As capitalism defeated socialism in Eastern Europe, the market displaced the state in the developing world. In Beyond the Miracle of the Market, first published in 2005, Bates focuses on Kenya, a country that continued to grow while others declined in Africa, and mounts a prescient critique of the neo-classical turn in development economics. Attributing Kenya's exceptionalism to its economic institutions, this book pioneers the use of 'new institutionalism' in the field of development. In doing so, however, the author accuses the approach of being apolitical. Institutions introduce power into economic life. To account for their impact, economic analysis must therefore be complemented by political analysis; micro-economics must be imbedded in political science. In making this argument, Bates relates Kenya's subsequent economic decline to the change from the Kenyatta to the Moi regime and the subsequent use of the power of economic institutions to redistribute rather than to create wealth.

In Sparks' third book on South Africa, he writes about the outcomes and continuing struggles of a post-Mandela elected government. The democracy faces a widening gap between rich and poor, continued racial and ethnic tensions, and conflicts with other countries such the Congo and Zimbabwe. He describes it as a land where the First and Third World meet, with examples that are important to other countries facing the same challenges.

Heartwarming and Heart-Opening Stories Gathered from Decades of Medical Practice Bernie Siegel first wrote about miracles when he was a practicing surgeon and founded Exceptional Cancer Patients, a groundbreaking synthesis of group, individual, dream, and art therapy that provided patients with a “carefrontation.” Compiled during his more than thirty years of practice, speaking, and teaching, the stories in these pages are riveting, warm, and belief expanding. Their subjects include a girl whose baby brother helped her overcome anorexia, a woman whose cancer helped her heal by teaching her to stand up for herself, and a family that was saved from a burning house by bats. Without diminishing the reality of pain and hardship, the stories show real people turning crisis into blessing by responding to adversity in ways that empower and heal. They demonstrate what we are capable of and show us that we can achieve miracles as we confront life’s difficulties.

Because their economies were regulated, their financial systems ‘repressed’ and their states interventionist, for many years the countries of East Asia challenged the Washington consensus, offering an alternative development paradigm. However, in the 1990’s, Asian capitalism was disrupted following Japan’s stagnation and the financial crisis of 1997-98. Treading the unexplored theoretical terrain created by the simultaneous decline of the Washington Consensus and Asian developmentalism, this revealing book analyzes the comparative political economy of East Asia and Latin America. Divided into four key sections, it covers: Theoretical Framework Results of Globalization Converging and Diverging of Paths of Economic Development Finance and Regionalism. Through the juxtaposition of countries in East Asia and Latin America, leading academics analyze the impact of government intervention, institutional malfunction, social transformation and financial change as well as conflict and power on economic development. This book will prove to be invaluable to students and academics of development economics.

Brilliant and engagingly written, Why Nations Fail answers the question that has stumped the experts for centuries: Why are some nations rich and others poor, divided by wealth and poverty, health and sickness, food and famine? Is it culture, the weather, geography? Perhaps ignorance of what the right policies are? Simply, no. None of these factors is either definitive or destiny. Otherwise, how to explain why Botswana has become one of the fastest growing countries in the world, while other African nations, such as Zimbabwe, the Congo, and Sierra Leone, are mired in poverty and violence? Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson conclusively show that it is man-made political and economic institutions that underlie economic success (or lack of it). Korea, to take just one of their fascinating examples, is a remarkably homogeneous nation, yet the people of North Korea are among the poorest on earth while their brothers and sisters in South Korea are among the richest. The south forged a society that created incentives, rewarded innovation, and allowed everyone to participate in economic opportunities. The economic success thus spurred was sustained because the government became accountable and responsive to citizens and the great mass of people. Sadly, the people of the north have endured decades of famine, political repression, and very different economic institutions—with no end in sight. The differences between the Koreas is due to the politics that created these completely different institutional trajectories. Based on fifteen years of original research Acemoglu and Robinson marshall extraordinary historical evidence from the Roman Empire, the Mayan city-states, medieval Venice, the Soviet Union, Latin America, England, Europe, the United States, and Africa to build a new theory of political economy with great relevance for the big questions of today, including: - China has built an authoritarian growth machine. Will it continue to grow at such high speed and overwhelm the West? - Are America’s best days behind it? Are we moving from a virtuous circle in which efforts by elites to aggrandize power are resisted to a vicious one that enriches and empowers a small minority? - What is the most effective way to help move billions of people from the rut of poverty to prosperity? More philanthropy from the wealthy nations of the West? Or learning the hard-won lessons of Acemoglu and Robinson’s breakthrough ideas on the interplay between inclusive political and economic institutions? Why Nations Fail will change the way you look at—and understand—the world.

The Book of Acts never ended! Live and Experience the Book of Acts today! Experience the Book of Acts today! Supernatural Christianity never ended! A generation today is asking, Where are all God’s miracles which our fathers told us about? (Judges 6:13). Author of the best-selling book They Told Me Their Stories, Tommy Welchel answered this question, living among the youth of one of the greatest spiritual outpourings ever experienced—the Azusa Street Revival. During this time, Tommy recorded first-hand accounts of the miracles that they had witnessed… and even performed themselves! These testimonies have been shared around the world, and the results have been amazing: Miraculous healings, supernatural phenomena, and impossible situations being turned around by a wonder-working God. As you read about the miracles that God performed during this great move of His Spirit, your faith will be stirred to: • Encourage others that God’s healing power has not passed away • Believe for the miraculous in your life • Release supernatural breakthrough to people who need a touch from God Prepare to experience a fresh outpouring of God’s Spirit… today!

Lora Leigh does it--in the lair of a strange breed, part man, part wolf, on the hunt for the woman he craves--and needs--to fulfill a hunger clawing at him from within. Angela Knight does it--in the psychic realm of a woman attuned to the touch of strangers--and the powerful temptations of a seductive and mysterious protector. Emma Holly does it--in the fantastic Demon World where a powerful Queen rules--until she commits the sin of falling in love with the handsome son of her worst enemy. Diane Whiteside does it--in an alternate universe of Regency magic where two lovers are threatened by a vicious mage, and swept up in a turbulent war off the Cornish cliffs.

In a book that has been raising hackles far and wide, the social critic Thomas Frank skewers one of the most sacred cows of the go-go '90s: the idea that the new free-market economy is good for everyone. Frank's target is "market populism"—the widely held belief that markets are a more democratic form of organization than democratically elected governments. Refuting the idea that billionaire CEOs are looking out for the interests of the little guy, he argues that "the great euphoria of the late nineties was never as much about the return of good times as it was the giddy triumph of one America over another." Frank is a latter-day Mencken, as readers of his journal The Baffler and his book The Conquest of Cool know. With incisive analysis, passionate advocacy, and razor-sharp wit, he asks where we are headed—and whether we're going to like it when we get there.

Inspiring and astounding real-life accounts.

Everyone is looking for a miracle. Families devastated by a faltering economy. A college student facing the horrific diagnosis of cancer. Corporately, whole nations are teetering on the brink of despair and chaos. The Miracle of Israel is a stunning examination of the millennia-old love that God has for His people that: Clearly conveys the promise God gave to Abraham Examines the ancient prophecies regarding Israel that have happened and are unfolding even today Provides an easy-to-read timeline of miracle after miracle related to the nation of Israel Tracing the history of the Jewish people to the present day, the authors look at prophecy after prophecy that clearly attest to the Lord’s miraculous promises. From historical records to personal, dramatic stories, the Miracle of Israel shows us that in keeping epic promises to the nation of Israel, God’s provision for each of us is sure, perfect, and on time, every time.