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"The definitive guide to private equity for investors, finance professionals, managers and business owners. Mastering Private Equity: Growth via Venture Capital, Minority Investments & Buyoutspresents a valuable on-demand tool and unique handbook for investors, finance professionals, managers and business owners looking to engage with private equity or venture firms. The book distills the essence of private equity into core concepts ranging from fundraising over investment process execution to institutional investors building and managing a private equity fund portfolio, always referring to standard market practice across all steps of the private equity life cycle. The book is complimented by Private Equity in Action: Case Studies from Developed and Emerging Markets, an INSEAD case book which provides rich, real-life applications of these core concepts. The complexity of the private equity model continues to confuse industry outsiders, with the success of the industry often attributed either to a mystical "secret sauce" or a ruthless approach to cost cutting and asset stripping. In the authors' experience, however, the competitive advantage of private equity comes from the diligent application of best practices, as described in this book, a corporate governance model which provides alignment of interest among managers and owners, a keen focus on major drivers of risk and opportunity and, above all, a lot of hard work. This book provides a comprehensive, unbiased guide to investing market practices, enabling its readers to better understand the inner workings of the private equity model. It can equally serve as a standard introduction for investment professionals new to the field, as a reference book for specific steps along the investment process, or as a comprehensive overview of the mechanics of private equity to students of alternative investing. Each diligently researched and concisely presented chapter focuses on one specific aspect of private equity and is complemented by a comment from a guest author, all of whom are seasoned private equity and venture capital professionals or founding partners of established funds. The team of experienced authors ensures the right balance of academic rigor and industry relevancy, given their experience in the world of alternative investments and their regular engagement with both PE investors and the fund managers themselves. The chapters and case studies have been refined through in-class d ...

Go inside the trend that spawned a multi-billion dollar industry for the top five percent Sweat Equity goes inside the multibillion dollar trend toward endurance sports and fitness to discover who's driving it, who's paying for it, and who's profiting. Bloomberg's Jason Kelly, author of The New Tycoons, profiles the participants, entrepreneurs, and investors at the center of this movement, exploring this phenomenon in which a surge of people--led by the most affluent--are becoming increasingly obsessed with looking and feeling better. Through in-depth looks inside companies and events from New York Road Runners to Tough Mudder and Ironman, Kelly profiles the companies and people aiming to meet the demands of these consumers, and the traits and strategies that made them so successful. In a modern world filled with anxiety, pressure, and competition, people are spending more time and money than ever before to soothe their minds and tone their bodies, sometimes pushing themselves to the most extreme limits. Even as obesity rates hit an all-time high, the most financially successful among us are collectively spending billions each year on apparel, gear, and entry fees. Sweat Equity charts the rise of the movement, through the eyes of competitors and the companies that serve them. Through conversations with businesspeople, many driven by their own fitness obsessions, and first-hand accounts of the sports themselves, Kelly delves into how the movement is taking shape. Understand the social science, physics, and economics of our desire to pursue activities like endurance sports and yoga Get to know the endurance business's target demographics Learn how distance running--once a fringe hobby--became a multibillion dollar enterprise fueled by private equity Understand how different generations pursue fitness and how fast-growing companies sell to them The opportunity to run, swim, and crawl in the mud is resonating with more and more of us, as sports once considered extreme become mainstream. As Baby Boomers seek to stay fit and Millennials search for meaning in a hyperconnected world, the demand for the race bib is outstripping supply, even as the cost to participate escalates. Sweat Equity, through the stories of men and women inside the most influential races and companies, goes to the heart of the movement where mind, body, and big money collide.

