Poverty and precarity Books

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Book SynopsisLiving Standards in Southeast Asia: Changes over the Long Twentieth Century, 1900-2015 examines changes in living standards across the ten countries of Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos) from the early years of the 20th century to the early 21st century. It covers both the last decades of the colonial period, the transition to independence and the decades from 1960 to the 2010s. The study uses a range of monetary and non-monetary indicators to assess how living standards have changed over time. It examines the outcomes in the context of debates about economic growth, inequality and poverty alleviation which began in the 1960s and 1970s, and continue to the present.Trade Review"Living Standards in Southeast Asia is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in South East Asian development over the last century. It is a highly useful introduction to an overwhelming body of literature; no one knows more about the measurement of long-run living standards in South East Asia than Booth, and this book proves it. Moreover, the book contains clear warnings against the uncritical use of quantitative estimates of living standards, not only for scholars working on South East Asia but for economists and economic historians more generally. Indeed, it is a recommended read for all those quantitatively-inclined researchers working with (historical) development measures."- Pim de Zwart, Wageningen University, South East Asia Research (2022) "Economic history is one of those rare academic disciplines where scholarly impact and creative insights tend to improve with the author’s age. Now in her seventies, Anne Booth exemplifies this tendency nicely. Her fifth solely authored book under review here is chock-a-block full of methodological critiques of the status of poverty studies, and development economics more broadly. Only a seasoned scholar would have the depth of experience, and confidence, to lay out not just what the statistical record shows about improvements in Southeast Asian living standards over the ‘long century’ from 1900 to 2015, but also what is wrong with those statistics (a lot!) and with the conceptual underpinnings of the measurements themselves." - C. Peter Timmer, Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies, Vol. 56, No. 2 "Living standards is a book for experts. It is a paragon of careful, cautious, fully caveated scholarship, which experts rightfully admire; and which undergraduate students, policymakers, and general audiences typically cannot abide. Booth never jumps to conclusions. She tiptoes, very carefully. [...] The book requires careful, slow reading to fully take in Booth’s vital arguments. For all that, it is a landmark analysis of the living standards across Southeast Asia over the twentieth century. If there is still good social science—and economic history—being done throughout the twenty-first century and beyond, Living standards will be a cornerstone of such work." - Eric C. Thompson, Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Vol. 53, Iss. 3Table of ContentsPreface Chapter One: Assessing Changes in Living Standards in Southeast Asia in the 20th and Early 21st Centuries: What Indicators Should We Look At? Chapter Two: The Colonial Period: Population and Output Growth in Agricultural and Non-agricultural Sectors Chapter Three: The Colonial Period: Measures of Welfare and Changing Living Standards Chapter Four: Confronting the Challenges of Independence Chapter Five: Estimating Poverty and Inequality: Country Estimates from the 1950s to the 1970s Chapter Six: The 1980s and the 1990s: The Fast and the Slow in Southeast Asia Chapter Seven: Growth, Poverty and Distribution in the Early 21st Century The Impact of Accelerated Growth after 2004: The Evidence from National Poverty Lines Creating Internationally Comparable Poverty Estimates Trends in Inequality: 2005-15 Flaws in the Household Surveys Should Monetary Estimates be Abandoned? Human Development Rankings Inequality in Non-monetary Indicators Chapter Eight: Government Policy Interventions Chapter Nine: What Have We Learned? Concluding Comments Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been one of the world's most dynamic and fastest-growing regions over the years. Its average combined GDP growth rate is more than 6% and the total combined GDP was valued at US$3.0 trillion in 2018. ASEAN countries have managed to significantly reduce their national poverty over the last few decades. Although a correlation exists between economic growth and poverty reduction, millions of people in ASEAN countries still do not have sufficient incomes to fulfill their basic needs including food, shelter, clothes and sanitation.This book is a collection of working group papers contributed by members of Network of ASEAN-China Think-tanks (NACT) and covers best practices on poverty alleviation in ASEAN member states as well as in China, and ASEAN-China cooperation. It discusses experiences of ASEAN member states and China such as with regard to national policies, principles, definitions, approaches, progress, and challenges in poverty reduction. It reviews and evaluates the way forward including existing joint projects, opportunities, and challenges in the future cooperation and offers policy recommendations from both national and regional perspectives to help policymakers better cope with the daunting poverty challenges.

