This book examines the complex relations between democracy and social policy. Economic development is a necessary but not sufficient condition for welfare development. In industrial democracies, differences in the reach and organization of unions, presence of Left parties in government, and social pacts, account for much of the variation in welfare provision among countries. Social security is limited in democracies with low levels of industrialization, even though some countries with a social democratic orientation seem to have done well. Traditions of political rights, improvements in electoral competitiveness, and a pro-active judiciary may empower social movements to pressure governments in low-income democracies to introduce progressive social reforms.

This book looks at developmental pathways to poverty reduction that emphasize employment-centred structural change, social policies that both protect citizens and contribute to economic development, and types of politics that support economic transformation and participation of the poor in growth processes.

The book critically examines some of the most topical and challenging issues confronting the public sector in developing countries in an era of globalization. The contributors examine the potential and limits of managerial, fiscal and decentralization reforms and highlight cases where selective use of some of the new management reforms has delivered positive results. Looking into the future, the book provides lessons from the experience of implementing public sector reforms in developing countries.

The contributors discuss the links between ethnicity, inequality and governance. Their findings suggest that it is not the existence of diversity" per se," but "types of diversity" that explain potentials for conflict or cohesion in multiethnic societies. Relative equality has been achieved in the public sectors of countries that are highly fragmented or those with ethnicity-sensitive policies, but not in those with ethnicity-blind policies. The book is critical of approaches to conflict management that underplay background conditions in shaping choices.

In a time when racism is on the rise as a source of conflict and social justice has been increasingly demanded by the civic society, this collection stands as a timely reminder that to ignore the racial factor in the globalization forces is as mistaken as eliminating class analysis. The essays published here supplement the literature of comparative race relations from the standpoint of the theory of institutional racism and its effect on public policies such as immigration, citizenship, security and policing.

In a time when racism is on the rise as a source of conflict and social justice has been increasingly demanded by the civic society, this collection stands as a timely reminder that to ignore the racial factor in the globalization forces is as mistaken as eliminating class analysis. The essays published here supplement the literature of comparative race relations from the standpoint of the theory of institutional racism and its effect on public policies such as immigration, citizenship, security and policing.