“For anyone interested in the recent politics of Slovenia, this interdisciplinary volume is an excellent introduction. Frane Adam should be praised for bringing together such a high profile and respected group of authors. For a relatively new country, this volume highlights the challenges presented by globalization, EU membership and the impact of the financial crisis of 2012/13 on the political and socio-economic institutions of Slovenia. The focus on legal, economic and environmental issues provides many fascinating insights into the contemporary debates within an important country in the region. It is thus of interest to readers with an interest in Central Europe and the Western Balkans but also for those people interested in how a country has managed a transition to independence whilst at the same time managing the demands of EU membership and subsequently a major economic crisis. This volume highlights to what extent and at what cost Slovenia has managed these transitions.” – Simon Lightfoot, PhD, Senior Lecturer in European Politics, University of Leeds, UK

“This is an interesting and rich volume on nowadays Slovenia, a small, newly independent country with a Slavic ethic majority of the somewhat more than two million inhabitants. Slovenia was a relative poor region of Austria-Hungary until 1918, but then became the richest part of newly established Yugoslavia until 1991. As an independent country, it is far the richest among the transforming countries in Eastern Europe. Its per capita GDP is much higher than any other former communist countries and reached 91 percent of the EU’s average before the crisis.” READ MORE… – Ivan T. Berend, Distinguished Research Professor, University of California Los Angeles

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“This volume is as a result of international intellectual endeavours aimed to review the experiences of the New Member States (NMS) which adopted the Euro (EMU members too) and which are non-euro members. The international research consortium is composed of leading scholars from various Japanese universities and from similar institutions in the NMS (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia). The authors represent a variety of approaches which are helping to better understand both the expectations and real experiences with the Euro in these countries. Particular intellectual strength of this book is the following: the contributors’ ambition is to look beyond the narrow monetary policy of the EU (e.g. financial disequilibrium, etc.) and focus on the difficulties of the real economy (i.e. macroeconomic stability, industrial policy, etc.) In this respect it is worth to stress the concluding remark of the editor: “In order to promote the economic development in EU periphery including NMS, wisdom which should replace austerity measures is urgently required. Without this, the Euro adoption by non-euro NMS will not make substantial progress.” This book is essential reading for students, policy-makers, journalists, academics or anyone with an interest in the ongoing changes and the related tensions within the European Union.” – Dr. Mako Csaba, Institute of Sociology, Centre for Social Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences

“The book gives a comprehensive outlook on prospects of the new EU member states for Euro adoption. The Eurozone debt crisis has created hesitations on further enlargement of the Euro area, even if all the EU members (excluding the opt out -countries United Kingdom and Denmark) are basically supposed to join the Euro. New member states have different approaches to the issue: five of them have already adopted the Euro and some hope to join soon, but many prefer a wait and see strategy. Austerity measures used in resolving the debt crisis discourage new member states to join. The book is about a fundamental issue of the European integration process: is the EU capable in holding the principles of the Economic and Monetary Union in the future.” – Paavo Okko, Professor emeritus of Economics at Turku School of Economics at University of Turku

“Narratives of the financial histories of different countries around the world – be it small or large – contribute to the refinement of existing economic theories. This important book focuses on a highly topical issue of the enlarged European Union: the variety of approaches to the monetary integration of countries being on different levels of economic and institutional development and having different political tastes concerning the European idea. It is a collection of well-told stories about the sinking optimism and increased cautiousness of some CEEs and the eagerness of others on their long way to the Euro-zone.” – Károly Fazekas, General Director, Center of Economic and Regional Science, Budapest, Hungary

“The book „Eurozone Enlargement: the Prospect of New EU Member States for Euro Adoption” is a comprehensive resource for all with an informational and research interest in the field of European integration. Especially in recent years, when Europe has been experiencing multi-dimensional crises – from finance to refugees – it is more than usually important to understand the integration phenomenon, and this book assists the reader´s effort to do so. The book initially explores current financial situations and EMU evolutions, an apposite entry to its theme. Subsequently, it brings detailed information about the adoption of the euro in Slovenia, the Slovak Republic and Latvia- comparing the periods before and after euro adoption. It is also a valuable source on the preparations for euro adoption of other Central and Eastern European countries, i.e. the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria and Croatia, which vary in their closeness to or distance from euro adoption. This book is recommended for all seeking to understand the processes behind European integration and to analyse the proc and cons of Europe´s great currency project.” – Professor Lubos Komarek, Director of Monetary and Statistics Department, External Economic Relations Division, the Czech National Bank and Professor at Technical University of Ostrava

