Development economics Books

Book SynopsisEntrepreneurs in developing countries who assume they will have the same legal, governmental, and institutional protections as their counterparts in the West will fail. To succeed, they need to build trust within the existing structures--and this book shows how it''s done.Entrepreneurial ventures often fail in the developing world because of the lack of something taken for granted in the developed world: trust. Over centuries, the developed world has built customs and institutions such as enforceable contracts, an impartial legal system, and credible regulatory bodies--and even unofficial but respected sources of information such as Yelp and Consumer Reports--that have created a high level of what scholar and entrepreneur Tarun Khanna calls "ambient trust." This is not the case in the developing world. But Khanna shows that rather than become casualties of mistrust, smart entrepreneurs can adopt the mindset that, like it or not, it''s up to them to weave their own independent web of trust--with their employees, their partners, their clients, their customers, and society as a whole. This can be challenging, and it requires innovative approaches in places where the level of societal mistrust is so high that an official certification of quality simply arouses suspicion--and lowers sales! Using vivid examples from Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and elsewhere, Khanna''s stories show how entrepreneurs can build on existing customs and practices instead of trying to push against them. He highlights the role new technologies can play (but cautions that these are not panaceas) and explains how entrepreneurs can find dependable partners in national and local governments to create impact at scale.As far back as the 18th century, Adam Smith recognized trust as what Khanna calls "the hidden engine of economic progress." "Frankness and openness conciliate confidence," Smith wrote. "We trust the man who seems willing to trust us." That kind of confidence is critical to entrepreneurial success, but in the developing world entrepreneurs have to establish it through their own efforts. As Khanna puts it, "The entrepreneur must not just create, she must create the conditions to create."

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Book SynopsisThe challenge in teaching an introductory course on sustainability is there are many ways to teach it, and many issues to cover. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals offer a cohesive and interconnected set of topics to help address this problem – indeed the SDGs are now the guiding framework for planning and implementing sustainability through 2030. They are the focus of international development efforts, and the lingua franca of sustainability as a field of study, the international consensus on “what is sustainability?” As such, the UN SDGs present an ideal framework for an introductory level textbook because taken together, they integrate the “Three Es”—environment, economic development, and equity—that are the core definition of sustainability. This book introduces students to sustainability structured around the 17 UN SDGs. Through a global perspective, with attention given equally to how sustainability challenges the highest income countries of the Global North, as well as to the moderate- and low-income countries of the Global South, Benton-Short synthesizes basic environmental science, policy, and interdisciplinary perspectives while investigating key challenges to developing a more sustainable future through the SDG framework. Readers will easily tackle this complex set of topics through an accessible writing style, comprehensive scholarship, and diverse perspectives. Guided by a lush art program, complete with numerous maps, figures, and photos to enliven the presentation, students will develop a greater understanding of the important trends in sustainability in the twenty-first century. The broad arguments highlighted through numerous case studies and boxes prepare global citizens to grapple with the environmental, social, economic, and political challenges that face our collective future. Features of this exciting, brand-new text include: Chapter opening learning objectives to guide students’ course goals Helpful study aids such as key terms—bolded in the text and compiled both at the end of each chapter and in a comprehensive glossary End-of-chapter questions for discussion and activities to promote active learning A stunning art program, with detailed maps, figures, tables, and photos, to engage students as visual learners Critical Perspectives and Expert Voice boxes to present the diverse perspectives in sustainability Interconnections boxes to help students tie together ideas across the issues Key Terms and Concepts and Understanding the Issue boxes to go in-depth on important topics Making Progress and Solutions boxes that show students hopeful trends toward seemingly intractable problems SDGs and the Law boxes that provide a legal and governance context. Table of ContentsList of IllustrationsPrefaceIntroduction: Sustainability and Sustainable DevelopmentChapter 1: PovertyChapter 2: Hunger and Food InsecurityChapter 3: Health Chapter 4: EducationChapter 5: Gender EqualityChapter 6: Water and SanitationChapter 7: EnergyChapter 8: Decent WorkChapter 9: Infrastructure, Industry and InnovationChapter 10: Reduce Inequalities Chapter 11: Sustainable CitiesChapter 12: Production and Consumption Chapter 13: Climate Change Chapter 14: The Ocean Chapter 15: Terrestrial Ecosystems and BiodiversityChapter 16: Peace, Justice and Human RightsChapter 17: Collaborative Governance and PartnershipsChapter 18: Reflections on Sustainability and Sustainable Development GlossaryIndexAbout the Author

