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The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy Paperback – Bargain Price, April 2 2002

by Daniel Yergin (Author), Joseph Stanislaw (Author)

4.4 188 ratings

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The Pulitzer Prize-wimming author of The Prize joins a leading expert on the global economy to present an incisive narrative of the risks and opportunities that are emerging as the balance of power shifts around the world between governments and markets -- and the battle over globalization comes front and center. The Commanding Heights is essential for understanding the struggle over the "new rules of the game" for the twenty-first century.

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Print length

496 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Free Press
Publication date

April 2 2002
Dimensions

23.47 x 15.75 x 3.18 cm
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Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter Harvard Business School, Author of "World Class: Thriving Locally in the Global Economy""The Commanding Heights" persuasively and powerfully identifies today's and tomorrow's critical challenges for government policy and corporate action. Whether enthralled by the prospects of ever-expanding free markets or anxious about the social fallout of market excesses, readers will benefit from the book's compelling economic histories of key world regions showing how they are coping with change on the cusp of a new century.

About the Author

Daniel Yergin, chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates and the Global Energy Expert for the CNBC business news network, is a highly respected authority on energy, international politics, and economics. Dr. Yergin received the Pulitzer Prize for the number one bestseller The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power, which was also made into an eight-hour PBS/BBC series seen by 20 million people in the United States. The book has been translated into 12 languages. It also received the Eccles Prize for best book on an economic subject for a general audience.

Of Dr. Yergin’s subsequent book, Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy, the Wall Street Journal said: “No one could ask for a better account of the world’s political and economic destiny since World War II.” This book has been translated into 13 languages and Dr. Yergin led the team that turned it into a six-hour PBS/BBC documentary — the major PBS television series on globalization. The series received three Emmy nominations, a CINE Golden Eagle Award and the New York Festival’s Gold World Medal for best documentary. Dr. Yergin’s other books include Shattered Peace, an award-winning history of the origins of the Cold War, Russia 2010 and What It Means for the World(with Thane Gustafson), and Energy Future: The Report of the Energy Project at the Harvard Business School, which he edited with Robert Stobaugh.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B001OW5NBY
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Free Press; 1st edition (April 2 2002)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 658 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 23.47 x 15.75 x 3.18 cm

Customer Reviews:
4.4 188 ratings

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Joseph Stanislaw
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Daniel Yergin
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Daniel Yergin is the author of the bestseller The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World which has been hailed as “a fascinating saga” about the “quest for sustainable resources of energy,” and “the book you must read to understand the future of our economy and our way of life,” not to mention “necessary reading for C.E.O.’s, conservationists, lawmakers, generals, spies, tech geeks, thriller writers. . . and many others.”
He received the Pulitzer Prize for The Prize: the Epic Quest for Oil Money and Power, which became a number one New York Times best seller and has been translated into 17 languages.
Dr. Yergin is Vice Chairman of IHS and Founder of Cambridge Energy Research Associates and serves as CNBC’s Global Energy Expert.
Other books by Dr. Yergin include Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy. Dr. Yergin has also written for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Atlantic, Los Angeles Times, International Herald Tribune, and many other publications.
Both The Prize and Commanding Heights were made into award winning documentaries. The eight-hour miniseries The Prize was aired on PBS, BBC, and NHK and viewed by 20 million viewers in the United States alone. The 6-hour documentary Commanding Heights that Dr. Yergin produced received three Emmy nominations, and the New York Festivals Gold World Medal for best documentary.
Dr. Yergin serves on the U.S. Secretary of Energy Advisory Board and chaired the US Department of Energy’s Task Force on Strategic Energy Research and Development. He is a Trustee of the Brookings Institution, on the Board of the New America Foundation, and on the Advisory Board of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative.
Dr. Yergin holds a BA from Yale University and a PhD from Cambridge University, where he was a Marshall Scholar.
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Andrew Johns

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on April 23, 2018

Excellent explanation of the link between gov't and business.

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Maurice Turbide

Great insights into the world economic structures

Reviewed in Canada on February 6, 2020

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Although this excellent book only takes the reader to the early 2000’s - ahead of the 2008 meltdown and the Obama and Trump administrations, it nonetheless provides good analysis and background to how we got here in terms of world economic relationships. An excellent read on the geo-political and economic environment. It is not dry and technical.

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JRU

Did You Say "A Lively Economics Book"?

Reviewed in Canada on July 24, 2003

Don't be scared, Commanding Heights, in every sense, is a lively yet informative economics book. A text for everyone, from the main street person to Milton Friedman
The writers, Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw, are both players of the business world, and Ph.D. holders (Yergin's from Cambridge University, where he was Marshall Scholar, and Stanislaw holds a Ph.D. from Edinburgh University). Furthermore, Yergin's book "The Prize" was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. One could only expect a dry, scholarly frightening work from the two, but, surprisingly, Commanding Heights is anything but intimidating.
This is a very good introduction to 20th century's economic plans and philosophies- from Gandhi's "swadeshi" to Thatcherism of the late 1970s and 80s to the 'global economy' of the 90s and present.
The book's treatment of Thatcher and Thatcherism is very good and readable, and almost enlightening. The portrayal of Margaret Thatcher is illuminating, if not flattering for the subject. The Thatcher of the book is not the evil witch of left-wing politics, but that of a hard-working, decent and uncompromising woman from a lower middle class background. Her (political) partnership with Joseph Keith and her devotion to Keith's plan is intriguing, and her David-and-Goliath battles with the 'establishment' is inspirational. ("I am the rebel head of an establishment government" she once boasted). Keynesians beware- this book might turn you into a Thatcherite!
Another highlight is the book's treatment of Latin America's economic dogmas and policies. Here, Chapter Nine of the book, it reads like a dark, compelling, political thriller authored by Vargas Llosa (Not surprisingly, Llosa's name appears in this book). Like the rest of the book, this chapter is highly fascinating and lively.
With great clarity and intelligence, this is a highly recommended 'big' book. A great companion as we face a new century. READ IT!

