Economic-union Books

We read the book as part of a business strategy class in my MBA program.
The book is very insightful. Besides the fact, that the venture ultimately went belly-up, Hanlon describes his methodology for raising capital. He raised +$90 million over 7 years - a significant achievement, considering that he did not have huge investors right away, but focused on "grass-roots" fund raising.
I was impressed and took many lessons learned away from his approach.
He details his milestone fund raising and the principles he founded the company on. The book furthermore is an application guide on how to identify your target customers and on how to market towards them, so that they will not only buy your product, but also help you finance the venture that designs and manufactures the product - quite impressive and an absolutely novel approach.
Before you pass judgement, based on what you have read in the press, I recommend highly to read Dan Hanlon's account of the dream he lived and embarked on realizing. If you still think Hanlon was full of it, well that is an opinion, too, but at least you have exposed yourself to both sides.

Not sure of the complete story of what happened with EH, I was curious to learn more. The history of the start up venture was interesting as were stories from Sturgis. Even the section of the "gearhead" related topics weren't too hard to follow, as I was afraid I'd be confused. But overall, I don't really understand what happened except that the financing options ran out. But why? That area is foggy and seemed condensed in the later chapters. It makes you wonder what the 2nd side of the story is. I think some professional editing would've helped in the story, as well. The writing was obviously as Dan Hanlon would speak aloud. But that tone gets tiresome and he sometimes gets off on tangets. Perhaps the book wouldn't have been as long either.

Some of the best books ever, are the ones that friends give me. Of course, it helps to have smart friends! My brother bought an Excelsior-Henderson motorcycle. He loves it. Convincing my other brother to buy all three of us Dan Hanlon's book.

It is first of all, a great recap of the seven plus years of E-H's struggle from the man at the helm. But is really is a great business "how to" or perhaps "how not to" launch a capital intensive manufacturing business. The tales of fund raising are not for the faint of heart.

Serious about a startup business? Read this book first. It is so fast paced, that I was able to read the whole 401 pages in just two sessions. Some great photos included, as well as some corporate documents like the list of E-H dealers.

Even if you are not going for a capital intensive venture, it will still help. The passages on corporate culture were great. And the interaction with Wall Street was fun reading. Oh yea, everyone that knows anything about E-H has second guessed Hanlon. He convinced me that every single criticism was for the most part, untrue. One example is the building. It just "looks" expensive. The true costs were amazingly low.

If you are serious about business and enjoy motorcycles [riding or watching them ride down the street], this is a must have. One of my top twenty picks.

Economist Anders Aslund presents Russia's Capitalist Revolution: Why Market Reform Succeeded and Democracy Failed, a recounting of modern Russian political and economic history from the mid-1980s to the present. Examining statistical and historical evidence with a critical eye, Aslund points out that even though market reforms have flourished, and Russia is currently in a relatively productive economic state (compared to much of its modern history), the government under Vladimir Putin has become so strongly centralized and authoritarian as to resemble that of former czar Nicholas. Russia's Capitalist Revolution intricately ferrets out the causes driving this proud nation's dual transformation, with the eye-opening revelation that the changes most likely to take were the radical and sudden rather than slow and gradual. An absolute "must-have" for modern Russian history shelves, very highly recommended.

Poorly written and lacking in new insight. The book reads as if the author never visited Russia, but instead absorbed his knowledge through the reading of newspaper clippings. The undercurrent of Aslund's writing exposes his utter contempt for all that is Russian. Sorry I spent $24 on this dribble.

Economist Anders Aslund presents Russia's Capitalist Revolution: Why Market Reform Succeeded and Democracy Failed, a recounting of modern Russian political and economic history from the mid-1980s to the present. Examining statistical and historical evidence with a critical eye, Aslund points out that even though market reforms have flourished, and Russia is currently in a relatively productive economic state (compared to much of its modern history), the government under Vladimir Putin has become so strongly centralized and authoritarian as to resemble that of former czar Nicholas. Russia's Capitalist Revolution intricately ferrets out the causes driving this proud nation's dual transformation, with the eye-opening revelation that the changes most likely to take were the radical and sudden rather than slow and gradual. An absolute "must-have" for modern Russian history shelves, very highly recommended.