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Book SynopsisSince the 1960s, Thomas W. Dichter has worked in the field of international development, managing and evaluating projects for nongovernmental organizations, directing a Peace Corps country programme, and serving as a consultant for such agencies as USAID, UNDP, and the World Bank. On the basis of this experience, he has become an outspoken critic of what he terms the ""international poverty alleviation society"". He believes that efforts to reduce world poverty have been well-intentioned but largely ineffective. On the whole the development industry has failed to serve the needs of the people it has sought to help. To make his case Dichter reviews the major trends in development assistance from the 1960s through to the 1990s, illustrating his analysis with 18 short stories based on his own experiences in the field. The analytic chapters are therefore grounded in the daily life of development workers as described in the stories. Dichter shows how the development organizations have often become caught up in their own self-perpetuation and in public relations efforts designed to create an illusion of effectiveness. Tracing the evolution of the role of money (as opposed to ideas) in development assistance, he suggests how financial imperatives have reinforced the tendency to sponsor time-bound projects, creating a dependency among aid recipients. He also examines the rise of careerism and increased bureaucratization in the industry, arguing that assistance efforts have become disconnected from important lessons learned on the ground. Ultimately, Dichter calls for a more light-handed and artful approach to development assistance, with fewer agencies and experts involved. His stance is pragmatic, rather than ideological or political. What matters, he says, is what works, and he maintains that the current practices of the development industry are simply not effective.Trade ReviewA literate, entertaining, and soulsearching critique of the international aid business, by an insider who will make other insiders think hard about what they are doing and where they are going. - Ian Smillie, author of Patronage or Partnership: Local Capacity Building In Humanitarian Crises; ""I can think of no study as comprehensive and grounded in such wide experience and knowledge as Dichter's.... The presentation is amazingly effective, especially the alternation of narrative accounts of hypothetical (but very believable) examples of technical assistance projects with factual discussions of aspects of developmental assistance....A highly readable and literate book."" - Barbara B. Burn, author of Expanding the International Dimension of Higher Education

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Book SynopsisA growing consensus has emerged in recent years among donors, and between aid agencies and their developing country counterparts, on development strategies. Almost everybody now agrees that sustainable development requires macroeconomic stability, substantial integration into the global economy, better public sector management, more effective poverty alleviation, and greater attention to the private sector and to civil society in general. At the same time, it has become increasingly apparent that in many countries, particularly in the least developed that are the most heavily aided, much has gone awry. In Perspectives on Aid and Development a distinguished group of policy experts offer perspectives on the lessons learned from development experience and how these lessons have been translated into new thinking on aid and development issues.Table of ContentsForewordIntroduction. Development and Aid: New Evidence and New IssuesChapter 1. Equity and Growth in Developing Countries: Old and New Perspectives on the Policy IssuesChapter 2. The Failure of Conditionality Chapter 3. Dilemmas in Donor Aid StrategiesAbout the AuthorsAbout the ODCBoard of Directors

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Book SynopsisIt is typically taken for granted that African economies perform poorly, but there are a small but significant number of success stories on the continent. This study explores what accounts for Africa's average stagnation, and for the wide regional variations in developmental fortunes.

