Book Description

With Cold War politics lost as the organizing principle behind international politics, development has become the most import policy goal of every international organization. There is an underside (and a human side) to development, and feminism has made inroads into the highly technical debates and frothy prophecies by examining what the future really holds for the people who will live it. This book highlights the ways in which feminist analysis has contributed to a richer understanding of international development and globalization. By combining theoretical, empirical and political perspectives and discusses cutting-edge debates around development, globalization, economic restructuring, and feminist economics, Gender, Development and Globalization presents the ultimate primer on global feminist economics. ... Read more

Book Description

Kiggundu argues that we, the incipient global society comprised of governments, corporations, NGOs, and individuals, must take a strategic approach to managing globalization. He explores strategies in the fields of public sector reform, governmental use of technology, foreign direct investment and international trade policy, the evolving World Trade Organization, cultures of entrepreneurship, labor standards, and environmental protection. ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides a comprehensive survey of Soviet economic development from 1917 to 1965 in the context of the prerevolutionary economy. In these years the Soviet Union was transformed from a predominantly agrarian country into a major industrial power. These developments resulted in great economic achievements at great human cost. Professor Davies discusses the inherent faults and strengths of the Soviet system, paying particular attention to the major controversies, and presents the results of recent Russian and Western research. ... Read more

Book Description

Firms and entrepreneurs of all types¡ªfrom microenterprises to multinationals¡ªplay a central role in growth and poverty reduction. Their investment decisions drive job creation, the availability and affordability of goods and services for consumers, and the tax revenues governments can draw on to fund health, education, and other services. Their contribution depends largely on the way governments shape the investment climate in each location¡ªthrough the protection of property rights, regulation and taxation, strategies for providing infrastructure, interventions in finance and labor markets, and broader governance features such as corruption.

The World Development Report 2005 argues that improving the investment climates of their societies should be a top priority for governments. Drawing on surveys of nearly 30,000 firms in 53 developing countries, country case studies, and other new research, the Report explores questions such as:

* What are the key features of a good investment climate, and how do they influence growth and poverty?

* What can governments do to improve their investment climates, and how can they go about tackling such a broad agenda?

* What has been learned about good practice in each of the main areas of the investment climate?

* What role might selective interventions and international arrangements play in improving the investment climate?

* What can the international community do to help developing countries improve the investment climates of their societies?

In addition to detailed chapters exploring these and related issues, the Report contains selected data from the World Bank's new program of Investment Climate Surveys, the Bank's Doing Business Project, and World Development Indicators 2004¡ªan appendix of economic and social data for over 200 countries. This Report offers practical insights for policymakers, executives, scholars, and all those with an interest in economic development. ... Read more

Book Description

The Illusion of Socialism and Self-Reliance in Tanzania ... Read more

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Timely, original, provocative, and one of the first studies of the way in which the World Bank is reinventing itself as the "Knowledge Bank."Essential for those with an interest in the future of the World Bank, the role of think tanks, and the changing nature of development. ... Read more

Book Description

The economics of growth has come a long way since it regained center stage for economists in the mid-1980s. Here for the first time is a series of country studies guided by that research. The thirteen essays, by leading economists, shed light on some of the most important growth puzzles of our time. How did China grow so rapidly despite the absence of full-fledged private property rights? What happened in India after the early 1980s to more than double its growth rate? How did Botswana and Mauritius avoid the problems that other countries in sub--Saharan Africa succumbed to? How did Indonesia manage to grow over three decades despite weak institutions and distorted microeconomic policies and why did it suffer such a collapse after 1997?

What emerges from this collective effort is a deeper understanding of the centrality of institutions. Economies that have performed well over the long term owe their success not to geography or trade, but to institutions that have generated market-oriented incentives, protected property rights, and enabled stability. However, these narratives warn against a cookie-cutter approach to institution building.

The contributors are Daron Acemoglu, Maite Careaga, Gregory Clark, J. Bradford DeLong, Georges de Menil, William Easterly, Ricardo Hausmann, Simon Johnson, Daniel Kaufmann, Massimo Mastruzzi, Ian W. McLean, Lant Pritchett, Yingyi Qian, James A. Robinson, Devesh Roy, Arvind Subramanian, Alan M. Taylor, Jonathan Temple, Barry R. Weingast, Susan Wolcott, and Diego Zavaleta. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Completely updated and revised in this eighth edition, Leading Issues in Economic Development, covers the main issues in economic development through professional journal articles by leading scholars. These articles are edited to provide greater accessibility to an undergraduate audience and organized thematically using overview essays along with explanatory notes and comments. This distinctive approach allows for a variety of perspectives while keeping the most important overall themes in sight. This extensive collection of articles and essays is prefaced with an introductory section that covers the measurement of development, recent economic performance of less developed countries, and the discipline of development economics. It also provides historical perspective on how the world divided into rich and poor countries and treatments of international trade, human resources, investment and finance, urbanization and the informal sector, agriculture, income distribution, political economy, as well as development and the environment. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Good second step in development economics
This book is a very good introduction to development economics for those who have some background in economics.The book does assume some prior knowledge of concepts and terminology, as it seeks to address many of the main contemporary issues related to development.There is a definite bias of focus on Third World developing countries rather than transitional or developed countries.

