This book deals with the economics of establishing a frontier by conquest or by peaceful settlement, the costs involved, and the optimum extension of the territory. The opening chapters discuss the most relevant literature about frontiers - conceptual, theoretical and empirical - and introduce the fundamental theoretical model for extending frontiers which is drawn on throughout the book. The authors use this theoretical apparatus by applying it to a number of historical cases. These include the division of the European territory between the Byzantine Empire, Islam and Western Europe, the creation and expansion of the Mongol Empire, the impact of the Black Death, the European discovery of the New World, the staples trade from 1870-1914, and the rise and fall of banditry in Brazil. The Economics of the Frontier brings together a collection of essays which explore how economically optimal frontiers were founded from sixth-century Europe through to twentieth-century Brazil.

Haiti is a country which, until the earthquake of 2010, remained largely outside the focus of world interest and outside the important international historical currents during its existence as a free nation. The nineteenth century was the decisive period in Haitian history, serving to shape the class structure, the political tradition and the economic system. During most of this period, Haiti had little contact with both its immediate neighbours and the industrialised nations of the world, which led to the development of Haiti as a peasant nation. This title, first published in 1979, examines the factors responsible for the poverty of the Haitian peasant, by using both traditional economic models as well as a multidisciplinary approach incorporating economics and other branches of social science. The analysis deals primarily with the Haitian peasant economy from the early 1950s to the early 1970s, examining in depth the explanations for the secular tendency of rural per capita incomes to decline during this period.

Haiti is a country which, until the earthquake of 2010, remained largely outside the focus of world interest and outside the important international historical currents during its existence as a free nation. The nineteenth century was the decisive period in Haitian history, serving to shape the class structure, the political tradition and the economic system. During most of this period, Haiti had little contact with both its immediate neighbours and the industrialised nations of the world, which led to the development of Haiti as a peasant nation. This title, first published in 1979, examines the factors responsible for the poverty of the Haitian peasant, by using both traditional economic models as well as a multidisciplinary approach incorporating economics and other branches of social science. The analysis deals primarily with the Haitian peasant economy from the early 1950s to the early 1970s, examining in depth the explanations for the secular tendency of rural per capita incomes to decline during this period.

Agriculture is at the centre of the economies of many developing countries, and its stagnation and poor performance across large parts of Africa is a major cause for concern. First published in 1990, this book focuses on the nature and role of incentives in agricultural organization and production in East Africa, looking in particular at the political and ideological determinants of that role. Mats Lundahl analyses ways of improving agricultural performance, and considers the African socialism of Julius Nyerere in contrast with the market-led approaches, which he favours. A detailed title, this volume will of interest to all those concerned with the issues of rural development, including students of development studies, economics, and African studies. "

Knut Wicksell is arguably the greatest Swedish social scientist of all time, and poverty was a theme that occupied him all his life. Indeed, it was probably Wicksell's interest in poverty that was the critical factor in drawing him away from his purely mathematical background towards a greater understanding of the social sciences as a whole. In this outstanding volume, Mats Lundahl, one of the world's leading development economists, examines Wicksell's thinking in the area of poverty, and shows the importance of his contributions to this field.

Poverty in Contemporary Economic Thought aims to describe and critically examine how economic thought deals with poverty, including its causes, consequences, reduction and abolition. This edited volume traces the ideas of key writers and schools of modern economic thought across a significant period, ranging from Friedrich Hayek and Keynes to latter-day economists like Amartya Sen and Angus Deaton. The chapters relate poverty to income distribution, asserting the point that poverty is not always conceived of in absolute terms but that relative and social deprivation matters also. Furthermore, the contributors deal with both individual poverty and the poverty of nations in the context of the international economy. In providing such a thorough exploration, this book shows that the approach to poverty differs from economist to economist depending on their particular interests and the main issues related to poverty in each epoch, as well as the influence of the intellectual climate that prevailed at the time when the contribution was made. This key text is valuable reading for advanced students and researchers of the history of economic thought, economic development and the economics of poverty.

