The Knowledge Plexus

A Systemic View on the Economic Geography of Technological Knowledge

George Chorafakis, University of Barcelona, Spain

March 2015 / ISBN: 978-1-622-73-006-3
Availability: In stock
391pp. ¦ $60 £45 €55

This book is a collection of 5 essays on the economic geography of technological knowledge. Their common threads are: (i) the quest for a new paradigm in economic geography, termed ‘systemic’, as an alternative to the neoclassical, based on the epistemological premise of emergence and the theories of evolution and complexity; and (ii) the intent to explain the process of technological knowledge production as a systemic phenomenon occurring in relational space subject to emergence and co-evolutionary dynamics. In this theoretical framework, the author analyses various European knowledge networks, and examines their effects on the production of technological knowledge as sources of relational cognitive capital and economies of complexity. He then poses a number of questions on the direction and instrumentalities of the European research, technological development and innovation policies, and in particular on the issues of cohesion and dynamic efficiency of the European research system.

The Great Illusion

A Study of the Relation of Military Power to National Advantage

Norman Angell

December 2014 / ISBN: 978-1-62273-009-4
Availability: In stock
223pp. ¦ $30 £22 €27

International trade and the development of intertwined global markets makes inter-state war less profitable and probable. This is Norman Angell's simple hypothesis, vigorously defended in The Great Illusion and at the root of an enduring controversy, from the time of its initial publication - on the eve of the First World War - to this day. Well documented, logically argued and persuasive, The Great Illusion is a passionate defense of peace, attacking widely held, yet unquestioned assumptions about the gains from war and the costs of conquest.

Risk, Uncertainty and Profit

New Edition

Frank Knight

April 2016 / ISBN: 978-1-62273-004-9
Availability: In stock
330pp. ¦ $60 £45 €55

In Risk, Uncertainty and Profit, Frank Knight explored the riddle of profitability in a competitive market: profit should not be possible under competitive conditions, as the entry of new entrepreneurs would drive prices down and nullify margins, however evidence abounds of competitive yet profitable markets. To explain this seeming paradox, Knight uncovers the distinction between calculable risk and essentially unknowable uncertainty. Knight argued that risk stems from repeated events, which therefore allow probabilities to be calculated and factored into decisions, as for instance insurers do. Uncertainty however, stems from events that are unpredictable and as such cannot be prepared against. According to Knight, it is the interplay between risk and uncertainty on the one hand and competition between incumbent and new entrepreneurs that accounts for the enormous variation in profitability across firms and, for the same firms, over time. His insights on the sources of profit have been instrumental in shaping modern economic theory and to the development of a useful understanding of probability. This New Edition has been typeset with modern techniques and contains a newly compiled Index of important topics. It has been painstakingly proofread to ensure that it is free from errors and that the content is faithful to the original.

Industrial Evolution

New Edition

Karl Bücher

August 2014 / ISBN: 978-1-62273-005-6
Availability: In stock
304pp. ¦ $28 £20 €25

Industrial Evolution is Karl Bucher's most important book, and the foundational study of non-market (exchange and gift) economics. The book deals with the historical evolution of economic and industrial organization, with the transition from handicrafts to manufacturing, the rise of trade unionism and urban migration. This new edition is based on the third German edition of Bucher's original Entstehung der Volkswirtschaft and draws on the acclaimed translation by S. Morley Wickett, PhD. This new edition has been professionally typeset from the 1901 English original and includes a comprehensive index.

A Plan of the English Commerce

New Edition

Daniel Defoe

July 2014 / ISBN: 978-1-62273-001-8
Availability: In stock
187pp. ¦ $28 £20 €25

A Plan of the English Commerce is a rare piece of economic history covering the crucial period at the outset of the first Industrial Revolution and the early wave of globalization. Unlike other chroniclers of British economic development, Defoe was contemporary to and often had first-hand experience of important events. His account therefore offers an extraordinary vantage point, free from the distorting lens of modern theoretical explanations. An account rich in anecdotes and penetrating observations, Defoe’s work emphasizes neglected aspects of the world economy at the time, such as the interplay between industrial policy and international trade. Defoe argues that, under the Tudors, British industry developed under a heavily protected regime. Contrary to widespread belief, export controls, infant-industry subsidies, government-sponsored industrial espionage and aggressive technology transfer were routine. A Plan of the English Commerce is principal among Daniel Defoe’s works dealing with economic matters and remains of interest not only to economic historians but also to scholars concerned with economic development, international trade and industrial policy. This New Edition has been typeset with modern techniques and contains a newly compiled Index of important topics. Aiming for visual clarity and the minimization of redundancy, the New Edition drops the largely arbitrary italicization of words and applies a modern formatting style to the rudimentary tables found in the original. It has been painstakingly proofread to ensure that it is free from errors and that the content is faithful to the original, down to the unusually long chapter headings.