The

Author: Andrei Shleifer
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-01
Features: This book covers a very broad range of topics, including the development of European cities before the Industrial Revolution, the corruption in Russia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, privatization in Eastern Europe, the outsourcing of public services by local governments in the United States, and more. The author strives to use the fewest technical tools to analyze these contents. From any standard, the chapters in this book are truly well-written and concise. In many countries, the public sector imposes a heavy burden on economic life: heavy taxes hinder investment, various regulatory measures lead to bureaucratic corruption, state-owned enterprises recklessly squander national wealth, the most talented individuals are not devoted to productive activities but rather scramble to join rent-seeking sectors, entrepreneurial spirit is not demonstrated, and economic growth stagnates. This book uses simple economic theory models as analytical tools, employing rich historical and real-world cases to deeply examine the functioning mechanism of the public sector and the heavy burden it imposes on economic life. For research on rent-seeking, corruption, and government governance, this is a rare gem. The book "The Grabbing Hand" covers a very broad range of topics, including the development of European cities before the Industrial Revolution, the corruption in Russia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, privatization in Eastern Europe, the outsourcing of public services by local governments in the United States, and more. The author strives to use the fewest technical tools to analyze these contents. From any standard, the chapters in this book are truly well-written and concise.