The economic impacts of natural disasters

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Celia Lury

"The second edition of Consumer Culture brings this successful introductory textbook right up-to-date for students who are interested in the nature and role of consumption in modern societies. It introduces the importance of new object-based studies for consumer culture, as well as adding new chapters on branding and the rise of ethical consumption. Drawing on a wide range of studies, and using contemporary illustrations from the media and popular culture, the author examines the rise of consumer culture and the changing relations between the production and consumption of cultural goods. She argues that consumer culture has become increasingly stylized and now provides an important context for everyday creativity. The author explores the way an individual's position in social groups structured by class, gender, race and age affects the nature of his or her participation in consumer culture. She also argues that this has contributed to changes in the way in which individuals belong to these social groups. The powerful role consumption plays in our lives is thus revealed as consumer culture is seen to provide new ways of creating social and political identities."--Pub. desc.

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Harvey S. Rosen, Ted Gayer

"Harvey S. Rosen introduces readers to the latest research in Public Finance. With highlights from the Bush administration, updates to tax laws, and discussions of up-to-date examples, Rosen's approach encompasses important revisions to the Seventh Edition, with current changes to government policy." "Additional revisions to the Seventh Edition include new discussions regarding estate, pollution, corporate, and personal income taxes, savings issues, and corporate scandals."--Jacket.

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Mukti Khaire

Art and business are often described as worlds apart, even diametric opposites. And yet, these realms are close cousins in creative industries where firms bring cultural goods to market, attaching price tags to music, paintings, theater, literature, film, and fashion. Building on theories of value construction and cultural production, Culture and Commerce details the processes by which artistic worth is decoded, translated, and converted to economic value. Case studies of firms from Chanel and Penguin to tastemakers like the Sundance Institute and the Pritzker Prize illuminate how creative entrepreneurs influence our sense of value, shifting consumer behavior and our culture in deep, surprising ways.

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Pier Paolo Saviotti

Technological Evolution, Variety and the Economy discusses the fundamental role played by qualitative change in economic development, the contribution made by technological change and innovation, and the theoretical analysis of these phenomena in terms of evolutionary theories. Pier Paolo Saviotti's major new book goes beyond studying the effects of technological change on known economic variables. In addressing the actors and mechanisms of technological change, Dr Saviotti focuses first on changes in product technology and then examines the evolution of organizations with special reference to their use of information and knowledge. Using an evolutionary framework, he develops a model of technological evolution based on replicator dynamics which explicitly introduces these key actors and mechanisms. An in-depth discussion of the present state of evolutionary theories focuses on their methodological foundations and applicability to learning in organizations.