Title search results
Showing 1 - 20 of 27764 items
A Concise History of Spain
By Carla Rahn Phillips, William D. Phillips. 2009
The rich cultural and political life of Spain has emerged from its complex history, from the diversity of its peoples,…
and from continual contact with outside influences. This book traces that history from prehistoric times to the present, focusing particularly on culture, society, politics, and personalities. Written in an engaging style, it introduces readers to the key themes that have shaped Spain's history and culture. These include its varied landscapes and climates; the impact of waves of diverse human migrations; the importance of its location as a bridge between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and Europe and Africa; and religion, particularly militant Catholic Christianity and its centuries of conflict with Islam and Protestantism, as well as debates over the place of the Church in modern Spain. Illustrations, maps, and a guide to further reading, major cultural figures, and places to see, make the history of this fascinating country come alive.No One Understands You and What to Do About It
By Heidi Grant Halvorson. 2015
Have you ever felt you're not getting through to the person you're talking to, or not coming across the way…
you intend? You're not alone.That's the bad news. But there is something we can do about it. Heidi Grant Halvorson, social psychologist and bestselling author, explains why we're often misunderstood and how we can fix that.Most of us assume that other people see us as we see ourselves, and that they see us as we truly are. But neither is true. Our everyday interactions are colored by subtle biases that distort how others see us-and also shape our perceptions of them.You can learn to clarify the message you're sending once you understand the lenses that shape perception: Trust. Are you friend or foe? Power. How much influence do you have over me? Ego. Do you make me feel insecure?Based on decades of research in psychology and social science, Halvorson explains how these lenses affect our interactions-and how to manage them.Once you understand the science of perception, you'll communicate more clearly, send the messages you intend to send, and improve your personal relationships. You'll also become a fairer and more accurate judge of others. Halvorson even offers an evidence-based action plan for repairing a damaged reputation.This book is not about making a good impression, although it will certainly help you do that. It's about coming across as you intend. It's about the authenticity we all strive for.Grigory Rasputin
By Enid A. Goldberg, Norman Itzkowitz. 2007
Post-Truth: Why We Have Reached Peak Bullshit and What We Can Do About It
By Evan Davis. 2017
Low-level dishonesty is rife everywhere, in the form of exaggeration, selective use of facts, economy with the truth, careful drafting…
- from Trump and the Brexit debate to companies that tell us 'your call is important to us'. How did we get to a place where bullshit is not just rife but apparently so effective that it's become the communications strategy of our times? This brilliantly insightful book steps inside the panoply of deception employed in all walks of life and assesses how it has come to this. It sets out the surprising logic which explains why bullshit is both pervasive and persistent. Why are company annual reports often nonsense? Why should you not trust estate agents? And above all, why has political campaigning become the art of stretching the truth? Drawing on behavioural science, economics, psychology and of course his knowledge of the media, Evan ends by providing readers with a tool-kit to handle the kinds of deceptions we encounter every day, and charts a route through the muddy waters of the post-truth age.Reading in the Byzantine Empire and Beyond
By Teresa Shawcross, Ida Toth. 2018
Offering a comprehensive introduction to the history of books readers and reading in the Byzantine Empire and its sphere…
of influence this volume addresses a paradox Advanced literacy was rare among imperial citizens being restricted by gender and class Yet the state s economic religious and political institutions insisted on the fundamental importance of the written record Starting from the materiality of codices documents and inscriptions the volume s contributors draw attention to the evidence for a range of interactions with texts They examine the role of authors compilers and scribes They look at practices such as the close perusal of texts in order to produce excerpts notes commentaries and editions But they also analyse the social implications of the constant intersection of writing with both image and speech Showcasing current methodological approaches this collection of essays aims to place a discussion of Byzantium within the mainstream of medieval textual studiesThe Theory of the Leisure Class
By Thorstein Veblen. 1899
This scathing critique of America’s preoccupation with wealth and status in the Gilded Age continues to resonate more than a…
century after it was first published According to economist Thorstein Veblen, the leisure class produces nothing, contributes nothing, and creates nothing, yet exercises a peculiar control over American society. The shallowness of their interests—from fashion to sports to entertainment—endows the practice of “conspicuous consumption” with an undeserving air of respectability. Veblen deploys a razor sharp wit to expose the pretensions of the idle rich and their disastrous influence on the national character. From ruthless business practices to the plight of women in a male-dominated culture, The Theory of the Leisure Class tackles difficult subjects with sophisticated analysis and a vibrant literary style that influenced the work of authors including Edith Wharton, Henry James, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. A must-read for students of American history and anyone concerned about economic inequality, Veblen’s classic treatise is timelier today than ever. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.Francisco Pizarro: Destroyer of the Inca Empire
