Trousson, Raymond / Vercruysse, Jeroom (dir.), Dictionnaire general de Voltaire. (Champion classiques, references et dictionnaires 18) 1272 p. 2020:10 (Champion, FR) <670-9>
ISBN 978-2-38096-016-7 paper ¥7,064.- (税込) EUR 38.00

Angeles, Luis, Money Matters: How Money and Banks Evolved, and Why We Have Financial Crises. (Palgrave Pivot) 147 pp. 2022 (Palgrave Macmillan, UK) <676-269>
ISBN 978-3-030-95515-1 hard ¥12,151.- (税込) EUR 49.99 *

This book explores the nature of money and banking throughout their history, and applies this to the study of financial crises. The first part of the book covers the evolution of monetary arrangements, money creation and the business of banking since their earliest manifestations to the present day, showing how changes in the business of banking led to a transformation in the money we use. The second part of the book applies the understanding acquired during the first part to the study of financial crises, showing that money is taken out of circulation when bank loans are paid back. This key insight is at the core of the mechanism that explains financial crises, since an economy that sees its money supply diminish is also an economy that cannot generate enough demand for its own goods and services. Financial crises result when bank lending slows down or comes to a halt - while outstanding bank loans are still due for repayment. The mechanism is discussed in detail, and the crucial role of banks highlighted. Adequate policy measures to prevent crises, or to mitigate their effects, are then put forward in light of this mechanism. The book will be of interest to researchers and students of economic and financial history, as well as those working in finance, banking and economics more widely.

S.バーガー他編　20世紀欧州における脱工業化－イタリア北西部とルール地方の比較
Berger, Stefan / Musso, Stefano / Wicke, Christian (eds.), Deindustrialisation in Twentieth-Century Europe: The Northwest of Italy and the Ruhr Region in Comparison. (Palgrave Studies in the History of Social Movements) 328 pp. 2022:11 (Palgrave Macmillan, UK) <676-270>
ISBN 978-3-030-89630-0 hard ¥34,030.- (税込) EUR 139.99 *

Exploring two large economies which were heavily affected by deindustrialisation in the late twentieth century, this book provides insights into the social movements that brought about and also challenged industrial reduction in Europe. Both the Ruhr region in Germany and the Northwest of Italy experienced major structural transformation from the 1960s as a result of deindustrialisation. With contributions from experts in the field, this collection provides a comparative overview of each region, examining policy implementation, class relations, the changing political economy and environmental impact. Analysing industrial and post-industrial landscapes, urban developments and labour relations, the authors place their transnational findings within the context of the wider literature on deindustrialisation in the global North. A much-needed contribution to deindustrialisation studies, which have traditionally focused on North America and the UK, this book is a useful read for those researching deindustrialisation and the social history of Europe.

Bernards, Nick, A Critical History of Poverty Finance: Colonial Roots and Neoliberal Failures. 240 pp. 2022:8 (Pluto Pr., UK) <676-271>
ISBN 978-0-7453-4483-6 hard ¥24,497.- (税込) GB￡ 85.00 *
ISBN 978-0-7453-4482-9 paper ¥5,760.- (税込) GB￡ 19.99 *

'The definitive account of the history of poverty finance' - Susanne Soederberg Finance, mobile and digital technologies - or 'fintech' - are being heralded in the world of development by the likes of the IMF and World Bank as a silver bullet in the fight against poverty. But should we believe the hype? A Critical History of Poverty Finance demonstrates how newfangled 'digital financial inclusion' efforts suffer from the same essential flaws as earlier iterations of neoliberal 'financial inclusion'. Relying on artificially created markets that simply aren't there among the world's most disadvantaged economic actors, they also reinforce existing patterns of inequality and uneven development, many of which date back to the colonial era. Bernards offers an astute analysis of the current fintech fad, contextualised through a detailed colonial history of development finance, that ultimately reveals the neoliberal vision of poverty alleviation for the pipe dream it is.