The issues addressed include the more traditional ones (such as poverty reduction, trade policy, population issues, financing issues) coupled with some newer areas of debate (such as the specific role of women in development).Most interesting I found the section on industrial and technological progress, which follows from the classical eocnomics argument that there should be no indsutrial policy.As it is a compilation of arguments, it does not go terribly in depth in any of the subjects, but offers enough references for those who wish to do so.

For the introductory student of development, this is an essential compilation.For the more advanced student, this is great reference and the bibliography is a list of important works.

Wonderful collection of articles
I found this book extremely useful for understanding development economics. It provides a variety of different approaches and theories with clear explanations from the editors. A great source that I recommend strongly.

very useful introduction
I bought this book on the recommendation of a colleague who teaches development economics and uses the book himself. I am an economist by training, my background is on macroeconomics and international economic relations, and hence there was much that i recognized. One reason I wanted to learn more on development economics is that I am currently involved in work on EU Candidate Countries and economic transition issues.Although these countries are clearly not in the same category as less developed countries (although that phrase has become increasingly meaningless in itself as it covers so many very different countries), I think there could be fruitful cross-fertilization from reading a book on development economics. Certainly there would seem to be a number of issues where the candidate countries share some common ground at least, or where useful lessons could be learned from development economics (institution and capacity building and macroeconomic stabilization, for instance). The discussion on how development economics is different from other disciplines in economics (notably macro-economics) or adds value to it is of course as old as development economics itself.I found this book very useful as a broad and balanced introducion, and even though it sometimes covered familiar ground I think it often did so with a specific slant on LDCs that did add value for me, as did discussion of subjects not usually found in most economics books on social issues such as the role of women.I liked the listings of positive and negative arguments on a number of issues such as what has been achieved incpoverty reduction. I also liked the broad collection of seminal articles that you are unlikely to find elsewhere.

I found the articles and empirical research quoted not always of very recent date, and especially the latter bothered me.In several instances the texts quoted empirical findings from studies dating from the 70s or so. I do not find that very convincing; have there really been no more recent findings for the last 25 years?Also the lay-out of the text was not always very clear or attractive to the eye, and I think there is definite room for improvement there as well.

That said, this is still excellent value for money, and the book is certainly well worth to read for anybody interested in a good introduction on development economics.

excellent tool for any one interested in development
Meier's book provides an excellent tool for anyone interested inDevelopment Economics. Most, if not all, of the important developmenttheories and issues have been covered in a clear and concise way. Amongstthe contributors, many are notable economists and scholars such as:Chenery, Stiglitz, Bardhan, Nurske, Sen, Lewis, Todaro, Krueger, Ranis,Rosenstein-Rodan, Hirschman- to name but a few. This book has truly beenthe most useful reference tool from my first year to final year as anundergraduate reading development economics.Particularly interesting anduseful chapters include: Dualistic Development(Lewis Model etc.), Debt andAid, Population, Trade Strategy, and an awesome section onIndustrialisation and Technological Progress.

A must buy for students ofDevelopment!

A concise and elegant review of economic development issues
A concise and but detailed review of the most important issues in agricultural development. The text includes new and important perspectives on issues in development. Topics covered include dualistic development,domestic financing of development, external financing of development, humanresourses, industrialisation and agriculture and trade/development. This isan excellent reference book as well as a very interesting read. It isuptodate and enables the reader to quickly grasp the main themes. Alsoincludes comprehensive references for futher reading. Very good value! ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

Keiretzu Economy, New Economy: Japan's Multinational Enterpr
Interesting reading. Timely. Though the first part is too academic and lofty, the conclusions of the second part(Japan: a success or not) is quite stimulating. This is very different reading from the usual Porter-like books of the academic Japan-bashing. And it is a non-US biased view. Induces to think the usual surface arguments about why Japan is doomed and dead. Quite creative in arguing for a Japanese pole-position in the next wave of the "New Economy" after the US dot.com craze is now anticlimaxing. Dr. Kensy significantly contributes in an unorthodox way to the ongoing debate on Japan and on the shape of the "Next Economy". ... Read more

Book Description

Environmental activists and academics alike are realizing that a sustainable society must be a just one. Environmental degradation is almost always linked to questions of human equality and quality of life. Throughout the world, those segments of the population that have the least political power and are the most marginalized are selectively victimized by environmental crises.

