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Book SynopsisDrawing on their experience in battling corruption around the world, the authors of this text offer ways to defeat corruption on the local level. Using case studies, the publication aims to show how seemingly hopeless problems can become the catalysts of successful reform.

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Book SynopsisThe two volumes of Understanding Civil War build upon the World Bank's prior research on conflict and violence, particularly on the work of Paul Collier and Anke Hoeffler, whose model of civil war onset has sparked much discussion on the relationship between conflict and development in what came to be known as the "greed" versus "grievance" debate.

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Book SynopsisA guide that provides perspectives, tools and experiences regarding how to engage stakeholders and enhance development effectiveness through participatory communication strategies.

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Book SynopsisPublic programs are designed to reach certain goals and beneficiaries. This book deals with the methods to understand whether such programs actually work, as well as the level and nature of impacts on intended beneficiaries.

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Book SynopsisReviews the experience of nearly 200 output-based aid (OBA) projects in six sectors. This book is suitable for OBA practitioners, donors, and governments.

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Trade ReviewLocalizing Development: Does Participation Work? gives us a much-needed comprehensive account of the available empirical evidence and puts it in a coherent perspective. It takes a balanced and sensible approach on many of the controversial issues and provides a valuable guide for further research and policy initiatives." —Pranab Bardhan, Professor of Economics, University of California, Berkeley"Finally, a book that takes a hard, empirically grounded, and comprehensive look at donor-led efforts to promote local participatory development. Drawing on an exhaustive selection of cases and aggregate data that range across virtually every sector of development, Mansuri and Rao draw out the complex set of political, social, and institutional variables that shape the prospects for people's participation in development. For scholars, activists, and policy makers interested in promoting more democratic forms of development, this is required reading." —Patrick Heller, Professor of Sociology and International Studies, Brown University"Mansuri and Rao give the best existing treatment of the successes and failures of participatory approaches to development. At the heart of this extraordinary study is the recognition of a reality that will be uncomfortable for many: the key challenge of many participatory development interventions is not finding out how best to respond to grassroots pressures, but how to induce them in the first place. Building on a long tradition in political economy they draw attention to the presence of a 'civil society failure' in which, contrary to the claims of optimists, representative voices do not emerge organically. Synthesizing and developing a rapidly growing literature, Mansuri and Rao provide an encyclopedic account of the state of knowledge on top-down attempts to generate bottom-up pressures." —Macartan Humphreys, Professor of Political Science, Columbia University

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Book SynopsisThe rise of Zanzibar was based on two major economic transformations. Firstly slaves became used for producing cloves and grains for export. Previously the slaves themselves were exported.Secondly, there was an increased international demand for luxuries such as ivory. At the same time the price of imported manufactured gods was falling.Trade Review“This long-awaited study by Abdul Sheriff adds significant richness in both its wealth of detail and meticulous analysis to our understanding of the rise of Omani Zanzibar and its changing place in the world economy. His prodigious archival research combines with his critical approach to Marxist theory to produce a convincing and stimulating interpretation of this critically important state during a major period of transition in the history of Eastern Africa.”

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Trade Review“Unhappy Valley: Conflict in Kenya and in Africa is a must-read for all concerned with issues of colonization, dependency, and state building, as well as the nature and achievements of African resistance.”-- Kinuthia Macharia, Modern African Studies“There are some truly excellent ideas presented in Unhappy Valley, especially those relating to the definition of ethnicity and the process that creates the colonial state. … this work makes a significant contribution to our understanding of Kenyan history. More importantly, we are presented with new ways of examining African history which further the process of understanding and debate.”-- African Studies Review

