Poverty and precarity Books

Book SynopsisA New York Times Notable Book of 2013: "An ambitious book that both describes and prescribes... [Abramsky] has invited serious rethinking and issued a significant call to action."

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Book SynopsisThrough the efforts of increasingly media-aware NGOs, people in the west are bombarded with images of poverty and inequality in the developing world. Representations of Poverty is the first comprehensive study of the communications and imagery used by international NGOs to represent the developing world. In this meticulously researched and original book, Nandita Dogra examines the full cycle of representation - integrating analyses of the public messages of international development NGOs in the UK with the views of their staff and audiences. Exploring the Europeanised discourses inherent in appeals to this notion of a 'common humanity', she argues for a greater acknowledgment of NGOs as significant mediating institutions which can expand understandings of global inequalities and their historical causation. The book is a timely addition to the growing fields of development and media studies and will be a key resource for academics, policymakers and practitioners alike who have an interest in global poverty, aid, NGOs, and the politics of representation.Trade Review'How exactly do international non-government organisations conceptualise the developing world when they legislate their mandate? This valuable book addresses precisely this question by insightfully and skilfully unearthing the subtext of NGO representations of global poverty, development and rights.' Neera Chandhoke, Professor of Political Science, University of Delhi 'This provocative analysis of the visual language of British international non-governmental development organisations raises a set of important and pressing questions, and deserves to be read by practitioner and researcher alike.' David Lewis, Professor of Social Policy and Development, London School of EconomicsTable of ContentsIntroduction Part I - Difference: People, Spaces and Problems Ch. 2 - Cast of Characters Ch. 3 - Distant Spaces Ch. 4 - Causes and Solutions of Global Poverty Part II - Oneness Ch. 5 - One Humanity Ch. 6 - Uniform First World Part III - Reflexivity Ch. 7 - Connecting with the Lives of Others Ch. 8 - Conclusions: Towards Reflexive Understandings Annex 1 Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe worlds developing countries will be experiencing massive increases in their urban populations over the 21st century. If managed intelligently and humanely, this growth can pave the way to sustainable development; otherwise, it will favour higher levels of poverty and environmental stress. The outcome depends on decisions being made now. The principal theme that runs through this volume is the need to transform urbanization into a positive force for development. Part I of this book reviews the demography of the urban transition, stressing the importance of benefi cial rural-urban connections and challenging commonly held misconceptions. Part II asks how urban housing, land and service provision can be improved in the face of rapid urban expansion, drawing lessons from experiences around the world. Part III analyses the challenges and opportunities that urbanization presents for improving living environments and reducing pressures on local and global ecosystems. These social and environmental challenges must be met in the context of fast-changing demographic circumstances; Part IV explores the range of opportunities that these transformations represent. These challenges and opportunities vary greatly across Africa, Asia and Latin America, as detailed in Part V. Published with IIED and UNFPATrade Review'This remarkable book convincingly challenges urban misconceptions about such issues as growth, poverty and the environment, and uses compelling evidence-based arguments to demonstrate why urbanization is the most important 21st century priority. Its ambitious, comprehensive scope ... ensures that it will become an indispensable classic for policymakers, practitioners and academics.' Caroline Moser, Director, Global Urban Research Centre, Manchester University 'Too many policymakers fear our urban future, seeing only slums and strife. With the help of this excellent and timely volume, they should look again, and they may see a fast-disappearing historic opportunity: well-managed urban growth has the potential to provide more solutions than problems.' Billy Cobbett, Manager of Cities Alliance 'We need to recognize the centrality of urbanization's challenges and their overwhelming impacts, especially in poorer countries ... This book helps overcome national and international resistance to this agenda and, more importantly, indicates alternative approaches that serve to dispel our puzzlement at this gigantic challenge.' Erminia Maricato, Former Undersecretary, Ministry of Cities, BrazilTable of ContentsIntroduction * Part I: Urban Transitions * The Demography of the Urban Transition: What We Know and Don t Know * Urbanization, Poverty and Inequity: Is Rural-Urban Migration a Poverty Problem, or Part of the Solution? * Demographic and Urban Transitions in a Global System and Policy Responses * Part II: Shelter and Urban Poverty * Land and Services for the Urban Poor in Rapidly Urbanizing Countries * Informality and Poverty in Latin American Urban Policies * Preparing for Urban Expansion: A Proposed Strategy for Intermediate Cities in Ecuador * Organizations of the Urban Poor and Equitable Urban Development: Process and Product * Part III: The Social and Sustainable Use of Space * Urban Sustainability and Global Environmental Change: Reflections for an Urban Agenda * Risks of Climate Change for Urban Settlements in Low Elevation Coastal Zones * Urbanization and Ecosystems: Current Patterns and Future Implications * Urban Sprawl: A Challenge for Sustainability * Part IV: The Changing Face of Urban Demography and its Challenges * Notes on Urban-Rural Poverty Projections and the Role of Migration * Women‘s Empowerment and Gender Equality in Urban Settings: New Vulnerabilities and Opportunities * Young People in an Urban World * Urbanization and Ageing in Developing Countries * Confronting Urbanization and the AIDS Epidemic: A Double-Edged Sword * Providing Information for Social Progress in Urban Areas * Part V: Regional Patterns of Urbanization and Linkages to Development * African Urbanization: Recent Trends and Implications * Socioeconomic Heterogeneity in Urban India * The Urban Transition in China: Trends, Consequences and Policy Implications * Urbanization in Latin America and the Caribbean: Experiences and Lessons Learned * Index

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Book Synopsis

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