"Reaganomics" was the most ambitious attempt to change the course of American economic policy of any administration since the New Deal. In this lively, well-informed account, William Niskanen describes in fascinating detail the formulaton of the Reagan economic program, the internal debates, the effects of this program on the economy, and the probable future of Reaganomics. A distinguished economist who served on the Council of Economic Advisers from 1981 to 1985, for nine months as acting chairman, Niskanen was at the forefront of the Reagan economic program--as a supporter and internal critic, as a participant in and witness to many of the critical decisions that shaped this program. Niskanen offers a wide-ranging survey that covers every aspect of Reagan's economic program, reflecting both the successes and failures of policies affecting the budget, taxes, regulation, trade, and monetary policy. Never abstract, he grounds each issue in specific events--such as the Administration's response to the PATCO strike, the failure of Continental Illinois, and the debate over the auto and steel import quotas--and he provides vivid portraits of the personalities involved. Although a supporter of Reaganomics, Niskanen does not flinch from condemning the blunders made by the Administration in implementing Reagan's economic agenda. He apportions praise and blame among the prominent people he worked with--sometimes with devastating effect. Not everyone will agree with Niskanen's appraisal, but the first-hand account he provides of the Reagan Administration--the politics and personalities, the victories and defeats--will fascinate anyone interested in politics American-style or in the future of the economy.

Reaganomics: An Insider's Account of the Policies and the People

Business & Money

Niskanen, William A.

Economics

Oxford University Press

After Enron: Lessons for Public Policy

After Enron first describes the conditions that led to the collapse of Enron and other corporate scandals and the concerns that these developments raised among the public, the press, and political officials. The book then describes and evaluates the initial private and public responses to these developments and concludes that most of these responses were unnecessary, harmful, or inadequate. There are four major lessons learned during the post-Enron scandal era: Don't count too much on financial accounting. Don't count too much on auditing. The tax system is an important part of the problem. The rules of corporate governance do not adequately serve the interests of general shareholders. After Enron addresses the major lessons for public policy affecting accounting, auditing, taxation, and corporate government. It proposes a set of policy changes to address the lessons learned from the Enron scandal. The first major set of proposed changes would delegate the authority to establish and monitor accounting and disclosure standards to each stock exchange. A second major proposal would replace the corporate income tax with a cash flow tax. And a final set of proposed policy changes would replace the rules of corporate governance that are now biased against the interest of the general shareholders. The most distinctive feature of the book is that the major proposed policy changes would address the problems illustrated by the corporate scandals by reducing and focusing the role of government.

Business Culture

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

After Enron first describes the conditions that led to the collapse of Enron and other corporate scandals and the concerns that these developments raised among the public, the press, and political officials. The book then describes and evaluates the initial private and public responses to these developments and concludes that most of these responses were unnecessary, harmful, or inadequate. There are four major lessons learned during the post-Enron scandal era: Don't count too much on financial accounting. Don't count too much on auditing. The tax system is an important part of the problem. The rules of corporate governance do not adequately serve the interests of general shareholders. After Enron addresses the major lessons for public policy affecting accounting, auditing, taxation, and corporate government. It proposes a set of policy changes to address the lessons learned from the Enron scandal. The first major set of proposed changes would delegate the authority to establish and monitor accounting and disclosure standards to each stock exchange. A second major proposal would replace the corporate income tax with a cash flow tax. And a final set of proposed policy changes would replace the rules of corporate governance that are now biased against the interest of the general shareholders. The most distinctive feature of the book is that the major proposed policy changes would address the problems illustrated by the corporate scandals by reducing and focusing the role of government.

The information age technology revolution promises enormous benefits to the U.S. and global economies. Yet if those benefits are to be fully realized, policymakers in the U.S. and abroad must rethink some fundamental premises about how economic activity has traditionally been governed. Should we continue to regulate industries the way we have in the past? Does the digital age require a new approach to antitrust enforcement? To best facilitate global electronic commerce, what changes are needed in intellectual property law, professional licensing requirements, laws governing privacy and content, and policies relating to standards? And what steps, if any, are required to best ensure that all citizens have access to the new technologies? This book examines these and other policy issues. It draws on a spring 1997 conference sponsored by the Brookings Institution and the Cato Institute where leading experts in various fields related to information technology presented their views. Copublished with the Cato Institute

Going Digital!

Litan, Robert E.