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Book SynopsisThis lucidly written book, thoroughly updated, provides both an assessment of the current state of development theory and an extensive survey of the impact of evolving policies and practices throughout the developing world. Rapley critically traces the evolution of development theory from its strong statist orientation in the early postwar period, through the neoclassical phase, to the present emerging consensus on people-centered development. New to the third edition is a chapter on "postdevelopment" thought, as well as increased attention to the challenges posed by weak states and by critical environmental issues. Using a wide range of examples, Rapley shows where and how various approaches to development have worked or failed continuing to confront the question of why development remains so far out of reach for so many poor countries.Trade ReviewPraise for the previous editions:"Emphasizing a close link between development theory and the actual practice of economic policymaking, Rapley grounds the discussion in a way that will be much appreciated by both students and their instructors...[He] writes with a rare clarity." —Bruce E. Moon, American Political Science Review"Concise, yet all encompassing and meticulously referenced...Rapley's study is determined to unravel the intricacies of development practice across the third world and map out its intellectual roots. The project certainly succeeds in these goals." —Firooza Pavri, Progress in Development StudiesTable of Contents The Progress of Development. Development Theory in the Postwar Period. State-Led Development in Practice. The Neoclassical Answer to Failure. Neoclassical Reform in Practice. Development Theory in the Wake of Structural Adjustment. The End of the Developmental State. The End of Development, or A New Beginning? Conclusion.

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Book Synopsis The sociologist Thomas Sowell writes, "We need to confront the most blatant fact that has persisted across centuries of social history—vast ddifferences in productivity among peoples, and the economic and other consequences of such differences." Poverty demeans dignity, shrinks the soul, wastes potential, and inflicts suffering on three billion people on our planet. We must also acknowledge that, during the past fifty yyears, the record in international assistance to the least developed countries has been disappointing; the economics-based abstractions developed in the think tanks of Europe and North America are insufficient. In the River They Swim is the antithesis of that search for solutions to the next big theory of global poverty. From the fresh perspective of advisors on the frontlines of development to the insight of leaders like President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Pastor Rick Warren, it tells the story of change in the microcosms of emerging businesses, industries, and governments. These essays display a personal nature to their work that rigorous analysis alone cannot explain. We learn that a Sufi master can teach us about the different levels of knowledge, the "different ways to know a river." These practitioners could have written about its length, its source, its depth, its width, the power of its current, and the life it contains. They could have invested time and money to travel to that river so that they could sit on its shores and look at it, feel the sand that borders it, and watch the birds at play over it. Instead, they dove in to swim in the river, felt its current along their bodies, and tasted something of it. They wondered, briefly, if they had the strength to swim its length, and now they share the answer. If human development is a river, the authors in this volume, and perhaps some readers, will no longer be satisfied to stand along its banks. Table of Contents Foreword: Fighting Poverty with Purpose / xi Dr. Rick Warren Acknowledgments / xvii Introduction / 3 Part I: The Journey 1. The Backbone of a New Rwanda / 11 H. E. President Paul Kagame 2. Flight VS 56: Riding the Cultural Divide / 15 Malik Fal 3. A Space Alien in Chaps / 23 Anne Morriss 4. A Mind for the Poor / 28 Andreas Widmer 5. Waiting for Mr. Anderson / 35 Kenneth Hynes 6. My Faith in Capitalism / 40 Andreas Widmer 7. Nature Is Destiny, and the More Nature, the Worse the Destiny / 48 Sally Christie 8. Locomotives, Needles, and Aid / 55 Malik Fal 9. On Globalization / 66 Michael Fairbanks 10. The Merits of Change / 75 Luis Alberto Moreno Part II: Strategies for Prosperity 11. Claver’s Wall / 83 Malik Fal 12. Leadership, in Context / 97 Ashraf Ghani 13. Selling Culture without Selling Out / 103 Marcela Escobari- Rose 14. The Afghan Method / 113 Diego Garcia Etcheto 15. Global Strategy in Old Kabul / 125 Robert Henning 16. After God, It’s Customer Relations / 134 Aref Adamali 17. The Longest Roundabout in the World / 140 David I. Rabkin 18. Alexander the Great, Mother Teresa, and Arse / 146 Michael Brennan 19. Archimedes’ Formidable Dare / 155 Eric Kacou Part III: Globalization 20. On Presidents / 167 Michael Fairbanks 21. The Risk of Dreams / 177 David I. Rabkin 22. Praying to the Virgin of Guadalupe / 188 Marcela Escobari- Rose 23. Our Greatest Fear / 196 Michael Fairbanks and David I. Rabkin 24. Changing Mindsets / 205 Donald Kaberuka 25. Entire, unto Himself / 209 Elizabeth Hooper 26. “When Are You Coming Back?” / 218 Diego Garcia Etcheto 27. “That’s My Duck!” (The Case for Integration) / 227 by Michael Fairbanks 28. “Mr. President, Tear Down the Walls!” / 236 Kwang W. Kim 29. Deciding What Not to Do / 246 Eric Kacou Epilogue / 255 List of Contributors / 257 Index / 261

