This book approaches the issue of rural-urban inequality through fieldwork conducted in a specific township (Zuogang) in Qinggang County, part of Heilongjiang Province in northeastern China. Presenting painstaking fieldwork in a single location, it successfully illuminates fundamental aspects of the reality and the complexity of rural-urban inequality that cannot be found in macro-level studies, most of which are prepared by economists. The book offers a unique combination of rigorous economic analysis with insightful social and anthropological analysis, as well as revealing interviews with local government officials. This approach provides a rich tapestry of rural perceptions of rural-urban inequality. With in-depth analysis and empirical evidence on questions concerning the development and root causes of urban-rural disparities, the book significantly enriches our understanding of the widely discussed issue of rural-urban income inequality, but from the unique perspective of rural China.

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.

Rules, Rubrics and Riches highlights the limitations of existing approaches to understanding the relationship of the law to the process of development. It interrogates neoclassical economic thinking that draws on the narrow rubric of self-interest to understand the acquisition of riches. It takes issue with both the traditional 'law and development' movement, that was unable to shake colonial overtones, and the more recent 'law and economics' school that continues to emphasise the centrality of rational man at the micro level and the superiority of linear models of economic progress at the macro level. Written as an analysis of and commentary on the contribution of the law to international development, using legal cases and development trajectories in China, India and Malaysia, the book makes the case that individuals do not operate in a vacuum but rather within the social contexts of larger human structures such as family, community and nation. Rules, Rubrics and Riches is distinctive in the view that demanding equality for the individual is inappropriate if this occurs without looking at the broader context of the need for equity: within families, communities and nations. The book offers a new frame for 'law and development' thinking that point to a new set of rules, using a broader rubrics to ensure a sustainable accumulation of riches. It will be of interest to students and scholars working in the fields of law and development, development studies and international and comparative law.

The Millennium Development Goals aim to achieve basic education for all by 2015. But can such global agendas address national and local gender inequalities and will they empower women through education?

This thought-provoking book offers an opportunity to engage critically with existing and emergent conceptual frameworks and methodological approaches to this global debate. It is divided into three sections that:

reconceptualise the definitions of gender equality used by various social scientific disciplines, international organisations and policy makers;

illustrate the methodologies used to collect the voices of young men and women and their teachers telling stories of their success in lifting the burdens of poverty and negotiating traditional gender relations;

trace the impact of global gender agendas on national education policies, such as citizenship education, poverty reduction strategies, and feminist activism around adult women s learning.

Gender Education and Equality in a Global Context is an invaluable introduction to the range of conceptual frameworks and innovative research methods that address issues of gender education and 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.

The Millennium Development Goals aim to achieve basic education for all by 2015. But can such global agendas address national and local gender inequalities and will they empower women through education? This thought-provoking book offers an opportunity to engage critically with existing and emergent conceptual frameworks and methodological approaches to this global debate. It is divided into three sections that: reconceptualise the definitions of gender equality used by various social scientific disciplines, international organisations and policy makers; illustrate the methodologies used to collect the voices of young men and women and their teachers telling stories of their success in lifting the burdens of poverty and negotiating traditional gender relations; trace the impact of global gender agendas on national education policies, such as citizenship education, poverty reduction strategies, and feminist activism around adult women's learning. Gender Education and Equality in a Global Context is an invaluable introduction to the range of conceptual frameworks and innovative research methods that address issues of gender education and development.

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.