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The book focuses on the fundamental question whether governmental actions can increase social utility inthe early stage growth company sector. Previous research has shownthat the current Finnish high tech private sector is heavilyoccupied by government agencies and intervention but the actualresults are very poor and even counterproductive. In the recentscientific research it is often assumed that governmental intervention isnecessary and beneficial to the society.The book uses Austrian economics and morespecifically the Misesian approach, praxeology, as its methodologythat is based on the logical process of deduction from theself-evident axiom of human action. The conclusions from the deductiveprocess are absolutely true and cannot be tested nor verified byempirical evidence?there are no constant variables in humansciences. The book is able to explain the current state andcondition of the high tech growth company sector and its ecosystem.The analysis is an eye-opener for any market participant who isinvolved with current innovation systems today, no matter whetheryou are an academic, entrepreneur, financier or government official. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Serious imperfections explained
(I'm posting this on prof. Harisalo's behalf and per his request.)

The current financial downturn emphasizes at least two important questions. The first is how to create favorable conditions in which new companies with great growth potential can emerge and develop. The second is how to sensibly analyze this process on which the future of society is so dependent.

The book of Petri Kajander grapples both of these theoretically and practically complex questions. He elaborates main features of how small companies are being originated and developed in market process. Then he goes on to evaluate to what extent this process is being supported by financial institutions in which, he shows, are some serious imperfections.

His analysis is well written and justified in the Austrian tradition which is gaining ground from traditional economic analysis which proved incompetent to predict the financial crisis and provide ideas and means to get out of it. He shows that there is continuous demand for spontaneous process of mutual discovery but it is not matched by financial support systems which are mainly public. He locates his analysis into the specific aspect of all areas of human behavior, the human choosing, in universal science, praxeology.

The author writes clearly and understandable. He provocatively challenges orthodox economic thinking. His book is worth reading even if a reader disagrees with his arguments.

Risto Harisalo
Professor
Department of Managerial Studies - University of Tampere, Finland ... Read more

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Compared to the late 1970s, when the Austrian voting behavior was characteried by extraordinary stability, low electoral volatility, and high turnout rates, the 1980s and 1990s stand for exceptional changes and ruptures elicited primarily by the rise of the right wing populist FP (Freedom Party of Austria). This volume of collected papers investigates the permanent changes of Austrian voting behavior over the past forty years and analyes causes and consequences for party competition and the electoral process in Austria during the first decade of the twenty-first century.Some of the contributions include Oliver Rathkolbs wide-ranging historical typology which addresses the Austrian voters in the twentieth century from the perspective of expanding voting laws and the struggle for political participation and integration. Based on compact trend data of Austrian Election Studies, Frit Plasser and Peter A. Ulram present an empirical overview of trends and patterns in Austrian voting behavior covering the period from 1970 to 2006. Both the rising electoral volatility and the permanent increase of constant non-voters since the 1980s are dealt with. The development and dynamics of regional elections in Austria since the mid-1980s are reconstructed and related to the electoral behavior on the federal level.Kurt Richard Luther analyes electoral strategies and the rise and fall of Austrian right wing populism from 1986 to 2006, focusing in particular upon changing styles of electoral mobiliation. The medias role in framing the Austrian campaign discourse and the specific characteristics of campaign coverage in Austria are also in focus. This well-conceived volume also contains review essays, book reviews, and the annual review of Austrian politics. A mandatory selection for the bookshelves of all those interested in Austria or European Studies, this book provides invaluable information regarding the electoral process in Austria. ... Read more

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In this discussion of current political reforms in the Soviet Union, Zdenek Mlynar explains why it is not likely that a Western-type parliamentary system will evolve in the Soviet Union. The author analyzes past influences that affect present reform policy in the USSR and discusses the significance of Gorbachev's new political thinking for possible demilitarization and improvement in East-West relations. ... Read more

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This is an examination of the progress Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia have made in the process of transformation since the collapse of the Sovietbloc. Looking at issues such as democratization, the transition to a market economy and the new orientations in foreign policy, this book provides a report of the current situation in each country at the critical intermediate stage. ... Read more

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South Tyrol, a region in the heart of the Alps about half the size of Connecticut,brings into sharp focus an important part of twentieth-century history. Tyrol,a province that had been part of Austria for over 500 years and was almosttotally German-speaking, was split in two after World War I and the southern part awarded to Italy as "spoils of war." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good introduction to South Tyrol's recent history
Rolf Steininger's treatise on the recent history of the South Tyrol is an interesting story on the plight of a German province within the nation of Italy.Ceded from Austria in 1919 as a result of the Treaty of St. Germain, South Tyrol's German population faced constant harrassment from Italy's Fascist government in terms of their suppressing their culture, language and their general way of life.

The South Tyrol Germans were disappointed at the lack of support from Hitler to reintergrate their province into greater Germany in the late 1930s and that they were not absorbed back into Austria after World War II. Both actions were due to political factors.

Today, the South Tyrol has been granted autonomy by the Rome government to a certain extent and has their own party to represent them in Parliament (the SVP).The book is a good, quick read with a glossary of acronyms, a short bibliography and timeline of events of the South Tyrol in the 20th Century.I recommend this book for scholars of modern European history. ... Read more

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How Western are the Austrians? This is an analysis of trends toward Americanization and Westernization in Austria throughout the 20th century. The essays seek to demonstrate that "Americanization", "Westernization" and "globalization" need to be defined before generalizations can be made. ... Read more

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Roberts takes issue with the still-prevalent though erroneous notion that Schnitzler was an apolitical writer. From 1880 to 1931 Schnitzler examined human conflict from the duel to war, and commented on social and political circumstances. Roberts draws upon previously unpublished documents to support his interpretation of Schnitzler's oeuvre from a socio-political perspective. ... Read more