"For readers of The Innovator's Dilemma comes an incisive new approach to one of the key questions of our time--how to thrive rather than be destroyed by digital transformation--from Harvard Business School Professor of Strategy Bharat Anand. Companies everywhere face two major challenges today: getting noticed and getting paid. To confront these obstacles, Bharat Anand examines a range of businesses around the world, from Chinese Internet giant Tencent to Scandinavian digital trailblazer Schibsted, from The New York Times to The Economist, and from talent management to the future of education. Drawing on these stories and on the latest research in economics, strategy, and marketing, this refreshingly engaging book reveals important lessons, smashes celebrated myths, and reorients strategy. Companies that now flourish are finding that the connections they foster are more important than the content they create. Success comes not from making the best content but from recognizing how content enables customers' connectivity; it comes not from protecting the value of content at all costs but from unearthing related opportunities close by; and it comes not from mimicking competitors' best practices but from seeing choices as part of a connected whole. Digital change means that everyone today can reach and interact with others directly: We are all in the content business. But that comes with risks that Bharat Anand teaches us how to recognize and navigate. Filled with conversations with key players and in-depth dispatches from the frontlines of digital change, The Content Trap is an essential new playbook for navigating the turbulent waters in which we find ourselves. Advance praise for The Content Trap "As Bharat Anand shows in this eminently readable book, connections are now more important than content. His insights will bring you several steps closer to understanding the digital revolution and how you can avoid its many perils."--Daniel H. Pink,New York Timesbestsellingauthor ofDriveandTo Sell Is Human "A very smart book--creators, ignore this at your peril. This revolution has been twenty years in the making, and Bharat Anand makes the past (and the future) a lot more clear."--Seth Godin, New York Times bestselling author of Meatball Sundae and Linchpin"--

"This best-selling textbook meets the needs of students who will be directly or indirectly involved in the activities of merchandising and buying at the retail level. Mathematics for Retail Buying explains the essential concepts, practices, procedures, calculations, and interpretations of figures that relate to producing profitable retail buying and selling operations. This edition introduces a new co-author and a thoroughly updated approach that incorporates actual retail scenarios and concepts that are relevant to the fashion industry today. The book has been reorganized to begin with an introduction to profitability, and includes more linear chapter titling to make the book easy to use and navigate. The chapter on dollar planning and control has been expanded to include more coverage of six month planning process and assortment planning. The new edition integrates current retail business metrics and a range of sample data sets for student practice. An additional section in each chapter explains how the next chapter builds on the previous, and cumulative problems connect each chapter concept. More than 250 practice problems and 20 case studies apply industry concepts and terminology in realistic merchandising situations. A companion website contains all practice problems from the text, plus brand new case studies and allows hands-on practice computing retail buying functions and setting up formulas in spreadsheet format.New to This Edition: - Reorganized Units I and VI reflect the order of prior editions and open the textbook with the discussion of "merchandising for profit" and profit and loss concepts - Retitled "Units" to "Chapters" to make the book more user-friendly - Updates problems in all units and case studies for currency and relevancy to the industry today, including at least 25% new practice problems and 50% new case studies - Expanded chapter on "Dollar Planning and Control" to include more on sales planning and comprehensive coverage of the six month planning process and assortment planning - Explains how retailers do this in today's world, not only for brick and mortar but for omni-channel, including a sampling of problems from all retail sectors should be included - Includes criteria necessary for determining when to take markdowns in that chapterPLEASE NOTE: Purchasing or renting this ISBN does not include access to the STUDIO resources that accompany this text. To receive free access to the STUDIO content with new copies of this ...

