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Books > Reference & Interdisciplinary > Interdisciplinary studies > Development studies
Since the end of the cold war, civil wars and state violence have escalated, resulting in thousands of deaths. This book provides a toolbox for donors, international agencies, and developing countries to prevent humanitarian emergencies. The emphasis is on long-term development policies rather than mediation or reconstruction after the conflict ensues. Policies include democratization, reforming institutions, strengthening civil society, improving the state's administrative capability, agrarian reform, accelerating economic growth through stabilization and adjustment, reducing inequalities, and redesigning aid to be more stable.
'Ann and Robert Seidman have written an invaluabe theoretical (and practical) guide for those concerned with the role of the state in development.'- Bereket Habte Selassie, Professor of African Studies, Howard University 'State and Law in the Development Process is a scholarly work and essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students taking courses on the Third World, its history and development. It provides an excellent bibliography and analysis which sets out the fundamentals of research into the future development of the Third World. Expertly written, it embodies a research methodology which is linked to a theoretical perspective.' - John F. McEldowney, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Warwick The post-1945 collapse of colonialism and the emergence of new nationalist governments seemed to promise plenty for all third-world peoples. Four decades later, those promises lay in shards. This book proposes a theory to explain the failure of third-world states to transform the institutions that produce poverty and powerlessness for the mass of the population. Based on that theory, it proposes a methodology designed to facilitate the democratic exercise of state power through law to empower third world peoples to play an effective role in building a peaceful world of plenty for all.
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.
Infrastructure development projects are set to continue into the next century as developing country governments seek to manage population growth, urbanization and industrialization. The contributions in this volume raise many questions about 'development' and 'progress' in the late twentieth century. What is revealed are the enormous problems and disastrous affects which continue to accompany displacement operations in many countries, which raise the ever more urgent question of whether the benefits of infrastructure development justify or outweigh the pain of the radical disruption of peoples lives, exacerbated by the fact that, with some notable exceptions, there has been a lack of official recognition on the part of governments and international agencies that development-induced displacement is a problem at all. This important volume addresses the issues and shows just how serious the situation is.
The crucible of innovation in wildlife and habitat conservation is in southern Africa where it has co-evolved with decolonization, political transformation and the rise of development, ownership, management and livelihood debates. Charting this innovation, early chapters of this volume deal with the traditional 'fines and fences' conservation that occurred in the colonial and early post-independence period, with subsequent sections focussing on the experimentation and innovation that occurred on private and communal land as a result of the break from these traditional methods. The final section deals with more recent innovations in the sector, focussing on building and strengthening the relationships between parks and society. Importantly, the book provides a data-rich summary of experimentation with more inclusive models of conservation in terms of ecological, social, political and economic indicators. Published with the Southern African Sustainable Use Specialist Group (SASUSG) of IUCN.
As the growth of the world's population requires the continued search for residential space, the urbanization of natural lands is an inevitable process, but that process does not have to be one that is accomplished without regard for environmental quality. This book presents the unique perspective of naturbanization, the urbanization of protected and highly valued natural spaces that are geographically removed from current urban centers. It discusses the search and selection of new residential spaces, economic planning and policy in such areas, environmentally sensitive construction, and public investment in infrastructure to make the areas more accessible and habitable. Specifically, the book analyzes naturbanization as it is occurring in National Parks located along the European Union borders. Recent declarations have made the parks more accessible to development and consequently they are serving as models for ways to reach workable solutions and encourage the sort of economic development that will satisfy both developers and environmentalists
Assessing the vulnerability of human populations to global environmental change, particularly climate change, is now the main imperative of research and international action. However, much of the research into vulnerability is not designed to feed directly into decision making and policy, creating a gap between the knowledge created by researchers and what is required by decision makers. This book seeks to rectify this problem and bridge the gap. It discusses vulnerability as the central theme and brings together many different applications from disaster studies, climate change impact studies and several other fields and provides the most comprehensive synthesis of definitions, theories, formalization and applications to date, illustrated with examples from different disciplines, regions and periods, and from local through to regional, national and international levels. Case study topics cover sea level rise, vulnerability to changes in ecosystem services, assessing the vulnerability of human health and 'double exposure' to climate change and trade liberalization amongst other issues. Research outcomes stress that science-policy dialogues must be transparent to be effective and concentrate on a mutual understanding of the concepts used. A key research finding is that the most useful information for decision makers is that which shows the separate causes and drivers of vulnerability, rather than presenting vulnerability in an aggregated form. The book concludes with a unifying framework for analysing integrated methodologies of vulnerability assessment and guiding how research and policy can be linked to reduce vulnerability.
