Varieties of Capitalism: The Institutional Foundations of Comparative Advantage [Paperback]

Peter A. Hall (Editor), David Soskice (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0199247757 | ISBN-13: 978-0199247752 | Publication Date: November 8, 2001

What are the most important differences among national economies? Is globalization forcing nations to converge on an Anglo-American model? What explains national differences in social and economic policy? This pathbreaking work outlines a new approach to these questions. It highlights the role of business in national economies and shows that there is more than one path to economic success. The book sets a new intellectual agenda for everyone interested in relations between politics, economics, and business.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"With this book Peter Hall and David Soskice are opening a new chapter in the analysis of contemporary capitalism. They have succeeded in bringing together in one compelling formulation historical - institutional and rationalist - individualist analytical perspectives. The empirical applications in Varieties of Capitalism illuminate in a profound way how both scholars and policy makers will benefit when they link macro- and micro-level analyses across the many different sectors that define contemporary capitalism in its many forms. Economists and political scientists, finally, are able to meet on common ground. This book will become a classic in the field."-- Peter J. Katzenstein, Walter S. Carpenter, Jr. Professor of International Studies, Cornell University.

"This invaluable contribution to the comparative capitalism literature vigorously argues against the notion of convergence so popular in the globalism debates. The authors expand our understanding of national "production systems" to see new connections and show that the differences aong them allow countries to pursue distinctly different strategies of international competition. A must read."--Peter Gourevitch, University of California, San Diego

"This book has been well worth waiting for. It demonstrates the wealth of insights that could be achieveed through Soskice's innovative research program that began to chang the agenda of Comparative POlitical Economy more than a decade ago. The volume combines a definitive restatement of the varieties of cpitialism approach with illuminative applications to the range of research areas covered by it with some fascinating theoretical extensions. Excellent!"-- F.W. Scharpf, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne

About the Author

Peter A. Hall is Frank G. Thomson Professor of Government and Harvard College Professor at Harvard University where he is also the Director of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies. He is the author or editor of several books and many articles on European politics, policy-making, and comparative political economy. His work has received numerous awards including the Woodrow Wilson Award for the best book in political science published in 1986 and the Luebbert Award for the best article in comparative politics published in 1998. David Soskice is Research Professor of Political Science at Duke University and Adjunct Research Professor at the School for Social Sciences of the Australian National University. He is Emeritus Fellow in Economics at University College, Oxford, and on leave from the Wissenschaftszentrum fur Sozialforschung in Berlin (WZB) where he has been Director of the Research Unit on Employment and Economic Change since 1990. He is the author or editor of several books and many articles on comparative political economy, macroeconomics, and labor economics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (November 8, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199247757
• ISBN-13: 978-0199247752
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #369,978 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)