Reviews for American Empire and the Political Economy of Global Finance

The average rating for American Empire and the Political Economy of Global Finance based on 2 reviews is 2 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-05-02 00:00:00 Curt Synness Academic paper pushers inflating the "Published Papers" section of their resumes for a better tax payer sponsored pension plan.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-08-19 00:00:00 Edward Williams This was a quick read, and even though it wasn't the best book I've read - there were still some nuggets of good information. Taylor was an undersecretary at the Treasury in the first Bush term. As such, he played a large role in dealing with the post 9/11 financial crises, as well as setting up institutions in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was also very active in achieving African debt forgiveness. For Taylor, conducting such activities in the post-9/11 world made one a "Global Financial Warrior." I was expecting something a bit more glamorous, but most of what he describes is generally the usual diplomatic work of an undersecretary. Overall, the book reads like it was written for an undergraduate classroom - and maybe it was. Taylor has returned to teaching at Stanford. This style makes it pretty boring in parts, as Taylor seems to be cutting-and-pasting his diary into the book. However, there are the aforementioned nuggets where he does a nice job explaining the nuances of various international financial institutions. I definitely learned something from these. There are also some memorable anecdotes, such as the story of the school in Kenya. Now I will always remember that "what gets measured, gets done."