institutional Origins of Prosperity and Stagnation.(Book Review) (book review): An article from: Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

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Bai Gao, Japan's Economic Dilemma: the Institutional Origins of Prosperity and Stagnation.(Book Review) (book review): An article from: Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare
Christian Aspalter
Manufacturer: Western Michigan University, School of Social Work
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, published by Western Michigan University, School of Social Work on March 1, 2003. The length of the article is 856 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Bai Gao, Japan's Economic Dilemma: the Institutional Origins of Prosperity and Stagnation.(Book Review) (book review)
Author: Christian Aspalter
Publication: Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2003
Publisher: Western Michigan University, School of Social Work
Volume: 30 Issue: 1 Page: 171(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Bernard DeVoto (1897-1955) was, according to the novelist Wallace Stegner, "a fighter for public causes, for conservation of our natural resources, for freedom of the press and freedom of thought." A Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, DeVoto is best remembered for his trilogy, The Year of Decision: 1846, Across the Wide Missouri, and The Course of Empire. He also wrote a column for Harper's Magazine, in which he fulminated about his many concerns, particularly the exploitation and destruction of the American West. This volume brings together ten of DeVoto's acerbic and still timely essays on Western conservation issues, along with his unfinished conservationist manifesto, Western Paradox, which has never before been published. The book also includes a foreword by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., who was a student of DeVoto's at Harvard University, and a substantial introduction by Douglas Brinkley and Patricia Limerick, both of which shed light on DeVoto's work and legacy.

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Western Paradox A Conservation Reader
Bernard De Voto
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORZ1MG

The Western Paradox: A Conservation Reader

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The Western Paradox: A Conservation Reader
Bernard Augustine De Voto
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORZ0L8

Book Description

Once the world's largest marsupial predator, the doglike Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus) ranged across Australia and as far north as New Guinea. After humans introduced dingoes to the area 4,000 years ago, the misnamed "tiger" was driven to extinction everywhere except the island of Tasmania. With the arrival of European settlers there in the 1800s, however, its days became numbered. Unsubstantiated tales of its blood-thirst and its unnaturally savage attacks on sheep led to the creation of "extermination societies" and ultimately to the introduction of a law in 1886 that mandated the destruction of the species. Hunted indiscriminately for fifty years, Tasmanian tigers were granted a reprieve in 1936, when the government was persuaded to protect the species. But it was too late: the last specimen died in a Hobart zoo two months later.

In Tasmanian Tiger, David Owen tells the tragic story of the thylacine, from its evolutionary origins and its physical and behavioral characteristics to its ill-fated encounter with European civilization and the ongoing fascination with the "Tassie Tiger" as a potent symbol of wildlife conservation. Elegantly written and full of interesting facts and first-hand stories from those who saw the animal in the wild, Tasmanian Tiger offers a compelling account of how fear and ignorance doomed an entire species over the course of a century. And in recounting numerous recent sightings of the thylacine in Tasmania, Owen explores the power that this once-despised creature continues to hold on the imagination today. Indeed, as described in this book, serious efforts are being undertaken to bring back the Tasmanian tiger through cloning, a controversial project that raises a number of ethical questions for scientists and conservationists everywhere. For both those familiar with the thylacine and those discovering this remarkable animal for the first time, Tasmanian Tiger is a poignant cautionary tale of human folly and the fragility of the natural world.

Customer Reviews:

Helpful and well done. A great resource on Thylacines........2007-08-02

Tasmanian Tiger: The Tragic Tale of How the World Lost Its Most Mysterious Predator
by David Owen is a very good book with lots of helpful information. Well written and engaging.

Everything I was looking for.......2005-03-26

If you are like me and have always wondered what happened to these fascinating mammals, then get this is a book for you. It covers everything, but in a readable approach. I particularly like the way it introduces you to the tasmanian residents, new and old. Losing the tassie tiger was a great blow to conservation, but I still hear howls in the background of history.

Dull book on an interesting creature.......2005-01-16

The last known living thylacine - the proper name for what is often popularly (and mistakenly) called the Tasmanian tiger - died in a Hobart city zoo in 1936. It was already an old beast, and the Great Depression had worsened its condition through neglectful care. Two months before it died, the Tasmanian parliament gave the species full protection - a delayed counter-response to earlier Tasmanian and Australian policies that for decades put a bounty on its head. But the change in policy came too late. In all the years since 1936, there has not been a single piece of solid evidence the species still exists.