Just Sustainabilities argues that social and environmental justice within and between nations should be an integral part of the policies and agreements that promote sustainable development. The book addresses many aspects of the links between environmental quality and human equality and between sustainability and environmental justice more generally. The topics discussed include anthropocentrism; biotechnology; bioprospecting; biocultural assimilation; deep and radical ecology; ecological debt; ecological democracy; ecological footprints; ecological modernization; feminism and gender; globalization; participatory research; place, identity, and legal rights; precaution; risk society; selective victimization; and valuation. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Comprehensive Look at EJ and Sustainability
This book does a wonderful job of taking different approaches and tools of looking at how sustainability and equity relate to each other. It scans the globe, distinct definitions of environmental justice, and a variety of environmental issues to create a less U.S. centered look at what environmental justice means and its relationship with sustainability around the world. The editors and contributors are well-known and distinguished in the field of environmental justice and sustainable development, making this book a must read for a comprehensive look at how two sometimes disparate and sometimes intertwined concepts interact. It also works well as an introduction to environmental justice and sustainability. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in equity issues; environmental justice is often one of the last considerations in environmental battles. Works like this will help make equity one of the first considerations. ... Read more

Book Description

This book brings forward a crucial issue of how to manage the process of strategic integration into the global economy.The performance of Asian and African economies over recent decades clearly shows that engagement with the global economy can play a key role in advancing development. Asia and Africa in the Global Economy systematically deciphers the different experiences in the two regions, and provides comprehensive coverage of policies and institutions, focusing on the key sectors of primary exports. It also covers key topics such as manufacturing, foreign direct investment, financial flows and official development assistance. Contributors to this book include leading scholars from Southeast Asia and Africa. ... Read more

Book Description

Why have some developing countries industrialized and become more prosperous rapidly while others have not? Focusing on South Korea, Brazil, India, and Nigeria, this study compares the characteristics of fairly functioning states and explains why states in some parts of the developing world are more effective. It emphasizes the role of colonialism in leaving behind more or less effective states, and the relationship of these states with business and labor in helping explain comparative success in promoting economic progress. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Decision and indecision - the consequences for the developer
For those interested in decision theory, the author does a sterling job of tracing the impacts that different approaches to decision-making, by different parties, has on the development of a complex and unique mixed use project:

"But like it or not, the power to make these final decisions rested with the various public bodies overseeing the compliance with the city's regulations" (p.106) "It was that an architectural decision had been made by a political body that appeared to care little about archictecture..." (p.105) "Still undecided, however, was the shape of the atrium. This delay was having troubling consequences for the entire construction schedule because the city refused to issue a demolition permit until it saw the final design drawings..." "The developers knew they were unhappy with the atrium but they did not know why" (p.154) "They bungled it because they wouldn't do anything without having three decisions" (p.184) "The debate over the colour of glass dragged on for months" (p.202) "Mancini said he would take the matter under advisement. He was not ready to make a decision on the spot" (p.209) "While Johnson applauded group decisions intellectually, he felt strongly that there was not always a 'right' decision for every dilemma" (p.229")

The book clearly articulates the dialogue between the different decision-making parties and makes for an interesting case study.

Ideal case study for developers
My students - this was, for years, the best-liked textbook in Berkeley real estate courses - saw this well-written history of an actual commercial development as a sure-fire hit movie. We selected the cast - not too difficult: incompetent and corrupt contractors, sublimely ignorant city officials, totally dense bankers, a brilliant artist who got ripped off, shady lawyers, venal professors - well, they lost forty million dollars or so. Reporter Frantz covered the (subsiding) ground with hearty humor but without serious libel. The reader is supposed to do the numbers. ... Read more

Book Description

Synthesizing new economic research of recent decades, the author offers new insights and some surprising conclusions about the Great Depression. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

new look at country's worst crisis
Based on new theories, Smiley has re-examined and re-assessed the forces that led to and prolonged the Great Depression. In clear non-technical prose, he shows what happened and why.

This short book (163 pages plus sources and index) is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 gives a brief overview of how the worldwide depression began and how it created a domino effect throughout Europe and the U.S. Nothing new here-- in fact, this is basic stuff any high schooler should know.

Chapter 2 is a more detailed examination of the economic crisis and the forces which led to it. Smiley explains the situation in basic terms that anyone can understand, allowing us to see the tragedy unfolding step by step.

Chapters 3 and 4 show how President Roosevelt (who had little knowledge or experience of economics) attempted to pull the country out of this deep economic slump. Though some programs were successful, some were not, and only serve to create a depression within a depression in the mid-30s.