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Book SynopsisForests have been at the fault lines of contact between African peasant communities in the Tanzanian coastal hinterland and outsiders for almost two centuries. In recent decades, a global call for biodiversity preservation has been the main challenge to Tanzanians and their forests.ThaddeusTrade Review“This is a very well researched work on a topic of considerable contemporary importance in relation to forest utilisation and conservation. It is especially good on the wide range of historic uses of the coastal forests in particular, not just for material resources, but also for social and ritual purposes by local people.” * Tanzanian Affairs *“Sunseri’s history consistently argues that the loss of local environmental control helped push a substantial deforestation across the coastal landscape. He contends further that the assault on coastal peoples' rights to forest access continues. The overt authoritarianism and violence of former decades has yielded to a more benign intervention on the part of international conservation organizations…a new wrinkle on a historically familiar pattern….” * African Studies Review *“Tanzania enjoys a reputation as a place deeply concerned with preserving its beautiful landscapes and wildlife for global humanity to enjoy in perpetuity. This compact and masterful study (Wielding the Ax) traces the fraught environmental history that preceded this current era of ‘eco-governmentality’ in Tanzania.” * African History *“(Wielding the Ax) illustrates the wide variety of demands placed on the forests with the not-so-surprising, but documented, conclusion that Tanzanian scientific forestry was neither rational nor efficient, but fell prey to the usual political machinations…. This is the first significant work bringing together Tanzanian forestry and social issues….” * International Journal of African Historical Studies *“This exemplary book is worth reading far beyond the boundaries of Tanzania or the shores of Africa for several reasons. It takes the strong political ecology approach to writing environmental history in a way that is mercifully jargon free. It reveals the sequence of transformations from tribal society to imperialism and post-colonialism, and right through to present ‘green neoliberalism’ of international conservation. It rests on wide reading and thorough research…. Sunseri’s book tells how Tanzania’s forests have always been peopled. It is a perspective too easily ignored.” * Environment and History *“Sensitive oral interviews and deft fieldwork support a markedly populist perspective on the impact of national and international decisions on resilient local residents…. Highly recommended.” * Choice *“Sunseri demonstrates how authority over the forest has shifted from nineteenth‐century chiefs, known as ‘ceremonial ax wielders,’ to scientific forestry experts of the colonial state, and later to biodiversity advocates of the global NGO community…. Surprisingly, a forest history provides a new lens for interpreting the major events of Tanzanian colonial and postcolonial history.” * American Historical Review *

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Book SynopsisDuring the early 1990s, the ability of dangerous diseases to pass between animals and humans was brought once more to the public consciousness. These concerns continue to raise questions about how livestock diseases have been managed over time and in different social, economic, and political circumstances.Trade Review“The history of veterinary medicine told from anything other than a triumphalist perspective, usually with a nationalist slant, is rare. Essays in this outstanding collection cover rural as well as urban issues in veterinary disease and science from the eighteenth century to the present. The book will attract a wide range of readers from veterinary historians to all those interested in why livestock has been and is important to society.”“This volume represents a compelling call to broaden the territory covered by the history of veterinary medicine and animal health and it is essential reading for those interested in these topics. More broadly, some of its essays should inform studies of colonialism in the modern period, which have too often neglected to examine agriculture, foodways, and notions of environment, health, and disease.” * Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences *“The essays collected in Healing the Herds are most welcome additions to the existing scholarship on the history of veterinary medicine and livestock disease. The volume should be mandatory reading for specialists in these fields. Those concerned with eighteenth- through twentieth-century colonialism, European state building, and the ecological dynamics of Old World expansion will also find much on offer here.” * H-Environment *“The fine collection compiled by Karen Brown and Daniel Gilfoyle proves that a comparative history of veterinary medicine can be compelling.…By taking the story out of the laboratory and focusing on the political economy of disease and control, they show its significance well beyond animals and vets.” * Journal of Historical Geography *