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Book SynopsisAsia contains the bulk of the world's poor, as many as 500 million people. A significant fraction of these poor are chronically poor, which means that they and their families have been poor for years and will remain in poverty unless governmental policies are adopted which can lift them out of poverty.This book focuses on rural poverty and those countries in Asia with the largest number of chronically poor, including the two emerging superpowers of China and India, other countries of South Asia and the Mekong region as well as Indonesia and Philippines in Southeast Asia. Systematic analysis of who is poor, where they live, and why they are poor is carried out. Microeconomic, sector and macroeconomic policies which have been adopted to address this important social issue are also discussed. Through specific country analysis, the book outlines additional concrete measures that can be taken to reduce chronic poverty and improve the welfare of these people.Table of ContentsDimensions of Chronic Poverty in Asia; What Determines Chronic Poverty in Asia?; Dynamics of Chronic Poverty; Microeconomic Policies to Reduce Chronic Poverty; Sector Policies to Reduce Chronic Poverty; Macroeconomic Policies to Reduce Chronic Poverty; Country Experiences; Lessons for the Future and Next Steps.

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Book SynopsisMuch ink has been spilled on poverty measurements and trends, at the expense of attempts to understand root causes. Assembling multi-disciplinary and international contributions, Global Poverty shows that a causal understanding of poverty in rich and poor countries is essential for relieving its ravages. Contributors to this volume argue that our understanding must be based on a critical interrogation of the wider social relations which set up the mechanisms producing poverty as an outcome. Processes that widen/strengthen crisis-ridden market relations, that increase income/wealth inequality, and that 'enhance' the policy-biases of nation-states and international institutions toward the affluent-propertied strata cause global poverty and undermine poor people's political power. The processes concentrating wealth-creation are the same processes causing poverty. Through theoretical and empirical analyses this volume offers important insights and political prescriptions to address global poverty.Contributors are: Raju J. Das, Deepak K. Mishra, Steven Pressman, Michael Roberts, Jamie Gough, Aram Eisenschitz, Anjan Chakravarty, Mizhar Mikati, Marcelo Milan, Tarique Niazi, John Marangos, Eirini Triarchi, Themis Anthrakidis, Macayla Kisten and Brij Maharaj, David Michael M. San Juan, and Thaddeus Hwong.Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsList of Figures and TablesNotes on ContributorsAnalysing Poverty Causally: An IntroductionRaju J. Das and Deepak K. MishraAbsolute, Relative and Multidimensional Measures of PovertySteven PressmanPoverty: A Marxist ViewMichael RobertsWhy Is There Poverty In the Rich Countries? A Marxist AnalysisJamie Gough And Aram EisenschitzClass and Social Needs: A Marxian Theory of PovertyAnjan ChakravartyNeeds, Capital Accumulation, and Poverty: The Case of FoodMizhar MikatiThe Rise and Fall of Inequality and Poverty Reduction In BrazilMarcelo MilanNeoliberalism, Financial Imperialism, and Capitalist Growth: Why Pakistan Still Wallows In PovertyTarique NiaziThe Impoverishment of a Nation: The Greek Financial Crisis and Troika’s Free Market-Austerity PoliciesJohn Marangos, Eirini Triarchi and Themis AnthrakidisBetraying the Struggle – Corruption and Poverty In Post-Apartheid South AfricaMacayla Kisten And Brij MaharajPoverty, Living Wage and Income Inequality In the Developing World: Views and Visions From The PhilippinesDavid Michael M. San JuanTackling Poverty or Inequality? You Don’t Have to ChooseThaddeus HwongThe Political Economy of Poverty and Uneven Development: The Case of Odisha, IndiaDeepak K MishraIndex

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