Excellent account of collective criminality, June 4, 2004
Reviewer: copilotsb from Ingatestone, Essex United Kingdom
No understanding of contemporary Russian society is possible without an understanding of how the oligarchs raped the old State to secure their wealth. And no account of that process is complete without recourse to this account of the way that organized criminality supported and prompted mass theft. The oligarchs -- the kleptocracy -- had a mutually supportive relationship with organized crime, as this book demonstrates. Written with academic rigour yet accessible to the general reader this is an outstanding achievement and deserves a wide readership -- especially among the newspaper editors and politicians who fawn over the economic criminals who now dominate Russian society simply because they have lifted the collective wealth of ordinary Russians from their pockets and placed it in their own. An excellent companion to David Slatter's "Darkness at Dawn" or Chrystia Freeland's "Sale of the Century".

Spending a fair amount of time perusing criminological literature I was expecting this book with great interest. Only to be disappointed: presented as a serious study on Russian mafia this book is a highly speculative piece of journalism. Unfortunately, however, it is not as easy to read. A windy introduction is followed by a collection of poorly structured chapters stuffed with unnecessary specialist jargon.

Running a business in Russia is every bit as unsavory as you might imagine, according to Federico Varese's thoroughly researched look at that nation's organized (but not very organized) criminals. Even the lowliest shopkeeper faces shakedowns from drug addicts and teenage thugs, as well as bribe demands from tax collectors and police. In this chaotic climate, the protection racket thrives. Pay the right person, and not only will the shakedowns end - you might even gain a business partner and a fishing buddy. But the penalties for making the wrong move can be severe. One shopkeeper who refused to pay up was burned to death in his store. Varese offers an intricately detailed look at the realities of the Russian Mafia. His excellent reporting is undermined only by his frequently academic writing style. We recommend this guide to those who are doing business in Russia or who hope to. Caveat entrepreneur.

It is rare to find academic books which comply with academic rigour, filled with information, data and opinions, and yet which are enjoyable to read. But this book is an exception, like most writings by Richard Sakwa. By inserting some curious historical facts into the studies, and even anecdotes, and by utilizing very refined and enriched vocabulary, the author makes the reading most enjoyable and fascinating, making it a pleasure to read the book - even for those who are just forced to study it out of their tutors' advice, like myself at University ! Wondeful reading, whether or not you are a Russia expert or just interested. The style somewhat resembles that of Tíbor Számuely, also another great writer in this field.

Although it gives a good account about Russian politics and society, Sakwa is a fierce anti-communist and the book is completely written from this perspective.

I have used this book in my class on modern Russian politics. It is a comprehensive and thematically well-rounded monograph, dealing with subjects from political structure to economy to national identity to foreign policy. In its depth of coverage, it is much more than a regular textbook. Textbooks are often simplistic or lopsided, Sakwa's book is not. I particularly like Sakwa's grounding of politics in broader societal trends, political culture and history. It might be rather heavy on undergraduates in its scope and attention to the detail. Other than that, I have no serious criticisms to raise. I would definitely recommend the book to anyone with genuine interest in Russia as a country and as a political entity. It's a good choice for a textbook, most observations are still valid and relevant for the post-Yeltsin era.

I think this book was well written, educational and well worth buying. I recommend it to any history buff or economic student of any age. This book is written about a subject I haven't seen many books on. Enjoy!

This book explains in great detail a unique situation, the economic restructering of an entire country. The book is insightful and will appeal to anyone interested in finance.

Because that is what Kokh did in Russia. As privatization chief he participated in the most massive looting of publicly-owned property in history. The only fitting tribute to this uber-thief is to steal his book and deny him any royalties of any kind.

After all, Kokh received $90,000 as an "advance royalty" in 1996 for a book that he, Maxim Boiko, and Anatoly Chubais supposedly promised to write. Of course, they never wrote the book. But they still deserved the "royalties" as payoff for fixing privatization auctions of Russian state-owned companies, ensuring that the "right" people won every auction.

Incidentally, Kokh is now (October 2000) in charge of Gazprom's efforts to stifle the only major independent television and radio network in Russia. He is almost certainly responsible for the imprisonment of Gusinsky in the TB ward of Butyrka prison for the three days that Gusinsky was being persuaded to "voluntarily" sell off his network to Gazprom.