“This book considers problems of a prospect of the Eurozone enlargement of the CEE countries. Reviewing experiences of the five countries which adopted the euro, authors consider ways and means for other CEE countries to enter the Eurozone. As they looked at the Greek crisis and the other southern European crises, their analyses lead to a recommendation to adopt real convergence criteria such as GDP per capita, instead of the Maastricht nominal criteria. So far we have concentrated our attention on the Eurozone inside only. This book is very useful to expand our eyesight and stimulates our thinking of the future of the Eurozone in the next decade.” – Professor SOKO TANAKA, Jean Monnet chair ad personam, former President of the Japan Society of International Economics and former President of the European Union Studies Association – Japan

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“This thoughtfully written book may be one of the most valuable resources regarding Behavioral Economics you discover this year. A riveting read, highly cohesive and observing.” – Tansif ur Rehman, Area Study Centre for Europe, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan

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“Addressing major challenges in advanced and developing economies and exploring full potential in terms of development, requires a multidimensional and operational approach regarding analysis and policy design. It is highlighted that development is a much broader notion than growth incorporating apart from the economic dimension of development the social and political pillar.” READ MORE… – Reviewed by Manuel Alberto M. Ferreira, Lisbon University Institute ISCTE-IUL, BRU-IUL, ISTAR-IUL Portugal. Published in the International Journal of Latest Trends in Finance and Economic Sciences

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“This book, written by most excellent scientists and edited by José Manuel Caetano and Miguel Rocha de Sousa stands out in the bulk of publications on the Eurozone because of its unique feature. Contrary to pure and simple economics this book grasps in a most splendid way the interdependency between the economic performance and political decision making in the aftermath of 2008. It is not only economics, stupid, but also politics which matters.” – Michael Bolle, Director, Jean Monnet Center of Excellence for European Integration, Free University of Berlin, Germany

“This book edited by José Manuel Caetano and Miguel Rocha de Sousa, is written out of a concern of the different authors to improve the governance of the Eurozone. It contains important chapters identifying the weaknesses of the Eurozone and the reforms of its governance that will make it sustainable in the long run. This is a book I highly recommend for students, academics and policymakers in Europe.” – Paul De Grauwe, “John Paulson Chair” in European Political Economy, European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

“Much of the debate about the Eurozone crisis has been dominated by viewpoints from the Institutions and the larger countries. We have heard very little from the smaller countries that were at the center of the cyclone. It is fortunate that this book brings together contributions by (mostly) Portuguese scholars. They are economists and political scientists and they have much to tell. The readers will discover the extent of suffering that the crisis has brought to Portugal. Economic activity plummeted, unemployment soared, firms collapsed, of course, but these contributions also vividly depicts the frustrations from the ‘solutions’ that were imposed by the Troika.” – Charles Wyplosz, Professor of Economics, The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva; Director, International Center for Monetary and Banking Studies, Geneva

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“The proposed monograph gives state of the art analysis of the economic growth in the EU-countries and by investigating a link between long-run economic growth and short-term economic imbalances fills an important gap in our understanding of economic behaviour of both developed and developing countries. Therefore, I r e c o m m e n d his monograph for publication.” – Dr. Daniel Dujava

“A lot of empirical evidence presented in the book is a valuable material for both theoretical economists and academia as well as for policymakers that are open to empirical evidence and evidence-based policy making. The author analyses policy dilemmas that policy makers have to face in these days. Overall, Dr. Menbere Workie Tiruneh has conducted a valuable research on external imbalances and income convergence in the European Union and I r e c o m m e n d this book for a publication.” – Dr. Martin Labaj

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“The short essays in this collection critically reflect on the state of macroeconomics in the wake of the 2008-2009 North-Atlantic financial crisis. Anis Chowdhury and Iyanatul Islam, who joined the United Nations system with a distinguished academic background, were uniquely placed to synthesize the debate on the relevance of macroeconomic orthodoxy for employment and development goals from both analytical and policy perspectives. They were among the first economists who raised concerns about pre-mature fiscal consolidation, and argued for designing macroeconomic policies that balanced in an appropriate way short-term stabilization with long-term development goals. Academics and policymakers alike will find this collection very useful.” – Jose Antonio Ocampo, Member, the Central Bank of Colombia Board and Professor (on leave for public service), Columbia University; former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, NY, USA

“The Great Recession was a missed opportunity for reforming both macroeconomic policy and the mainstream discipline of macroeconomics. In this important volume, Chowdhury and Islam show that it’s still not too late to bring back employment and development as central macroeconomic concerns – but this crucially requires reforming theoretical perspectives and changes in the political economy of macroeconomic policy.” – Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University (Centre for Economic Studies and Planning), New Delhi, and the Executive Secretary of International Development Economics Associates (Ideas)

