Since its inception in 1974, Southeast Asian Affairs (SEAA) has been an indispensable annual reference for generations of policy-makers, scholars, analysts, journalists, and others. Succinctly written by regional and international experts, SEAA illuminates significant issues and events of the previous year in each of the Southeast Asian nations and the region as a whole. Southeast Asian Affairs 2008 provides an informed and readable analysis of the events and developments in the region in 2007. In the regional section, the first two articles provide the political and economic overview of Southeast Asia. They are followed by an article on India's geopolitics and Southeast Asia, and two articles on ASEAN. Eleven country reviews as well as four country-specific thematic chapters follow, delving into domestic political, economic, security, and social developments during 2007 and their implications for countries in the region and beyond.

This book investigates factors that contribute to the development of an efficient financial sector in Ghana. While sustainable finance has long been known to propel economic growth and development, and while many African countries have taken initiatives to develop integrated frameworks of their financial sectors that tackle developmental challenges, scholars and policymakers have always grappled with understanding of factors that enhance performance of the financial sector. In this book, an expert team of authors examines the financial landscape, central bank policies, competition, financial innovation, financial inclusion and banking stability in Ghana, while also exploring how financing models such as enterprise finance and microfinance can be more effective in sustaining financial markets. The authors discuss how Ghana can build fortified institutions, regulatory frameworks, and productive capacity to strengthen the financial sector and foster pathways that will enhance economic development. Empirical and scientific evidence give this book a unique approach that is both qualitative and quantitative.

Building strong and dynamic systems of innovation constitutes a key challenge for the post-socialist economies of Central and Eastern Europe. This book develops a strong conceptual and empirical foundation for understanding how such dynamic systems may emerge. The Dynamics of Innovation in Eastern Europe explains, in particular, how this has been possible in the case of the Estonian system of innovation in telecommunications. The book shows that the socialist historical heritage, and in particular inherited competencies, may be used in highly creative ways for generating dynamic innovation in the post-socialist context. It also uncovers the complex and multifaceted ways in which the geographical and cultural proximity to Western Europe can be creatively used as a powerful resource in the pursuit of building systems of innovation in the East. Moreover, the book demonstrates that it is possible for East European systems of innovation to develop highly creative domestic dynamics without necessarily imitating Western systems or styles of innovation. Providing a unique empirical analysis of how systems of innovation undergo far-reaching transformation and change, this book will be of interest to economists and scholars involved in issues relating to innovation, technology, economic development and East-West integration. Policymakers in the EU and in Central and East European countries and practitioners involved in innovation-related activities will also find it of great appeal.

Technology and media are now integrated in various facets of society, including social and economic development. This has allowed for new and innovative methods for aiding in development initiatives. Impacts of the Media on African Socio-Economic Development is an essential research publication for the latest scholarly information on societal and economical dimensions of development and the application of media to advance progress. Featuring extensive coverage on many topics including gender empowerment, international business, and health promotion, this book is ideally designed for government officials, academics, professionals, and students seeking current research on social realities and achieving further development in emerging economies.

'Information Technology and Economic Development' looks at the effect of information technology on fields such as politics, education, sociology and technology.

