Fifteen reports describe the findings and accomplishments of the NATO/CCMS Pilot Study on International Information Exchange on Dioxins and Related Compounds, which began May 1985, in Brussels, Belgium, and concluded April 1988, in Berlin, Germany. Working groups report on exposure and hazard assess

It is hardly possible to overrate the Pacific Basin in its economic and political importance. Currently, it is one of the economic regions with the highest dynamic growth throughout the world. Economically this region is sometimes considered to be the future centre of the world econom- often with reference to well-known authors such as Arnold Toynbee and Herman Kahn who predicted the inevitable approach of a Pacific century. The economic development of the Pacific Basin has proceeded far already following Japan's ascent into the position of an economic superpower. Considering the concentration of East and South-East Asian dynamic developing countries the Pacific Basin has meanwhile developed into a regional centre of economic activities. Furthermore the ambitions and in terests of three nuclear powers - the USA, the Soviet Union and China - collide in this region. Obviously these countries increasingly perceive and take into account the political and strategic importance of this region."

Erich W. Bretthauer, Chairman of the Exposure and Hazard Assessment Working Group U. s. Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D. C. The efforts of the Exposure and Hazard Assessment Working Group were focused on the exchange of information on a variety of topics including research projects, regulations/statutes, analytical laboratories, and methods of exposure/risk assessment involving CDDs and CDFs. It was evident to the leaders of the Working Group that several of the knowledge voids had to be addressed on a fundamental level before expanded efforts could be made. Several questions needed to be answered: * Who has done research on this topic, and what do the data indicate? * Who is performing research now, and what are their capabilities? * How are other nations addressing this problem, and do they have legislative mandates in place? * Is there a general consensus on the topic? The members of the Working Group believed that these questions could be answered by surveying the major participants in the field of interest. Three principal survey efforts were performed by the Working Group, which collected information on research, regulations/statutes, and analytical laboratories from each of the participating nations. In addition to answering these fundamental questions, these efforts also fulfilled the major objectives of the entire Pilot Study. The collection, analysis, and distribution of information on research projects, regulations/statutes, and analytical laboratories were very useful efforts in helping to fill some of the basic knowledge voids.

It is a pleasant task to welcome the appearance of the American edition of Professor Willy Kraus' valuable work on the economic and social development of the People's Republic of China, first published in German in 1979. The book has been updated in the light of the events that have occurred since the original publication and incorporates the latest statistical information made available by the Chinese authorities with unaccus tomed liberality. The American edition, like its German predecessor, is a monumental achievement of scholarship, attractively presented. In its comprehensiveness, insight, professionalism and wisdom it ranks among the best studies of the subject. It will add to the knowledge of the specialist, and help the interested layman find his way through the complexities of contemporary China's socioeconomic system. Professor Kraus' work is a most timely and welcome addition to a better and more thorough understanding of an absorbing and important subject. June 1982 Jan S. Prybyla Professor of Economics The Pennsylvania State University University Park, Pennsylvania Preface This book deals with China's development policies. It is based on the original German edition (1979), "Wirtschaftliche Entwicklung und sozialer Wandel in der Volksrepublik China," but is not merely a translation of the German original. The rapid changes in Chinese policy within the last two years, together with a sudden deluge of official data on economic and social developments in the People's Republic of China, have called for a basic and comprehensive revision of text and statistics."

Dieses Buch behandelt die chinesische Entwicklungspolitik zwischen 1949 und 1979. Es wendet sich an alle, die sich einen moeglichst breiten UEberblick verschaffen wollen uber Leitbilder und Ziele, Plane und Massnahmen, Erfolge und Misserfolge der Volks- republik China in ihrem Bemuhen, die wirtschaftliche und soziale Entwicklung vor- anzutreiben. Das schliesst nicht aus, dass jene Leser, die vorrangig nur an einzelnen entwicklungspolitisch relevanten Bereichen interessiert sind - an der Wirtschafts- oder Innenpolitik, an der Gesundheits-, Bevoelkerungs- oder Bildungspolitik - sich auf diese Teile konzentrieren koennen. Mir kam es darauf an, den entwicklungspoliti- schen Gesamtzusammenhangen nachzuspuren und sie bis in die wesentlichen Teilbe- reiche hinein zu verfolgen. In einer grossen Anzahl vorzuglicher Bucher werden speziell die chinesische Wirt- schafts-, Innen-, Aussen- und Gesellschaftspolitik oder Einzelprobleme der genannten Bereiche in sehr detaillierter Form behandelt. Neben der notwendig engeren Eingren- zung der Thematik wird in diesen Werken die Betrachtung meist auch auf einzelne ausgewahlte Zeitabschnitte beschrankt. Auf diese Weise koennen erreichbare Informa- tionen besonders sorgfaltig ausgewertet, die jeweils aufgegriffenen Sachfragen inten- siv und uberzeugend beantwortet werden. Unter entwicklungspolitischem Aspekt musste mir indessen daran gelegen sein, Grundprinzipien des Wachstums, des Wan- dels und der Entwicklung in ihrer Vielschichtigkeit seit der Entstehung der Volksre- publik China im Jahre 1949 zu erfassen. Dass bei diesem Vorhaben enge Fachgrenzen uberschritten wurden, war unvermeidbar. Verstandnis fur die Gegebenheiten und Probleme der Dritten Weh, zu der auch die Volksrepublik China gehoert, setzt voraus, dass die Entwicklungsforschung aus der Spezialisierung der Einzelwissenschaften her- auszutreten vermag, um Getrenntes synthetisch-integrativ zusammenzufugen.