The First Modern Economy or Managing Chaos and Complexity in Government

The First Modern Economy: Success, Failure, and Perseverance of the Dutch Economy, 1500-1815

Author: Jan De Vries

A comprehensive economic history of The Netherlands during its rise to European economic leadership, which argues that this was the first modern economy. This position is defended with detailed analyses of the major economic sectors and investigations into social structure and macro-economic performance. Dutch economic history is placed in its European and world context. Inter-continental and colonial trade are discussed fully. Special emphasis is placed on the environmental context and demographic developments.

Table of Contents:

	List of tables, figures, and maps
	Preface
1	By way of introduction	1
2	Space and time, structures and conjunctures	9
3	The people	46
4	Money and taxes, borrowing and lending	81
5	Three questions	159
6	Agriculture	195
7	Fishing	235
8	Industry	270
9	Foreign trade until the mid-seventeenth century	350
10	Foreign trade after the mid-seventeenth century	409
11	City and country: the social structure of a modern economy	507
12	The standard of living and the labor market	607
13	The course of the economy: a macroeconomic analysis	665
14	Postlude	711
	Bibliography	723
	Index	751

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Managing Chaos and Complexity in Government: A New Paradigm for Managing Change, Innovation, and Organizational Renewal

Author: L Douglas Kiel

To keep government operating smoothly, changes in public management policy and strategy usually follow the old rule of change--that it must evolve in a systematic and incremental fashion. But in today's unpredictable world of shrinking budgets, demands for better service, and greater accountability, playing by the old rules just doesn't make sense.

In this book, L. Douglas Kiel presents a framework that addresses the new chaotic reality of public management and the need for responsive change and innovation. By acknowledging the potential for positive change and renewal that can arise from uncertainty and instability, Kiel offers managers a paradigm for transforming government performance.

In easy to understand terms, the author offers an overview of the concepts of chaos theory and the science of complexity and he demonstrates how public administrators can apply these concepts to create a new vision of organizational change. The book presents a range of both traditional and innovative management techniquesshaping organizational cultures, flattening hierarchies, and re-engineering work--and evaluates their capacity to allow organizational systems to respond to change.

Written for public administrators and the faculty and students of public management, this book describes the importance of disorder, instability, and change and examines how new chaos theories are applied to public management. Drawing on data from the author's case studies, the book is filled with charts, graphs, and practical computer spreadsheet exercises designed to give public managers and students of public management hands-on experience to meet the challenges of organizational change.

Booknews

Kiel (director, Master of Public Affairs program, U. of Texas) provides an overview of the concepts of chaos theory and the science of complexity and demonstrates how public administrators can apply these concepts and create a new paradigm of organizational change and transformation of government performance. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)