This book examines the application of risk-sharing finance as a national economic policy in history and how it stimulated economic recovery during a short period in Germany between 1933 and 1935. Economic history indicates that risk-sharing instruments have promoted socio-economic development in many parts of the world while risk-shifting methods have imposed huge socio-economic costs on many nations, leading to debt slavery on individual members. This book highlights lessons to be learned from history and argues that risk-sharing is a powerful tool for generating rapid economic recovery and resumption of growth.

The Routledge Companion to Applied Performance provides an in-depth, far-reaching and provocative consideration of how scholars and artists negotiate the theoretical, historical and practical politics of applied performance, both in the academy and beyond. These volumes offer insights from within and beyond the sphere of English-speaking scholarship, curated by regional experts in applied performance. The reader will gain an understanding of some of the dominant preoccupations of performance in specified regions, enhanced by contextual framing. From the dis(h)arming of the human body through dance in Colombia to clowning with dementia in Australia, via challenges to violent nationalism in the Balkans, transgender performance in Pakistan and resistance rap in Kashmir, the essays, interviews and scripts are eloquent testimony to the courage and hope of people who believe in the power of art to renew the human spirit. Students, academics, practitioners, policy-makers, cultural anthropologists and activists will benefit from the opportunities to forge new networks and develop in-depth comparative research offered by this bold, global project.

A good understanding of the status quo is necessary for the success of efforts to develop and maintain nature in built space. Accordingly, this book conducts an environmental scan of the context of these efforts in global perspective. In particular, it develops and employs a novel environmental scanning model (ESM) designed to rigorously analyze the political, economic, social, technological, ecological, cultural and historical (PESTECH) contexts of initiatives to promote biodiversity in the built environment. The focus is on four specific substantive areas of environmental policy, namely forestry, water, food, and energy. The units of analysis roughly correspond with the major United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) regions of the world, including sub-Saharan Africa, Middle-East and North Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Western Europe, North America, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Is safe and sustainable water and sanitation for all an unaffordable pipedream? This book surveys the worldwide development of water and sewage services and the challenges in meeting Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6) along with climate change, population growth and urbanisation. It explores the reasons why current SDG6 progress is failing, including weak policy implementation, staff shortages and inadequate funding, as well as the limited impact of aid funding. The author contends that despite a series of innovations, debt finance remains too small to address needs of developing economies. Therefore, instead of advocating new funding, this book proposes addressing the funding gap through technological innovation and more efficient management and procurement through a series of examples that have challenged traditional assumptions. After four decades of good intentions, SDG6 is making a difference in monitoring shortfalls for the first time, allowing for more effective responses. This book outlines the role of innovation in hardware development, procurement and installation, and discusses how network management and operations can most effectively address funding gaps. The potential for savings is considerable, if effectively replicated. New approaches are driving forward affordable resilience, including nature-based solutions such as upstream habitat enhancement to retain water and improve downstream water quality; the circular economy, including water, nutrient, energy and heat recovery from wastewater; and demand management. This book will be of great value to scholars, policy makers and practitioners interested in the global finance of sustainable water and sanitation.

This book explores the agency of Jinn, the so-called "demons of Islam". They are regarded as mostly invisible and highly mobile creatures. In a globalized world with manifold forms of forced and voluntary migrations, Jinn are likewise on the move, interfering in the human world and affecting the mental and physical health of Muslims. This continuous challenge has so far been mainly addressed by traditional Muslim health management and by the so-called spiritual medicine or medicine of the Prophet. This book shifts perspective. Its interdisciplinary chapters deal with the transformation of manifold cultural resources by first analyzing the doctrinal and cultural history of Jinn and the treatment of Jinn affliction in Arabic texts and other sources. It then discusses case studies of Muslims and current health management approaches in the Middle East, namely in Egypt and Syria. Finally, it turns to the role of Jinn in a number of migratory settings such as Spain, Denmark, Great Britain and Guantanamo.

This book aims to build the ideal model of China's grand strategy framework, which is based on three key variables: national power, strategic concept and international institution. Taking the rise of China as an opportunity, this book adopts the assessment of national strategic resources as the beginning, focuses on the evaluation of strategic capability, the choice of strategic orientation, the establishment of strategic objectives, the planning of strategic content and the implementation of strategic means. Further, following this main line, this book establishes a China's grand strategy framework based on active participation and integration-transformation-shaping process. This book emphasizes that to achieve the goals of China's grand strategy; China should uphold this strategic attitude: It should not be seduced by praise and should not be made aggressive by criticism. It should learn to be glorious but remain humble, maintain a wealthy, influential but modest position by restraint. This book can be regarded as the essence of the author's 20 years long-term focus and research on the China's grand strategy. The author's postdoctoral tutor Professor Hu Angang's comment of this book can hit the nail on the head: "This book is a pioneering theoretical study of China's great strategic research and makes a significant contribution to this research field. The basic arguments of this book have been submitted through various approaches to decision-making references or published in academic papers, and have received numerous positive responses and resonance. In my opinion, the basic ideas and important findings of this book will provide imperative reference to long-term strategy decision-making process. In addition, the fundamental theory and analysis method of the book will have an important influence in both domestic and international academic field."

