The debate about languages of instruction in Africa and Asia involves an analysis of both the historical thrust of national government and also development aid policies. Using case studies from Tanzania, Nigeria, South Africa, Rwanda, India, Bangladesh and Malaysia, Zehlia Babaci-Wilhite argues that the colonial legacy is perpetuated when global languages are promoted in education. The use of local languages in instruction not only offers an effective means to contextualize the curriculum and improve student comprehension, but also to achieve quality education and rights in education.

Around the turn of the millennium it had become painfully evident that development aid, charity or "global business-as-usual" were not going to be the mechanisms to alleviate global poverty. Today, there is little dispute that poverty remains the most pressing global problem calling for innovative solutions. One recent strategy is the Base of the Pyramid (BoP) concept developed by Prahalad and Hart, which relies on entrepreneurial activity tapping into the previously ignored markets of the economically most disadvantaged. It is a process requiring innovations in several disciplines: technological, social and business.This book covers a number of areas. First, much of the current BoP discussion emphasises targeting products to the needs of the poor. But do we actually know what the real needs of the poor are? This book takes a bottom-up human-centred approach and examines examples that truly engage the poor in BoP product and service development. What types of needs assessment methodologies are indicated considering the cultural differences in BoP countries? Are the existing methodologies adequate? Do they need to be redefined and redeveloped? Second, the book considers how we can balance poverty alleviation and stimulate economic growth without stressing the ecosystem. Tragically, the poor are hardest hit by the adverse effects of environmental deterioration such as water shortages, climate change or the destruction of habitats. While the economic welfare of the poor is critical, the BoP approach must balance its inherent paradox of encouraging greater consumption while avoiding further pressures on environmental sustainability. The link between the BoP approach and sustainable development is a key feature of this book. Third, it looks at innovation and asks what kinds of"bottom-up" innovation (open source, technological, social and business) support BoP initiatives (and sustainable development)?Fourth, the book deals with the relationship between development assistance and BoP. Is a BoP strategy the antithesis to development aid or can these two co-exist or even complement each other?Finally, the book raises questions about the relationship between corporate responsibility and BoP. Is BoP a new form of corporate neo-colonialism or a new form of corporate responsibility? Although the BoP concept has unleashed an extensive and generally enthusiastic response from academics, businesses, NGOs and governments, the knowledge domain around this concept is still in the early stages of development. This book addresses that need with a focus on the needs of the end-users - the poor - as a starting point for BoP products and innovations. With contributions from both supporters and critics, it provides a treasure trove of global knowledge on how the concept has developed, what its successes and failures have been and what promise it holds as a long-term strategy for alleviating poverty and tackling global sustainability.

This book examines the subject of Development Finance, or more specifically how financial systems can help or hinder the process of human development. As an expert in this field, Stephen Spratt reviews the components of the domestic and international financial systems, and considers reform options objectively against the central goal of human development. The result is a combination of orthodox and more innovative approaches, which provides a thorough grounding in development finance theory and practice in the 21st century. Topics covered in the book include: The Millennium Development Goals Financial crises and international capital flows The role of the private sector Microfinance. Focusing on the roles of the World Bank and the IMF and with a host of case studies and real world examples from Asia, Africa and Latin America as well as the "transition" economies of Eastern Europe, the author examines developing countries' engagement with the international financial system and its influence on the process of human development, both positive and negative.

Social protection is fast becoming one of the most important themes in development policy. This book examines the political processes shaping the formulation of social protection policies; compares the key conceptual frameworks available for analysing social protection; and provides a comparative discussion on social protection policies focused on the poor and the poorest.

This book draws on the expertise of both North American and European specialists of regional economics, evaluating the impact of economic policy in certain regions and considering alternative policies to foster regional economic development and improve the employment and income of the residents of these regions.

Martinez-Vazquez and Vaillancourt have gathered chapters from a renowned international pool of experts, arguing for the importance of human capital in the regional economics process. The first section of the book examines the policy tools and process relevant to regional development, presenting evidence on both the American and Irish experience. The second focuses on the empirical evidence on the impact of taxes and public spending in Canada and the USA. The third examines methodological issues, looking particularly at Spain and Poland.

Intended for development planners and administrators, energy planners, environmentalists, foresters and conservationists, this book provides a survey of the current, and likely future extent of, biomass energy shortages in Sri Lanka and seeks to identify the most appropriate means by which these might be addressed. Biomass accounts for roughly two-thirds of Sri Lanka's primary energy consumption, and long-term supply capability is being undermined by a fast and accelerating rate of deforestation. The book draws out the lessons to be learned in other parts of the world from Sri Lanka's experience.