Scholars have become increasingly concerned about the impact of neo-liberalism on the field of development. Governments around the world have for some time been exposed to the forces of globalization and macro-economic reform, reflecting the power and influence of the world's principal international economic institutions and a broader commitment to the principles of neo-classical economics and free trade. Concerns have also been raised that neo-classical theory now dominates the ways in which scholars frame and ask their questions in the field of development. This book is about the ways in which ideologies shape the construction of knowledge for development. A central theme concerns the impact of neo-liberalism on contemporary development theory and research. The book's main objectives are twofold. One is to understand the ways in which neo-liberalism has framed and defined the 'meta-theoretical' aims and assumptions of what is deemed relevant, important and appropriate to the study of development. A second is to explore the theoretical and ideological terms on which an alternative to neo-classical theory may be theorized, idealized and pursued. By tracing the impact of Marxism, postmodernism and liberalism on the study of development, Arresting Development contends that development has become increasingly fragmented in terms of the theories and methodologies it uses to understand and explain complex and contextually-specific processes of economic development and social change. Outside of neo-classical economics (and related fields of rational choice), the notion that social science can or should aim to develop general and predictive theories about development has become mired in a philosophical and political orientation that questions the ability of scholars to make universal or comparative statements about the nature of history, cultural diversity and progress. To advance the debate, a case is made that development needs to re-capture what the American sociologist Peter Evans once called the 'comparative institutional method.' At the heart of this approach is an inductive methodology that searches for commonalities and connections to broader historical trends and problems while at the same time incorporating divergent and potentially competing views about the nature of history, culture and development. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of Development, Social and Political Studies and it will also be beneficial to professionals interested in the challenge of constructing "knowledge for development."
In 2005, The United Nations launched its Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, which recognises that education, including Higher Education is the key to the change in social attitudes that will be needed to protect the welfare of future generations. This involves helping learners to live as though the future matters and to achieve ecoliteracy. This includes the understanding that personal lifestyle decisions may have consequences, ranging from climate change, through loss of biodiversity, to pollution and resource depletion that may permit environmental degradation on a planetary scale. It also involves helping them to develop the skills needed to cope with such challenges. This international collection of research papers and position statements from special issues of the Journal of Geography in Higher Education and Applied Environmental Education and Communication, written by many of the leading practitioners in the field, aims to provide resources and practical guidance for all seeking to promote and engage in education for a sustainable future. Rabindranath Tagore encouraged each learner to make their actions demonstrate a harmonious union between education and environment. David Orr argued that the world needs people who live well in their places to make the world both habitable and humane and that the main challenge for education is to help learners make their minds fit for life on Earth. This book tries to chart a practical route towards these objectives. This book was previously published as special issues of the Journal of Geography in Higher Education and Applied Environmental Education and Communication
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 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
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.
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.
The media plays an intricate role in the political economy of developing nations as it conveys the social issues and impacts of a government's legislation and policy. However, information is often miscommunicated or biased in emergent economies as media owners often tailor news and advertisements to promote their own agendas rather than meet the needs of citizens. Political Influence of the Media in Developing Countries analyzes the use and structure of media in political forums in developing nations. Featuring research on the effects of the media on news consumption and the professional and ethical difficulties journalists and editors face in the dissemination of political messages, this publication is an essential reference source for policy makers, academicians, politicians, students, and researchers interested in the adoption of various media formats used to promote the political environment and civic engagement within developing countries.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
This key text brings together a team of leading contributors to address the complex issues of security reconciliation and reconstruction in post conflict societies. Security, Reconstruction and Reconciliation is organized into four main sections: the social, political, and economic dimensions of conflict the impact of conflict on women and children reconstruction and past human rights violations disarmament, demobilization, reintegration, post-war reconstruction and the building of a capable state and the role of the international community in the peace process. The chapters offer a detailed and succinct exposition of the challenges facing post conflict societies by articulating the vision of a new society. With a foreword by Francis Deng, the UN Secretary General's Special Representative on Internally Displaced Persons, the authors discuss the issues in the context of possible solutions and lessons learnt in the field. This new book is a valuable resource for researchers, policy makers and students in the fields of conflict resolution, security studies, law and development.
Systemic change is required move to a circular economy (CE) model which can meet the demands of a growing population in a manner that is decoupled from resource use and waste generation. This book takes a deep dive into the innovation aspect of the circular economy (CE), with a specific focus on India as a geography, where the transformation to a circular economy is underway. How a developing country like India is tackling the complexities in the transformation and creating innovative solutions is showcased in this book through many practical examples and inspirational case studies. The book lays the foundations for mainstreaming Resource Efficiency (RE) / CE in India, and covers innovation led by businesses and start-ups, along with innovative policies, financing and collaborative models required to spur and accelerate circular economy approaches and provides linkages to the international context. Features: * Provides insight into role of innovation in circular economy transition. * Helps to develop and facilitate adoption of resource efficiency policy and strategy with particular focus on key resource sectors and waste streams. * Treats circular economy as a holistic approach across the entire lifecycle, and places emphasis on upstream interventions and systems change. * Examines current context of COVID19 and its impact on circular economy models and practices. * Touches upon how the EU-based approach was adapted and contextualized significantly to work in the unique Indian landscape. This book is aimed at students, researchers and professionals in circular economy, sustainability, business innovation, environmental studies, natural resources management, environmental and resource conservation policy. |
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