By John Diconsiglio. 2009
Innovation, Startups and Intellectual Property Management
By Ignacio De Leon, Jose Fernandez Donoso. 2017
This book identifies the potential of intellectual property as a competitive asset for Latin American firms. The authors employ a…
cognitive approach that involves identifying why small firms are reluctant to register patents, resorting rather to alternative IP competitive strategies. This, in turn, results in the undercapitalization of intellectual assets, thus creating hurdles for the development of capital venture markets. Using new data gathered from highly innovative SMEs in Latin America and the Caribbean, the authors bring a fresh cognitive approach towards understanding the institutional role of intellectual property, and outline various new policy recommendations.A penetrating critique tracing how under-regulated trading between European and U.S. banks led to the 2008 financial crisis—with a prescription…
for preventing another meltdown There have been numerous books examining the 2008 financial crisis from either a U.S. or European perspective. Tamim Bayoumi is the first to explain how the Euro crisis and U.S. housing crash were, in fact, parasitically intertwined. Starting in the 1980s, Bayoumi outlines the cumulative policy errors that undermined the stability of both the European and U.S. financial sectors, highlighting the catalytic role played by European mega banks that exploited lax regulation to expand into the U.S. market and financed unsustainable bubbles on both continents. U.S. banks increasingly sold sub-par loans to under-regulated European and U.S. shadow banks and, when the bubbles burst, the losses whipsawed back to the core of the European banking system. A much-needed, fresh look at the origins of the crisis, Bayoumi’s analysis concludes that policy makers are ignorant of what still needs to be done both to complete the cleanup and to prevent future crises.Discover Your Inner Economist
By Tyler Cowen. 2007
Read Tyler Cowen's posts on the Penguin Blog. In Discover Your Inner Economist one of America’s most respected economists presents…
a quirky, incisive romp through everyday life that reveals how you can turn economic reasoning to your advantage—often when you least expect it to be relevant. Like no other economist, Tyler Cowen shows how economic notions--such as incentives, signals, and markets-- apply far more widely than merely to the decisions of social planners, governments, and big business. What does economic theory say about ordering from a menu? Or attracting the right mate? Or controlling people who talk too much in meetings? Or dealing with your dentist? With a wryly amusing voice, in chapters such as “How to Control the World, The Basics” and “How to Control the World, Knowing When to Stop” Cowen reveals the hidden economic patterns behind everyday situations so you can get more of what you really want. Readers will also gain less selfish insights into how to be a good partner, neighbor and even citizen of the world. For instance, what is the best way to give to charity? The chapter title “How to Save the World—More Christmas Presents Won’t Help” makes a point that is every bit as personal as it is global. Incentives are at the core of an economic approach to the world, but they don’t just come in cash. In fact, money can be a disincentive. Cowen shows why, for example, it doesn’t work to pay your kids to do the dishes. Other kinds of incentives--like making sure family members know they will be admired if they respect you--can work. Another non- monetary incentive? Try having everyone stand up in your next meeting if you don’t want anyone to drone on. Deeply felt incentives like pride in one’s work or a passing smile from a loved one, can be the most powerful of all, even while they operate alongside more mundane rewards such as money and free food. Discover Your Inner Economist is an introduction to the science of economics that shows it to be built on notions that are already within all of us. While the implications of those ideas lead to Cowen’s often counterintuitive advice, their wisdom is presented in ordinary examples taken from home life, work life, and even vacation life… How do you get a good guide in a Moroccan bazaar? Read Tyler Cowen's posts on the Penguin Blog. .Lost Kingdom: The Quest for Empire and the Making of the Russian Nation
By Serhii Plokhy. 2017
From a preeminent scholar of Eastern Europe, a new history of Russian imperialism In 2014, Russia annexed the Crimea and…
attempted to seize a portion of Ukraine. While the world watched in outrage, this blatant violation of national sovereignty was only the latest iteration of a centuries-long effort to expand Russian boundaries and create a pan-Russian nation. In Lost Kingdom, award-winning historian Serhii Plokhy argues that we can only understand the confluence of Russian imperialism and nationalism today by delving into the nation's history. Spanning over 500 years, from the end of the Mongol rule to the present day, Plokhy shows how leaders from Ivan the Terrible to Joseph Stalin to Vladimir Putin exploited existing forms of identity, warfare, and territorial expansion to achieve imperial supremacy. An authoritative and masterful account of Russian nationalism, Lost Kingdom chronicles the story behind Russia's belligerent empire-building quest.The Fall of France 1940