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Book SynopsisMost companies today have some commitment to corporate social responsibility, but implementing these initiatives can be particularly challenging. While a lot has been written on ethical and strategic factors, there is still a dearth of information on the practical nuts and bolts. And whereas with most other organizational initiatives the sole objective is improved financial performance, sustainability broadens the focus to include social and environmental performance, which is much more difficult to measure. Now updated throughout with new examples and new research, this is a complete guide to implementing and measuring the effectiveness of sustainability initiatives. It draws on Marc Epstein’s and new coauthor Adriana Rejc Buhovac’s solid academic foundation and extensive consulting work and includes best practices from dozens of companies in Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Australia, and Africa. This is the ultimate how-to guide for corporate leaders, strategists, academics, sustainability consultants, and anyone else with an interest in actually putting sustainability ideas into practice and making sure they accomplish their goals.

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author Napoleon Hill—Lessons on Success has helped millions of readers make the impossible, POSSIBLE!Napoleon Hill's 17 Essential Principles of Personal Achievement have served as an encouraging and illuminating guide for those seeking to improve all areas of their lives for more than half a century.Lessons on Success is the book that keys readers into Hill's distinct thought process—this is THE complete and unabridged mind-power method for achieving your goals.After interviewing dozens of industrialists, diplomats, thought leaders, and people who are at the top of their game, Hill distilled what he learned and converted his study into seventeen core lessons that will set you up for success in every facet of your life!

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Book SynopsisWealth is no longer just an ability to live well in a world shaped by human activities. It is also an ability to push back or defer the limits of a world in biological and climatic closure. This book examines the theoretical conflicts and the power plays which often oppose the socio-political and technical-financial practices of recognition of what intervenes in the production of this wealth – i.e. of what has value. It lays down the principles of a contributory modeling method, allowing debates around the concept of development; the building of scenarios; the negotiation of their implementation; and a cross-sectoral reading of their social, ecological and economic costs. This method, called Dynamic Modeling of Cost Systems, is based on a territorial communication device which articulates political, contractual and accounting innovations using deliberative and normative digital tools. It combines different local representations of value, in order to approach wealth through an integrated analysis of micro-, meso- and macro- issues.Table of ContentsIntroduction vii Chapter 1. Economics and Imbalances 1 1.1. Capturing power 1 1.1.1. From eco-development to sustainable development 2 1.1.2. Interest and limits of the decoupling concept 10 1.2. Systemic approach to the economy 19 1.2.1. Nature and structure of productive capital 21 1.2.2. Spaces and temporalities of productive phenomena 29 1.3. Conclusion 38 Chapter 2. Information Structures Production 41 2.1. The value chain: an outdated representation 41 2.1.1. Toward a functional economy 42 2.1.2. Valuing multifunctional production 50 2.2. Reinventing performance 58 2.2.1. Information socioeconomy 59 2.2.2. Preserving the functional heritage 67 2.3. Conclusion 72 Chapter 3. Communication Renews Rationalities 75 3.1. From agent to actor 75 3.1.1. Decompartmentalizing the economic space 76 3.1.2. Toward a cooperative transaction society 84 3.2. To discuss is to produce 89 3.2.1. Toward a hermeneutical and contributory web 91 3.2.2. A contributory platform for political economy 100 3.3. Conclusion 107 Chapter 4. Accounting: The Figure in Dialogue 109 4.1. Performance systems 109 4.1.1. Coupling between functional ecosystems 111 4.1.2. Multiscalar and cross-sectoral scenarios 123 4.2. Cost systems 133 4.2.1. Internalization and territorialization 134 4.2.2. Structuring the micro–macro accounting space 142 4.3. Conclusion 154 Chapter 5. Contractualizing: The Value in Act 157 5.1. Restructuring the transactional space 157 5.1.1. Levels of representation and materiality 159 5.1.2. Intangible assets and performance contract 166 5.2. Taking the measure of the territorial heritage 178 5.2.1. An irreducible interface between performance and profitability 179 5.2.2. Territorial informative and cognitive assessment 186 5.3. Conclusion 194 Chapter 6. Development, Changing the Compass and the Map 197 6.1. Dynamic Modeling of Cost Systems 197 6.1.1. Linking shared representations and activity costs 199 6.1.2. Relative growth and strategic alignment 207 6.2. Social value of acceleration 219 6.2.1. Entropy, wealth and time 221 6.2.2. Turning toward sustainability 229 6.3. Conclusion 241 Conclusion 245 Postface 255 References 259 Index 281

