It is rarely noticed, Joan Robinson wrote half a century ago, that "the very nature of economics is rooted in nationalism." This book seeks to examine the relationship between economics and nationalism in the Israeli political economy in its formative years. The book focuses on two aspects of this relationship: the link between national interest and economic ideas and between the state and the markets Two questions are at the core of the book. The first, what was the role of economic ideas in shaping the national interests? A common argument holds that the realization of national interest contradicts behavior in accordance to economic rationales. The book rejects this view and it shows that as early as the 1930s the Zionist organizations shaped national interest on the basis of imported and translated economic ideas. The second question deals with the relationship between the state and the market: how state actors mediated between, on the one hand, the goal of constructing of a market economy in Israeli, and on the other hand the strategy of mobilizing market-actor to state-building project? The book rejects the common argument that state intervention prevented the consolidation of a market economy in Israeli. Rather, it argues that the state intervened, among other things, to create a market economy as a national project of the state. A significant contribution of the book is the analysis of the financial aspects of the Israeli developmental strategy, a topic that so far has not been studied thoroughly. The book traces that the effect of the establishment of the Bank of Israel on the structure of the banking system and the development strategy. It argues that the establishment of the Bank of Israel was a significant milestone in the economic history of Israel, as it provided an effective tool to control the allocation of credit.

In recent years, the number of Israelis interested in South Korea, its culture and language is growing . Among these, are academics, the Korean Wave fans (includes TV series, movies and pop music), and executives who have Korean partners and wish to familiarize themselves with Korean culture . " Korean for Beginners " is the first book of its kind in Hebrew, which will serve anyone wishing to take their first steps into the world of Korean language . The book is intended for students in classrooms as part of a curriculum or as a supplementary workbook, or for individuals who wish to explore the Korean language in self-study . The book opens with teaching the Korean alphabet and introduces the learner to essential topics that they will encounter while learning the language. The book presents the learner with grammar rules and vocabulary components in an organized, step-by-step format that will allow learners to have basic conversations in Korean. Each lesson begins with a dialogue between a Korean and an Israeli on various topics. Thus, while studying, learners are exposed to different Korean traditions and customs. The dialogues are followed by new vocabulary , grammar explanations, and exercises which allow the learner to practice the material . The translations of the dialogues, answer keys for the exercises, and a dictionary containing the words presented, appear at the end of the book. In addition, there is also a list of useful Korean vocabulary for tourists and business people .

The fourth book in the series of Understanding Physics describes three important topics. Fluids – which include both liquids and gases – play a central role in our daily lives. We breathe and drink them, and a rather vital fluid circulates in the human cardiovascular system. The Earth's oceans and atmosphere consist of fluids. Waves – deals with many phenomena like sound waves that carry our messages from our vocal cords to the ears of our friends. Electromagnetic waves carried through optic fibers or through the atmosphere, allow communication with satellites. The book presents: oscillations and harmonic motions, mechanical waves and sound waves. Thermodynamics – heat theory development is one of humankind's most profound intellectual achievements. Understanding thermodynamic principles was fundamental for steam engines that powered the industrial revolution. The book deals with the first law of the thermodynamics, the kinetic theory of gases and the second law of thermodynamics. As in former volumes of Understanding Physics – this book contains clear explanations from basics phenomena to complicated models. It allows readers to examine their understanding by reading exercises and examples. Many figures, diagrams and photos facilitate discovery with this book and convert the experience of learning into a vivid and plausible encounter. The book is based on Fundamental of Physics by David Halliday, Robert Resnick and Jearl Walker.

The relationship between wealth and government became a topical and important question in Russia after the Soviet Union was dissolved for the regime as well for the Russian people.This book analyses this relationship from the year 1991 until today.

Magnetism and Optics is a second book in the series of three. This book is built on the foundations of the 6th Edition of Halliday, Resnick, and Walker’s Fundamentals of Physics. One of primary goals of this book is to help students make sense of the physics they are learning. We cannot achieve this goal if students see physics as a set of disconnected mathematical equations that each apply only to a small number of specific situations. We stress conceptual and qualitative understanding and continually make connections between mathematical equations and conceptual ideas. We also try to build on ideas that students can be expected to already understand, based on the resources they bring from everyday experiences. This text is designed to work with learning strategies such as microcomputer-based labs and interactive lectures that are increasingly being used in physics instruction.

The book examines the connection between the health system and the National Health Insurance Law and the change processes in Israeli society, as well as connections between economics and politics. The book discusses whether the National Health Insurance Law is part of the political factors, which are partial to the values of individualism and competition and are gaining strength in Israel.

Successful innovation – the key to competitive growth and profit – rests on disciplined management of the innovation process, from idea inception to customer service. This book answers, first, the key questions: why innovate? What to innovate? How to innovate? And who innovates? It then provides 10 essential and practical tools to help innovators guide their ideas to marketplace success. Innovation Management is a pioneer in this new and rapidly growing discipline. Supported by over a hundred international case studies and action-learning exercises – as well as a CD to illustrate all these concepts and strategies with video lectures and useful interviews – this book will be invaluable to business leaders and strategists, students of management, and entrepreneurs.

From the Critics: "...the boldness, coherence, and sweep of the book are impressive...Ofek has good and highly persuasive ideas about his main concern, which is the importance and centrality of economic analysis from an early point in human evolution...Second Nature is an exhilarating and interesting read that raises powerful questions about how humans got here and how we should be studied." Alan Grafen (Professor of Biological Sciences, Oxford University) Science “This is without a doubt one of the most important books to be published in the field of socio-economics in recent years. Ofek has done a superb job in linking what he calls Bioeconomics with Paleoeconomics to explain the transition from Homo Erectus to Homo Sapiens . . . . Briefly put, any reader would benefit from the wealth of new ideas that virtually jump out from almost each and every page.” Warren Young (Professor of Economics, Bar Ilan University) European Journal of Political Economy "Ofek synthesizes an enormous range of research on human origins to advance to the key role of exchange of goods and services in the evolution of distinctively human species.... This superb book seems poised to be a touchstone for work in prehistory and human origins for the foreseeable future; essential for all academic libraries; highly recommended for others." D. Bantz (University of Alaska) Choice "Ofek's book is, in fact, remarkable because it gives interesting, exhausting and insightful answers to old problems and, at the same time, it provides a new way to approach human evolution from the economic viewpoint." Joao Ricardo Faria (Professor of Economics, University of Texas) Economic History Network “Altogether this is a stimulating and well-done book. It’s even written better than most books involving either biology or anthropology. It seems to me that it should be the beginning of a major revamping of our views of the early history of our ancestors. Its interest to economists is of course particularly great, but I would hope that biologists and anthropologists will find it equally stimulating.” Gordon Tullock (economics and law professor at George Mason University) Journal of Bioeconomics

This is not an updated edition! Because of the many topics that appear in this book, it was decided to split the book into two parts, make corrections and more. You can now purchase the Second Edition: Understanding physics-mechanics I (earlier chapters from the first edition + corrections + chapter summaries) Understanding physics mechanics II (later chapters from the first edition + new chapter + corrections + chapter summaries).