FEATURED TITLES

Peak Plastic: The Rise or Fall of Our Synthetic World

Jack Buffington November 2018

Shows why plastics, in aggregate, have become a toxin to humans, wildlife, and the planet, and proposes novel solutions that involve neither traditional recycling nor giving up plastic.

“Plastics!” In the 50 years since Dustin Hoffman’s character in The Graduate was instructed that this was the career field of the future, we have not been able to escape this ubiquitous but poorly understood material. Author Jack Buffington argues that the plastics crisis is careening toward a tipping point from which there will be no return. There is still time, however, to do something about this crisis if we have the imagination and the will to move away from the failed policies of the past. This book is the first to propose a new model for linking our synthetic world to the natural one, rather than seeking to treat them as separate entities. The key is supply chain innovation. Buffington presents five market-based solutions based on this principle that will allow consumers to continue to use plastic, which has in many ways enabled our way of life. Alongside these proposed solutions, he also addresses the proliferation of plastic as we know it—growth that, if left unchecked, will lead to a “planetary crisis,” according to the United Nations—and considers how the material itself might be adapted for a sustainable future. Jack Buffington is responsible for warehousing and fulfillment for MillerCoors, the second largest beer manufacturer in the United States. His professional background includes leadership positions in the fields of supply chain, operations, information technology, and finance across the consulting and consumer products sectors, both domestically and internationally. Professor of Supply Chain Management at University College and the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver, Buffington earned a PhD in Industrial Marketing/Supply Chain Management at the Luleå University of Technology in Luleå, Sweden. He is author of several books, among them Praeger’s The Recycling Myth.

Awards

2019 Choice Outstanding Academic Title—Choice, December 1, 2019

Reviews

“Given the crucial importance of this topic and the author’s insightful approach, this well-written volume has much to offer students and specialists at all levels…Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic levels.”—Choice, May 1, 2019

 

Future Jobs: Solving the Employment and Skills Crisis

(Praeger 2018)

by Edward E. Gordon

Bronze Medalist in Business, Independent Publisher Book Awards

A pervasive disconnect exists between the job/career culture and the present economic reality in America. This book offers powerful strategies for stemming the employment crisis and proposes comprehensive solutions for businesses, government, and job seekers alike. “Edward Gordon brings a good deal of data, insight, and clarity to a hotly debated topic: the skills required by the workers of the Postindustrial Age. . . Future Jobs maps out the dimensions of an underappreciated crisis confronting not only the United States but also many of the world’s developed and emerging economies: the rapidly growing shortage of adults who possess the basic skills to qualify for high growth, information-intensive jobs of what the author calls the age of ‘cyber-mental work.’ . . . Future Jobs makes a convincing case that there is an urgent need to provide tens of millions of U.S. workers―both the unemployed and employed―with advanced cognitive skills. . . He concludes that the only effective means by which America can timely address its workplace skills crisis is through local initiatives: employers collaborating with educators, government, and civic leadership to provide millions of individuals with the specific skills required to perform the jobs of our Cyber-Mental Age.” – The Futurist “Gordon, a business consultant, examines how the United States can reduce workforce skills shortages by offering comprehensive regional solutions. . . . Recommended.” – Choice “With wisdom, integrity, compassion, and determination, Dr. Gordon identifies and analyzes the issues, and proposes with demonstrably workable solutions. Gordon concludes, ‘As an optimist, I believe that American society’s greater flexibility and dynamism will prevail as in past eras. My hope is that Future Jobs will inspire people in many walks of life to take a proactive role in shaping that new jobs and talent era.'” – The National Career Development Association

Edward E. Gordon, PhD, is president of Imperial Consulting Corporation in Chicago, IL. His published works include Praeger’s The 2010 Meltdown: Solving the Impending Jobs Crisis; FutureWork: The Revolution Reshaping American Business; and Literacy in America: Historic Journey and Contemporary Solutions. Gordon holds a doctorate in psychology and history from Loyola University Chicago.

