The Myth of the Powerless State

Governing the Economy in a Global Era

Linda Weiss (University of Sydney)

$39.95

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Polity Press
07 April 1998

Macroeconomics; Political economy

It is widely claimed that as the integration of the world economy advances, national governments are becoming less relevant, losing their powers not only to influence macroeconomic outcomes and to implement social programmes, but to determine strategies for managing the industrial economy. In the face of such claims of state powerlessness, this book proposes that what lies behind some of the most successful economics today is a series of state-informed and state-embedded institutions for governing the economy.

The book's central proposition is that the impact of external economic pressures is to a large degree domestically determined, varying in important measure according to the robustness or weakness of national institutions. This thesis is advanced through an analysis of the sources and varieties of state capacity for governing industrial transformation. Focusing on the unravelling of Sweden's distributive model of adjustment, on the evolution of developmental states in East Asia, as well as on the parallel strengths of the German and Japanese systems of industrial co-ordination, it is shown how different types of state capacity - ""developmental"", ""distributive"" and ""dual"" - impact on industrial vitality and domestic adjustment to the international economy. The comparative perspective developed in this study indicates that, as world economic integration proceeds, state capabilities will matter more rather than less in fostering social well-being and wealth creation.

This book will be essential reading for 2nd- and 3rd-year undergraduates in comparative politics, political economy and political sociology as well as to all those who have an interest in the nature and prospects of the state in the face of changes to the world economy.

By: Linda Weiss (University of Sydney)
Imprint: Polity Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 224mm, Width: 147mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 408g
ISBN: 9780745615820
ISBN 10: 0745615821
Pages: 280
Publication Date: 07 April 1998
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly , A / AS level , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Linda M. Weiss is an Australian professor of political science at the University of Sydney, specialising in the international and comparative politics of economic development.

Reviews for The Myth of the Powerless State: Governing the Economy in a Global Era

""I can unreservedly recommend this book as easily the most intelligent, best-researched and original account available of the relations between states and capitalist economies in the advanced North. Linda Weiss's careful dissections of economic policies and performance in Japan and East Asia, Sweden, Germany, Britain and the United States demolishes most conventional generalizations deriving from neo-liberal, ""globalization"" or social democratic theories alike. This is macro-sociology of the highest quality."" Professor Michael Mann, UCLA ""This is a splendid study in political economy. Weiss uses the comparison between East Asia, Sweden and Germany as the basis for a theoretical analysis of the role of the state as a coordinator and steerer of industrial upgrading. Her style is punchy, her argument is original. Future research will have to take The Myth of the Powerless State as a point of reference."" Professor Robert Wade, Russell Sage Foundation, New York ""Articulate, engaging and highly persuasive ... this is a fine work. And it is easily the best attempt so far to reinstate the anti-liberal, pro-state, economically national cause."" Australian Journal of Political Science ""Her statement of a case against leaving things to markets that are currently influential is clear and thoughtful, and her argument deserves attention from both sides of the political divide."" Times Literary Supplement ""A welcome contribution to the ongoing debate over globalization. This book provides the best general discussion of state power yet available."" Foreign Affairs