"Go inside the research to see the global consequences of unethical banking The Next Revolution in our Credit-Driven Economy: The Advent of Financial Technology integrates market theory and practice to help investors identify growth opportunities, and to help regulators create a sustainable economic environment. Author Paul Schulte, former economic analyst with the National Security Council, draws upon his own decade-spanning research to demonstrate how unethical banking practices provide the brute force that drives political and economic crises worldwide. By unbundling how credit markets work, this authoritative guide provides deep insight into crisis avoidance and detection, successful investment climates, and the groundwork that must be in place for policy makers to build a sound basis for economic growth. Clear, succinct case studies provide examples of policy and its effects on economic stability, giving you a stronger understanding of the network of forces that determine how loan/deposit ratios behave around the world. Countries that lend more than they save consistently get into trouble, with catastrophic consequences for the rich and middle class as well as the politicians. This book shows how credit excesses bring about price collapse in stocks, currencies, and real estate, and provides direction for change in the context of global economics. Dive deep into the mechanisms underlying the credit markets Learn how unregulated borrowing leads to socioeconomic crises Examine real-world policy options through global case studies Discover how credit rises are best detected and avoided An economic climate in which even the smallest hiccup can have long-lasting consequences should be the ideal impetus for a close scrutiny of global banking practices and economic policy. The Next Revolution in our Credit-Driven Economy takes you behind the scenes for a new perspective, and a more informed look at where the world needs to begin changing. The second half of the book will take a look at the revolution driving financial technology. Companies in Silicon Valley and giants like Alibaba are challenging the landscape for banking. This has profound implications for policy makers, banks and for a new class of entrepreneurs who are developing software which is taking away market share from bank and challenging decades-old financial empires. The book will explore the reasons why many global banks remain flat-footed. It will go into detail about the new compan ...

"George Bernard Shaw once famously said, "The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."Although he died in 1950, Shaw's words live on, especially in the business world. Far too many executives, salespeople, consultants, and even rank-and-file employees suck at communicating. Some think that they're speaking and writing effectively when they drop ostensibly sophisticated terms like paradigm shift, synergy, net-net, form factor, and optics. Others think that they're being clever.No doubt that you know the type. (Maybe you're even one of them and don't realize it.) These are the folks who regularly rely upon obscure acronyms, technobabble, jargon, and buzzwords when plain English would suffice just fine. They constantly invent new tech-laden words, bastardize others, and turn nouns into verbs. They ignore their audiences, oblivious to the context of their words. In other words, they talk without speaking.If bad business communication is a disease, then the prevalence of hackneyed and utterly meaningless terms is just one of its major symptoms. Aside from using confusing language, many corporate folks depend almost exclusively on a single communications vehicle: e-mail. In the process, they actively resist new, powerful, and truly collaborative tools specifically designed to make people work and communicate better.What's the net effect of this near-pervasive failure to effectively communicate while at work? The precise monetary figure is impossible to accurately quantify. At the same time, though, it cannot be overstated. At a minimum, communication breakdowns are directly responsible for myriad inefficiencies, duplicate efforts, ineffectual campaigns, project failures, largely avoidable gaffes, internal political squabbles, and forgone business opportunities.If that seems a bit lofty and abstract, think about how many misunderstandings could have been averted at your organization if two colleagues had simply engaged in a five-minute in-person conversation or videoconference over Skype. Ask yourself how many technical problems could have been solved with a quick phone call and a simple screen-sharing session.Fortunately, business communication need not suffer from antiquated tools and a commensurate mind-set. In Message Not Received, award-winning author Phil Simon demonstrates how intelligent professionals and organizations are embracing simpler language and new technologies to communicate in a much more straightforward ...

"Use data, technology, and inbound selling to build a remarkable team and accelerate salesThe Sales Acceleration Formula provides a scalable, predictable approach to growing revenue and building a winning sales team. Everyone wants to build the next $100 million business and author Mark Roberge has actually done it using a unique methodology that he shares with his readers. As an MIT alum with an engineering background, Roberge challenged the conventional methods of scaling sales utilizing the metrics-driven, process-oriented lens through which he was trained to see the world. In this book, he reveals his formulas for success. Readers will learn how to apply data, technology, and inbound selling to every aspect of accelerating sales, including hiring, training, managing, and generating demand.As SVP of Worldwide Sales and Services for software company HubSpot, Mark led hundreds of his employees to the acquisition and retention of the company's first 10,000 customers across more than 60 countries. This book outlines his approach and provides an action plan for others to replicate his success, including the following key elements: Hire the same successful salesperson every time -- The Sales Hiring Formula Train every salesperson in the same manner -- The Sales Training Formula Hold salespeople accountable to the same sales process -- The Sales Management Formula Provide salespeople with the same quality and quantity of leads every month -- The Demand Generation Formula Leverage technology to enable better buying for customers and faster selling for salespeople Business owners, sales executives, and investors are all looking to turn their brilliant ideas into the next $100 million revenue business. Often, the biggest challenge they face is the task of scaling sales. They crave a blueprint for success, but fail to find it because sales has traditionally been referred to as an art form, rather than a science. You can't major in sales in college. Many people question whether sales can even be taught. Executives and entrepreneurs are often left feeling helpless and hopeless.The Sales Acceleration Formula completely alters this paradigm. In today's digital world, in which every action is logged and masses of data sit at our fingertips, building a sales team no longer needs to be an art form. There is a process. Sales can be predictable.A formula does exist"--