Most experts guess that a few thylacines lived on in the wild for some years after the mid-30s before succumbing to the problems of low population numbers. But many Tasmanians, and a few experts, continue to believe the animal still survives in the wilds of Tasmania. There are a number of reasons for this. Thirty percent of the island is a wildlife preserve. There have been over a hundred reliable sightings of the animal in recent years. And the creatures were nocturnal and shy, even when populations were abundant.

If the thylacine does survive, it would be a remarkable story, for it was a remarkable beast. The largest marsupial predator in modern times, the thylacine took its popular name from the stripes that covered the back half of its elongated frame. Without those stripes, a thylacine would have had some resemblance to a long, skinny dog or wolf, except for two obvious features: its enormous jaw, which the thylacine was able to open to an angle of nearly ninety degrees, and its sloping back, which was somewhat similar to a hyena's (another dog-like creature that is not related to the canines). But whatever resemblance existed between thylacines and the family of canines was superficial -- a matter of convergent evolution, not relatedness. The thylacine was a marsupial, with its pups born and partially raised in a poach.

Most eyewitness accounts said thylacines were neither fast nor ambush predators. The creature's sloping gait, that so resembled a hyena's, was built for endurance not speed. A thylacine would give chase to its prey over long distances, tiring it out, before catching up with it and pinning it down with the enormous jaw and sharp teeth. The preferred prey seems to have been kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, and, a few years after the arrival of white settlers in 1803, sheep. The thylacine's taste for sheep, however, would end up spelling its doom as settlers - many of whom went to Tasmania to raise sheep - grew to hate the beast.

David Owen, a Tasmanian novelist, and the author of "Tasmanian Tiger", argues that the thylacine's reputation for eating sheep was probably undeserved or at least exaggerated. Feral dogs also inhabited Tasmania, and in some cases were known to attack and eat sheep. But whoever the culprit, the "tiger" - as the thylacine was known locally - was blamed by most Tasmanians and bounties were put on its head. As a result, by the early twentieth century, the writing was on the wall for the beast. From 1878 to 1896, more than 3,400 tiger skins were tanned and made into waistcoats. In 1902, 119 thylacines were presented for the bounty. In 1906, just 58. In 1909, the last year any tigers were presented for bounty, only two were given up. The population had been decimated. It was now only a matter of time.

Owen's book is fairly dry, considering the rich nature of the subject matter. David Quammen, in his "The Song of the Dodo", has a far more interesting section on the thylacine, filled with fascinating facts and a strong narrative, covering almost all the ground Owen does in much less space. Perhaps because he is a novelist, Owen has little new to add. He has read the necessary books and source material, but unlike Quammen, and many others who have studied thylacines, he has no scientific background or interest. Quammen put the extinction of the thylacine in perspective by showing its similarities to other extinctions elsewhere in the world; Owen simply portrays it as a sad story in the history of Tasmania.

Owen does add one interesting twist to the story by telling of the project to reconstruct a thylacine using the DNA from a dead fetus preserved in alcohol for several decades. Most scientists think it's an impossible scientific feat to pull off, but Owen interviews a couple of bright-eyed, true believers who think otherwise. The project has found sponsors and some small progress has been made. But with Australia still losing species, counter-arguments have been voiced that the money - which will run into the millions of dollars per thylacine, assuming they are ever successfully cloned - could be better spent saving creatures that still exist.

The same general argument can be made for the money spent on this book. "Tasmanian Tiger" is a dull study on an interesting subject. Owen is an experienced novelist, but you wouldn't know it from reading this book. The narrative never gets going. For a much better book, one with a superb section on thylacines, read David Quammen's "The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions."

Gone the way of the dodo.......2004-12-31

David Owen's "Tasmanian Tiger..." is a little gem that will delight the naturalist, the environmentalist, and just the intelligent reader. It is a poignant tale about an animal that became extinct in relatively recent times, gone the way of the dodo. The book is written unusually well by an impassioned nature-writer, and it is capable of evoking frustration and sadness by the insensitivity of man toward preserving the balance of nature. It is entertaining and richly illuminating about this strange animal, and also about a land as obscure and inaccessible as any spot on earth. I would recommend this book with unrestrained enthusiasm.