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Book SynopsisMeredith Sue Willis’s Out of the Mountains is a collection of thirteen short stories set in contemporary Appalachia. Firmly grounded in place, the stories voyage out into the conflicting cultural identities that native Appalachians experience as they balance mainstream and mountain identities.Willis’sTrade Review“Appalachian stories need not feature ‘a granny woman’ and be set in the past. Out of the Mountains: Appalachian Stories by West Virginia native Meredith Sue Willis is a collection to prove the point. It's (twelve) stories are set in the milieu of the 21st century and explore current issues familiar not to just Appalachians but to contemporary readers everywhere. Her timely stories ring true and are often humorous.… She is one of the true voices of Appalachia in print today.” * West Virginia Book Festival: The Blog *“(Willis’s) characters possess a conversational familiarity, and the reader feels absorbed into the small community that is both distinctly Appalachian and markedly universal. This finely crafted collection is worth reading twice to discover all its intricacies and connections.” * Booklist *“I love this collection because it is not just about the rich, full heritage of the Appalachian past, but about how contemporary people from the mountains deal with moving out or moving on.… The stories from Out of the Mountainsmake me wish I knew these people; I probably do.” * “Around Cincinnati,” WVXU *“Character-driven and contemporary, the stories mirror situations we know.… As a writer (Willis) uses the imagination of her heart to explore her cultural heritage from many vantage points.” * Now and Then: The Appalachian Magazine *“Pick up this book and read it a story at a time. Meet Willis’ people and understand the issues they face. You won’t be the same after you do.” * The Advocate (Baton Rouge) *“Meredith Sue Willis writes sparkling, masterful stories, grounded in the wisdom of place, musical in their voices and cadences, and truly joyful in their understanding of the power of words. Reader, enter in!”“In Out of the Mountains, Meredith Sue Willis gives her characters the juice of life. Some turn up in more than one story, prompting the pleasure of recognition. Willis writes about people from Appalachia’s West Virginia corner, where she herself comes from, and about people from New York, where she lives now, with a smattering of folks from elsewhere. They’re all alive on the page.…Grade: A-” * CityBeat (Cincinnati) *“What does connect the stories is a sense of displacement and restlessness—insiders who leave the mountains to live elsewhere and outsiders who come to the mountains. There’s a tension between belonging and not belonging, of insider vs. outsider, of rural vs. urban, of traditional customs vs. new ways.” * In This Light blog *“The words have a precision to them, swift and clear and vivid, infinitely correct brush strokes that make tiny adjustments to the color of the story. And there is not a wasted word. You think you aren’t reading about Appalachia, but you are. Without your knowing, Meredith Sue Willis paints Appalachia on your heart.”“The Appalachian stories in Meredith Sue Willis’s Out of the Mountains are lively, funny, and, in good mountain tradition, sometimes a little bizarre. Willis uses her characters to show the ways people work out the conflict between what they desire and what they get. Alert to the edgy personal and political tensions between ambition and reward, between longing and satisfaction, these stories offer up essential human conflicts wisely and with a lot of heart.”“You wish you knew the people who inhabit the stories of Meredith Sue Willis. In fact, you do know them! And Willis’s scope, from Emma Goldman to a dying West Virginian who drives his truck into a New England lake, is breathtaking.”“These stories are memorable and moving. Meredith Sue is so adept at capturing the fine points of Appalachian culture, and she’s especially good at depicting culture clashes and the difficulties of native Appalachians who try to balance both mainstream and mountain identities. The contrasts between rural Appalachian and urban Jewish cultures are depicted very vividly in ‘Elvissa Did Not Become a Rabbi.’ The conflict between family loyalty and church-sanctioned homophobia was wonderfully portrayed in ‘Fellowship of Kindred Minds.’ Even in ‘Big Boss Is Back,’ Meredith Sue examines the cultural contrast between long-time natives of the region and newcomers. I actually taught this story in my graduate fiction workshop, and several of the students commented on the superb metaphor Meredith Sue uses when she says that ‘what Dr. and Mrs. Siefert were putting down was less like roots and more like the little feet English ivy uses to hang onto bricks.’”

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Book SynopsisIn 1998 David Kruiper, the leader of the ‡Khomani San who today live in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa, lamented, “We have been made into nothing.” His comment applies equally to the fate of all the hunter-gatherer societies of the Cape Colony who were destroyed by the impact of European colonialism.Trade Review“The Anatomy of a South African Genocide provides a succinct and accessible summary of a large body of scholarship on San colonial history. This makes it useful to both academic and lay readers. The book is a high-quality contribution to public education about the colonial history of the San.”“The Anatomy of a South African Genocide is provocative and consequential. By compellingly arguing that the extermination of the Cape San is genocide, Adhikari makes an argument with cultural, legal, and political implications in postapartheid South Africa. Akhikari’s clear prose and conveyance of complicated issues…make this short book suitable for a wider public audience and the college classroom.” * H-Genocide *“The author's passion for this subject is palpable, driving a successful effort to present the disintegration of San society as a genocide.” * The Historian *“In a time where fundamentalist intolerance, xenophobia, and racism still crop up constantly, Adhikari’s book serves as an apt, timely, and necessary call to guard against the horrors of such outrage.” * African Studies Quarterly *“The book is well-written, well-argued, insightful, and makes significant contributions to the literature on San and South African history, and genocide.” * Michigan State University *“The author’s research and command of the literature is impressive. The judgments are well balanced, fair and based on sound scholarship. This is an accessible book that will help to expand consciousness about the fate of the San and introduce … students to debates about genocide in a colonial context.” * University of Cape Town *