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Book SynopsisThis book is a collection of some recent of the best articles by China Economist and it represents top Chinese economists major research outcomes and opinions on economic matters, status and trends from various perspectives. Some work with China’s highest academic research institutes and policy consultation agencies, while others work with related agencies and universities. Hence, this book largely reflects the key concerns and efforts of economic research institutes, policy advisory agencies, regulatory policy research departments and universities on China’s economy.From the launching of reform and opening-up in 1978 to the dawn of the 21st century, China has been transformed from a self-enclosed, planned economy to a market-based one, and the country has integrated itself into the international community. China wishes to look beyond its border and engage in equal-footed dialogue with its partners and competitors. With China’s rapid emergence and great achievements, other countries increasingly want to learn more about this “mysterious oriental country” and the miraculous changes taking place here. However, we have also found that abroad, the public, high-ranking officials and even media and academia may not have a clear picture of China. Chinese scholars views on their country and beyond are not well understood by foreign scholars, not to mention people in the street, and overseas officials and scholars do not appreciate China’s realities. Legitimate claims and well intentioned expressions from China are often misunderstood or distorted by the media, and it seems that the world is unprepared for a changing China. China needs to know itself and the outside world, and the world needs to have a closer look at China as well. Research on the China phenomenon and its implications has become topical around the world. Hence, developing diversified channels and platforms of communication is necessary both in China and the outside world.In this book, which includes dozens of articles written by Chinese economists and researchers, authors wish to tell the world a truth: Although China has become the world’s second largest economy, its GDP per capita is very low. China remains a developing country, and development is its top priority and the basis for all welfare programs. The rights of development are basic human rights upon which China cannot waiver. Development is the best gift China has to offer to the world. Meanwhile, Chinese scholars should also recognize that China must deepen reform and expand opening-up, balance efficiency with fair income distribution, use resources in more efficient, refined and clean ways, and challenge its enterprises to assume more social responsibilities. Only in this way can China complete its historic transition from a developing country to a mature, modernized country.Table of Contents Part One: Macro economy Chapter 1 “Middle-Income Trap” and “High-Income Wall” : Challenges and Opportunities to China, by Liu Shijin et al Chapter 2 Don’t Overlook GDP and Investment: An Analysis of China’s Current Economic Trend, by Liu Shucheng Chapter 3 How Long Can China’s Economy Keep Growing? By Zhang Jun Chapter 4 How China Can Avoid the “Middle-Income Trap”,by Ma Xiaohe Part Two: Institution & Mechanism Chapter 5 The Contribution of Marketization to China’s Economic Growth, by Fan Gang et al Chapter 6 China’s Marketization since WTO Accession, by Li Xiaoxi Chapter 7 Shifting to a Market-Based Wage-Setting Mechanism for Low-Skilled Labor: Macro economic Effects, by Yang Ruilong et a Chapter 8 Regulation or Property Rights: The Effect of China’s Coal Mine Shutdown Policy on Work Safety, by Bai Chong’en et al Chapter 9 A Modeling Analysis of Local Governments Competing in Offering Subsidies to Attract Investment: the Cause of Industrial Overcapacity, by Jiang Feitao et al Part Three: Government Policy Chapter 10 China’s Sovereign Balance Sheet and Its Risk Assessment, by Li Yang et al Chapter 11 China’s Monetary Policy Instruments (2001-2010): Paradox, Analysis and Suggestions, by Wang Guogang Chapter 12 China’s Regional Policy Scenarios for 2011-2015 Period, by Wei Houkai et al Chapter 13 Developing Secondary Industry to Drive China’s Future Growth, by Jin Bei Chapter 14 Domestic Demand-based Economic Globalization: Strategic Choice for China to Profit from the Second Wave of Globalization, by Liu Zhibiao Part Four: Industrial Development Chapter 15 China’s Industries in the Beginning of Its 12th Five-Year Plan Period, by Jin Bei Chapter 16 Relying on Secondary Industry to Drive National Policy and Reinvigorate China’s Economy, by Huang Qunhui Chapter 17 Recalculating the Significance of Secondary and Tertiary Industries for Industrial Restructuring: Truth and Myth, by Li Gang et al Chapter 18 Technology Gaps, Resource Allocation and Economic Growth of Large Late starting Countries, by Ouyang Yao et al