アイルランドの大飢饉と英国の金融危機
Read, Charles, The Great Famine in Ireland and Britain's Financial Crisis. (People, Markets, Goods: Economies and Societies in History 19) 336 pp. 2022 (Boydell, UK) <676-273>
ISBN 978-1-78327-727-8 paper ¥7,205.- (税込) GB￡ 25.00 *

Rich in archival detail and offering a ground-breaking analysis, this book presents a radically new interpretation of British politics and policy failings during the Great Famine. The Irish famine of the 1840s is the biggest humanitarian crisis in the United Kingdom's history. Within six years of the arrival of the potato blight in Ireland in 1845, more than a quarter of its residents had unexpectedly died or emigrated. Its population has not yet fully recovered since. Historians have struggled to explain why the British government decided to shut down its centrally organised relief efforts in 1847, long before the famine ended. Some have blamed the laissez-faire attitudes of the time for an inadequate response by the British government; others have alleged purposeful neglect and genocide. In contrast, The Great Famine in Ireland and Britain's Financial Crisis uncovers a hidden narrative of the crisis, which links policy failure in Ireland to financial and political instability in Great Britain. More important than a laissez-faire ideology in hindering relief efforts for Ireland were the British government's lack of a Parliamentary majority from 1846, the financial crises of 1847, and a battle of ideas over monetary policy between proponents and opponents of financial orthodoxy. The high death toll in Ireland resulted from the British government's plans for intervention going awry, rather than being prematurely cancelled because of laissez-faire. This book is essential reading for scholars, students and anyone interested in Anglo-Irish relations, the history of financial crises and famines, and why humanitarian-relief efforts can go wrong even with good intentions.

Oermann, Nils Ole / Wolff, Hans-Juergen, Trade Wars: Past and Present. 320 pp. 2022:8 (Oxford U. Pr., UK) <676-205>
ISBN 978-0-19-284890-1 hard ¥7,922.- (税込) GB￡ 27.49 *

This book explores the causes and instruments of 500 years of armed and non-armed international trade conflicts. Nils Ole Oermann and Hans-Juergen Wolff draw on decades of experience to examine trade wars, economic sanctions, and different types of economic warfare, investigating their history, ethics, economic driving forces, and legality under current rules. They provide a clear and accessible account of the economics of trade, of trade and financial policy since the nineteenth century, and of the effectiveness of sanctions and the 'winnability' of trade wars. The book also describes the transformation of economic warfare since 1989, namely in cyberspace and in the world financial system, and shows how China's rise challenges the Western model of democracy and free market economies. The authors conclude with a plea for improved economic statecraft and an overhaul of the current trading regime.

Segers, Yves / Van Molle, Leen (eds.), Agricultural Knowledge Networks in Rural Europe, 1700-2000. (Boydell Studies in Rural History) 247 pp. 2022:6 (Boydell, UK) <676-217>
ISBN 978-1-78327-712-4 hard ¥23,056.- (税込) GB￡ 80.00 *

An examination of how farming expertise could be shared and extended, over four centuries. All kinds of knowledge, from traditional know-how to modern science, are socially contingent and the product of an age-long and permanent social struggle. This book unravels the creation and the exchange of agronomic knowledge in rural Europe, from the early eighteenth century up until the end of the twentieth. It explores the spreading of knowing through the lens of "knowledge networks": where did agricultural knowledge come from and how did one learn to run a farm? Who was involved in this process of knowledge exchange? Which strategies and communicative methods were employed and what kind of networks were active? The answers to these questions mirror, as the book illustrates, the inventiveness of the actors on the scene: the creativity of a French naturalist in establishing links with local farmers to stop the circulation of a devastating grain moth, the power of the agricultural press to instill "proper values" into Hungarian farming practices or to shape the identity of the Galician agrarian movement, and the agency of post-war British farmers in selecting their own information, from sources such as lectures to the Young Farmers' Club, visits by public advisors and representatives of commercial firms, and radio programs. From the start of the agricultural Enlightenment, increasingly farmers have been besieged by a growing army of experts, telling them what to do, when and how. In a sense farming has become one of the most patronised professions. But farmers can resist and carve their own path. The chapters here reveal the continuous tensions between science-based agriculture and practice-based farming, between the expert image of an ideal agriculture and the (less known) self-image of being a good farmer. The dominant process, as this book shows, is that of an instrumental top-down transmission of knowledge from "the lab to the field". But between these two poles, complex and flourishing networks developed, functioning as trading zones in which knowledge and experience could be circulated, put to the test, forgotten, altered, rejected - and sometimes imposed.