Preface -- The four paradigms of archival history and the challenges of the future / Iván Székely, Open Society Archives at Central European University, Hungary -- Elements, orders, and modes of governance in the development of Finnish Wolf policy / Dr. Outi Ratamäki, Finnish Environment Institute, Environmental Policy Centre, Green Infrastructure Unit and University of Eastern Finland, Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, Department of Geographical and Historical Studies -- In Putin's Russia, information has you : media control and internet censorship in the Russian Federation / Katherine Ognyanova, Northeastern University -- Citizens, policy co-production, politics, and the public sphere / Mary Griffiths, University of Adelaide -- The study of young people's civic participation on the internet : appraising an emerging research field / Fadi Hirzalla, Independent researcher / Shakuntala Banaji, London School of Economics and political science -- When the history turns stronger than the rhetoric : the journalistic culture drives over democracy ideals in Namibia and Tanzania / Ullamaija Kivikuru, University of Helsinki, Finland -- Further down the virtual vines : managing community-based work in virtual public spaces / Marianne LeGreco, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Michelle Ferrier, Ohio University, Dawn Leonard, Dawn Leonard Design -- Before smart phones and social media : exploring camera phones and user-generated images in the 2000s / Bilge Yesil, College of Staten Island -- Interrogating and reimagining the virtual public sphere in developing countries / Veena Raman, Pennsylvania State University -- Online activism and the Arab public sphere : the case of youtube and human rights campaigns / Aziz Douai, University of Ontario Institute of Technology -- Israel's higher education innovation policy : was or dreamed a dream? / Milly Perry, The Open University -- Enhancing information services through public-private partnerships : information technology knowledge transfer underlying structures to promote civic engagement / Seok-Jin Eom, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea, Jane Fountain, National Center for Digital Government and University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA -- Materialistic values and impulsive behavior in the purchasing process between genders / Irene Samanta, Graduate Technological Education Institute of Piraeus -- Voicing the subaltern in the public sphere : the case of museum in a suitcase / Dalya Yafa Markovich, Beit Berl College -- Constructing multicultural society on web : minorities on information society / Vildan Mahmutoglu, Galatasaray University -- TV license refusal and competition policy in Hong Kong : what is the scope of public participation? / Knut Fournier, City University of Hong Kong -- Author biographies -- Index.