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Book SynopsisAfter WWII, the United States of America proposed their way of life, based on an unlimited consumption of land, goods, and energy, as a model for the entire world. Nowadays, this expansionist model has reached its limits. This book provides a comprehensive study of the geographical basis of the American settlements, assuming that part of the U.S. overshooting is related to geography because of harsh climates and the continental size of the Nation, but another part is the result of a cultural habits of expansion and segregation. Urban Sprawl, for instance, is the real Achille's heel of America, because it challenges the cultural revolution required by sustainability. From the continental physiography to the New Orleans – Katrina case, this book explores these issues with maps and charts created with the help of a nationwide multiscalar GIS.Table of ContentsIntroduction ix Chapter 1. The American Territory 1 1.1. A continent-nation with a dispersed population 1 1.2. Major geographical areas 5 1.3. Unfavorable climatic factors 9 1.4. Physical geography of the US 17 Chapter 2. Developing the Territory 23 2.1. Agricultural regions 23 2.2. An agriculture which does not influence settlement 29 2.3. The abundance and limits of natural resources 33 2.4. Working towards the sustainable management of the American forest 33 2.5. Fossil resources-abundance and dependence 36 2.6. The case of fossil fuels 37 2.7. Environmental protection 46 Chapter 3. A Rapidly Growing Population 49 3.1. A relatively high fertility rate due to immigration 50 3.2. Life expectancy and aging 51 3.3. Aging – regional disparities 53 3.4. Immigration to the United States of America. 54 3.5. The country’s gateways 58 Chapter 4. A Multi-ethnic Nation 63 4.1. Native peoples 64 4.2. A nation of immigrants 66 4.3. The African-American question 68 4.4. America and Mexico 76 4.5. Geography of the population of Asian origin 82 Chapter 5. Regional Dynamics 85 5.1. Main features of settlement in the US territory 89 5.2. The dynamics of regional settlement between 1930 and 2005 95 Chapter 6. Economic Change and Territories 99 6.1. A changing economy 99 6.2. Economic growth 102 6.3. Industrial change105 6.4. A population on the move 108 6.5. Migration of retired populations 117 Chapter 7. A Suburban Nation 119 7.1. Urban sprawl 121 7.2. Big cities 126 7.3. Consequences of urban sprawl on sustainable development 131 7.4. Urban sprawl is not only a big city phenomenon 133 Chapter 8. Urban Fragmentation and Sprawl 137 8.1. Social divisions find expression in land use patterns 137 8.2. The challenge of governance in fragmented metropolitan areas 171 8.3. The crisis of cities 174 Chapter 9. New Orleans in Dangerous Waters 177 9.1. The physical components of natural hazards 178 9.2. Increased vulnerability from urban sprawl 184 9.3. The consequences of a natural disaster 195 Conclusion 203 Glossary 211 References 239 List of Tables and Figures 245 Index 251

