Books by Albrecht Rothacher

This book sheds new light on the political economy of Russia under Putin¿s rule. The author, a former EU diplomat, presents a historical review of the Russian economy and 60 years of state-communist mismanagement, followed by oligarchic privatization. The book offers profound insights into Putin¿s rule and the power mechanics of the state-dominated management of the Russian economy. It identifies and assesses the lack of rule of law, together with an arbitrary and often corrupt administration that systematically discourages entrepreneurship and the emergence of an independent middle class. Furthermore, the book discusses Russiäs budgetary policy, its dependence on the export of natural resources, state-owned enterprises and their privileges, and Russiäs external trade.This hard-hitting, substantial analysis debunks the myth of Russiäs economic might and is a must read for anyone seeking to understand the economic realities of the Eurasian continent, or considering doingbusiness with Russia.

This book describes the profound structural change in Japan's agriculture from its politically marginalized, economically fragmented, traditional labour-intensive postwar mode of production to its current dual modern shape of a highly capitalized, politically organized and protected sector.

Elite career patterns, social origins, upbringing, university education, cognitive orientations and ways of life are reviewed, as are the interactions in the exclusive world of Japan's increasingly hereditary and bureaucratic class of power holders in conservative politics and big business.