A global analysis of the effects of social security reforms on the retirement incentives and labor force trends of older workers. Employment among older men and women has increased dramatically in recent years, reversing a downward trend in the closing decades of the twentieth century. Social Security Programs and Retirement around the World examines how changing retirement incentives have reshaped labor force participation trends among older workers. The chapters feature country-specific analyses for Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They find that while there is significant heterogeneity across countries, the reforms of recent decades have generally reduced the implicit tax on work at older ages. These changes correlate positively with labor force participation. The studies exploit the variation in the timing and extent of reforms of retirement incentives and employ microeconometric methods to investigate whether this correlation reflects a causal relationship. Policy changes appear to have contributed to rising labor force activity, but other factors like the role of women in the labor force, improved health, and changes in private pensions likely also play important roles.

Endoscopic Ear Surgery: Principles, Indications, and Techniques Increasingly used as an adjunctive tool in the diagnosis and management of ear disease, middle ear endoscopy has the potential to decrease patient morbidity, prevent disease recurrence, and reduce costs. Its capacity to uncover "hidden" anatomy within the small dimensions of the ear has made it essential for functional surgery, allowing surgeons to preserve key anatomic structures such as the cochlea and facial nerve. Now for the first time, the physicians who pioneered this groundbreaking minimally invasive technique review its indications, advantages, disadvantages, and surgical approaches: Written by the foremost leaders in the field, all members of the International Working Group on Endoscopic Ear Surgery Features nearly 1,000 intraoperative endoscopic images filmed with high-definition cameras, plus outstanding line drawings that aid in understanding all concepts Comprehensively covers the field, including chapters on endoscopic and combined endoscopic-microscopic management of cholesteatoma, surgical restoration of middle ear ventilation, myringoplasty, Meniere disease, tympanoplasty and stapes surgery, revision surgery, and much more Demonstrates state-of-the-art endoscopic procedures in 19 instructive videos From the unique anatomy and pathophysiology of the middle ear through diagnosis, surgical indications, procedures, and instrumentation, this book is indispensable for all otolaryngologists and neurotologists. It offers a full picture of the field today, as well as exploring the future possibilities of ear endoscopes alone or in combination with operative microscopes for the most effective treatment of middle ear pathologies.

Branded as terrorist by Israel and the West, Hamas won an overwhelming electoral victory in January 2006. This book charts the origins of Hamas among the Muslim Brotherhood, details the influence of its exiled leadership in Syria and elsewhere, and sets out its internal structure and political objectives.

"Democracy is a good thing. This is true not only for individuals or certain officials but also for the entire nation and for all the people of China."–Yu Keping So begins "Democracy Is a Good Thing," an essay of great influence that has commanded attention and provoked discussion throughout the world. It is the touchstone of this important volume of the same name. As one of China's foremost political thinkers and a leading proponent of democratizing the People's Republic, Yu Keping is a major figure not only in his native land, but also in the international community. This book brings together much of his most important work and makes it readily accessible to readers in the West for the first time. "Democracy Is a Good Thing" created a stir internationally. Perhaps more important, however, is the heated debate it spurred within China on the desirability of democratic reform. That important essay appears here, along with several of Yu Keping's other influential works on politics, culture, and civil society. His topics include China's economic modernization, its institutional environment, and the cultural changes that have accompanied the nation's reforms. Democracy Is a Good Thing pulls back the curtain to reveal ongoing discourse in Chinese political and intellectual circles, discussions that will go a long way toward determining the future of the world's most populous nation.

From ultra high-tech weaponry to off-planet combat, this collection examines the conflicts of the future from some of the greatest minds in science fiction. Stories by Tony Daniel, Philip Dick, Joe Haldeman, Geoffrey Landis, Paul McAuley, Ian McDonald, Alastair Reynolds, Lucius Shepard, Allen Steele and Gardner Dozois.