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Book SynopsisThe importance of food is undeniable. Yet, because it is so close and obvious, we often fail to pay attention to it. In Food and Society: A Sociological Approach, author William C. Whitt attempts to develop a multi-level, multidisciplinary approach to the relationship between food and the larger world. Organized from the experiences of food consumption through its preparation, distribution, storage and production, this book discusses the role of food in past societies, the basics of nutrition, contemporary issues, including body size, food and culture, food production, world hunger and food innovation.Trade ReviewA major accomplishment which not only makes a major contribution to the literature of this emering field, but also serves as the first undergraduate text for sociology of food courses written by a sociologist. * Association For The Study Of Food and Nutrition *Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Encountering Food Chapter 3 Food and Nutrition in Preindustrial Societies Chapter 4 Scientific Nutrition and Food from the Industrial Revolution Chapter 5 Food, Profit, and Nutrition—and a Remedy Chapter 6 Fat and Thin: Obesity and Anorexia Chapter 7 Culture and Food Chapter 8 Food and the Social Order Chapter 9 Agricultural Technology: High/Low, Profits, and People Chapter 10 World Hunger Chapter 11 Food Success Stories

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Book SynopsisFrom 2002, Cambodia underwent a visible economic transformation driven largely by such external factors as increased Chinese demand for primary commodities and a strong international demand for Cambodian garments. Apart from dramatic rates of economic growth, the boom involved the disappearance of forests and the decline of logging, the inflow of Chinese investment and the rise of indigenous capital, and the increased significance of remittances from garment workers and labour migrants. In addition, the impact of government policies on land registration and concessions transformed relations of production and, with them, the socio-economic and political environment in rural and urban Cambodia. Cambodia's Economic Transformation examines the political economy of the Cambodian boom, analysing the changing structure of the economy, the relationship between state and market, and outcomes for the poor. Not least, it focuses the role of the state in facilitating and controlling the market, and the way that this has affected the life chances of the poor. In so doing, it situates Cambodian experience within key debates in the wider political economy of Eastern Asia, scrutinizing the relationship between class formation, structures of governance and resource distribution. The analysis also offers a deeper understanding of the nature of the market as it has emerged in Cambodia over the past decade.