Trump, Trade, and the End of Globalization

(Praeger 2018)

by David S. Jacoby

Global trade is heading toward chaos. Globalization has in part been a zero-sum game over the last 20 years, as China’s middle and upper classes have grown sharply while Western economies have stagnated. Wealthy countries, most notably the United States and the United Kingdom, are now on the brink of abandoning free trade. Prevailing protectionist attitudes and policies are based on short-term thinking and will disappoint future generations. According to author David S. Jacoby, a “new multilateralism” can provide a way out of this impending disaster by preserving innovation and growth while also curbing the impact of countries that manipulate currency, disparage the environment, and violate human rights. “Globalization is the most contested topic of our time. Jacoby tees up the right questions, and his analysis and conclusions about trade and globalization are insightful, important, and timely.” (Dr. Mauro F. Guillen, Director of The Lauder Institute and Professor at The Wharton School) “The scenarios, which are interesting and present some polar positions of where the world could go, emphasize important policy decisions which could have major consequences for the U.S.’s place in the world and its economic prospects.” (Scott Livermore, COO, Oxford Economics) “David Jacoby’s experience in international business and his insights into the politics and social realities of trade make this book credible and interesting. His assessment of the future role of multilateral trade institutions and regional trade agreements makes sense, and with proper negotiation and implementation, the ‘new multilateralism’ that he outlines can create sustained and balanced economic growth.” (Dr. Oliver Massmann, General Director of Duane Morris LLC)

David S. Jacoby, president of Boston Strategies International, is an economist, consultant, and trade policy adviser. He wrote The Economist Guide to Supply Chain Management and taught operations management at Boston University’s Graduate School of Business. He holds an MBA from The Wharton School, a master’s in international business from The Lauder Institute, and a bachelor of science in finance and economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

ECONOMICS GENERAL

•  The Economics of Inequality, Poverty, and Discrimination in the 21^st Century, 2 vols. (Rycroft) —2013
•  Economics of the Family, 2 vols. (Redmount) —2014
•  The Global Food System (Schanbacher) —2014
•  Women, Work, and Family (Paludi) —2014
•  Revaluing the Federal Workforce (Stanford) —2014
•  Public Economics in the United States, 3 vols. (Payson) —2014
•  Business Cycle Economics (Knoop)—2015
•  State Capitalism’s Uncertain Future (Lemco and MacDonald)—2015
•  Small Business in a Global Economy 2V (Newbert)—2015
•  Political Economy 3E (Clark)—2016
•  Fixing the Food System (Clapp)—2016
•  International Trade Policy: An Introduction (Sawyer)—2017
•  The Traveling Economist: Using Economics to Think about What Makes Us All So Different and the Same (Knoop)—2017
• Trump, Trade, and the End of Globalization (Jacoby)—2018
• Demystifying Economic Markets and Prices (Woirol)—2019

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

•  Energy Choices, 2 vols. (Collin and Collin) —2014
•  A Smarter, Greener Grid (Jones and Zoppo) —2014
•  Eco-Hustle! Global Warming, Greenwashing, and Sustainability (Johansen) —2015
• Green Savings (Brown and Wang) —2015
•  The Recycling Myth (Buffington) —2015
•  The “Peak Oil” Scare and the Coming Oil Flood (Lynch)—2016
• The Microgrid Revolution (Bhave)—2016
•  Energy Transitions: Global and National Perspectives (Smil)—2016
•  The Electric Battery: Charging Forward to a Low-Carbon Future (Jones et al.)–2017
•  The Political Economy of Electricity (Cooper)–2017
• Peak Plastic (Buffington)—2018

 LABOR and the ECONOMY

•  Future Jobs (Gordon) —2013, 2018
•  21^st-Century Apprenticeship (Cantor) —2015
•  The End of American Labor Unions (Hogler) —2015
•  The Nanny Time Bomb: Navigating the Crisis in Child Care (Burke) —2015
•  Growing Jobs: Transforming the Way We Approach Economic Development (Tuttle)—2016
•  American Manufacturing 2.0 (Blue)—2016

ECONOMIC HISTORY

•  A Concise History of Economists’ Assumptions about Markets (Mitchell) —2014
•  The Historian’s Huck Finn (Dighe) —2016