Book Description

An irreplaceable reference that offers everything a fly fisher needs for the ultimate eastern Montana fishing experience; illustrated with great maps and hatch charts.

Customer Reviews:

I felt ripped off........2006-07-30

I own the 1995 and 1996 editions of Holt's East and West guide books. Recently I bought the "2002" editions. Other than the cover and correcting a few errors, they are the same. The books themselves are of average value. A better choice is the Flyfisher's Guide to Montana.

Reprinted not Updated.......2006-01-31

I ordered both the East and West Books by Holt. The copyright was 1995 and 1996. I called Lyons Press and these are the most recent books available. Lyons Press just reprinted them in 2002, but nothing was updated or rewritten from the original books. So beware, the content is 10+ years old, even though the covers are 2002 vintage.

Useless .......2005-09-09

From a practical standpoint this book is almost totally useless. There are pages upon pages of descriptions of the sections of 7 or 8 major rivers in the area. These descriptions are journalistic at best. Poor maps, poorly organized, and otherwise lacking in the type of solid information one looks for in a guide book. A loser in this genre, voyeuristic at best. I'm no better off for having bought this book.

The Best.......2005-07-26

The best guide book for east of the continental divide. Make sure you get the 2002 edition. Every major river is covered in detail with all feeder streams given. Also high mountain lakes and obscure streams given. The maps are good, but get a Delorme Gazetteer for the state. This book is written by John Holt who lives in Livingston, Mt right on the yellowstone. He knows these waters better than many others. I highly recommend this book if you are traveling to MT and want to explore on your own.

Montana Fly Fishing Guide: East of the Continental Divide (Vol 2)

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The best fly fishing guide book ever

Montana Fly Fishing Guide: East of the Continental Divide (Vol 2)
John Holt
Manufacturer: Greycliff Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0962666335

Amazon.com

Anyone who fly-fishes Montana--or plans to--should own copies of this useful guide and its western companion. A complete inventory of Montana's fly-fishing waters east of the Continental Divide, Montana Fly Fishing Guide moves across the state, drainage by drainage, devoting plenty of space to the main river of each watershed as well as the many tributaries, small streams, reservoirs, and alpine lakes that frequently get left out of other guidebooks. The maps are large and easy to use, and the fishing descriptions cover seasonal variations, river conditions, and preferred fly patterns. Also included are travel suggestions, river access, etiquette and rules, and a hatch chart. Both the eastern and western editions are superb guides to one of the world's best places to cast a fly.

Customer Reviews:

The best fly fishing guide book ever.......2001-11-19

I used this book and its sister book for west of the continental divide extensively on my last trip to Montana. It now has a large coffee stain on it but I don't care. The information is exact and extensive. I own a couple of other books by Holt and would recommend any of them. Do not go to Montana on a fishing expidition without a couple of John Holt books in your possesion.

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One of the better books on study skills...

Good Enough

Every student should have this book!

I use this book in my classroom!

Study Strategies Made Easy (School Success Series)
Leslie Davis , Sandi Sirotowitz , and Harvey C. Parker
Manufacturer: Specialty Press (FL)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Special Education | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Study Skills | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Policy | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Reference | Subjects | Books
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Super Study Skills (Scholastic Guides)

Study Skills That Stick (Grades 4-8)

Middle School Study Skills

Teaching Learning Strategies and Study Skills To Students with Learning Disbilities, Attention Deficit Disorders, or Special Needs (3rd Edition)

Study Power: Study Skills to Improve Your Learning and Your Grades

ASIN: 1886941033

Book Description

"Study Strategies Made Easy" was designed by leading educational specialists to teach valuable study skills to students in grades six through twelve. "Study Strategies Made Easy" will teach students more than what to learn. It will teach students how to learn, and that is the true key to acquiring knowledge. Strategies focus on organizational skills, time management, improving reading comprehension, vocabulary development, communication, how to study for tests effectively, memorization and more. Contains self-tests and reproducible forms to be used by individual students and valuable information for teachers and parents who work with students in developing study strategies. "Study Strategies Made Easy" is the result of exhaustive research and is successfully being used in leading schools and learning centers throughout the United States and Canada.