This volume addresses the current challenges for and future prospects of women's entrepreneurship research, bringing together a wealth of diverse insights with implications for research, education and practice alike. Presenting theoretical and empirical research papers and case studies, the book not only offers a topical reference guide for entrepreneurship researchers and educators, but also provides essential reading material for students interested in questions addressing diverse aspects of the challenges to and future academic and practical prospects of women's entrepreneurship.

This collection examines the role that foreign aid can play in dealing with the severe global challenge of climate change, one of the most pressing international development issues of the 21st century. Addressing the key threats of rising temperatures, changes in precipitation, coastal erosion and natural disasters, the book considers the implications for policy and future research, particularly in developing countries. Focusing on the worth of foreign aid in ensuring environmental sustainability, this collection consider how it can be used to improve access to sustainable energy, to promote efficient use of energy resources, to improve emission reduction and support the preservation of biodiversity in forests. Advancing our knowledge about foreign aid and climate change, it provides policy recommendations for the donors and recipient country governments. A cutting edge text on one of the most pressing international development issues of this century, this is key reading for all scholars of international development and climate change.

This book considers how small businesses stir up changes in social relationships and what these changes mean for wider society. From this emerges a challenging and provocative discussion on the problems facing both the developing and developed worlds. Development, it argues, is written into social relationships and growth follows attempts to avoid the market's degenerative effects. What this discussion means for development practice, and for thought in the social sciences more generally, is also considered. If there is a watchword for development practice, then it is acceptance - acceptance of more social, less prescriptive, and far more experimental modes of working. As for the implications of these ideas for social science, these may be described well enough as an economy of ontology.

This book analyzes the concept "true federalism" to examine whether there are definable dimensions of power-sharing that make 'true federalism.' The author takes a critical look at dimensions on political restructuring in Nigeria, which have been termed "true federalism." The work fills a significant gap in the existing literature on the theory and practice of federalism. The project will be useful to the students and professors of African Studies, political science, Nigeria federalism, public administration and policy. Additionally, the monograph will be interesting to the general public who seek to know more about contemporary issues in Nigeria.

This book offers new perspectives on global phenomena that play a major role in today's society and deeply shape the actions of individuals, organizations and nations. In a complex and rapidly changing environment, decision-makers need to gain a better understanding of global phenomena to adapt and to anticipate the evolution of the global context. The authors-ten renowned international scholars of anthropology, economics, law, management and political science-propose an interdisciplinary and comparative approach to social sciences. They analyse how international phenomena, such as globalisation or transnationalisation, transform the disciplines of social sciences from an epistemological standpoint. Explaining what 'global' means in difference disciplines, the authors analyse several global phenomena that characterise today's international environment such as the circulation of norms and ideas, the linkages between war and globalization, corporate governance, and the impact of multinational enterprises on sustainable development and poverty reduction. Providing examples of analytical disciplinary approaches and guidelines for decision-makers in a fast-changing global context this book will be useful to scholars and students of anthropology, economics, law, management and political science as well as practitioners in the private and public sectors.

This book explores the evolution of Brazilian foreign relations in the last fifteen years, with a focus on continuities and change. The volume tackles three sets of themes: diplomacy and diplomatic culture, international security and international development cooperation. Central to these themes is how they all relate to Brazil's international status, and its quest for higher standing. The authors draw on a wide variety of methodologies to grapple with the subject matter, from diplomatic history to international sociology and postcolonial studies. The result is a combination of different approaches that seek to account for the foreign relations of Brazil.

Using quantitative research, this volume investigates the characteristics, problems and trends of the automobile society in China's mega cities and large cities. It also addresses topics related to cars and cities, traffic safety and cars' consumption. China has experienced more than 30 years of rapid economic development, and people's living conditions have greatly improved. One of the symbols of this is family-car ownership, which has increased year by year. China is rapidly becoming an automobile society like North America. But China has huge population and limited urban space, and most of the cities are deteriorating environmentally. Added to this are the low degree energy self-sufficiency and people's lack of awareness of traffic rules, all of which have brought various social problems, such as traffic congestion, lack of parking spaces, air pollution, energy shortage and frequent accidents. The volume presents a series of studies examining the characteristics and problems of China's automobile society development from the perspective of sustainable development. The reports in the volume are both academic and highly readable, making it an interesting resource for researchers and general readers alike. It offers insights into the trends and problems of private cars in China, as well as observations on China's social change through the unique medium of cars.

