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The reforms of the Soviet and Chinese communist regimes were unparalleled-both in the radical, precedent-setting reforms attempted by the two countries and in the outcomes of these attempts. While the Soviet Union collapsed quickly in the midst of its reforms, more than a decade later China, the world's most populous country, still stands as a testament to the resilience of Communist rule. It is this phenomenon that Christopher Marsh explores in Unparalleled Reforms. Marsh goes beyond simply discussing the differing initial conditions, the sequencing of reform, and cultural differences to also consider the objectives and intentions of the policy makers and leaders that directed the reform processes and the interdependent nature of politics on the world stage. Unparalleled Reforms offers the reader a sophisticated understanding of the nature of political reform and develops a theoretical model that can account for commonly overlooked factors that affect political processes in all types of political systems. In a class all its own, this is an important work for scholars interested in comparative politics, international relations, economics, Asian studies, and Russian studies.
A look at how the desire to improve international status affects Russia's and China's foreign policies Deborah Welch Larson and Alexei Shevchenko argue that the desire for world status plays a key role in shaping the foreign policies of China and Russia. Applying social identity theory—the idea that individuals derive part of their identity from larger communities—to nations, they contend that China and Russia have used various modes of emulation, competition, and creativity to gain recognition from other countries and thus validate their respective identities. To make this argument, they analyze numerous cases, including Catherine the Great’s attempts to westernize Russia, China’s identity crises in the nineteenth century, and both countries’ responses to the end of the Cold War. The authors employ a multifaceted method of measuring status, factoring in influence and inclusion in multinational organizations, military clout, and cultural sway, among other considerations. Combined with historical precedent, this socio-psychological approach helps explain current trends in Russian and Chinese foreign policy.
In this Bible Speaks Today volume, John Olley shows how 1 and 2 Kings retell the past as preached history, addressing the exilic situation of the original readers. This accessible commentary shows how the narrative of Kings sheds light on what it means to worship, trust, and obey God in the midst of the turmoil of national and global events, doing so in rich often surprising ways.
South Asia's growing political and economic influence, as well as the dynamism of this rapidly changing region, demands careful examination. Drawing on many areas of expertise and a wide range of perspectives, this book analyses how recent developments in the economic, political and social landscapes of South Asia have affected the region itself as well as its relations with the rest of Asia and the world at large. The book gathers together the papers presented at the 4th International Conference on South Asia held in Singapore in November 2008. It represents the expert knowledge and opinions of prominent academics and world leaders. Whether be it dealing with issues of trade and investment, soft power and cultural influence, or the reduction of poverty, the chapters in this book are both in-depth and rich in broader implications for the South Asian region and beyond.
This book considers aspects of transformation of former state socialist countries: social and economic outcomes; forces in the transformation process; problems of consolidation of the new regimes;and other scenarios. It also looks at alternative types of society that might replace state socialism, particularly state capitalism and market socialism.
Since Christianity was re-introduced to China in the early nineteenth century, Chinese Christianity has undergone a holistic “transfiguration” which both truthfully restores ante-Nicene Christianity and successfully adapts to the cultural contexts of Chinese and other societies. The theoretical and theological diversity of this book is consistent with that of traditional Chinese religious writings as well as that of the ante-Nicene fathers but may be deemed un-theoretical, un-academic, or un-theological by those theologians who received Western theological training, as that tends to be too hegemonic, emotionless, and archaic in the eyes of lay believers.
Considered historically, financial crises have increased significantly in recent years. This is not the result of simple coincidence, but rather much more an indication of a massive weakness in the present economic system. The point of departure for this book is the business crises and collapses that have shaken the global economy in the past few years. Starting with examples as the Enron bankruptcy and the subprime crisis in 2007, we search for explanations for the crises. Several possible causes are examined and various questions from recent discussions of ethics on topics such as manager pay increases are answered. After discovering several weaknesses in the economic system and inappropriate behavioral stimuli we find two main causes for them: the neglect of measurable and non-calculable qualitative factors (also called soft facts) and an extreme greed in managers at the cost of their companies. A lack of ethics or moral behavior lead us to question the meaning of morality for the economy, and thus for society. This issue is examined not only from the view of individual companies, but also from national economic and general social context using the example of Russia. We found a very large influence from moral values and general qualitative factors of influence, which have not been considered up to now. The knowledge gained will be applied to develop a management approach to qualitative leadership, which includes qualitative factors previously ignored, and brings human productive forces into the picture by including active employees as people in the business process.
Much of the scholarship on the book of Kings has focused on questions of the historicity of the events described. Alison L. Joseph turns her attention instead to the literary characterization of Israel’s kings. By examining the narrative techniques used in the Deuteronomistic History to portray Israel’s kings, Joseph shows that the Deuteronomist in the days of the Josianic Reform constructed David as a model of adherence to the covenant, and Jeroboam, conversely, as the ideal opposite of David. The redactor further characterized other kings along one or the other of these two models. The resulting narrative functions didactically, as if instructing kings and the people of Judah regarding the consequences of disobedience. Attention to characterization through prototype also allows Joseph to identify differences between pre-exilic and exilic redactions in the Deuteronomistic History, bolstering and also revising the view advanced by Frank Moore Cross. The result is a deepened understanding of the worldview and theology of the Deuteronomistic historians.