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Craig Matteson

Great Book - Let's Remember the Lessons Learned

Reviewed in Canada on September 10, 2002

Growing up in the sixties I heard constantly about the inevitable triumph of socialism and the compromise of private ownership. LIke most child I believed what I was taught. In fact, a great deal of the socialist agenda has come about. However, the results and effects of central planning in private and public affairs came to bother me a great deal.
I began to find that there were voices raised opposing this "progress". It was not easy to find them at first, but there was an icreasing number of voices pointing out the problems and flaws in central planning.
Finally, the tide began to turn in the mid-seventies and as central planning ebbed and private enterprise flooded in with the prosperity of the eighties and nineties it appeared that capitalism was finally triumphant. Millions of us were happy at what we viewed as true progress. However, I recognize that millions more were true believers in the other doctrine and viewed this as a dark time.
But I am glad of the progress that was made and continue to work for more. And this wonderful book documents the story of the unfortunate but understandable rise of socialism in post World War II Europe and how it fell out of favor. The story of the rise of individual initiative and privatization is wonderful to me, however, it might cause pain and anxiety to others.
The point is that this is a very important story told of our own time (until a few years ago). And for those who think that capitalism is the bane of humanity I would recommend this book even more strongly because it is important to not forget the misery central planning brought the world for decades in the 20th century.
There is a recent video presentation of much of this book and it is quite good, but the book has more information and I think it is even more compelling. So, I recommend both, but the book even more strongly.
The story contained in this book is still open to multiple interpretations. I have mine and you may well disagree with me. What is key, I believe, is that this story be understood and remembered. Otherwise we doom ourselves to repeat the pain of these lessons yet again to the pain and suffering of millions.

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Eric N. Gross

Excellent coverage of economic history

Reviewed in Canada on November 22, 2002

...Of course the "battle of ideas" is far from over. With a globalization that has been hijacked by mega-corporate interests and plenty of issues surrounding the social services like healthcare and such, the next 20 years in global politics will almost certainly continue to be interesting and ground-breaking. Socialism, seemingly 'dead' from the viewpoint of this book, is making a comeback in the first few years of the new century. Learning how to manage the global economy to prevent exploitation and protect human civil liberties will be the next big goal.
If you want to know the history of American antitrust legislation, it's in this book. Curious about the social market economy? You'll find out very soon after opening the cover. Why is it that Margaret Thatcher managed to get all her reforms through despite initially negative feedback from the first wave of pro-market policies? Well, you'll just have to read to find out. Detailed accounts of various countries' economic history are found here unlike the video which can only include a few more prominent examples. There is very good coverage of the East Asian "tigers" and an in-depth account of American deregulation, as well as the European Union, topics not covered significantly in the video.

Reviewed in Canada on November 29, 2016

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Very dense reading, BUT includes everything you ever need to know about the world economy.

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Stef

Du temps...

Reviewed in France on January 16, 2020

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Il faut un peu de temps en tous cas pour les gens comme moi, faut s'accrocher et là ca vaut vraiment le coup passionnant!

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montesboles

BIEN ORGANIZADO

Reviewed in Spain on May 22, 2019

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Está muy bien. Una descripción muy bien organizada de la historia económica del siglo XX y sus acontecimientos más relevantes.

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Nathaphat

Fascinating!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2018

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Excellent book. Really interesting. I've seen the 3 part documentary twice already. Fascinating.

我慢と根性

広く深く広い視点からの分析が訴えるもの

Reviewed in Japan on May 17, 2020

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ダニエル・ヤーギンの著作は、「市場対国家」を含め三冊になる。あとの二冊は、「石油の世紀」、「エネルギーの世紀」である。すべて二回以上読んだ。丹念な歴史資料の収集と多面的な分析、読者を引き込む文章力（訳も素晴らしい）は、経済や人の暮らし、政治の動きは、歴史の見方を変えさせてくれた。これまでも沢山の経済を中心とした歴史書を読み、自分なりに歴史の流れと人々の生活の変化には、ある種のストーリーがあるように考えてきた。しかし、ヤーギンの書物を考えながら読んでいくと、世間で言われている歴史の流れは多くの死に物狂いで生き抜いた努力の天才たちの血と汗の結果であり、ストーリーは、そうした結果の後付けに過ぎないように思うようになった。「市場対国家」は、20世紀後半の経済の動向を理解するうえで欠かせないものである。サミュエルソンの「経済学」を読み通して経済学を理解していたつもりの自分が、世紀が変わって出版されたこの図書を通読し、学ぶべきこと、仕事にあたって熟慮すべきことが多いと痛感した。大学でゼミ生に読んでもらった。どこまで、自分も学生も理解できたかは疑問符が付く。しかし、読む回数が増えるにしたがって、経済と社会の変化に対し。理解しようという意欲がわいてくる。

3 people found this helpful

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Tina

Like this book!

Reviewed in Germany on February 27, 2016

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I like this book and its writing style so much! It's easy to read and to understand, it provides you with valuable informations and helps to get a coherent picture about the economic development all over the world in the last century.

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The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy Paperback – Bargain Price, April 2 2002

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