This book is a rich addition to the existing knowledge on models of development partnership among developing countries. Unlike the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which exclusively focuses on physical infrastructure development with a strong financing component by China, the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) envisages a holistic approach toward development partnership based on the spirit of triangular cooperation, demystifying the donor-recipient model of development cooperation. By integrating four distinct pillars of cooperation - connectivity and physical infrastructure, capacity building and skill development, development cooperation projects, and people-to-people and business-to-business partnerships - the book provides a succinct account of how a demand-driven people-centric model of engagement among Asian and African countries could help achieve inclusive and sustainable development without creating any fatal dependence on specific countries or institutions for external funding. In sixteen chapters, the book covers various theoretical, analytical, and policy discussions with respect to the concept and modalities of the growth corridor approach under the free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific; potential opportunities and challenges in economic sectors and fields like agriculture, manufacturing, trade and investment, urbanization, industrialization, human resource development, and the blue economy; social sector priorities including health, education, skill development, disaster management, and women's participation; and policy issues relating to trade facilitation, the identification of joint projects, modalities and instruments of project execution, and related aspects. The book offers a valuable resource for students and research scholars working in the fields of development economics, development cooperation, international political economy, and international economic relations. It also serves as a handbook for governments and policymakers on issues concerning the suitability of development projects, sources of and innovations in financing, implementation and execution challenges, private sector involvement, and so on.

This book describes the past, present and future of East Asian order, and analyzes how China, Japan, the U.S and ASEAN play important roles in the transformation of East Asian order, and discusses the new logic of regional order formation in the era of globalization and regional integration. The book analyzes China's relationship with East Asian order, great powers and regional institutions involved, especially bilateral relations between China and Japan, China and the U.S., China and ASEAN, and explores how China could improve its regional strategy. Addressing a hot topic in world politics from the angle of regional order, and using methods such as historical analysis, comparative analysis, quantitative analysis and case study, this readable book enables readers to develop an understanding of the history and status quo of East Asia and China's role in the region.

This is the first book to explore ways of conceptualizing Germany's ongoing energy transition. Although widely acclaimed in policy and research circles worldwide, the Energiewende is poorly understood in terms of social science scholarship. There is an urgent need to delve beyond descriptive accounts of policy implementation and contestation in order to unpack the deeper issues at play in what has been termed a 'grand societal transformation.' The authors approach this in three ways: First, they select and characterize conceptual approaches suited to interpreting the reordering of institutional arrangements, socio-material configurations, power relations and spatial structures of energy systems in Germany and beyond. Second, they assess the value of these concepts in describing and explaining energy transitions, pinpointing their relative strengths and weaknesses and exploring areas of complementarity and incompatibility. Third, they illustrate how these concepts can be applied - individually and in combination - to enrich empirical research of Germany's energy transition.

This edited volume examines malaise with democracy within three middle-income Latin American countries - Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. In particular, the book focuses on the gap within public opinion on democratic system within the context of crisis of representation and breakdowns of democracy. Based on a study using comparative and systematic survey data, the contributors of this volume provide a solid analysis on the state of democracy in three Latin American countries, whose lessons are useful for all types of democracy, in the north and the south.

This book purports to investigate and compare the economic development experiences in both Taiwan and South Korea in last two decades. Taiwan and South Korea's economic development after WWII is a well-known story. However, their development after the successful post-war industrialization has not been comprehensively studied. The book examines whether the three factors -the role of private business, government policy, and foreign influence-that had contributed to Taiwan's and Korea's post-war development, are still relevant during the post-industrial development era. Researchers in the fields of global political economy, Asian economic development and East Asian studies will find this book a fresh and invaluable contribution to the literature. The book will also be of value to policy makers in developing countries in drafting their national development policies, diplomats conducting economic diplomacy with Taiwan and South Korea, and business people planning to expand their business interests in Asia.