Chapter 5 examines the legacy of the governmental response, and how economic policies initiated during this period has affected this country for decades afterward, and how certain government programs still exist long after their usefulness has passed. An examination of post-war analysis shows how Keynesian economic theory and government studies have misinterpreted the factors which brought this country back to recovery. He also examines the question of whether such an event can happen again, concluding that-- based on subsequent economic downturns-- it probably won't, though it can happen again should future leaders ignore the warning signs and lessons of the past.

A fascinating and rewarding book, even for those who have little or no knowledge of economics.

Eye opening
Smiley discusses the cause the the Great Depression, and the effects of the New Deal in prolonging it. He summarizes the findings of the latest academeic research, over the past few decades. He does this well and quite clearly, in a non-polemical way.

No math is involved.

Draws upon recent technical analysis
Gene Smiley's Rethinking The Great Depression blends history and economics in a survey which draws upon recent technical analysis to consider new ideas about the roots of the Depression. The efforts of the New Deal to combat the crisis, the underlying foundations of the Depression, and misguided monetary policies which prolonged it accompany refutes to popular beliefs - such as the positive view of World War II as a key to ending the crisis.

Concise, well orginized, and a fantastic read.
This book is only 175 pages, but dense in material. Smiley argues that FDR's New Deal, actually prolonged the Great Depression, and created a "depression within a depression." FDR, and his advisors, self nicknamed "the brains trust", put their New Deal emphasis in stiffling the free market forces, that were actually recovering the American economy from the world depression, of the early 1900's. Also, Smiley sheds light on the false notion that war is good for the economy. This book is written in such an understandable and concise style, that even the bibliography reads like a integrated chapter, where Smiley explains what he used within each reference.

I would recommend this book as a first read, or primer, for the Great Depression. I really enjoyed it.

The Great Depression Reassessed From a Free-Market Viewpoint
Gene Smiley, a protege of the free-market-oriented Austrian and Chicago schools of economics, has written a concise and readable book that challenges some long-held beliefs about the Great Depression.

Smiley presents a convincing case that the calamity was brought on, not, as is widely believed, by flaws in the free enterprise system, but by government policies, in particular, attempts to manipulate the gold standard. He then shows how the well-intentioned but wrongheaded interventionist policies pursued by the Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt administrations to combat the Depression actually prolonged and deepened it.

Smiley also presents evidence that the "boom" of the World War II years was actually a bust, and that true prosperity only returned when Washington turned away from New Dealism following the election of the Eightieth Congress in 1946. His insightful discussion as to whether or not another Great Depression could occur should be of particular interest to contemporary readers.

Although written for a general audience, Smiley's book is well researched and includes an extensive bibliography. It will make a useful addition to the bookshelf of anyone interested in the Great Depression, American history, or macroeconomics. ... Read more

Book Description

`[Research for Development] is well-written and, at every stage, is well-documented with practical examples. The simplicity with which it is written adds to its value in that non-professional persons get well-aquainted with the research process. Every chapter in the book ends with highlighting of the main points made in that chapter... A further strength of the book is the inclusion of an appendix with a list of websites that deal with issues in the area of development research... the simplicity of its organization and message should appeal to people//researchers across disciplines' - Pakistan Development Review

`Research for Development achieves the near impossible: it provides vast quantities of useful guidance for almost anyone involved in research for development regardless of the size of your research project or your role within that project' - Arvac Bulletin

`Written by professional researchers, this immensely practical book provides development workers with a more research-oriented point of view, so that they can avoid mistakes in the design of programmes. It will also help them to understand people's needs and respond accordingly' - The Asian Age

`It is a beautiful and comprehensive compilation giving scores of instances that prove the essentiality if carrying out a survey of a particular locality for bringing about a change there' - Rafique Jalal, DAWN

This book provides a comprehensive introduction and handbook for undertaking and managing research in development.

It is designed to provide both a quick reference manual and an indispensable learning tool for all students, researchers and practitioners engaged in development work.

The text is divided into two parts: Managing research for development, and Doing research for development. Together the two parts review the complete research process from outlining the essential role and purpose of research, highlighting specific issues to development research, to demonstrating how to evaluate and secure the best results from subsequent research projects.

The book includes: an overview of different types of research in development work; practical steps to writing a brief and managing research; practical steps to evaluating and promoting research findings; step by step guides to getting started and choosing a research method; detailed guidelines to seven key research techniques; examples, exercises, summaries and checklists; and glossary and guides to additional resources and packages

Drawing on considerable hands-on experience, Research for Development will be an essential companion and invaluable tool for anyone engaged in contemporary development research, development work and development studies.