Discusses the foci of four books on productivity research. The author then assesses some strengths and weaknesses of the state of the art of productivity research. He deals with conceptual and analytical problems, management and labor aspects, and alternative lines of research. (CT)

Addresses world-system/dependency theories of differential economic growth among nations and identifies reservations concerning the current empirical status of these theories. Presents a model which relates the world system to blockmodel analysis by considering four types of international networks--trade flows, military interventions, diplomatic…