"Scientifically based strategies for enacting successful and enduring change on personal, societal, and global levels, no matter what your background. Shares the stories of people who have changed history, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Ben Franklin, and Gandhi, detailing how they used the 8 laws of change. Based on more than 16 years of scientific and historical research as well as the author's own experiences during the Civil Rights movement. Explores research in the fields of medicine, neuroscience, biology, and quantum physics to reveal the science of how the 8 laws of change work. Inspired by his own powerful experiences during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s and other social movements in the '70s, '80s, and '90s, Stephan Schwartz spent 16 years researching successful social transformations, uncovering the science and the patterns behind them all. He found that there are three ways to create social change. The first is the advancement of technology and science. The second--change compelled by physical power--is almost always coercive and violent and, for those reasons, not long lasting. The third avenue of change he discovered--the most successful and enduring--is one brought about by something so subtle it is often not taken seriously: small individual choices based on integrity and shared intention. Revealing how the dynamics of change are learnable, Schwartz explains the 8 laws of individual and social behavior that can enable any person or small group--even ordinary people without great wealth, official position, or physical power--to bend the arc of history and create successful lasting transformation. He shares the stories of individuals who have actually changed history, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Benjamin Franklin, Mother Teresa, and Mahatma Gandhi, detailing how they implemented the strategies and tactics of the 8 laws to achieve their success. The author explores research in the fields of medicine, neuroscience, biology, and quantum physics to reveal the science of how these laws of change work. He explains why compassionate and life-affirming changes have the most enduring impact and shows how each of the 8 laws cultivates a sense of "beingness" in the individual, empowering your integrity and connecting you to something greater than yourself--the key to lasting change on the personal, societal, and global levels"--

"For centuries, the trickster has been used in various narratives, including mythological, literary and cinematic, to convey the idea of agency, rebellion and, often turbulent, progress. In The Trickster and the System: Identity and Agency in Contemporary Society, Helena Bassil-Morozow shows how the trickster can be seen as a metaphor to describe the psycho-anthropological concept of change, an impulse that challenges the existing order of things, a progressive force that is a-structural and anti-structural in its nature. The book is about being able to see things from an unusual, even 'odd', perspective, which does not coincide with the homogenous normality of the mass, or the social system, or a political ideology, or some other kind of authority. The Trickster and the System offers an analytical paradigm which can be used to examine relationships between tricksters and systems, change and stability, in a wide range of social, political and cultural contexts. It covers a range of systems, describes different types of tricksters and discusses possible conflicts, tensions and dialogues between the two opposing sides. One of the central ideas of the book is that social systems use shame as a tool to control and manage all kinds of tricksters--individuality, agency, creativity, spontaneity, innovation and initiative, to name but a few. The author argues that any society that neglects its tricksters (agents of change), ends up suffering from decay, stagnation--or even mass hysterical outbursts. The Trickster and the System: Identity and Agency in Contemporary Society provides a fresh perspective on the trickster figure in a variety of cultural contexts. It covers a range of psychological, cultural, social and political phenomena, from personal issues to the highest level of society's functioning: self-esteem and shame, lifestyle and relationships, creativity and self-expression, media, advertising, economy, political ideology and, most importantly, human identity and authenticity. The book is essential reading for scholars in the areas of psychoanalysis, analytical psychology, myth, cultural and media studies, narrative analysis, cultural anthropology, as well as anyone interested in critical issues in contemporary culture. Helena Bassil-Morozow is a cultural philosopher, film scholar and academic writer whose many publications include Tim Burton: The Monster and the Crowd (Routledge, 2010) and The Trickster in Contemporary Film (Routledge, 2011). Helena i ...

"Former vice president Dick Cheney, a #1 New York Times bestselling author, and his daughter Liz Cheney, former deputy assistant secretary of state, explain the unique and indispensable nature of American power, reveal the damage done by President Obama's abandonment of this principle, and show how America can and must lead again. Since World War II, American power and leadership have been an unmatched force for the defense of freedom around the globe. For 70 years, presidents both Republican and Democratic have shared a dedication to maintaining American power and leadership. President Obama has abandoned this bipartisan tradition, choosing instead to "lead from behind" as he abandons America's allies, appeases our enemies, and apologizes for this great nation. When the former vice president spoke out on the topic last year, the Wall Street Journal declared, "Dick Cheney is still right," and the Washington Post lauded his comments, adding that "unless we have a president who understands that proactive, early action and a robust military force are essential to national security, we will forever be racing to catch up to our enemies." Now the former vice president and his daughter, former deputy assistant secretary of state Liz Cheney, team up to explain how President Obama has drastically broken with the bipartisan foreign policy consensus that enabled America to prevail in World War II, to win the Cold War, and to triumph in the first decade of the War on Terror. The Cheneys reveal the damage done by President Obama's policies and demonstrate how his unwillingness to defend and protect American power has weakened the nation and diminished the ability of future presidents to defend us. Finally, the Cheneys do what no one before them has done: chart a path forward to restoring American power and strength, explaining what must be done to reverse course, to fight and win the war on terror, to rebuild our military and reassure our allies that they can once again rely on American leadership. A critical, frank, and much-needed touchstone, Exceptional should stand as a guiding principle for the potential presidential candidates in 2016--and for policymakers today and beyond"--

