Revisiting Agrarian Transformations In The Greater Mekong Sub Region

This book explores the issue of poverty reduction within mainland Southeast Asia with a specific focus on the impact of the private sector and tourism. Covering Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and Yunnan, the book discusses how success in poverty reduction has come about largely through innovation in the private sector, foreign investment and the move toward more market based economic policies as opposed to foreign aid, or interventions by international development programs, to reduce poverty in the region.

In addition to constituting an evolving area of inquiry within the social sciences, agricultural certification, and particularly its Fair Trade and organic components, has emerged as a significant tool for promoting rural development in the global South. This book is unique for two reasons. First, in contrast to existing studies that have tended to examine Fair Trade and organic certification as independent systems, the studies presented in this book reveal their joint application within actual production settings, demonstrating the greater complexity entailed in these double certification systems through the generation of contradictions and tensions compared with single certification systems. Second, the authors, who are both Asian, reveal the realities of applying Fair Trade and organic certification systems within Asian agriculture. In doing so, they challenge the fact that most Fair Trade studies have been undertaken by Western scholars who have tended to focus on Latin American and African producers. Drawing on a wealth of grounded case studies conducted in India, Thailand, and the Philippines, this pioneering study on double certification makes a significant contribution to studies on Fair Trade and organic agriculture beyond Asia.

The private sector is a vital factor in creating the wealth and economic growth needed to reduce poverty in a significant and sustainable manner. However, there are many obstacles preventing private sector firms from engaging in business where poverty is widespread. Examining the Private Sector’s Role in Wealth Creation and Poverty Reduction explores poverty alleviation in developing economies through the creation of livelihood options developed by private sector activities. Examining relevant topics such as corporate social responsibility (CSR) frameworks, multinational enterprises, and responsible tourism, this publication is an ideal resource for private sector firms, researchers, academicians, professionals, and students interested in wealth creation in areas of extreme poverty.

With the newly inaugurated US Presidential Administration signing several orders to mitigate discrimination and racism within the United States government, attentions globally are once again brought to the Black Lives Matter campaign, and its message. Discrimination in business contexts, social interactions, and educational institutions remains a concern for leaders today. The empowerment of marginalize communities has been rapidly spreading through societies, thanks to the platforms that social media now offer. The Research Anthology on Empowering Marginalized Communities and Mitigating Racism and Discrimination is a three-volume, hand-selected compilation of the highest quality research on the empowerment of marginalized communities that have been experiencing ongoing discrimination. To shed light on the underpinnings of disparities between marginalized groups and overreaching society, this text explores social justice applications and practices and the changes being made or pushed for around the globe that promote equality, fair treatment, and inclusivity. This book is ideal for sociologists, teachers, activists, practitioners, managers, administrators, policymakers, government officials, researchers, academicians, and students working in fields such as gender studies, race studies, social justice, behavioral studies, history, sociology, anthropology, psychology, law, as well as anyone interested in the current practices and advances in mitigating racism and discrimination in society.

Tourism Microentrepreneurship shares scholarship and best practices to educate practitioners and to encourage more research on the development of microentrepreneurship and its impact on destination communities.

This book takes a unique approach to the topic of poverty reduction, primarily employing an international business framework as opposed to the usual economic or political lens. Some of the key ideas explored in the book include: poverty is primarily the lack of choices, not the lack of material possessions; attacking inequality of opportunity might be a more effective means to reduce poverty than attaching inequality of wealth; political systems matter, but individuals and for-profit firms also have a vital and indispensable role in helping to create the wealth needed to reduce poverty; and an effective corporate social responsibility strategy to help reduce poverty may include finding innovative and creative ways to operate profitably in areas of the world where poverty is currently robbing too many people of the opportunity to live their version of the good life. Building on such ideas, the book advocates for private companies to expand operations into the least developed regions of the world as part of their corporate social responsibility programs and to reframe the debates away from ones focused on exploitation and economic nationalism to one of creating opportunities across political borders.