The Challenge Of Economic Development

development, political scientists and development practitioners." --Book Jacket.

This book provides a general overview of the challenges of economic development for the five billion people living in developing countries. While they constitute over 80 percent of the world's population, they account for only 40% of the world's output, and are home to 2.6 billion people living on less than $2.00 per day. Thinking on economic development has shifted over time. Early theories that stressed capital formation and a heavy reliance on the public sector proved inadequate. Gradually, economists began to see that development was a complex, multifaceted problem that combined economic issues with problems of poverty and income distribution, insititution building and governance. While there have been many failures, there have also been many successes. Countries such as China, Chile, Ghana, and Korea demonstrate that good policies and strong institutions can result in remarkable progress. However, many poor countries, particularly those in Africa continue to lag behind. Closing this gap remains a major challenge for the world, particularly as the growing population and output of developing countries accelerate tensions in such areas as trade, immigration and financial flows.

Recent years have seen considerable changes in the technology of transportation with the development of high-speed rail networks, more fuelefficient automobiles and aircraft, and the widespread adoption of informatics in disciplines such as traffic management and supply chain logistics. The contributions to this volume assess transportation interactions with employment and income, examine some of the policies that have been deployed to maximize the economic and social impacts of transportation provision at the local and regional levels and analyze how advances in transportation technologies have, and will, impact future development. Due in part to the general liberalization of markets, there have been major changes in the institutional environment in which transportation is supplied; these changes inevitably affect wider economic systems and development, although in turn these changes feed back upon transportation networks. The contributors to this work develop these and other themes, from a variety of perspectives, implementing a wide range of academic approaches into their analyses. Stemming from initiatives of the Network on European Communications and Transport Activities Research (NECTAR), Transportation and Economic Development Challenges presents a body of research that exemplifies the organization's objective of fostering research collaboration around the world.

In this exploration of the political, economic and social issues that face diverse Third World countries, Howard Handelman examines the nature of underdevelopment and discusses explanatory theories of redevelopment.

The Challenge of Development in the Eighties: Our Response attempts to understand the demands of developing countries in order to render the present world order more equitable and habitable for all. The mosaic of contributions collectively expresses various perspectives and potential support from developed countries to the most challenging and significant human challenge for the remainder of the twentieth century: creating the conditions that will provide for the accelerated and sustained economic development of the vast majority of the human population living in developing countries. The volume contains seven chapters in which representatives of different interest groups assess their own perspectives and motivations as well as their possible contributions to the range of development problems. Key topics discussed include the circumstances in which developing and developed countries have launched upon the negotiation, and implementation, of the text to guide governments during the 1980s; EC policy toward the developing countries; and the contribution of Christians in developed countries. This volume will be useful not only to professionals in education or government concerned with development, but also to the general public in their capacities as citizens, trade-unionists, business-persons and church-goers. This text—and reactions to it—thus provide a forum in which representatives of different interest groups assess their contribution to the development effort in the eighties.

Explores the various ways in which the institutions of the global economy might rise to the challenges posed by the twin goals of increasing the pace of global development and alleviating poverty. This book also provides a much-needed analysis of the successes and failures of international institutions in achieving these aims.

Written by experts in their respective areas, this book is an excellent review of theories, policies and empirical evidences on important topics in global economic development. The book is both a superb teaching tool and a valuable handbook in development economics. The volume compiled 13 articles on contemporary issues influencing the world development. The book covers issues ranging from global financial crisis, the rise of China and the world economic order, multinational corporations, sweat factories and social responsibilities to Japan's nuclear meltdown and sustainable development. The book highlights the impacts of globalization on human well-being and examines the relationship between developed and developing economies in the global perspective. With cases and box illustration, this book is an essential reader for undergraduate students in economic development, international development and development economics. It is also a great reference for more advanced students, as well as a very useful guide to policymakers and practitioners interested in recent advances in global development.