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腐败与改革：美国历史上的经验教训
本书共包含11篇文章，从经济学的角度分析了19世纪末至20世纪初美国的腐败史，涉及的领域从公共工程到公司治理、从特许权到食品药品监管，非常具有代表性。正如编者在导言中所说，其时美国的情况，“与当今许多现代转型国家和发展中地区并无二致。”该书对美国历史上的腐败与改革治理的分析解读，对我们理解和解决当今中国经济发展中的许多关键问题将有很大的启发和助益。
607 pages, Paperback
First published April 14, 2006
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April 29, 2009
A great collection of essays from a 2004 economics conference which ask why the US changed from one of the putatively most corrupt nations on earth to one of the most transparent. The motivating though oft unspoken question here is whether corrupt third world nations today can do the same and enjoy the same kind of success and growth.
Rebecca Menes's article on "Graft and Growth" actually shows that the US was not quite as corrupt as some claimed. Although there were certainly patronage issues and omnipresent featherbedding, democratic accountability insured that roads were actually built, canals dug, and taxes collected. Rapacious regimes like Tweed's were the exception. Engermann and Sokoloff's article shows that cost overruns on public projects are significantly higher today than way back when. Other articles point to the federalization of inspection laws and relief systems as a means of obviating corruption.
There are a few problems with the book. While some of the economic models are elegant mathematically, they could use more history to buttress their assumptions. The authors also seem to take insufficient time considering contemporary historical work on their issues and in consequence recover old territory. Still, it is encouraging to see economists turn to American history to solve contemporary problems, and the empirical rigor they bring to these questions should be more widely used in the historical field.
Rebecca Menes's article on "Graft and Growth" actually shows that the US was not quite as corrupt as some claimed. Although there were certainly patronage issues and omnipresent featherbedding, democratic accountability insured that roads were actually built, canals dug, and taxes collected. Rapacious regimes like Tweed's were the exception. Engermann and Sokoloff's article shows that cost overruns on public projects are significantly higher today than way back when. Other articles point to the federalization of inspection laws and relief systems as a means of obviating corruption.
There are a few problems with the book. While some of the economic models are elegant mathematically, they could use more history to buttress their assumptions. The authors also seem to take insufficient time considering contemporary historical work on their issues and in consequence recover old territory. Still, it is encouraging to see economists turn to American history to solve contemporary problems, and the empirical rigor they bring to these questions should be more widely used in the historical field.
Displaying 1 of 1 review