P.B. Anand argues that if water supply and sanitation were mainly problems of technology or financial resources, they would have been resolved long ago. While appreciating that technology and finances are important, he ascertains that there are many other factors affecting our ability to intervene and improve the effectiveness of policies. The author explores these factors, raising questions such as 'How is water scarcity defined?', 'Are there patterns that indicate how nations use available freshwater resources?', 'Does water shortage make nations use water more efficiently?', and 'What explains the variation in progress with regard to Millennium Development Goals related to water and sanitation?'. Other important themes examined include: * availability and use of water resources * inequality in access to water * the role of institutions and policies * access to water and sanitation * river water agreements and disputes * consumer perspectives and water utility management. Underpinned by international datasets and national- and local-level case studies based on primary research, the study identifies issues for policy and further research. As such, it will provide a fascinating and stimulating read for researchers, students and academics with an interest in water economics and public policy. Practitioners focusing on water management, sustainable development, water supply and health will also find this b

The capability approach is a versatile framework rooted on issues of justice and multidimensional assessment of quality of life developed in the 1980s as an alternative approach to prevailing mainstream development ideas focused narrowly on economic development. Most closely associated with the work of Amartya Sen, it has become of great interest to development scholars from a variety of different disciplines. Much has already been done exploring the conceptual foundations of the capability approach and discussing Sen's contribution to the field, but few books have explored the links between social choice (another field with rich contributions by Sen) and human development issues. Featuring many of the world's leading experts on social choice theory and capability indicators, Social Choice, Agency, Inclusiveness and Capabilities combines these interrelated themes into one volume and fully explores the relevance of social choice to human development.

For over three decades, the capability approach proposed and developed by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum has had a distinct impact on development theories and approaches because it goes beyond an economic conception of development and engages with the normative aspects of development. This book explores the new frontiers of the capability approach and its links to human development in three main areas. First, it delves into the philosophical foundations of the approach, re-examining its links to concepts of common good, collective agency and epistemic diversity. Secondly, it addresses its 'operational frontier', aiming to give inclusive explanations of some of the most advanced methods available for capability researchers. Thirdly, it offers a wide range of the applications of this approach, as carried out by a mix of renowned capability scholars and researchers from different disciplines. This broad interdisciplinary range includes the areas of human and sustainable development, inequalities, labour markets, education, special needs, cities, urban planning, housing, social capital and happiness studies, among others.

Ever since Jim O'Neill at Goldman Sachs coined the term BRICS in 2001 there have been many different assessments of these major emerging economies, with some even proclaiming that the promise of the BRICS (comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) is over. However, the so called 'arranged marriage' still seems to be working well, with the club having become a formal international forum, with summit declarations, ministerial meetings, and numerous BRICS-wide fora. Is this euphoria misplaced? Is there a BRICS model of economic and human development? Are inequalities increasing and is this the denouncement of the economic successes? Are geo-political tensions rising between these nations? During the post COVID-19 situation, the importance of bilateral and multilateral co-operation mechanisms and institutions is becoming clear. This book focuses on one such emerging co-operation mechanism of BRICS but also more widely on those five countries and other similar economies. As a global depression looms large, global economic recovery depends on the performance of not only its largest economies but also many other important and significant economies within the so called G20 group. Even prior to the COVID-19 outbreak multilateral institutions have been under considerable strain, as with the relationship between the United States of America and China, and risks to global economic recovery appear very real. This book brings together multi-disciplinary perspectives from over sixty scholars and it presents a comprehensive and deep dive into the BRICS and emerging economies and into an understanding the political, economic, and social contexts that can help in designing approaches for recovery and regaining the last momentum in the journey towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

For over three decades, the capability approach proposed and developed by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum has had a distinct impact on development theories and approaches because it goes beyond an economic conception of development and engages with the normative aspects of development. This book explores the new frontiers of the capability approach and its links to human development in three main areas. First, it delves into the philosophical foundations of the approach, re-examining its links to concepts of common good, collective agency and epistemic diversity. Secondly, it addresses its 'operational frontier', aiming to give inclusive explanations of some of the most advanced methods available for capability researchers. Thirdly, it offers a wide range of the applications of this approach, as carried out by a mix of renowned capability scholars and researchers from different disciplines. This broad interdisciplinary range includes the areas of human and sustainable development, inequalities, labour markets, education, special needs, cities, urban planning, housing, social capital and happiness studies, among others.