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Book SynopsisA fascinating window into Wilbur and Orville Wright‘s legendary Wright Company, its place in Dayton, its management struggles, and its effects on early U.S. aviation.Trade Review“[Roach] closes a major gap in our understanding of the brothers, drawing on an untapped cache of corporate records and the scattered papers of business associates to produce a history of the Wright Company set in the larger context of American business, labor, urban, and industrial history. His book is a fresh, honest, and well-researched view of Wilbur and Orville’s experience as the president and vice president of the Wright Company, respectively, detailing the rise and fall of a firm that in different hands might have dominated an infant industry.” * Business History Review *“The Wrights were excellent self-taught engineers who achieved success through a process more akin to tinkering than systematic research and development. They were poor businessmen, however, as this fine discussion of their stint as ‘captains of industry’ illustrates.” * American Historical Review *“Roach has produced what will become the standard work on the subject, and The Wright Company deepens our understanding of early American aviation history in several valuable ways. …General readers interested in these aspects of twentieth-century transport and aviation history will benefit from reading Roach’s work, as will specialists.” * Journal of Transport History *“The book explores the one area of the career of the Wright brothers that remains least well known. It casts new light on the business career of the Wright brothers, and on the history of the Wright Company and the men who led it.… Taken as a whole, the book offers a concise and readable history of an important topic that has received all too little attention.”“As a specialist in the history of flight for over the past 30 years, I thought I had encountered everything there was to know about the Wright Brothers and their essential role in the birth and development of the airplane and the American aircraft industry. I was wrong. Edward J. Roach’s new book fills in many gaps in the story where none of us knew there even were gaps. This new study is a major contribution to aviation historiography.”“A well-researched and fascinating look into an often forgotten chapter in aviation history…. This detailed biographical, corporate, and industrial history is nicely illustrated with historical photos and advertisements.” * Library Journal *“Roach’s study digs deeper than technological and business history. By casting his narrative in an urban historical context and painting the sociocultural elements that affected the business, the author contributes to a clearer understanding of how seemingly unrelated elements affected the development of the Wright aircraft business.” * The Historian *“Roach’s chronicle of the birth, growth, and subsequent marginalization of the Wright Company adds a new and critical piece to the story of America's most famous sibling inventors. Recommended.” * Choice *“Edward Roach’s work The Wright Company: From Invention to Industry examines one of the least studied time periods in the brothers’ careers. Wilbur and Orville may have been brilliant intuitive engineers, but they were not brilliant intuitive entrepreneurs. Their inexperience with the world of big business, plus their energy-draining defense of their patent, left them behind as others pioneered the aircraft industry. This book is a valuable addition to the literature on the Wright brothers and the early history of the aircraft industry in the United States.”“The Wright Company: From Invention to Industry provides an in-depth look at the character and disposition of Wilbur and Orville Wright and the impact their lack of business acumen had on their company and the industry they were a part of. The Wright Company story leads to a better understanding of the larger emerging aviation industry of the early twentieth century.”Table of Contents* List of Illustrations * Preface * Acknowledgments * Introduction * One: "We Will Devote...Our Time to Experimental Work" Creating the Wright Company * Two: Bringing an Aeroplane Factory to Dayton * Three: "A Substantial, Commodious, Thoroughly Modern Factory" The Wright Company Enters the Market * Four: "Our Machines Are Sold on Their Merits" Patents, Profits, and Controversy * Five: World Records for Wright Aviators The Exhibition Department * Six: To Change or Not to Change Creating New Airplanes and New Pilots * Seven: Turning Buyer Attention the Company Way Advertising * Eight: Managing the Wrights' Company * Nine: "It Is Something I Have Wanted to Do for Many Months" Exit Orville * EpilogueThe Wright Company's Legacy * Notes * Bibliography * Index