In an US idiom, Singer brilliantly analyzes the way capitalism has run amok. Globalization of attacks on human rights, dishonest pay for honest work, and privatization of unemployment insurance, social security, and other hard-won benefits for the average guy are all placed in their proper context. Singer is the son of a prisoner of Stalin's gulag. He proposes ultrademocracy in all major public sectors, starting with unions, not ignoring the central banks and their international arms. Singer is a clear, gracious, brainy advocate for human decency above the cruelties of the market, not excluding US executives and speculators getting 400 times the pay of the average wage earner.

This is a couple of articles padded out into a book. The potted histories of the USSR, Poland etc. are completely superfluous. The only original work is in the last 3 chapters. Even there, however, there are lots of problems, including more secondhand histories for no reason. Social Democracy is dismissed in a few pages as "in crisis." This allows him to make the case for revolution instead of reform. When we finally get to the argument, he makes no attempt to respond seriously to potential objections. In short, very heavy on rhetoric and cant, and very light on careful analysis.

Daniel Singer's newest work is a brilliant analysis of contemporary capitalism and a direct and convincing challenge to the notion that "there is no alternative" to the current social system. Singer's defense of the classical Marxist view that capitalism is incapable of providing a meaningful and secure existence for the majority of the world's population is accompanied by an equally merciless critique of both the former bureaucratic regimes in the USSR and Eastern Europe and western social-democracy and liberalism. For Singer, the alternative to both the barbarism of modern capitalism and the failures of stalinism and reformism is a mass, democratic movement of working people. Only such a movement, beginning in the workplaces and extending its challenge to all aspects of social life under capitalism, could have the power to overthrow the existing system and create a humane and democratic socialist alternative.

In contrast to Forsyth's History of the Peoples of Siberia, this semi-popular book emphasizes the Russians. It is a better read, has more human-interest material and has a better account of the Amur region, but has less infromation.
In the first 30 pages we learn that by 1200 the Chinese had been cultivating maize for thousands of years, that 'Budapest' flourished during the middle ages, that Tamurlane was a Mongol and that Tokhtamysh was the nephew of the 'khan of Kazakhstan'. Later we are told that the moment the 'discovery' of the mariner's compass 'made it possible to sail beyond the sight of land', Europeans began dreaming of a sea route to China. He also thinks that the English were on the California coast in 1715. I have never seen so many obvious mistakes in a book from an acedemic publisher. One hopes that he is more accurate in the areas he has researched directly.

A rather thorough history of the Russian annexation and subjugation of Siberia and its peoples. The number of people who died in this conquest is unbelievable partcularly considering the somewhat sparse population. The toll rivals the European conquest of the Americas. However, Lincoln spares the reader from considerable graphic detail. If the subject matter were not so grim, the book would be almost enjoyable due to Lincoln's easy style. Worth reading.

...not very helpful, if you study economics and need something to help you in writing your term paper on EMU issues and problems (as it was the case with me). It is not very balanced: it either gives very basic info (the info you would rather get from your local instructor or library), or it goes too deeply into examples. Plus, again, 1997....uh, a bit dated, considering that world and EMU changes so quickly. Anyway, my opinion is just that of an average student.

Logically laid out, the problems arising from 'ever closer union' and their consequences are outlined in a nutshell, while delving deep enough to uncover the essential determining factors. One of the essential guides to the scale of the effect of Economic and Monetary Union in Europe will have on Both the US and global economies

In his book, The European Anarchy, the Danish author Erik Holm addresses many salient issues facing the European Union (EU) and Eastern Europe to include, but not limited to, nationalism, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Security and Defense Identity (ESDI), EU enlargement, as well as state and supra-national institution (EU), high politics and low politics. Of note is his discourse on the "new" phenomenon of the intersection of economics and high politics, which, simplistically, is the politics involving state sovereignty, security, and survival. Furthermore, he imparts a general "European" view of America and Americans and the manner in which Europeans think Americans perceive themselves, that is truly unique and hard to find in current international relations literature. Finally, he concludes that the EU is a supra-national institution that needs an "emperor" but is lacking one. In all, Holm's work is truly fascinating but somewhat tedious to read as some of the chapters a more lengthy than truly needed and do not tie well with others, as well as contain some dangling "cliff-hangers."

First, Holm's work on the intersection of high politics and economics at both the state and EU levels is truly remarkable. His experiences on both the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Staff and Danish Prime Minister's Staff as an economist truly come to the fore, allowing him to write as both a practitioner and an academic. Furthermore, his assertion that economics is the driving force in the Europe of the 21st Century at both the EU and state levels is cogently made as he demonstrates that state survival and EU survival his inextricably wedded to economic and monetary policy at both levels. Furthermore, he demonstrates that this economic "wedding" plays a role not only within intra-EU relations but as well with the trans-Atlantic relationship with America and the rest of the world.