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“This up to date book offers valuable new insights into Bangladesh’s economic, political and social realities as the country has under gone rapid changes since its formation in 1971. Drawing on the work of twenty four knowledgeable contributors, Dr Khurshed Alam has assembled an impressive range of contributions on a range of themes including gender, bureaucracy, livelihoods, and religion. Anyone who is interested in this important yet under-studied country should read this book.” – Professor David Lewis, London School of Economics & Political Science, UK

“A useful collection of research papers on contemporary Bangladesh that covers such topics as agriculture, environment, political governance and gender violence.” – Nazli Kibria, Professor and Chair of Sociology, Boston University, USA

“Bangladesh: Economic, Political and Social Issues, edited by Khurshed Alam provides a panoramic view of Bangladesh’s dynamic economy; covering agriculture, forestry, fisheries, women’s role in agriculture, climate change, corruption, secularism, and extremism. The volume with contributions of scholars in specialized fields will be of great interest to the scholars as well as to the intelligent readers curious about Bangladesh.” – Habibul Haque Khondker, Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, UAE

“This is an extremely important book that explores different aspects of contemporary Bangladeshi society, especially its economy, polity. All the essays in this book present detailed ethnographic materials with clarity in conceptual and theoretical framework. It is strongly recommended to anyone doing research on Bangladesh.” – Abhijit Dasgupta, Professor, Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi

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“A sophisticated treatise on the multidimensional nature of empathy and its connections to depression. Firmly grounded in empirical research, Dr. Chambliss deftly weaves together the biological, psychological, interpersonal, and cultural variables shaping both empathy and depression, as well as the relationship between the two. The result is a comprehensive exploration of the human experience as embedded in the context of today’s complex and rapidly changing world.” – Robin Knoblach, Ph.D., Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, Private Practice, Herndon, VA

“If you are interested in what experts from the around the world have to share about up-to-date advances in educational technology, then Educational Technologies by Lijia Lin and Bob Atkinson belongs on your bookshelf.” – Richard E. Mayer, Distinguished Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara, and editor of The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning.

“This volume is an ambitious undertaking addressing a persistent problem in getting the findings of educational technology research into large-scale practice. The focus is primarily on new technologies and innovative use of those technologies. Authors come from around the world and include many international scholars. Hopefully their efforts as reported in this book will have a large-scale, sustained and systemic impact on practices and policies pertaining to effective use of educational technology.” – J. Michael Spector, PhD, Professor, Learning Technologies, University of North Texas.

“Educational technology has progressed substantially from the days when any new technology that potentially might be used in education immediately attracted supporters advocating its use. Today, the critical factor in the uptake of technology is the manner in which it interacts with human cognitive, motivational, social and emotional systems. Educational Technologies: Challenges, Applications and Learning Outcomes, is edited by Lijia Lin and Bob Atkinson, both expert in the area of educational psychology. It collects the work of global leaders concerned with the interaction between human attributes and educational technology. The result is a book wide in its scope and deep in its analyses. I enthusiastically recommend it to anyone with an interest in this important, rapidly expanding field.” – John Sweller, Emeritus Professor of Educational Psychology, School of Education, University of New South Wales, Australia.

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“This book covers a cutting edge topic in education with strong theoretical ties to work in cognition, metacognition, and emotion, with chapters written by leading researchers in the field. Researchers and practitioners interested in the impact of digital technologies in learning will find this volume to be informative, comprehensive, and thought-provoking.” – Anne E. Cook, Professor and Chair, Educational Psychology Department, Director for Student and Faculty Affairs, College of Education, University of Utah, USA

“This edited book provides excellent resources for researchers and academic professionals about the connections between deep learning (involving critical and creative thinking, reasoning performance, making inferences and knowledge transfer) and the use of digital technologies (such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence, 3D visualization, e-portfolios, and a network-based approach). Authors examine theories relevant to deep learning and provide research results regarding the cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies, self-regulated learning, reasoning performance, along with many other themes. This book offers the valuable support to graduate students and teachers aiming at their professional development, and a must for a library.” – Anna Ursyn, Professor of Digital Media Digital Media Area Head, School of Art and Design, College of Performing and Visual Arts, University of Northern Colorado, USA

““Deep learning” is the holy grail of teaching and learning, particularly for the solving of complicated and real-world challenges. The editor defines deep learning as “learners’ engagement in critical and creative thinking, making inferences and transferring knowledge” (Zheng, 2018, p. xiii). While defined in different ways, “deep learning” involves complex understandings of the target subject domain (and related areas) that are transferable and that enable real-life problem solving and innovating in various contexts.” READ MORE… – Reviewed by Shalin Hai-Jew, instructional designer at Kansas State University, USA. Published in C2C Digital Magazine

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