Customer Reviews:

One of the better books on study skills..........2004-10-24

Among the ten books I have read for this age group, this book is in the top group. It is oriented around learning styles, which may not be immediately understandable or useful to kids who are struggling (it often takes an adult to explain learning styles to a youngster and help the young person practice the understanding), but the sections on communication, reading comprehension, note-taking, homework, memorization, and test-taking were all very good.

One item which is missing from most books of this sort is the concept of "desire." A youngster has to want to improve in order to make gains.

If I were teaching a study skills class to early high schoolers, I probably would use this book. For middle schoolers, I would use Laurie Rozakis' Super Study Skills. For late high schoolers and early college-age students, I would use William Luckie's Study Power.

Good Enough.......2002-10-13

This book does a good job of describing study strategies. However, I think that the book, SURVEY OF 300 A+ STUDENTS: A+ STUDENTS DESCRIBE THEIR ACADEMIC STRATEGIES, by Kenneth Green (from Harvard) is a bit better (which I think deserves 5 stars).

Every student should have this book!.......1999-08-18

Study strategies are often overlooked in school, yet they are the tools students need to succeed. The authors have included many strategies to help kids stay organized, take tests, do research reports, take notes, and study. I would highly recommend this for middle and high school students.

I use this book in my classroom!.......1999-03-23

As a high school English teacher I have always wanted to have a book I could give my students to learn study skills. Study Strategies Made Easy provides practical information and important study skills such as planning for long term reports, how to study for tests, note-taking, organization, and how to improve you memory. These strategies, and the others in this wonderful book, give students the edge they need to be successful.

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College Made Easy: Strategies for Study
Phillip Shew-Spear
Manufacturer: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Study Skills | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Pearls -- small white beads of purity and perfection. It is no wonder that they have fascinated and bewitched cultures the world over for thousands of years. But just what is it about this ancient gem that has so closely bonded it to our lives, our culture, and our bodies?

People and Pearls explores and reveals the power of pearls, with their remarkable ability to bestow upon their wearer a sense of mystery, elegance, and grace. It offers a personal look at the world's most celebrated jewel through portraits of the most memorable personages throughout civilization to have worn them -- from Queen Elizabeth to Uma Thurman, from Josephine Baker to Marilyn Monroe. It recounts the stories of particular strands of pearls that have such an enthralling history about them that they seem to take on a life of their own.

Embellishing the text are more than one hundred lavish illustrations, photography as unique as the subject of the book: These are seductive, beautiful works of ail. Some are humorous. Some are as snapshots from a personal diary. Some are breathtakingly romantic, such as the portrait of Kiki de Montparnasse wearing only her pearls. And some -- like the timeless elegance of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's -- are dreamlike visions that are simply unforgettable.

Masterfully written and beautifully designed, People and Pearls is not only a cultural, historical, and personal look at the magic of pearls-it is the definitive photographic book on the subject.

Customer Reviews:

Could Not Put It Down.......2002-06-21

This review will be short and sweet.....this book tells a very 'romantic history' of pearls. From the oyster to the necklace, the author kept me reading this book for several hours. The pictures are also beautiful, including everyone from maharajas to celebrities. If you like pearls, want pearls or want to understand why people love pearls, than this is the book for you.

Nice book and nice photos.......2001-06-04

Nice book and well written. Not quite technically though but more geared towards the people that wore/wear them; there are some interesting anecdotes in it as well. However, if you want to read about all the ins and outs of e.g. Tahitian and/or South Sea pearls, I'd recommend the pearl book by Schoeffel or "Cultured Pearls, the first 100 years". Neverthess, it remains a very enjoyable book.

an interesting, beautiful read.......2000-12-22

i would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in beautiful photography and the allure of a good story. The authors do a wonderful job portraying the pearls themselves, but also the people who have worn them. Truly terrific!

A Glimmering Success!.......2000-11-01

Gorgeously illustrated and written with a witty mastery of the subject, PEOPLE & PEARLS is an essential look at these most fascinating of precious objects. Brava to authors Hackney and Edkins for a read which proves both entertaining and informative.

Pearl Passion!.......2000-10-29

Wonderful book, with photos of glamorous people wearing stunning pearl jewelry. After reading this book, I run to my jewelry box and put on a strand of pearl, feeling glamorous myself. Truly a lovely book!

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