Despite best intentions, the reality is that "development" is still conceptualised, planned and "delivered" by change agents and their institutions in a top-down manner. This is problematic for both the beneficiaries and government change agents as it amplifies rather than lessens service delivery challenges and does not lead to a grassroots planning partnership. Development, change and the change agent - facilitation at grassroots contextualises the change agent through his or her relationship with the local beneficiaries of development. This updated second edition, previously titled The development change agent - a micro-level approach to development, consists of thirteen chapters contributed by seventeen authors representing nine universities. The key theme is the challenge to establish authentic and empowering participation, and the importance of change agent and local development beneficiary engagement and partnerships in achieving this. It covers an interdisciplinary field of development-related foci using a holistic, people-centred approach which includes grassroots facilitation, capacity building, empowerment and participation, developmental local government and good governance, and national development planning. It also incorporates social capital, indigenous knowledge systems, action research methodology and project management. Scholars, development practitioners, development consultants, those working for NGOs and CBOs, development corporations/agencies, and politicians and government officials, specifically local ones, will find the publication relevant in confronting contemporary developmental challenges. Francois Theron is a senior lecturer at the School of Public Leadership at Stellenbosch University. Trained in anthropology and development studies, he fully supports interdisciplinary research. In 2014, he co-edited Development, the State and Civil Society in South Africa (Van Schaik Publishers) with Ismail Davids. Ntuthuko Mchunu is a project manager for community-based tourism development at the City of Cape Town municipality. In addition to his public and development management qualifications at Stellenbosch University, he has extensive practical experience in the local government sphere as a change agent. Theron and Mchunu have partnered in numerous previous projects, leading to this 2016 publication.

The third decade of the 21st century brings new and expansive global sustainability challenges. Managers, policymakers, academics, citizens, and consumers will have to make seemingly contradictory decisions to accelerate demand, and at the same time promote savings. For this reason, it is necessary to clarify that it is not a process of recovery but of regeneration, adaptation and reprioritization. Regenerative and Sustainable Futures for Latin America and the Caribbean: Collective action for a region with a better tomorrow offers a systematic review of past efforts to recover from global crises providing an analysis of the sustainable development challenges faced by Latin America and the Caribbean. Featuring contributions from researchers in seven different Latin American and Caribbean countries, this volume reflects primary data perspectives from government, business, academe and civil society leaders in each specific country. Regenerative and Sustainable Futures for Latin America and the Caribbean explores how to build sustainable futures for Latin America and the Caribbean, presents recommendations for policy and decision-makers to thrive sustainable futures for Latin America and the Caribbean and reflects on the value of collective action for a region that deserves a better tomorrow.

Despite its often mismanaged economy, Africa remains the third largest continent in land mass and population. It continues to offer unexploited business opportunities for entrepreneurs, global corporations, and institutions. Emerging Business Opportunities in Africa: Market Entry, Competitive Strategy, and the Promotion of Foreign Direct Investments presents the basic business modelling for developing appropriate strategies in exploiting these business opportunities in the emerging economy in Africa. This book offers insight into the challenges and successes aiming to encourage researchers and students of business in creating a value for doing business in Africa.

Green technology plays an important role in the achievement of environmental sustainability. Tax incentives, carbon taxes, and rising fossil fuel costs are motivating increased growth and development of 'green' products and services, many of which are the result of innovative discoveries in biotechnology and nanotechnology. Green Technologies and Business Practices: An IT Approach is an international platform that brings together academics, researchers, lecturers, policy makers, practitioners, and persons in decision-making positions from all backgrounds who ultimately share new theories, research findings and case studies, together enhancing understanding and collaboration of green issues in business and the role of information technologies and also analyze recent developments in theory and practice.

Social media platforms have emerged as an influential and popular tool in the digital era. No longer limited to just personal use, the applications of social media have expanded in recent years into the business realm. Analyzing the Strategic Role of Social Networking in Firm Growth and Productivity examines the role of social media technology in organizational settings to promote business development and growth. Highlighting a range of relevant discussions from the public and private sectors, this book is a pivotal reference source for professionals, researchers, upper-level students, and academicians.

Sub-Saharan Africa has the youngest population of any region of the world, and that growing working-age population represents a major opportunity to reduce poverty and increase shared prosperity. But the region's workforce is the least skilled in the world, constraining economic prospects. Despite economic growth, declining poverty, and investments in skills-building, too many students in too many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are not acquiring the foundational skills they need to thrive and prosper in an increasingly competitive global economy. This report examines the balancing act that individuals and countries face in making productive investments in both a wide range of skills - cognitive, socio-emotional, and technical - and a wide range of groups - young children through working adults - so that Sub-Saharan Africa will thrive.

