Chapter 1 in: Anna Szelągowska, Aneta Pluta-Zaremba (ed.), The Economics of Sustainable Transformation, London: Routledge 2021

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, objects, texts and people travelled around the world on board Dutch ships. The essays in this book explore how these circulations transformed knowledge in Asian and European societies. They concentrate on epistemic consequences in the fields of historiography, geography, natural history, religion and philosophy, as well as in everyday life. Emphasizing transformations, the volume reconstructs small semantic shifts of knowledge and tentative adjustments to new cultural contexts. It unfolds the often conflict-ridden, complex and largely global history of specific pieces of knowledge as well as of generally-shared contemporary understandings regarding what could or could not be considered true. The book contributes to current debates about how to conceptualize the unsettled epistemologies of the early modern world.

The great transformation undertaken by the countries of the former communist bloc exhibits immense diversity–in terms of initial conditions, shifting target models, consistency, paths, speed, progress to date, and economic performance. This is the first comprehensive study of the economics and politics of postsocialism to be written by an author so deeply–and so successfully–involved in the reform process. Many people writing on the reform process offer advice that is not really credible; as a member of the Polish government, and architect of the successful Polish reform, Grzegorz Kolodko actually solved many of the difficulties of transition, which allows him to come forward here with policy proposals and long-term forecasts. The treatment of the transition from plan to market as a historical process is an important feature of the book. The author claims that there is no historical fatality–that sound policies in the present are more determining than the favourable or unfavourable legacies of the past. The aim is to create and maintain the conditions for sustainable growth and durable development.

When the status quo no longer works, the contrarian perspective reigns! In this innovative business how-to, leadership expert Marcia Daszko draws on her expertise to guide leaders at any level through a three-step process to radically improve their businesses: first, recognize and stop outmoded ways of thinking that fail to move the business forward (like focusing on the bottom line, conducting performance appraisals, and searching for best practices); second, start taking steps to introduce new, innovative ways of thinking and contrarian practices (such as developing leaders with the capacity to effect change, creating an interconnected team, and seeking knowledge through questions); and finally, transform your company into a more resilient, adaptive, and united organization. Recent studies have reported that 90% of start-ups will fail. In Silicon Valley alone, this means that more than 5,400 of the current 6,000 startups will flounder and disappear. But risky and cash-strapped start-ups are not the only corporate fatalities: More than 60% of the original Fortune 500 corporations no longer exist. Given these statistics, how can organizational leaders and their employees beat the odds and survive? The only solution is to question the usual business practices, re-think how to lead and inspire, challenge the accepted beliefs, and toss out the failures to accelerate business growth and profitability. Using Marcia's three-part stop, start, transform method, readers will learn to pursue significant untapped opportunities, achieve their organization's competitive edge, and pivot, disrupt, and adapt to unexpected levels of success.

Science communication, as a multidisciplinary field, has developed remarkably in recent years. It is now a distinct and exceedingly dynamic science that melds theoretical approaches with practical experience. Formerly well-established theoretical models now seem out of step with the social reality of the sciences, and the previously clear-cut delineations and interacting domains between cultural fields have blurred. Communicating Science in Social Contexts examines that shift, which itself depicts a profound recomposition of knowledge fields, activities and dissemination practices, and the value accorded to science and technology. Communicating Science in Social Contexts is the product of long-term effort that would not have been possible without the research and expertise of the Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) Network and the editors. For nearly 20 years, this informal, international network has been organizing events and forums for discussion of the public communication of science.

Banks and businesses today often deal with so many different operations, it may be seem difficult to see the purpose of each and how they relate to each other or how they relate to our daily lives. Like individuals, businesses rely on banks, and when banks are not practical, they find other means for financing, or raising and managing funds. Readers examine the role of banks and the process of business financing as insightful text breaks down such terms as interest rate, capital, dividend, and much more.