By Andrew Shennan. 2000
Offering a fresh critical perspective on this momentous event, Andrew Shennan examines both the continuities and discontinuities that resulted from…
the events of 1940. The main focus is on the French experience of the war, but this experience is framed within the larger context of France's - and Europe's - protracted mid-twentieth century crisis.Catherine the Great: Empress of Russia
By Zu Vincent. 2009
Rebel Girls
By Jill Liddington. 2006
Rejecting the deadening conventions of their Victorian elders, the rebel girls demanded new freedoms and new rights. They took their…
suffrage message out to the remotest Yorkshire dales and fishing harbours, to win Edwardian hearts and minds. 16-year-old Huddersfield weaver Dora Thewlis on arrest was catapulted onto the tabloid front-pages as 'Baby Suffragette'. Her life was transformed. Dancer Lilian Lenton waited till her twenty-first birthday - then determined to burn two buildings a week until the Liberal government granted women the vote. Rebel Girls shows how this daring campaigning shifted from community suffragettes to militant mavericks.With the end of the 1990s economic boom, The Race to the Bottom deftly explores how the United States has…
entered a no-win global competition in which the countries with the lowest wages, weakest workplace safety laws, and toughest repression of unions win investment from the U. S. and Europe. Tonelson analyzes how the entry of such population giants as China, India, and Mexico into the global market has accelerated the erosion of wages and labor standards around the world. And he describes how an ever-larger share of this low-wage competition is hitting not just sectors like apparel and toys, but also many of America's highest wage industries like aerospace and software. Tonelson explains why the re-education and retraining programs touted by many political leaders offer little but false hopes to most U. S. workers as he outlines the real decisions Washington needs to make to ensure long-term prosperity for the U. S. and the rest of the world. Updated with a new prologue from the author.The Long Depression: Marxism and the Global Crisis of Capitalism
By Michael Roberts. 2016
Setting out from an unapologetic Marxist perspective, The Long Depression argues that the global economy remains in the throes of…
a depression. Making the case that the profitability of capital is too low, and the debt built up before the Great Recession too high, leading radical economist Michael Roberts persuasively presents his case that this depression will persist until the profitability of capital is restored through yet another slump.Napoleon in Love
By R. F. Delderfield. 1959
The Fall of the Berlin Wall (Turning Points)
By William F. Buckley. 2004
Venerable American political conservative, Buckley offers his account of why the Berlin Wall was built, how it ruined German lives…
for nearly three decades, and how it fell -- was pushed actually -- in 1989. He delights in such images as children of Nazis, the undeniable spirit of East German dissenters, and Communist overlords.Rethinking Economics
By Stuart Birks. 2015
This brief responds to the criticism that mainstream economics is currently facing due to its heavy reliance on models and…
narrow range of quantitative research techniques. It takes a broader view, identifying issues that are also relevant for heterodox and pluralist approaches to economics. By acknowledging that the world of theory is not the same as the reality that we are trying to understand, the brief focuses on three paths that generally receive little attention. These are: from theory to the real world; from theory to empirical analysis; and from empirical results to policy application. Each path highlights a range of related concerns and qualifications, and the focus on these transitions provides a strong basis for critical evaluation of analyses and potentially more realistic results and recommendations. It also provides a framework for synthesizing information from alternative schools of thought and across disciplines. In addition, the importance of framing and rhetoric is demonstrated. The brief addresses philosophical and methodological issues using a clear, non-technical approach that can be easily understood by a non-specialist audience.¿Quién manda aquí?: La crisis global de la democracia representativa
By Jos Fern ndez-Albertos, Gerson Damiani, Felipe Gonz lez. 2017
Un análisis lúcido y penetrante sobre la actual crisis de la democracia representativa. El modelo de gobernanza de las sociedades…
occidentales está en crisis. Los pilares básicos que sostenían las democracias representativas son cada vez más cuestionados por los ciudadanos que viven en ellas. Muchos votantes sienten que sus preferencias no son suficientemente tenidas en cuenta por los políticos, y se abren paso formas alternativas de canalizar las demandas ciudadanas. A su vez, los gobiernos se quejan de los cada vez mayores obstáculos y restricciones a las que se enfrentan a la hora de llevar a cabo sus políticas. Y los principios fundacionales de división de poderes, gobiernos de mayoría, y rendición de cuentas democrática, se ven erosionados. En ¿Quién manda aquí? La crisis global de la democracia representativa se recogen trabajos de algunos de los principales expertos que tratan de aportar luz a estos problemas, yofrecer algunas soluciones, organizados en torno a cuatro cuestiones básicas: ¿qué hace que los gobiernos sean hoy percibidos como inefectivos?, ¿por qué les cuesta a los parlamentos cumplir su papel representativo?, ¿cómo entender la creciente conflictividad en las relaciones entre poderes?, y ¿en qué medida la globalización afecta a viabilidad de la democracia representativa como forma de gobierno?