This book provides an excellent framework to analyse the experience of a wide variety of successful initiatives across the world and draws attention to critical issues that practitioners need to think about when designing poverty reduction interventions and scaling up. Bill Tod, Regional MDG Adviser, SNV Asia With its wide regional coverage, and frank discussions of issues and problems encountered in designing projects that directly tackle poverty, this will be a very useful reference book for NGOs, INGOs, and also for multilateral institutions. Johanna Boestel, Country Economist, Asian Development Bank, Sri Lanka Resident Mission We are now at the midpoint for achieving the Millennium Development Goals and the objective of halving poverty by 2015. Despite commendable efforts and much progress, up to 750 million people are still living in absolute poverty. To lift these people out of poverty, macro-economic policies must be complemented by targeted and local level poverty reduction. This book looks at twenty of the most innovative case studies of poverty reduction and Millennium Development Goal localization from fifteen countries - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Paraguay, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam - covering diverse issues ranging from housing and tourism to socio-economic empowerment of women, health insurance and markets for livestock produce. Many of the cases started as small scale interventions by NGOs, donors or government pilots but now they are being scaled up to form part of national policy or replicated across their respective countries. Yet why do some work while others do not? What are the stumbling blocks and how can they be overcome? And what lessons and principles are there for replicating and scaling up poverty reduction initiatives worldwide? This book tackles these questions and more, and presents a wealth of knowledge, evidence and ideas for all practitioners and researchers working to reduce poverty at the local level while aiming to achieve a global impact. Published with UNDP

This book is about the gender dimensions of natural resource exploitation and management, with a focus on South and Southeast Asia. It provides an exploration of the uneasy negotiations between theory, policy and practice that are often evident within the realm of gender, environment and natural resource management, especially where gender is understood as a political, negotiated and contested element of social relationships. It offers a critical feminist perspective on gender relations and natural resource management in the context of contemporary policy concerns: decentralized governance, the elimination of poverty and the "mainstreaming" of gender.Through a combination of strong conceptual argument and empirical material from a variety of political economic and ecological context (including Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as South Asia), the book explores gender-environment linkages within shifting configurations of resource access and control. The book will serve as a core resource for students of gender studies and natural resource management, and as supplementary reading for a wide range of disciplines including geography, environmental studies, sociology and development. It will also provide a stimulating collection of ideas for professionals looking to incorporate gender issues within their practice in sustainable development.

Three little known facts: Africa is now the world's fastest growing continent, with average GDP growth of 5.5% the past 10 years. Malaria deaths have declined by 30% and HIV infections by 74%. Nigeria produces more movies than America does.

The Lion Awakes is the true story of today's Africa, one often overshadowed by the dire headlines. Traveling from his ancestral home in Uganda, East Africa, to the booming economy and (if chaotic) new democracies of West Africa, and down to the "Silicon Savannahs" of Kenya and Rwanda, Ashish J. Thakkar shows us an Africa that few Westerners are aware exists. Far from being a place in need of our pity and aid, we see a continent undergoing a remarkable transformation and economic development. We meet a new generation of ambitious, tech savvy young Africans who are developing everything from bamboo bicycles to iPhone Apps; we meet artists, film makers and architects thriving with newfound freedom and opportunity, and we are introduced to hyper-educated members of the Diaspora who have returned to Africa after years abroad to open companies and take up positions in government. They all tell the same story: 21st Century Africa offers them more opportunity than the First World.

Drawing from his business experience, and his own family's history in Africa, which include his parents' expulsion from Uganda by Idi Amin in the 70s and his own survival of the Rwandan genocide in 1994, Ashish shows us how much difference a decade can make.

Access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation is essential for human survival and for maintenance of a decent quality of life. Currently, more than a billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and more than two billion people lack proper sanitation. In 1992, the United Nations proclaimed that water should be considered to be a human right. This position, however, has not been accepted by many developed and developing countries. This book systematically and comprehensively analyzes the legal development of the concept of water as a human right; implications for the national governments, and international and national organizations for the implementation of this concept; progress made in different Middle East and North African countries to provide every individual access to clean water and sanitation, constraints faced to assure universal access to water-related services and how these constraints can be overcome, and an overall research agenda in areas where more knowledge is necessary.