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Book SynopsisWhat have been the most significant developments—political, social, economic—in South Africa since 1994? How much has changed since the demise of apartheid, and how much remains stubbornly the same? Should one celebrate a robust democracy now two decades old, or lament the corrosive effects of factionalism, greed, and corruption on political life?Trade Review“South Africa is a place where the dust never settles. The past is always palpable in its present. In this exceptionally thoughtful book, one of the country’s most distinguished historians, Colin Bundy, explains quite how much this is true. For all its brevity, Short Changed? packs a hefty punch: not only does it offer a compelling explanation for the fall of apartheid, but it makes a very persuasive case for the ways in which the long shadow of colonialism has insinuated itself, is insinuating itself, into the South African here-and-now—and into its probable futures.”“If I was asked by a first time visitor for an accessible guide to the complexities of modern South Africa, I’d suggest Colin Bundy’s Short-Changed. But this isn’t just a primer for beginners. His overview of how South Africa has altered since 1994 contains plenty of fresh insight and new arguments for specialists as well.”“In Shortchanged? South Africa since Apartheid, Colin Bundy provides a powerfully incisive analysis of how the past continues to reverberate in post-apartheid South Africa. He also shows how the prospects for change hinge crucially on confronting the legacies of the past.”“Bundy’s lively and deeply insightful book demonstrates the importance of historical analysis for those who wish to understand contemporary South Africa. Bundy shows that the country's past continues to cast a long shadow over her present; and he argues that the dangers and opportunities that the future holds can only be understood in the context of long range patterns of accumulation and exploitation.”“Insightful and thoughtful throughout, this judicious assessment clarifies the problems facing post-apartheid South Africa with precision and care. I know of no better historically informed introduction to the state of the nation.”

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Book SynopsisCentral Asia has long stood at the crossroads of history. It was the staging ground for the armies of the Mongol Empire, for the nineteenth-century struggle between the Russian and British empires, and for the NATO campaign in Afghanistan.Trade Review“An illuminating travelogue through Central Asia…. As a genial travel guide, Mould, an academic who doesn’t write like an academic, shows how one should resist the temptations to stereotype a culture too easily and understand it too quickly.” * Kirkus Reviews *“Mould is the ideal author to demystify the region and its people…. (An) accomplished tome that covers topics ranging from culture and politics to history, the environment, economics, and human rights. Of particular interest are sections that probe national identity; the literary landscape of Semay, Kyrgyzstan; and his overall impression of Central Asia. VERDICT: With a sense of humor, Mould’s memoir will…stimulate interest in this lesser-known region.” * Library Journal *“Books providing a stimulating, readable survey of the five countries that straddle Europe and Asia—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan—targeted at those with little or no existing knowledge are few and far between. David H. Mould’s Postcards from Stanland promises to be a notable exception. …The western traveler to Central Asia is rare. One with the patience, enthusiasm and attention to detail to provide a considered and mostly vivid portrait…is rarer still. For that reason, Postcards from Stanland is a valuable contribution to the literature on the region.” * New Eastern Europe *“Postcards from Stanland is an ambitious undertaking, encompassing the history, politics, sociology and local color of a part of the world almost unknown and often misunderstood outside the territory. We would all do well to study and learn more from Mould’s observations.” * Book Reporter *“Postcards from Stanland is strongest when it discusses the subtleties of national and ethnic identity and the way the past affects the present.” * The Asian Review of Books *“An engagingly written exploration of a remote, multifaceted, strategically vital and intriguingly complex region of the world.”“The book’s mixture of personal anecdotes, political analysis, historical background, and cultural commentary makes it both an enjoyable and instructive read. … With its rich depiction of life in Central Asia and authoritative yet accessible style, Postcards deserves a wide audience, from high school students to secretaries of state.” * EurasiaNet *