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Book SynopsisThis book investigates the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on development and well-being (beyond economic benefits) and highlights some emerging issues relating to the realities, constraints and digital divides with particular reference to India. It collects a series of novel contributions, studying the Indian experience in an international cross-country perspective. The book also discusses economic, social, and behavioural aspects of well-being as well as access to ICTs across regions, states and individuals to account for the digital divide. The book establishes an aggregate relationship between ICT exposure and well-being at the country level and addresses a number of fundamental issues, such as whether ICT raises the level of transparency and governance. Based on case studies and anecdotal evidence, it then further assesses the effective implementation of service delivery through ICT innovations. The book is divided into four parts: The introductory part surveys the literature and presents background information on the Indian case; introduces the main themes on the relationships between ICT, socio-economic development and digital divides; and provides a summary and roadmap to the chapters of the book. Part II focuses on the impact of ICT on economic performance, including economic growth, productivity and trade. Part III examines the extent of the digital divides in India, including international, regional as well as inter-personal inequality. Finally, Part IV investigates the impact of ICT on governance, users’ well-being and social outcomes. Combining insights from analyses of a variety of socio-economic dimensions related to digitalisation, this book is relevant for a wide range of scholars and researchers across disciplines, as well as practitioners and policy-makers. While the book has a main focus on India, various contributions take an international cross-country comparative perspective, and the results have general relevance for digitalisation and development. On the whole, the main message of this book is that the impact of ICTs is contingent upon other assets, capabilities and institutional conditions. National policies should, therefore, not only promote digitalization as such but also ensure its co-evolution and complementarity with a variety of other country-specific factors. Chapter 'Digitalisation and Development: Issues for India and Beyond' of this book is available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com Table of ContentsContributors include:• Dr. Vivekananda Mukherjee, Professor, Department of Economics, Jadavpur University• Akshara Awasthi, Assistant Professor, Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University• Dr. Nilabja Ghosh, Professor, Agriculture Unit, Institute of Economic Growth Delhi• Dr. Keshab Das, Professor, Gujarat Institute of Development Research, Ahmedabad• Dr. Chiranjib Neogi, Guest Faculty, West Bengal State University and Retired Technical Officer, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata• Dr. Biswajit Mandal, Assistant Professor, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan• Dr. Grace Kite, Research Fellow, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London• Dr. Nidhi Tewathia, Assistant Professor, Gargi College, University of Delhi• Debajit Jha, Assistant Professor, Jindal School of Government and Public Policy, O P Jindal Global University• Dr. Pratap C Mohanty, Assistant Professor, Dept. of HSS, IIT Roorkee • Dr. Hastimal Sagara, Assistant Professor, GLS University, Ahmedabad• Prakash Singh, Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi• Dr. Sachala Sahu, Consultant Psychologist, Berhampur, Odisha.• Dr. Ranjit Kumar Dehury, Assistant Professor (Health Management Area) Goa Institute of Management, Goa.• Vigneswara P. Ilavarasan, Associate Professor, Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi• Dr. Kushankur Dey, Professor of Economic Policy, Xavier School of Rural Management, Xavier University Bhubaneswar• Dr. Jyoti Shukla, Assistant Professor, RKMV, Himachal Pradesh university, Shimla

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Book SynopsisMarket liberalization in Myanmar began in 1988 and had some unanticipated consequences. As farmers began to operate in a context with greatly reduced government control, there was an explosion in the production of green gram, which became extremely popular as an export crop. However, market liberalization in the industry surrounding this new export-oriented crop gave rise to growing economic disparities, largely determined by access to land, capital and credit.Ikuko Okamoto explores these issues through a detailed case study of Thongwa Township, a place east of Yangon (Rangoon) in the major green gram producing region in the country. She shows that farmers responded quickly to policy changes and made maximum use of new opportunities, even in a country where socialist policies had previously limited such opportunities. She also traces the consequences for different social groups in rural Myanmar, and shows that traders benefited the most from the new arrangements, and landless laborers the least. Her research offers important insights into the transition from a socialist to a market-based economy, and local-level responses to market incentives. It also shows that the success or failure of new crops in a peasant economy largerly depends on whether the crop is compatible with the initial resource endowment.

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Book SynopsisFor many years Myanmar operated an inward-looking economic system built on import substitution. Ultimately this policy collapsed, leaving a legacy of inefficient state economic enterprises and widespread poverty. Political unrest in 1988 led a newly installed military government to liberalize the economy, opening it to foreign investment and private trade. This move towards a market economy was in line with regional trends, but political instability forced the country to adopt policies that were different from those of neighboring countries. By analyzing economic policy and performance across the economic spectrum, this book presents an overall picture of economic development in Myanmar between 1988 and the early 2000s. The authors synthesize both macro and micro level data to overcome some of the limitations of unreliable national statistics, and show how the government attempted to deal with two key issues. The first was how to reform the inefficient socialistic economic system in conformity with a market economy, and the second was how to develop the agricultural and use the underdeveloped economy to alleviate mass poverty.

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