Stephen D. King - Losing Control: The Emerging Threats to Western Prosperity

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I may have spent many days (and nights) umbilically attached to my keyboard in a quest to complete this book but I can hardly claim to have done so without the support of others who have, throughout the project, offered encouragement, advice and numerous helpful suggestions.

I would like to thank those friends and colleagues who have provided comments on the manuscript, whether in its early stages or as it approached completion. Of particular help were Richard Cookson, Ian Morris, David Bloom (all, at the time, at HSBC) and Peter Oppenheimer (at Goldman Sachs). I am also very grateful to the two anonymous academic referees who provided sage advice to a book-writing novice.

When I delivered speeches on the global economy at the Universities of Oxford and Warwick, both teachers and students encouraged me to think about some of the ideas that now find their way into the book, notably those associated with the history of globalization.

Professor Tim Besley from the London School of Economics offered useful advice on Part 1. The chapter on state capitalism benefited from a lengthy conversation with Professor Dieter Helm from New College, Oxford. The sections on monetary policy were helped by discussions over the years with policymakers, notably from the Bank of England, HM Treasury, the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank.

My economic horizons have been expanded as a result of regular attendance at events where I have had the chance to converse with fellow economists. Of particular value have been regular meetings at the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, the Oesterreichische Kontrollbank AG (OeKB) in Vienna and the Accumulation Society in London. I have also benefited from my occasional involvement with the Business Council for Britain.

Those who offered encouragement when the book was merely a vague concept include Diane Coyle, Hamish McRae and Martin Wolf. All three know a lot more than I do about writing books and all were kind enough to steer me in the right direction.

I am enormously grateful to the people at Yale University Press. Special thanks go to Phoebe Clapham, my editor, who was dogged in her determination to turn my scribblings into a coherent final manuscript. I also offer my gratitude to Sarah Harrison and Liz Pelton, who have provided so much support on publicity. Heather Nathan has been a source of tremendous encouragement throughout with her infectious enthusiasm, which was instrumental in persuading me to pursue the project from day one.