This book explores the historical, current and future prospects of women's entrepreneurial activities in the former Yugoslavia, a region that is currently in a process of transition from socialism to a free-market economy. Each chapter presents the past, present and future of female entrepreneurship for each individual country. Some of the questions that the book answers include: Have women been historically and culturally ignored, marginalized, or systematically forbidden to run their own businesses? What are the status quo and future prospects for this group? And, is the investment climate conducive to women-owned businesses? The book provides an extensive overview of female entrepreneurship, its promotion and development, the role of the state, and other key factors that shape the female entrepreneurship ecosystem. Readers will gain an overall perspective on the essential issues and challenges to women's entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial initiatives and innovation, policy structures and institutional support to female entrepreneurship in the region.

This book focuses on the status quo and current trends concerning ethnic issues in China, and seeks to promote the equitable and harmonious development of Chinese and other nationalities around the world. Drawing on representative empirical studies and case studies, it describes the spatial structure and evolution of China's populace, and analyzes the distribution of and legislation on its spatial development, which has been conducive to the scientific formulation of national population policies. After assessing the development of China's populace, the book analyzes the future prospects with regard to achieving the goal of a prosperous society and balancing the population in a comprehensive way; puts forward some constructive suggestions on the modernization of the populace; and constructs a new knowledge system for national development with Chinese characteristics. The book combines qualitative and quantitative analysis and employs empirical, speculative, comparative, and comprehensive methods to make full use of modern science and technology, so as to promote ethnological research into a broader development path. Its goal is to objectively evaluate the development of the Chinese populace and provide objective facts and data to support those readers who are interested in its nature and evolution.

At a time of significant transformations in Chinese society, this book addresses the key issue of social welfare and the reform of the welfare system in 21st century China. Considering both the theory and policy making across a variety of welfare issues which directly impact on the country's economic development, it examines the development of civil society, changes in social stratification and in social class structure. It notably considers the key questions of welfare in both urban and rural settings, for different population groups such as children, the elderly and the disabled, addressing topical issues of housing, education, public health, poverty and the restructuring of related welfare policy system to tackle China's key issues. It also considers the impact of migrant workers in China and their social integration, including within the welfare system. Providing a unique insight into how economic globalization and financial crisis affects Chinese social welfare policies, this book is a key read for scholars worldwide interested in social transformation in Chinese society at a time of significant social and economic transition.

Based on a treasure trove of information collected through fieldwork interviews and painstaking documentary research through the Chinese and Western language presses, this book analyzes one of the most important reforms implemented in China over the past decade - the rural tax and fee reform, also known as the "Third Revolution in the Countryside". The aim of the tax was to improve social stability in rural China, which has become increasingly shaken by peasant protests, many of them large-scale and violent. By examining the gap between the intentions of the reform and the eventual outcomes, Goebel provides new insights into the nature of intergovernmental relations in China and highlights the ways in which the relationship between the state and the rural populace has fundamentally changed forever. The Politics of Rural Reform in China will appeal to students and scholars of Chinese politics, governance and development studies.

Drawing from long term ethnographic work and practice in Guatemala, this incisive and interdisciplinary text brings in perspectives from critical disability studies, postcolonial theory and critical development to explore the various interactions and dynamics between disability and extreme poverty in rural areas.

Providing a comprehensive introduction to the literature and approaches used in the field, this illustrious Handbook explores and interrogates the link between security and development at a global level whilst offering a broad survey of current thinking.With a mixture of approaches and methodologies, each chapter is written by an acknowledged expert and includes international contributions spanning six continents. The topics covered range from the politics of aid by remote control through to intervention and the post-conflict re-establishment of security and demobilization of combatants. This essential book will engage academics involved in research surrounding security and development, along with practitioners who are interested in the philosophy of their actions and their practical implications. Members of organizations such as policy institutes and NGOs will also find this to be a valuable read. Contributors: P. Albrecht, L.R. Andersen, B. Baker, D. Beswick, L. Cooley, L. Denney, T. Donais, M. Duffield, R. Freedman, H. Hudson, P. Jackson, H.M. Kyed, N. Lemay-Hebert, H. Marquette, N. Mlambo, L.W. Moe, R. Muggah, S.M. Murshed, A. OEzerdem, A. Schnabel, M. Sedra, F. Stepputat, G.S. Wagle, N. Wilen, C. Wilkinson, S.A. Zyck

This book discusses poverty reduction and inclusive development in China. The relevant research reports included here combine unique perspectives and thorough analysis, and include both comparative and empirical analyses. Although China is the first country to have achieved the UN's Millennium Development Goals, it still faces enormous problems and challenges in terms of narrowing the income gap, reducing poverty and attaining sustainable development. This book not only provides valuable theoretical material to help readers understand inclusive development and poverty reduction in today's China, but also offers relevant government authorities a solid theoretical and practical basis for informed decision-making.