The Fourth Industrial Revolution

The Fourth Industrial Revolution

Author: Klaus Schwab

Publisher: Currency

Published: 2017-01-03

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 1524758876

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World-renowned economist Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, explains that we have an opportunity to shape the fourth industrial revolu­tion, which will fundamentally alter how we live and work. Schwab argues that this revolution is different in scale, scope and complexity from any that have come before. Characterized by a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, the developments are affecting all disciplines, economies, industries and governments, and even challenging ideas about what it means to be human. Artificial intelligence is already all around us, from supercomputers, drones and virtual assistants to 3D printing, DNA sequencing, smart thermostats, wear­able sensors and microchips smaller than a grain of sand. But this is just the beginning: nanomaterials 200 times stronger than steel and a million times thinner than a strand of hair and the first transplant of a 3D printed liver are already in development. Imagine “smart factories” in which global systems of manu­facturing are coordinated virtually, or implantable mobile phones made of biosynthetic materials. The fourth industrial revolution, says Schwab, is more significant, and its ramifications more profound, than in any prior period of human history. He outlines the key technologies driving this revolution and discusses the major impacts expected on government, business, civil society and individu­als. Schwab also offers bold ideas on how to harness these changes and shape a better future—one in which technology empowers people rather than replaces them; progress serves society rather than disrupts it; and in which innovators respect moral and ethical boundaries rather than cross them. We all have the opportunity to contribute to developing new frame­works that advance progress.


Revolutions: a Very Short Introduction

Revolutions: a Very Short Introduction

Author: Jack A. Goldstone

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2023

Total Pages: 177

ISBN-13: 0197666302

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"In the 20th and 21st century revolutions have become more urban, often less violent, but also more frequent and more transformative of the international order. Whether it is the revolutions against Communism in Eastern Europe and the USSR; the "color revolutions" across Asia, Europe and North Africa; or the religious revolutions in Iran, Afghanistan, and Syria; today's revolutions are quite different from those of the past. Modern theories of revolution have therefore replaced the older class-based theories with more varied, dynamic, and contingent models of social and political change. This new edition updates the history of revolutions, from Classical Greece and Rome to the Revolution of Dignity in the Ukraine, with attention to the changing types and outcomes of revolutionary struggles. It also presents the latest advances in the theory of revolutions, including the issues of revolutionary waves, revolutionary leadership, international influences, and the likelihood of revolutions to come. This volume provides a brief but comprehensive introduction to the nature of revolutions and their role in global history"--


The Future of Revolutions

The Future of Revolutions

Author: John Foran

Publisher:

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13:

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The 20th Century was pre-eminently an age of revolutions - in Russia, China, Cuba and elsewhere - that fundamentally transformed the nature of politics and social arrangements. As we enter a new century, has it got harder for revolutions to occur in the new unipolar, globalized world? Here, John Foran asks: is the era of revolution over?; if so, why?; and if not, what might the revolutions of the future?


The Coming Revolution

The Coming Revolution

Author: Janet Smith

Publisher: Jacana Media

Published: 2014-10-01

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 1431410373

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What do the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) stand for? How do they propose to nationalize mines, banks, and land? Is Julius Malema, the founder of the EFF, equipped to legislate or to lead? These tough questions are asked in The Coming Revolution: Julius Malema and the Fight for Economic Freedom. Malema is tackled on his tax woes and on the "tenderpreneur" label by Janet Smith, an executive editor of the Star. Smith asks Malema to explain, contextualize, and motivate his political agenda and the genesis of the new party. Hard-hitting and informative, The Coming Revolution disrupts the dominant South African political narrative.


The Third Industrial Revolution

The Third Industrial Revolution

Author: Jeremy Rifkin

Publisher: Macmillan + ORM

Published: 2011-10-04

Total Pages: 407

ISBN-13: 023034058X

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The Industrial Revolution, powered by oil and other fossil fuels, is spiraling into a dangerous endgame. The price of gas and food are climbing, unemployment remains high, the housing market has tanked, consumer and government debt is soaring, and the recovery is slowing. Facing the prospect of a second collapse of the global economy, humanity is desperate for a sustainable economic game plan to take us into the future. Here, Jeremy Rifkin explores how Internet technology and renewable energy are merging to create a powerful "Third Industrial Revolution." He asks us to imagine hundreds of millions of people producing their own green energy in their homes, offices, and factories, and sharing it with each other in an "energy internet," just like we now create and share information online. Rifkin describes how the five-pillars of the Third Industrial Revolution will create thousands of businesses, millions of jobs, and usher in a fundamental reordering of human relationships, from hierarchical to lateral power, that will impact the way we conduct commerce, govern society, educate our children, and engage in civic life. Rifkin's vision is already gaining traction in the international community. The European Union Parliament has issued a formal declaration calling for its implementation, and other nations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, are quickly preparing their own initiatives for transitioning into the new economic paradigm. The Third Industrial Revolution is an insider's account of the next great economic era, including a look into the personalities and players — heads of state, global CEOs, social entrepreneurs, and NGOs — who are pioneering its implementation around the world.


Handbook of Alternative Theories of Economic Development

Handbook of Alternative Theories of Economic Development

Author: Erik S. Reinert

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2016-09-28

Total Pages: 849

ISBN-13: 1782544682

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The Handbook of Alternative Theories of Economic Development explores the theories and approaches which, over a prolonged period of time, have existed as viable alternatives to today’s mainstream and neo-classical tenets. With a total of 40 specially commissioned chapters, written by the foremost authorities in their respective fields, this volume represents a landmark in the field of economic development. It elucidates the richness of the alternative and sometimes misunderstood ideas which, in different historical contexts, have proved to be vital to the improvement of the human condition. The subject matter is approached from several complementary perspectives. From a historical angle, the Handbook charts the mercantilist and cameralist theories that emerged from the Renaissance and developed further during the Enlightenment. From a geographical angle, it includes chapters on African, Chinese, Indian, and Muslim approaches to economic development. Different schools are also explored and discussed including nineteenth century US development theory, Marxist, Schumpeterian, Latin American structuralism, regulation theory and world systems theories of development. In addition, the Handbook has chapters on important events and institutions including The League of Nations, The Havana Charter, and UNCTAD, as well as on particularly influential development economists. Contemporary topics such as the role of finance, feminism, the agrarian issue, and ecology and the environment are also covered in depth. This comprehensive Handbook offers an unrivalled review and analysis of alternative and heterodox theories of economic development. It should be read by all serious scholars, teachers and students of development studies, and indeed anyone interested in alternatives to development orthodoxy.


The Oxford Handbook of Political Economy

The Oxford Handbook of Political Economy

Author: Barry R. Weingast

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 1128

ISBN-13: 9780199272228

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Over its lifetime, 'political economy' has had different meanings. This handbook views political economy as a synthesis of the various strands of social science, treating it as the methodology of economics applied to the analysis of political behaviour and institutions.