Using the same presentation and detail that has earned her such wide-ranging acclaim for her previous books, Padma Desai explains in a course-friendly way the complexities of economic policy and financial reform. She merges a compelling narrative with scholarly research to teach and to engage the reader. Paul Krugman described Desai's 2003 volume, Financial Crisis, Contagion, and Containment: From Asia to Argentina, as the ""best book yet on financial crises."" Her most recent work on Russian reform was a ""pick of 2006"" by the Financial Times. Desai begins with a sy.