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Book SynopsisGrowing up in Ladora, Iowa, Mildred “Millie” Benson had ample time to develop her imagination, sense of adventure, and independence. Millie left her small hometown to attend the University of Iowa, where she became the first person to earn a master’s degree from the school of journalism.Trade Review“Rubini frames the story as a mystery, asking why, despite Nancy Drew's fame, most people have never heard of Benson and tracking down clues and evidence to uncover more information about the life of this little-known author…. VERDICT A solid option for those interested in the ’Nancy Drew’ mysteries.” * School Library Journal *“Digging into archives and the memories of surviving acquaintances as well as published histories, Rubini spins an account of Benson's long and active life that throws a strong light on the source of Nancy Drew's own admirably intrepid and independent spirit.…An enlightening peek behind the curtain for Nancy Drew fans.” * Kirkus Reviews *“The biography is eminently readable and well organized…Appended with an impressive wealth of back matter (‘Extra Clues’) including a timeline, a chronological list of Millie’s books, a glossary, source notes, and an extensive bibliography.” * Horn Book Magazine *“Though this biography is written for young adults, there’s plenty to interest adult readers, especially the successful, albeit formulaic, system Edward Stratemeyer used to create so many young adult series. Rubini brings Millie’s world to life.” * Cedar Rapids Gazette *“There are several helpful appendices, including a glossary of the key terms that have been presented in bold face in the earlier text. From ‘alma mater’ to ‘writing credits,’ and including ‘Gallup Polls,’ ‘penchants,’ and ‘ratified,’ this list delighted me with its obvious respect for children’s capacity to understand complex matters. … In sum, this is a delightfully quirky read. … The book has the potential to develop a new generation of literary scholars.” * International Research Society for Children’s Literature *“Rubini’s book is geared for younger readers, but the best part of the book is that Rubini slyly teaches children what scholarly historical research and writing looks like… the book still offers much for adults in its insight into book syndicates and in the life story of an under-discussed but important author in children’s literature.” * The Annals of Iowa *“Historical photographs and interesting sidebars enhance the story of this Toledo treasure whose identity as a ghostwriter remained a secret until she testified at a court case between two publishers claiming rights to new Nancy Drew stories.” * Toledo Blade *“Missing Millie Benson is as lively and compelling as a Nancy Drew Mystery Story. For anyone who loves Nancy, getting to know the woman who first brought her to life in this wonderful biography is not just a treat but a necessity—an inspiration to young writers and sleuths alike!”“Julie Rubini’s charming, accessible style delivers just the right details, building clues and setting up and solving mysteries in every chapter. Simply amazing.”“Millie Benson is an American treasure. Her fascinating story is brought to life in Julie Rubini’s enchanting new book, which will inspire a new generation of Nancy Drew fans.”

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Book SynopsisIn the decades since the Vietnam War, veteran memoirs have influenced Americans’ understanding of the conflict. Yet few historians or literary scholars have scrutinized how the genre has shaped the nation’s collective memory of the war and its aftermath.Trade Review“One reason that the Vietnam veteran has become the moral vector of the war is the perception that they were often ignored, abused, hated and marginalized by the US establishment and anti-war activists. Wood places this within a longer narrative of US homecomings and, while recognizing the damaging legacies of the war, questions the apparent uniqueness of the difficulties that Vietnam veterans faced returning to civilian life.…This important study is not a disinterested reflection on how the most prominent memoirs are expressions of raced, classed and gendered subjects rather than ‘the truth’ of Vietnam. Wood does not suggest that these narratives have nothing to tell us about war. That story is darker than the most bleak memoirs.” * History Today *“This wonderfully conceived book belongs in every library. …This nicely written book should be available to all, and especially to scholars and discerning public intellectuals. Summing up: Highly recommended.” * CHOICE *“Veteran Narratives and the Collective Memory of the Vietnam War is a discerning investigation of historical remembrance in the writings of Vietnam War veterans. John Wood deftly reveals how prewar, wartime, and postwar experiences shaped the composition and content of published memoirs. In the process, he reminds us that even biased and flawed veteran accounts—used appropriately—offer valuable insights into the nature of warfare and the ways that societies choose to remember it.” * Michigan War Studies Review *“John Wood’s venture into collective memory provides Americans with painful insight into how Vietnam veterans perceived the conflict, and also how those of us who did not go to fight perceived them. This book is a considerable historical achievement. More importantly, it can help us ‘get right’ with the war, our warriors and ourselves. Please read it.”“To my knowledge, this is the first significant scholarly work to look at veterans’ memoirs as literature and how they shape the public memory and perception of the Vietnam War. Wood succeeds wonderfully.”“Wood’s fascinating study of Vietnam veterans’ memoirs explores common themes and representations—accurate and inaccurate—of soldiers’ wartime experiences and how these narratives helped shape Americans’ collective memory of the war. This groundbreaking volume provides a unique perspective on America’s most divisive military conflict since the Civil War.”

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