The report was written by senior scholars of international studies and Indian Ocean studies and focuses on international relations in Indian Ocean region and covers many aspects of "Indo-Pacific". The report includes both strategic review and major events and related data in this region. This book also includes the origin, the aims, frameworks and regional and global impact of "Indo-Pacific". The book includes the authors from 5 different institutes in China which provide readers with a full and authentic picture of "Indo-Pacific" most recent development. This year's Annual Report is the Sixth of this kind and the only one which covers exclusive on the Indian Ocean region in China.

Circular Economy in Developed and Developing Countries: Perspective, Methods And Examples discusses practical examples of formation of circular economy in the developed and developing world. Special attention is paid to the experiences of modern Russia in formation of circular economy, as Russia holds a unique position in the system of international classification of countries of the world, possessing the features of developed and developing economies. The authors seek the goal of helping develop a new approach to research, founded on the idea that ecological crisis is proof of the necessity for formation of circular economy. Methods of formation are offered based on the determined peculiarities and common regularities, where imbalance of developed and developing countries is overcome and the threat to ecological crises is reduced. Aimed at academics of world economics, circular economy and macro-economics, Circular Economy in Developed and Developing Countries provides development of the theory and methodology, as well as the practice for understanding circular economy formation.

This book offers broad-gauged analyses of the causes, nature, and changing patterns of armed conflict in Africa as well as the reasons for these patterns. It also situates conflicts that have been haunting the African continent since the time of decolonization within the various theoretical schools such as "new war," "economic war," "neo-patrimonial," and "globalization." It begins with the premise that conflict constitutes one of the major impediments to Africa's socio-economic development and has made the continent's future looks relatively bleak. At the dawn of the twenty-first century, the international community has, once again, treated Africa as a hopeless continent. This is due, in part, to a number of political, military, and socio-economic problems, which have made the continent miss the path towards sustainable development. From the period of political independence in the 1960s to the immediate post-Cold War period, the African political landscape was dotted with many conflicts of different natures and intensity (low-intensity conflicts, civil wars, mass killings, and large-scale political violence). During the first four decades of political independence, there were about 80 forceful changes of government in Sub-Saharan Africa, while a large number of countries in that region witnessed various forms of conflicts. This collection assembles the work of distinguished African scholars who offer valuable new insights into the problem of political instability.

The growing pace of change and turbulence in the world's economy requires national economies to be adaptable. Inflexibility led to economic crisis in Eastern Europe and Africa, while adaptability characterizd the "economic miracle" of East Asia. The "structural adjustment" programmes adopted in many developing countries reflects the extent to which the importance of these issues is now being recognized. This book explicitly addresses the nature of economic adaptability.;The multi-disciplinary collection of specially commissioned papers explores the subject from a wide variety of perspectives. Conceptual papers discuss treatment of the topic in terms of economic theory and with regard to the literature on economic development. There are case studies of Africa, East Asia and Eastern Europe and a comparitive study of responses to oil shocks. Separate chapters examine the topic as it relates to the industrial and financial sectors. Another studies the political determinants of economic flexibility and the final chapter seeks to draw general conclusions. Largely non-technical, this study should have broad appeal.

This book examines the political economy of the states of Pacific Asia, stretching from Japan to Burma since the end of WWII. "Governance in Pacific Asia" offers a comprehensive account of the diverse experiences of the states in Pacific Asia. Organized thematically around government and business relations in the main sectors of the economy, chapters cover the historical, social, and cultural contexts for such policies as well as the social and political consequences of rapid economic development. They also discuss the increasing economic integration of the region as well as its impact on global affairs and the reverse effect of globalization upon particular political systems. Each chapter contains case studies and examples from anywhere in the region, with some countries appearing more regularly, such as China, Japan, newly industrialized economies, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. "Governance in Pacific Asia" provides an in-depth comparative survey of a key region in world politics and political economy. An essential text that includes sources from the region in at least three languages (Chinese, Japanese, and Indonesian/Malay), it will be of interest to students and faculty in international relations, developmental politics, Asian politics, and political economy.