Everyone encounters statistics on a daily basis. They are used in proposals, reports, requests, and advertisements, among others, to support assertions, opinions, and theories. Unless you're a trained statistician, it can be bewildering. What are the numbers really saying or not saying? Better Business Decisions from Data: Statistical Analysis for Professional Success provides the answers to these questions and more. It will show you how to use statistical data to improve small, every-day management judgments as well as major business decisions with potentially serious consequences. Author Peter Kenny-with deep experience in industry-believes that "while the methods of statistics can be complicated, the meaning of statistics is not." He first outlines the ways in which we are frequently misled by statistical results, either because of our lack of understanding or because we are being misled intentionally. Then he offers sound approaches for understanding and assessing statistical data to make excellent decisions. Kenny assumes no prior knowledge of statistical techniques; he explains concepts simply and shows how the tools are used in various business situations. With the arrival of Big Data, statistical processing has taken on a new level of importance. Kenny lays a foundation for understanding the importance and value of Big Data, and then he shows how mined data can help you see your business in a new light and uncover opportunity. Among other things, this book covers: How statistics can help you assess the probability of a successful outcome How data is collected, sampled, and best interpreted How to make effective forecasts based on the data at hand How to spot the misuse or abuse of statistical evidence in advertisements, reports, and proposals How to commission a statistical analysis Arranged in seven parts-Uncertainties, Data, Samples, Comparisons, Relationships, Forecasts, and Big Data-Better Business Decisions from Data is a guide for busy people in general management, finance, marketing, operations, and other business disciplines who run across statistics on a daily or weekly basis. You'll return to it again and again as new challenges emerge, making better decisions each time that boost your organization's fortunes-as well as your own

Contents; Abbreviations of Weber's Works; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1 Causality and Scientific Inquiry; 2 Weber's Conception of Causality; 3 The Significance of Concept Formation; 4 Weber on Concept Formation; 5 Conceptual Apparatus and the Logic of Scientific Inquiry; 6 The Cultural Significance of Weber's Wissenschaftslehre; 7 Weber, Peirce, and a Relational Vision of Religion and Science; References; Index; About the Author. Max Weber and Charles Peirce: At the Crossroads of Science, Philosophy, and Culture shows that a relational conception of science is implicit in Max Weber's reflections on scientific inquiry as a bridge between the Geisteswissenschaften (soft sciences) and Naturwissenschaften (hard sciences). Because he is not a trained philosopher, Weber does not have the precise philosophical language in which to articulate his ideas clearly. Consequently, his relational vision of science remains obscure. Basit Bilal Koshul brings clarity and precision to Weber's insights using the pragmaticist philosophy of Charles Peirce. He makes explicit the phenomenology, semiotics, and logic that are implicit in Weber's methodological writings and translates them into Peircean terms. Since Peirce explicitly offers his philosophy of science as a critique of the modern divide between the humanistic and natural sciences and of the divide between religion and science, this translation has a double effect. It clarifies Weber's insights on the methodology of scientific inquiry, and it extends the reparative force of these insights into the larger culture of which science is one part. The reconstruction of Weber's relational conception of science along the lines of Peirce's pragmaticism, in turn, reveals that Weber's work points toward deep affinities between religion and science. Given the fact that the same phenomenology, semiotics, and logic that underpin Peirce's philosophy of science are also at the root of his philosophy of religion, we can begin to appreciate the fact that Weber's work makes an important contribution to bridging the divide between religion and science. In providing models that bridge divides and move towards complementary relationships, Weber and Peirce not only help us to better understand disenchantment as the fate of our times, but also offer uniquely valuable resources to reach for cultural horizons that lie beyond it.

