Observes that, before 1973, determining a valuation formula for option prices was an elusive goal of financial economics. Discusses Louis Bachelier's early twentieth-century work on the problem. Notes that Bachelier derived a normal distribution for stock price movements by modeling price changes in specific way. Reviews Bachelier's option pricing…

Presents U.S. broadcasting history as the interplay between powerful commercial forces and a broadcast reform movement that opposed commercial control of the industry. Suggests that broadcast reformers developed traditions of media criticism that are useful today. Describes the lack of debate preceding the Communications Act of 1934 as a weak spot…

Studies the institutional characteristics and strategic choices of successful academies operating under the New York Regents system from 1838 to 1850. Identifies single-sex education and denominational affiliation as important for success. Suggests frameworks for investigating variations among the 19th-century academies and discusses implications…

Discusses the transformation of reading and libraries in Poland due to shifts in its political and economic life since 1989. Changes include transition of publishing from a monopoly state enterprise to a market economy, and development of mass media which is threatening the disappearance of traditionalism held in public libraries. (Author/JMV)

Assesses the chaotic state of Hungary's booktrade and publishing industries. Presents a historical background that discusses the shift from centralized book distribution to a market economy and tables that reveal publishing trends. Impacts on the publishing industry include disruption of Hungarian traditions and development of alternative book…

Discusses the development of scientific and technological education at the university level in China over the last decade. Describes higher education before the period of modernization and reform, the advent of private universities, the growth of adult education programs, and the response of regular colleges and universities to innovative economic…

This book uses agricultural production statistics, school records, and records on births and families to provide a new interpretation of how agriculture's development in a market economy impacted the formation of elementary education during the 19th century. It provides background on the competing purposes underlying compulsory state-supported…

Examines changes in public libraries of the Czech Republic resulting from the Communist collapse which caused library closings and a move to a free market. With domestic and international cooperation, Czech library services have changed to meet new political and social conditions by improving services to meet community needs.(JMV)