Next, Holm's work on EU enlargement is novel. His assertion that aspirant members are looking through a "glass wall," is dead on target, even if they are admitted. By this, he means that because of economics, the EU has stalled membership application and processes to poorer, generally eastern European states, because the current EU members do not want to share the economic burden of their admittance. Furthermore, if they are admitted, the EU will most likely adopt rules and procedures that benefit the "modern" original members and not fully account for new "poorer" members. Thus, any way the aspirant members turn they will, whether admitted or not, continually be looking through a "glass wall" that they cannot fully penetrate.

Third, Holm's discourse on America and American nationalism in Chapter 6 is truly unique and controversial. He goes to great lengths to point out that American politics and perceptions, although of similar origins to European, are distinct and separate. He asserts that God and religion play a much larger factor in the American psyche, and thus in American foreign relations, than they do in the European model. Furthermore, because America was originally a frontier state carved out of the wilderness by intrepid pioneers, that American's by nature are more independent and resolved than Europeans. Thus, when god, religion, and the pioneer origins are combined, Americans believe that it is their given right to make the world better in their image or along their own ideological constructs/ guidelines. As Holms asserts on page 200, "the United States is a idea-state, based on a secular ideology that has universal validity."

However, the bigger controversy in this chapter is his discourse on American elites. Holm states on page 204, that "although American culture claims to be egalitarian it does have an elite." On the same page, he goes on to point out that, the role of politician is "to bridge the gap between the people and the elite." However, he asserts that in America's case this gap can become so wide that it can result in "schizophrenic" policies. While this may be the case, and Holm's limited definition of American elites being of either the liberal or realist school is good, he does not do a good job of clarifying all the elite actors within American politics. In particular, the political elites themselves who must consider their constituency and the impact this has on American decision-making. Furthermore, by this omission he leads one to believe that American elites are more influenced by things that national elites the "world over" are themselves influenced by. Finally, it leads one to wonder if Holm does not think that American policy and decision-making is driven solely by special interest, which is true to a very limited extent, but nowhere near the extent, Holm seems to infer.

Finally, Holm's chapters on nationalism and European history are truly fascinating and in tune with the current literature on these topics, however, they are long-winded and not as prominent in the book to warrant such lengthy discourse. For example, while nationalism is a recurring theme throughout the book, Holm would have been better served just defining it instead of spending an entire chapter deriving its definition through all of its major academic origins. Furthermore, it was unnecessary for him to trace the nation-state and Europe from the Middle Ages to present, as it really had little bearing on his thesis.

In short, Holm's work is well researched and written despite being long-winded and somewhat controversial. For those interested in the origins of the nation-state and nationalism, it is a good synopsis. For those who wish to gain insight into the role of economics in "high-politics," it is equally good. The only major problem is grinding through it all to get to the conclusion that the EU has many problems that are not easily solved or are possibly insurmountable given the 21st Century's new complexities and the preceding centuries "emotional baggage."

Erik Holm argues that Europe faces an uncertain future unless it can develop a political structure that respects its complex underlying cultural, economic and political characteristics. In a short monograph he provides a very useful overview of the development of the European state system, with special attention to the development of security and economic issues. The specific nature of these historic processes make much of the rhetoric about European unification inappropriate, in his view, and point the way to the emergence of an alternative form of regional organization. While his argument in favor of a European "empire" may strike readers as jarring, he makes a case that deserves careful consideration.
Written in a lively and engaging style, this is an excellent introductory book for the general reader or advanced undergraduate class concerned with contemporary European economics and politics. Whether or not one accepts his conclusion, Holm offers a refreshing portrait of Europe today that is both revealing and provocative. At a time when a new constitution for Europe is under active discussion, this is a participarly relevant. Let's hope that it will be reprinted n a less expensive paperback edition before long and that some of the very minor copyediting errors will be caught in the process.

It explains very well how everything happened, in other words it has a nice storyline. But it doesn't go into details; for that one should use Moussis' books. But those are not properly updated. 'Is there ever a good book' as one of my former professors said?

Everything turned out great, and the book gave me all the information I needed for my presentation.