Trust, by Francis Fukuyama (Penguin, £12.50 in UK)

Fukuyama made his name a few years ago with The Last of History and the Last Man, which surprisingly proved to be a bestseller and triggered off much controversy. This book is rather in the nature of a follow-up and it says much about modern production methods, Japanese and American boss and labour relations, the corporate business mentality, the role and behaviour of world markets, etc. The New Right is discussed, and so is the New Left, if we can speak of such a trend. Fukuyama predicts major economic problems ahead for China, where he thinks that the State will have to play a major role in the gradual transfer from family businesses to the big modern corporation.