This book examines Gunnar Myrdal's analysis of poverty in relation to Sweden, the United States, South Asia, and the international economy. The chapters investigate Mrydal's methodological development and his focus on the principle of circular and cummulative causation, dynamic economic analysis, institutional frameworks, value premises, and social engineering. The challenge of world poverty, the international dimension of poverty, and the legacy of The American Dilemma and Asian Drama are also discussed. This book aims to explore the development of Myrdal's analysis of poverty during his life. It will be relevant to students and academics interested in the history of economic thought, development economics, the political economy, and labor economics.

Poverty in the History of Economic Thought: From Mercantilism to Neoclassical Economics aims to describe and critically examine how economic thought deals with poverty and the poor, including its causes, consequences, reduction, and abolition. This edited volume traces the economic ideas of key writers and schools of thought across a significant period, ranging from Adam Smith and Malthus through to Wicksell, Cassel, and Heckscher. The chapters relate poverty to income distribution, asserting that poverty is not always conceived of in absolute terms, and that relative and social deprivation matter also. Furthermore, the contributors deal with both individual poverty and the poverty of nations in the context of international economy. By providing such a thorough exploration, this book shows that the approach to poverty differs from economist to economist, depending on their particular interests and the main issues related to poverty in each epoch, as well as the influence of the intellectual climate that prevailed at the time when the contribution was made. This key text is valuable reading for advanced students and researchers of the history of economic thought, economic development, and the economics of poverty.

This book explores the development of economic thought in Sweden through some of the people who shaped it. The book highlights both some of the well-known contributions and some overlooked areas of research. It begins with the origins of the pioneer neoclassical Heckscher-Ohlin theorem and Gunnar Myrdal 's circular, cumulative approach to economic development. Secondly, it focuses on a number of economists related to the Industrial Institute of Economic and Social Research: Ingvar Svennilson, Axel Iveroth, Jan Wallander, Erik Hoeoek, Villy Bergstroem and Rolf Henriksson. Finally, it offers portraits of three economists from Lund University: Bo Soedersten, Ingemar Stahl and Goete Hansson. The work of all of them is placed within the context of the contemporary academic and public economic debate. This book aims at providing a perspective on the legacy of the Swedish tradition in economics and will be relevant to students and academics interested in the history of economic thought.

New Directions in Development Economics is divided into two parts. The first half considers the dilemna of growth with special reference to its environmental cost. The second half focuses on the role of the state in the context of the growing dominance of the free market argument. The contributors include Paul Collier, Partha Dasgupta, Ronald Findlay and Deepak Lal.

Poverty in Contemporary Economic Thought aims to describe and critically examine how economic thought deals with poverty, including its causes, consequences, reduction and abolition. This edited volume traces the ideas of key writers and schools of modern economic thought across a significant period, ranging from Friedrich Hayek and Keynes to latter-day economists like Amartya Sen and Angus Deaton. The chapters relate poverty to income distribution, asserting the point that poverty is not always conceived of in absolute terms but that relative and social deprivation matters also. Furthermore, the contributors deal with both individual poverty and the poverty of nations in the context of the international economy. In providing such a thorough exploration, this book shows that the approach to poverty differs from economist to economist depending on their particular interests and the main issues related to poverty in each epoch, as well as the influence of the intellectual climate that prevailed at the time when the contribution was made. This key text is valuable reading for advanced students and researchers of the history of economic thought, economic development and the economics of poverty.

