Competing Capitalisms

Since the end of the Cold War, capitalism has become the dominant system of political and economic organization throughout the world. Yet what is most striking about contemporary capitalism is how very different it is from one country to the next. These differences are visible in the kinds of business organizations, political systems, and even in the way economic systems are understood in different countries. In short, policy-makers in individual nations have very different views about the way social systems work which cause governments to act in different ways. Competing Capitalisms explains how political and economic forces become institutionalized and ultimately lead to the very different sorts of capitalisms that are found in Australia and Japan. In an era when economic competition has become more intense and internationalized, these differences in political and economic organization are likely to become an increasingly important determinant of national welfare.