This book focuses on the implementation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure development project intended to connect Asia with Europe, the Middle East and Africa. By introducing a new analytical approach to the study of economic corridors, it gauges the anticipated economic and geopolitical impacts on the region and discusses whether the CPEC will serve as a pioneer project for future regional cooperation between and integration of sub-national regions such as Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and Gilgit-Baltistan. Further, it explores the interests, expectations and policy approaches of both Chinese and Pakistani local and central governments with regard to the CPEC's implementation. Given its scope, the book will appeal to regional and spatial sciences scholars, as well as social scientists interested in the regional impacts of economic corridors. It also offers valuable information for policymakers in countries participating in the Belt-and-Road Initiative or other Chinese-supported development projects.

Economic and societal systems continually evolve as the needs and demands of society change. With the development of new technologies, research, and discoveries, various opportunities emerge for venture development and developing economies. Crowdfunding and Sustainable Urban Development in Emerging Economies provides innovative research on current issues in the rise of new platforms for digital activities, a collaborative economy, crowdsourcing, crowdfunding, and other activities that are shaping developing countries. Highlighting a range of pertinent topics, such as infrastructure finance, tertiary educational institutions, and urban sustainability, this book is an important resource for academicians, practitioners, researchers, and students.

Advances in Pacific Basin Business, Economics, and Finance is an annual publication designed to focus on interdisciplinary research in finance, economics, accounting and management among Pacific Rim countries. All articles published have been reviewed and recommended by at least two members of the editorial board. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: 1. Policies and Regulations on financial markets and financial institutions; 2. Options, futures and other derivatives markets; 3. Corporate finance and investment decisions; 4. Fixed-Income securities and portfolio management; 5. Insurance and risk management; 6. Accounting, auditing and taxation; 7. Marketing, management, and business strategies; 8. Artificial intelligence and financial technology; 9. Monetary and foreign exchange policy; 10. Income, employment, and economic policies among the Pacific Rim countries

The emergence of China as a global economic powerhouse, the uncertain path of Russia towards a market economy, and the integration of ten Central and Eastern European countries into the European Union (EU) have occupied the minds and agendas of many policy-makers, business leaders and scholars from around the world at the end of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first century. Twenty years ago these developments were unimaginable. The impact of these changes is so vast that the importance of understanding the forces that unleashed this process, how these changes became possible, and what the lessons are for other developing countries, cannot be overestimated. This book is the first effort to analyze the economics and politics of agricultural reforms by comparing the reform processes, their causes and their effects across this vast region. The authors draw on a vast set of studies and new data, which compare reforms and economic impacts in more than 25 countries, to come up with a series of conclusions and implications on the role of economic reforms in growth, and the importance of initial conditions and political constraints in explaining the choices that were made and their effects. The book analyzes some of the most successful sets of agricultural policies in history that have lifted people out of poverty, raising productivity and incomes by staggering amounts. At the same time the book explains the reasons behind dramatic failures in policy processes and reforms that caused hunger, poverty and which had devastating effects on economic growth and development for millions of other people.

The African Context of Business and Society traces the unique and often overlooked and unestimated contours of African business and society, abandoning the flawed assumption that western preconceptions can be directly transplanted- one that has often led to incorrect macro-theorisations. Africa's diverse economy has been influenced by historical and cultural change, and The African Context of Business and Society's novel indigenous viewpoints address topics such as female entrepreneurship, organizational culture, the role of religion on employee trust, authentic leadership and more. Understanding individual and organisational behaviour, the chapters examine the under-researched aspects of Africa's business and society and both opportunities and constraints. The New Frontiers in African Business and Society series provides innovative reflections on the nature of business and society across parts of Africa and its emerging economy. Distinguished scholars formulate important answers to the problems within the continent, discovering new avenues of research and pathways forward.