Brookings Institution Press

The nature of work in the United States is changing dramatically, as new technologies, a global economy, and more demanding investors combine to create a far more competitive marketplace. Corporate efforts to respond to these new challenges have yielded mixed results. Headlines about instant millionaires and innovative e-businesses mingle with coverage of increasing job insecurity and record wage gaps between upper management and hourly workers. A Working Nation tracks the profound implications the changing workplace has had for all workers and shows who the real economic winners and losers have been in the past twenty-five years. A Working Nation sorts fact from fiction about the new relationship between workers and firms, and addresses several critical issues: Who are the real winners and losers in this new economy? Has the relationship between workers and firms really been transformed? How have employees become more integrated into or disconnected from corporate strategies and performance? Should government step into this new economic reality and how should it intervene? Among the topics investigated, David T. Ellwood explores and explains the apparent paradox between the steady rise in per capita national income and the stagnant wages of middle- and working-class workers. Douglas Kruse and Joseph Blasi study relative changes in long-term vs. temporary work, and evaluate the introduction of profit-sharing schemes and high performance workplace programs. William A. Niskanen and Rebecca M. Blank, both former members of the president's Council of Economic Advisers, offer their perspectives on what direction government might take to make this a working nation for everyone. Though Niskanen and Blank take alternative approaches, they both conclude that the primary policy emphasis ought to be on the problems of the least skilled more than on inequality per se, and that a focus on childhood education and tax supports for low-income working families should be of primary concern. A Working Nation paints a compelling and surprisingly consistent picture of today's workplace. While the booming economy has created millions of new jobs, it has also lead to an alarmingly unbalanced system of rewards that puts less-skilled, and many middle-class, workers at risk. This book is essential reading for those seeking the most efficient answers to the challenges and opportunities of the evolving economy.

A Working Nation: Workers, Work, and Government in the New Economy

Ellwood, David T.

Blank, Rebecca M.

Blasi, Joseph

Kruse, Douglas

Lynn-Dyson, Karen

Russell Sage Foundation

Policy Analysis and Public Choice is an important selection of articles written by William A. Niskanen over the last thirty years. The volume represents two quite different disciplines to which Niskanen has made a major contribution: policy analysis and public choice. It also includes his major essays on proprietary studies as well as many of his professional papers written for an academic audience. Part I details Niskanen's important contribution to policy analysis. The diverse topics discussed include: defence spending and resource allocation, trade policy, crime and drug policy, and welfare and the culture of poverty. Part II is concerned with public choice and political economy, in particular the liberal economic order, bureaucracy, democratic government and progressive taxation. The volume also includes an autobiographical summary focusing on the complementary nature of his work on policy analysis and public choice, and a number of commentaries that reflect Niskanen's unique professional background and perspective. 
Policy Analysis and Public Choice will be of special interest to those interested in public choice, public policy, political economy and political science.

Policy Analysis and Public Choice: Selected Papers by William A. Niskanen (The Locke Institute series)

Edward Elgar Publishing

Autocratic, Democratic, and Optimal Government: Fiscal Choices and Economic Outcomes (The Locke Institute series)

BUREAUCRACY AND PUBLIC ECONOMICS (The Locke Institute series)

Bureaucracy and Public Economics brings together in one volume the classic book and related articles which put forward the first formal economic theory of the behaviour of bureaucracies. William Niskanen Jr. has consistently argued that bureaucrats have personal objectives - that differ from those of both their political supervisors and the general public - which they further by use of their monopoly power. He develops his argument to contend that government budgets have become too large and should be curtailed. All of Professor Niskanen's major contributions to this field have been brought together in this one volume including his pioneering article on `The Peculiar Economics of Bureaucracy', the full text of the book `Bureaucracy and Representative Government' and his recent reassessment of the larger body of scholarship on the economics of bureaucracy. Scholars, students and teachers of public economics will welcome this volume which, by making some of the key contributions in the field more widely accessible, will provoke discussion, debate and further research.

This text brings together the book and related articles which put forward the first formal economic theory of the behaviour of bureaucracies. William Niskanen Jr has consistently argued that bureaucrats have personal objectives - that differ from those of both their political supervisors and the general public - which they further by use of their monopoly power. He develops his argument to contend that government budgets have become too large and should be curtailed. All of Professor Niskanen's contributions to this field have been brought together in this volume, including his article on "The Peculiar Economics of Bureaucracy", the full text of the book "Bureaucracy and Representative Government, and his recent reassessment of the larger body of scholarship on the economic of bureaucracy.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Niskanen, William A.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Niskanen, William A.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Niskanen, William A.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Reaganomics: An Insider's Account of the Policies and the People

After Enron: Lessons for Public Policy

After Enron: Lessons for Public Policy

Going Digital!

A Working Nation: Workers, Work, and Government in the New Economy

A Working Nation: Workers, Work, and Government in the New Economy

Policy Analysis and Public Choice: Selected Papers by William A. Niskanen (The Locke Institute series)

Autocratic, Democratic, and Optimal Government: Fiscal Choices and Economic Outcomes (The Locke Institute series)

BUREAUCRACY AND PUBLIC ECONOMICS (The Locke Institute series)

BUREAUCRACY AND PUBLIC ECONOMICS (The Locke Institute series)