The issue of institutional development has come to prominence during the last decade or so. During this period even the IMF and the World Bank, which used to treat institutions as mere details', have come to emphasise the role of institutions in economic development. However, there are still some important gaps that need to be filled before we can say that we have a good grip on the issue of institutions and economic development, both theoretically and at the policy level. This book is an attempt to fill these gaps. Recognizing the complexity of the issues involved, this book draws together contributions from scholars in economics, history, political science, sociology, public administration and business administration. These experts discuss not only theoretical issues but also a diverse range of real-life institutions political, bureaucratic, fiscal, financial, corporate, legal, social and industrial in the context of dozens of countries across time and space from Britain, Switzerland and the USA to today's Botswana, Brazil and China. The contributors show that there is no simple formula for institutional development. Instead, real-life examples of institutional development which has been achieved through a mixture of deliberate imitation of foreign institutions and local institutional innovations are discussed and studied. While arguing there is no set formula for institutional development, this book will assist developing countries to improve their institutions by providing sophisticated theoretical discussions and helpful policy ideas based on real-life cases.

DO YOU WANT TO MAKE AFRICA A BETTER PLACE IN WHICH TO LIVE IN?

Let Africa's turnround be based on your values that include positive thinking, honesty, integrity, commitment, transparency and accountability and Alfred Latigo explains how each one of us can contribute to making this continent self-reliant and an economic power. Drawn from decades of experience, these insights will challenge you to become proactive in your personal and professional life.

In this helpful handbook that offers a blueprint for a change in perspective, you will learn how to:

-Reject the status quo and press for change
-Invest in education to unlock Africa's potential
-Refuse crisis to become an excuse
-Think big and dare to try in crisis
-Reverse the negative image of Africa
-Disallow the curse and disadvantage complex
-Fight dream killers
-Avoid the dependency syndrome
-Remember the missing link-godly values
-Identify with godly values
-Mainstream godly values in development

Are you seeking practical advice for political and economic success of Africa? Use these principles to unlock Africa's potential and start living quality life that each one of us deserves regardless of our race, colour, tribe, nationality, religion, creed, sex, marital status, age or handicap.

"Alfred Latigo gives you a fascinating and thought provoking story of the state of Africa today. An introspective account on how we may rise to the occasion in meeting the challenges that confront us today. In my humble View, this book clearly validates the point that Africa can only be developed by the people of the continent, taking the lead to liberate themselves from the malaise of poverty, underdevelopment, confiicts, illiteracy and diseases such as Malaria, Tuberculosis and HIV and AIDS. Yes, in our journey to prosperity, we do have a collective duty and responsibility to take bold decisions to enable us meet the challenges of our times and far beyond".

Kenneth D. Kaunda Dr. (GCEZ) FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA

Except in schoolboy jokes, the subject of human waste is rarely aired. We talk about water-related diseases when most are sanitation-related - in short, we don t mention the shit.A century and a half ago, a long, hot summer reduced the Thames flowing past the UK Houses of Parliament to a Great Stink, thereby inducing MPs to legislate sanitary reform. Today, another sanitary reformation is needed, one that manages to spread cheaper and simpler systems to people everywhere.In the byways of the developing world, much is quietly happening on the excretory frontier. In 2008, the International Year of Sanitation, the authors bring this awkward subject to a wider audience than the world of international filth usually commands. They seek the elimination of the Great Distaste so that people without political clout or economic muscle can claim their right to a dignified and hygienic place to go .Published with UNICEF

ICTs have the potential to make a huge impact on developing countries. Not only can ICTs be used to integrate rural communities into wider economic and social development, but digital technologies can also be used to enhance and preserve the knowledge and culture of rural communities. Cases on Developing Countries and ICT Integration: Rural Community Development pools together experts experiences on ICT integration in rural community development within the context of developing countries. The technology they used is described, analyzed, and synthesized in order to offer solutions for successful application. This premier reference source is ideal for community development workers, social workers, scholars, researchers, and policy makers interested in ICTs for community development.

Written by an expert in energy business who has been invited to G20/B20 taskforces Covers the latest developments in smart cities, green transport, and carbon solutions Each chapter features practical strategies alongside international examples and case studies

The procurement or manufacture of wheel and axle assemblies is a major problem for rural workshops involved in production of non-motorized vehicles. The scarcity of these components restricts the supply of low-cost vehicles to rural communities.

