Economic Growth And Development In The Tropics

The living standards and scale of development around the world are vastly unequal. One notable observation is that much of the poverty-stricken area is located between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. By contrast, affluent nations are situated in more temperate zones. Such a phenomenon gives weight to the geography hypothesis that seeks to explain the occurrence of global economic inequality, by placing an emphasis on the importance of natural elements such as location and climate in determining the economic conditions of a nation. This book concentrates exclusively and in depth on the key economic phenomena and factors which shape tropical economies today. It examines contemporary economic problems confronting the tropical countries and provides policy recommendations that align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals set in the 2030 Agenda. It contains research works and case studies of tropical economies that are related to the area of development and environment economics. The book’s themes range from economic growth, poverty reduction, income inequality, economic globalization, international trade, capital flow, financial development, and institutional development to environmental sustainability within the Tropics. Recognizing the dynamism and diversity of the tropics, the book encompasses empirical and policy analyses that address the key economic issues and challenges in the region so as to provide an important platform from which new policymaking initiatives can flourish. This book will draw readership primarily from the fields of economics and public policy, particularly under the subject areas of development and environment economics, as well as discussions in the sustainability policy space.

The tropics. Soils. Agricultural enemies. Agriculture research. Minerals. Health hazards. Health research.

The living standards and scale of development around the world are vastly unequal. One notable observation is that much of the poverty-stricken area is located between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. By contrast, affluent nations are situated in more temperate zones. Such a phenomenon gives weight to the geography hypothesis that seeks to explain the occurrence of global economic inequality, by placing an emphasis on the importance of natural elements such as location and climate in determining the economic conditions of a nation. This book concentrates exclusively and in depth on the key economic phenomena and factors which shape tropical economies today. It examines contemporary economic problems confronting the tropical countries and provides policy recommendations that align with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals set in the 2030 Agenda. It contains research works and case studies of tropical economies that are related to the area of development and environment economics. The book's themes range from economic growth, poverty reduction, income inequality, economic globalization, international trade, capital flow, financial development, and institutional development to environmental sustainability within the Tropics. Recognizing the dynamism and diversity of the tropics, the book encompasses empirical and policy analyses that address the key economic issues and challenges in the region so as to provide an important platform from which new policymaking initiatives can flourish. This book will draw readership primarily from the fields of economics and public policy, particularly under the subject areas of development and environment economics, as well as discussions in the sustainability policy space.

Until recently, the phenomenal economic development of the Asian tigers, Chile, and Malaysia, as well as the sustained economic growth of the United States, painted a very desirable and optimistic picture of free markets, fiscal responsibility, and, more generally, the entire dogma of neoclassical economics. As of the fall of 1998, however, the economies of many tropical countries have contracted severely, and the enthusiasm of the developing tropics for the free market and all of its ancillary policies is decidedly cooler. Have our traditional approaches to economics been failing the developing world? This interdisciplinary book covers the conditions of the developing tropics, the resistance of some of their problems to earlier attempts at solutions, and the use of new tools to develop a much more comprehensive and empirical framework for analysis and decision making. It also presents the development of cutting edge technology that links GIS and modeling approaches with extensive databases on meteorology, soils, agricultural production, and land use. The book discusses whether development is sustainable through a synthesis of demographic, economic, and resource-specific considerations. Costa Rica is uniquely suited to this study because of its size, stage of development, democratic institutions, and national databases. A CD-ROM containing all data and programs, color images, animated models, large data tables, and references accompanies the book. Links economic and biophysical analyses of sustainability Presents new tools and approaches for analysis and decision-making Includes a CD-ROM containing data and programs, color images, animated models, and references

A few years ago, Roger Stone undertook a formidable challenge: to travel to representative villages in the tropical corners of the developing world to see how and whether economic development plans had improved the quality of the people's lives while also preserving each region's rich plant and animal life. In The Nature of Development, Stone reports on his findings and offers a lively prescription for sustainable economic growth that is environmentally sane and economically sound. By commercial and missionary airplane, bus, off-road vehicle, and dugout canoe--and of course by means of wearying foot journeys--Roger Stone reached his far-flung destinations all over Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Once there, he lived, walked, and talked at length with many diverse peoples: the Awa of Ecuador and Colombia; the Oku, who live near Kilum Mountain in Cameroon; the Hatam of the Arfak Mountains in Indonesia's Irian Jaya province; the resourceful, if underequipped, wardens of Zambia's national park service; the fishermen and farmers of a St. Lucia that Caribbean tourists seldom discover. While in the Amazon basin, he found sad tales of people without a future and of relentless environmental losses. More often, though, he returned with stories of hope and encouragement. For, as The Nature of Development shows, conservation and economic-development agencies can work together, and the governments of poor and rich countries alike can cooperate to improve human lives and stop disastrous ecological losses in the world's richest habitats. As new imperatives replace the global preoccupation with warfare and reckless modes of development, Stone's book carries a resonant and important message about howwe have mistreated our habitats in the past and how we can achieve a new environmental world order.