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Access Points develops a new theory about how democratic institutions influence policy outcomes. Access Point Theory argues that the more points of access that institutions provide to interest groups, the cheaper lobbying will be, and, thus, the more lobbying will occur. This will lead to more complex policy, as policymakers insert specific provisions to benefit special interests, and, if one side of the debate has a lobbying advantage, to more biased policy, as the advantaged side is able to better take advantage of the cheaper lobbying. This book then uses Access Point Theory to explain why some countries have more protectionist and more complex trade policies than others; why some countries have stronger environmental and banking regulations than others; and why some countries have more complicated tax codes than others. In policy area after policy area, this book finds that more access points lead to more biased and more complex policy. Access Points provides scholars a powerful tool to explain how political institutions matter and why countries implement the policies they do.

This book analyses the multilateral trading system's principles, rules, and procedures. It is not a legal text. It aims instead to provide an accessible (non‐technical) description of the rules of the game and a policy‐oriented economic assessment of the disciplines that have been negotiated by WTO members. The book provides a brief historical overview of the evolution of the trading system; the organizational structure and functions of the WTO; the dispute settlement and enforcement provisions; and the role of the WTO as a forum for negotiations, with special attention given to the importance of reciprocity. The bulk of the book deals with the rules on trade policies, including regional integration and contingent protection (anti‐dumping and safeguards), agriculture, services and intellectual property, and discusses the political economy rationale underlying them. The rules are summarized and their economic policy rationale assessed in a non‐technical manner. The final part of the book discusses the evolving role of developing countries and economies in transition and the issues that are likely to be on the negotiating agenda for some time to come, including competition (anti‐trust) policy, labour standards, trade facilitation, investment, and environmental policies. An Annex summarizes the economics of major trade policy instruments and many of the issues discussed in the book.

When Vladimir Putin first took power in 1999, he was a little-known figure ruling a country that was reeling from a decade and a half of crisis. In the years since, he has reestablished Russia as a great power. How did he do it? What principles have guided Putin's economic policies? What patterns can be discerned? In this new analysis of Putin's Russia, Chris Miller examines its economic policy and the tools Russia's elite have used to achieve its goals. Miller argues that despite Russia's corruption, cronyism, and overdependence on oil as an economic driver, Putin's economic strategy has been surprisingly successful. Explaining the economic policies that underwrote Putin's two-decades-long rule, Miller shows how, at every juncture, Putinomics has served Putin's needs by guaranteeing economic stability and supporting his accumulation of power. Even in the face of Western financial sanctions and low oil prices, Putin has never been more relevant on the world stage.

Governing for Health makes the argument that it is vital that governments and international agencies govern in the interests of protecting the environment and promoting human health and equity. A healthy society results from the organized efforts of every sector in society to promote health in all activities. The book examines how this can be done in the fiscal, health service, education, urban planning, environment, and local government sectors. It also promotes the crucial role of civil society in advocating for the health of people and the environment. The importance of the work of each sector to health is described, and the ways in which that work can be made more health promoting are examined. Each chapter contains practical examples of changes that can be made if governing for health is privileged. A key message of the book is that in the last decades economic considerations have come to dominate public decision-making so that governing for profit has been the single-minded aim of governments. The book argues passionately that new priorities are required that see all sectors governing for the needs of people and the environment rather than for short-term profits. The book also contains a chapter directed to politicians, suggesting a manifesto for well-being. It concludes by distilling the messages of the book into six central messages for governing for health, and ends with a plea that hope and courage should dominate decision-making.