This volume provides comprehensive updated coverage of inequality and poverty issues in China. Some of the methodologies developed herein are published for the first time and may be used in other contexts and for other countries. The use of different data sources and state-of-art research techniques ensures that the findings and conclusions can be substantiated and that the policy recommendations are reliable and robust. Contributors to this volume are renowned experts in their respective areas, including, notably, Justin Lin, Xing Meng, Kai-yuen Tsui, and Guanghua Wan. For these reasons, those with an interest in income distribution in general and China's development in particular, will find this volume essential reading.
Rapidly rising inequality in China has contributed to the sluggishness of domestic demand and emerging poverty. It has thus exerted considerable pressure for commodity exports and represents a root cause of increased trade disputes. These have profound ramifications for the US, EU, and other economies, and the international business community. Consequently, economists and sociologists, among others, are increasingly focused upon inequality and poverty issues in China and relevant policy implications.
This volume, arising from a two-year UNU-WIDER project, addresses issues that include the inequality-growth relationship, regional/personal variation in incomes and human well-being such as education, the determinants of inequality and poverty or their changes, gaps in innovation capability, and the role played by China's development strategies in affecting inequality.

This book explores the role of law and policy in circular economy transitions and their impacts on justice, including on distributional equity and recognition and procedural rights, especially for people already marginalised under the current dominant economic system. Amid increasing demand for virgin raw materials, and unsustainable consumption and waste disposal that are driving the global ecological and climate crisis, there are growing calls to urgently transition to circular economies. Despite an increasing number of circular approaches being adopted, implemented, and integrated in national and local laws and policies, the number of commercially successful business stories remains isolated. Moreover, questions about whether circular economy laws and policies are delivering fair and just global outcomes need to be addressed. This book examines this significant knowledge gap to understand legal experiences, including justice and equity issues in the global context, so that these can inform wider design and implementation. The book begins by explaining the concept of a circular economy and its context within wider issues of sustainable development and justice. The first part of the book then examines the legal context of the circular economy by analysing legal forms in practice and those recommended in wider scholarship before considering how these could impact on existing inequity and injustices globally. The second part delivers an empirical understanding of the implications of the law on circular economy approaches and the global equity and justice dimensions through two case studies on solid waste management and forestry. The final part addresses legal opportunities and challenges for wider implementation of circular economy approaches that incorporate justice into its framing. This book will be of great interest to students, scholars, and practitioners of environmental and natural resource law and policy, circular economy, industrial ecology, natural resource management, and sustainable development more broadly.

The result of major research on development, security and culture, this collection, and second volume "Sustainable Development in a Globalized World," outlines the emerging field of global studies and the theoretical approach of global social theory. It considers social relations and the need for intercultural dialogue to respect "the other."

This book, co-published with the UN's Dept of Economic and Social Affairs, offers a critical appraisal of the conventional measures and analysis of poverty as well as of poverty reduction policies. It is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. Despite greater efforts in reducing poverty since the early 1980s, poverty remains stubbornly high in many parts of the world. This collection argues that the mainstream perspectives on poverty and deprivation have contributed to considerable distortion and misunderstanding and that is not unrelated to ineffectual policy perscriptions. In particular it highlights the World Bank's dollar-a-day measure of poverty and exposes the inadequacies of Bretton Woods-inspired poverty reduction programmes.

The situation of disabled people provides a microcosm of the whole development debate and process. Disabled people are oppressed and marginalised in every country of the world, both North and South. Their lives are constrained by social attitudes which stem from fear and prejudice. By probing these prejudices and studying cases where they have been overcome, we gain an insight into the processes of liberation and empowerment that lie at the heart of any development message.

* One of the first critiques of participatory design processes that are currently the fashion in design and business * highlights political, social and methodological obstacles when designers turn to design thinking, participation and "living labs" * uses global examples to introduce a more critical and post-colonial perspective on participation and social innovation throughout the book

Tackling issues surrounding post-development which is arguably one of the most significant debates in the field of north-south relations at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Contributors explore the possibilities and limitations of post-development theory and practice drawing on empirical studies of movements and communities in several continents.

M. Riad El-Ghonemy argues that if current trends in government-led and market based land reforms persist the rural poor population in developing countries will continue to rise. Based on nearly half a century of academic and field research this valuable work presents compelling evidence on persistent rural poverty, hunger and increased inequality in developing countries over the last thirty years. The book furthers the debate with sixteen detailed case studies and looks beyond the typical views of the roles of the state and the market on land reform. The Crisis of Rural Poverty and Hunger contains comprehensive case studies including countries such as China, Korea and Honduras provides bases for discussions of government-mandated land reform, pro-active participation of NGOs and facilitated functions of the market mechanism. This book is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students interested in the fields of rural and agricultural development, development economics and geography.