Poverty in the History of Economic Thought: From Mercantilism to Neoclassical Economics aims to describe and critically examine how economic thought deals with poverty and the poor, including its causes, consequences, reduction, and abolition. This edited volume traces the economic ideas of key writers and schools of thought across a significant period, ranging from Adam Smith and Malthus through to Wicksell, Cassel, and Heckscher. The chapters relate poverty to income distribution, asserting that poverty is not always conceived of in absolute terms, and that relative and social deprivation matter also. Furthermore, the contributors deal with both individual poverty and the poverty of nations in the context of international economy. By providing such a thorough exploration, this book shows that the approach to poverty differs from economist to economist, depending on their particular interests and the main issues related to poverty in each epoch, as well as the influence of the intellectual climate that prevailed at the time when the contribution was made. This key text is valuable reading for advanced students and researchers of the history of economic thought, economic development, and the economics of poverty.

This book, written by two leading Swedish economists and first published in 1984, constitutes a threefold contribution to the expanding field of economic discrimination. In the first place, it summarizes different approaches to the economics of discrimination, from the beginning of the British debate on equal pay in the 1890s onwards. Secondly, the book contains analytical chapters that, taking the theory originated by Gary Becker as their point of departure, critique and develop the Beckerian theory in a number of ways; in particular, the phenomenon known as crowding is investigated in different models. Finally, the theories thus developed are applied to a concrete case of discrimination: that of apartheid in South Africa. This is a fascinating title that will be of value to any economics students researching the development of discrimination theory during the twentieth-century in particular.

A major problem for less developed countries is to make their primary sectors sufficiently profitable in order to be able to build up manufacturing and service sectors. This edited collection, first published in 1985, examines the nature of the primary sector and its role in economic development. Chapters consider problems of stagnation and income distribution in such countries as Chile and Brazil; trade in national primary products and exports in Africa and the Middle East; and reform and policies of development in countries such as Peru. An interesting volume with an international scope, this title will be of value to economics students with a particular interest in the role of the primary sector in developing economies.

Haiti is a very poor country with a stagnant economy. This title, first published in 1983, considers the Haitian economy, placing it in its historical context, and explores the reasons why it has performed so badly. Mats Lundahl examines agriculture, which has failed to provide an adequate standard of living, analyses the structure of agricultural production, and explains why the land is so unproductive. Lundahl analyses why technology in agriculture is so underdeveloped and argues that no government since 1820 has been seriously interested in fostering economic development, since vested interest consistently intervenes to discourage new projects.

Haiti, one of the least developed and most vulnerable nations in the Western Hemisphere, made the international headlines in January 2010 when an earthquake destroyed the capital, Port-au-Prince. More than a year later, little reconstruction has taken place, in spite of a strong international funding commitment. Mats Lundahl has written several seminal works on Haiti, and this volume brings together the best of his past work on Haiti's economic and political history, along with a comprehensive introduction and two new chapters which bring the story right up to the present day. Together, the volume provides both historical background and explanation as to why Haiti was so badly affected by the earthquake, and to why reconstruction efforts have been ineffective this far. Lundahl argues that the two main causes can found in the interaction between the growth of the population and the destruction of the arable soil on the one hand, and in the creation of a predatory state during the nineteenth century, which still exists to this day. This book provides a comprehensive analysis, which charts these themes from the time of the arrival of Columbus in the island in 1492, to the present day. The book also deals with contemporary market and policy failures, as well as the crucial recent elections, and considers the path ahead for this impoverished nation. This book will be of huge relevance and interest not only to students and researchers in economic history, but also for all those working on development economics, development studies and American and Caribbean Studies more generally.

It is a major problem for less developed countries to make their primary sectors sufficiently profitable in order to be able to build up their manufacturing and service sectors. This edited collection, first published in 1985, examines the nature of the primary sector and its role in economic development. Chapters consider problems of stagnation and income distribution in such countries as Chile and Brazil; trade in national primary products and exports in Africa and the Middle East; and reform and policies of development in countries such as Peru. An interesting volume with an international scope, this title will be of value to economics students with a particular interest in the role of the primary sector in developing economies.