"This book provides the first comparative and multi-disciplinary investigation into what Siliquini Cinelli calls 'Europe's tragic statelessness fantasy'--a fantasy which is characterized by the progress in the promotion of what the author describes as the 'Europeanization of Europe' as the process to create a supra-national entity in which classic forms of law and politics (and thus the Member States) will have an increasingly weaker role. In arguing that the post-modern phase of the 'Europeanization of Europe' is the continental paradigm of the doctrine aimed at achieving the formal 'depoliticization' and 'dejuridification' of the world, Siliquini Cinelli explains why its statelessness fantasy is profoundly linked to the global '(a-)spatial turn' that legal and sociopolitical theories are undergoing. In doing so, he claims that the final goal of this process is to transform the 'Europe of trading' into the 'Europe of rights' while passing through the single market and a monetary economic union (the EU) with common fiscal policies supported by a banking union. Later, Siliquini Cinelli's comparative and inter-disciplinary approach calls for a thorough reconsideration of this project through an inquiry into (1) the lure of European private law as a particular type of 'stateless law'; (2) the several pluralist channels of soft-networked post-national governance that have been promoted in the continent in recent years; and (3) the challenges related to an effective protection of the political order within the EU's boundaries. The innovative modus investigandi of this book is due to the fact that, starting from an inquiry into the 'European private law' project, which is aimed at developing a more coherent 'harmonization' (or 'dissolution'?) of national private laws, it identifies the underlying common sources and aims of these three topics, and then explains why academic research has sometimes not progressed satisfactorily despite the vast amount of literature that has been written on them. In pursuing the suggested roadmap, Siliquini Cinelli claims that both the sovereign and private debt (household and corporate) crises of the euro-zone reveal an a priori (and more profound) political crisis, which seems to confirm the perception that European unification was (and still is) all about economic interests, and that political ideology was (and still is) irrelevant. There is therefore an urgent need for a new discussion of the socio and geopolitical, legal, onto ...

""The people want.": This first half of slogans chanted by millions of Arab protesters since 2011 revealed a long-repressed craving for democracy. But huge social and economic problems were also laid bare by the protestors' demands. Simplistic interpretations of the uprising that has been shaking the Arab world since a young street vendor set himself on fire in Central Tunisia, on 17 December 2010, seek to portray it as purely political, or explain it by culture, age, religion, if not conspiracy theories. Instead, Gilbert Achcar locates the deep roots of the upheaval in the specific economic features that hamper the region's development and lead to dramatic social consequences, including massive youth unemployment. Intertwined with despotism, nepotism, and corruption, these features, produced an explosive situation that was aggravated by post-9/11 U.S. policies. The sponsoring of the Muslim Brotherhood by the Emirate of Qatar and its influential satellite channel, Al Jazeera, contributed to shaping the prelude to the uprising. But the explosion's deep roots, asserts Achcar, mean that what happened until now is but the beginning of a revolutionary process likely to extend for many more years to come. The author identifies the actors and dynamics of the revolutionary process: the role of various social and political movements, the emergence of young actors making intensive use of new information and communication technologies, and the nature of power elites and existing state apparatuses that determine different conditions for regime overthrow in each case. Drawing a balance-sheet of the uprising in the countries that have been most affected by it until now, i.e. Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya and Syria, Achcar sheds special light on the nature and role of the movements that use Islam as a political banner. He scrutinizes attempts at co-opting the uprising by these movements and by the oil monarchies that sponsor them, as well as by the protector of these same monarchies: the U.S. government. Underlining the limitations of the "Islamic Tsunami" that some have used as a pretext to denigrate the whole uprising, Gilbert Achcar points to the requirements for a lasting solution to the social crisis and the contours of a progressive political alternative. "--