Haiti is a very poor country with a stagnant economy. This title, first published in 1983, considers the Haitian economy, placing it in its historical context, and explores the reasons why it has performed so badly. Mats Lundahl examines agriculture, which has failed to provide an adequate standard of living, analyses the structure of agricultural production, and explains why the land is so unproductive. Lundahl analyses why technology in agriculture is so underdeveloped and argues that no government since 1820 has been seriously interested in fostering economic development, since vested interest consistently intervenes to discourage new projects.

This book, written by two leading Swedish economists and first published in 1984, constitutes a threefold contribution to the expanding field of economic discrimination. In the first place, it summarizes different approaches to the economics of discrimination, from the beginning of the British debate on equal pay in the 1890s onwards. Secondly, the book contains analytical chapters that, taking the theory originated by Gary Becker as their point of departure, critique and develop the Beckerian theory in a number of ways; in particular, the phenomenon known as crowding is investigated in different models. Finally, the theories thus developed are applied to a concrete case of discrimination: that of apartheid in South Africa. This is a fascinating title that will be of value to any economics students researching the development of discrimination theory during the twentieth century in particular.

Economists have moved in recent years beyond analyzing the manner in which the macroeconomies of different countries function and prescribing appropriate policies for dealing with domestic and external imbalances. Increasingly, they have sought to understand the complex interaction between political and economic phenomena. This book considers issues of economic reform in a broad range of settings: * developed countries * transition countries * developing countries Using country specific cases such as Uzbekistan, Burma and Haiti, it focuses on those territories which have encountered problems reforming, allowing the reader to gain an accurate understanding of the factors that inhibit the success of economic reform, the different context in which economic reform is attempted, and the different challenges that individual countries face. An international team of contributors including Bo Soedersten, Deepak Lal and Ron Findlay have been brought together to analyze these topical issues, making this an informative and thought-provoking book, of interest to those involved in the field of development studies.

First published in 1999, the essays collected in the present volume derive from an interest in South Africa and its economy which goes back to the early 1970s and were written between 1994 and 1999. The intention is to follow how the debate on the South African economy has evolved since the fall of the apartheid regime. Issues discussed include the South African economy after apartheid and whether the new South African economy is ultimately experienced growth or stagnation.

First published in 1998, this collection of essays deals with four different areas of international economics: the theory of international trade, trade and development, protectionism and factor movements (notably migration and foreign aid). These themes explore the determinants of trade patterns, the relation between these patterns and those of underdevelopment and development, the failure of protectionism to increase welfare and, finally, the impact of emigration on the source country and that of foreign aid on the recipient country.

Economists have moved in recent years beyond analyzing the manner in which the macroeconomies of different countries function and prescribing appropriate policies for dealing with domestic and external imbalances. Increasingly, they have sought to understand the complex interaction between political and economic phenomena. This book considers issues of economic reform in a broad range of settings: * developed countries * transition countries * developing countries Using country specific cases such as Uzbekistan, Burma and Haiti, it focuses on those territories which have encountered problems reforming, allowing the reader to gain an accurate understanding of the factors that inhibit the success of economic reform, the different context in which economic reform is attempted, and the different challenges that individual countries face. An international team of contributors including Bo Soedersten, Deepak Lal and Ron Findlay have been brought together to analyze these topical issues, making this an informative and thought-provoking book, of interest to those involved in the field of development studies.

First published in 1998, this collection of essays deals with four different areas of international economics: the theory of international trade, trade and development, protectionism and factor movements (notably migration and foreign aid). These themes explore the determinants of trade patterns, the relation between these patterns and those of underdevelopment and development, the failure of protectionism to increase welfare and, finally, the impact of emigration on the source country and that of foreign aid on the recipient country.

This book is concerned with the problem of achieving sustained economic growth in thirteen African countries. These are divided into three groups: the war stricken economics (Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Ethiopia and Eritrea), the reform strugglers (Kenya, Cape Verde, Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe) and the growth seekers (Uganda, South Africa and Lesotho). Virtually all of these countries have gone through a structural adjustment program designed to remove imperfections that make it difficult for the market system to work in an optimal fashion. This title reviews these experiences.