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This book examines the economic relationship between Africa and Europe. It highlights the stigmatized narratives about Africa and analyses how they influence a range of key actors and processes. This is illustrated by the actions of European actors who reinforce negative narratives through replacing real economic transformation and development with charity, while African leaders compete to maximize aid donations and help further these narratives. This book acknowledges the complex history of the relations between Africa and Europe and details the ways in which Africa has become a peripheral player in the world economy. It will be relevant to researchers and policymakers interested in development and African economics. This is an open access book.

This open access book presents the evolution of the Spanish economy over the past seven centuries since the end of the Reconquest and examines how much economic progress has Spain achieved, as well as its impact on living standards and income distribution over the very long run. It shows that preindustrial Spain was far from stagnant, although levels of output per head in the early nineteenth century were not much different from those on the eve of the Black Death (1348). It further discusses how phases of simultaneous per capita output and population expansion and shrinkage alternated, lending support to the recurring growth and frontier economy hypotheses. While a collapse in the 1570s gave way to sluggish growth and higher inequality after a long phase of sustained growth and lower inequality, the book shows how real per capita income has improved substantially over the last two centuries, driven by increased labor productivity, and derived from more intense andefficient use of physical and human capital per worker. Presenting exposure to international competition as a stimulus for this development, the book sheds light on the underperformance of Spain up to 1950 in a European comparison and describes the catch-up of Spain’s economy with more advanced countries until 2007. Finally, the book explains how modern economic growth is associated with an increase in the material well-being of its inhabitants, as the most dynamic economic phases of the last century have been associated with an improvement in income distribution, although the relationship between growth and inequality has not been linear. This book is a must-read for students, researchers, and scholars of economics and economic history interested in a better understanding of cliometrics, long-run analyses, economic development, economic growth, as well as the Spanish economy.

This open access book examines the long-term impact of Christian missionaries in Zambia, and sub-Saharan Africa more generally, on education, health, and economic development. It examines how Christian missionaries provided Western-style education and healthcare within sub-Saharan Africa during the 20th century and how this was provided along unequal gender and regional lines. With sub-Saharan Africa currently facing challenges in the provision of essential public goods and services, the legacy of Christian missionaries in Zambia provides an insightful case study for better understanding how gendered education and regional health inequality have hindered economic development in this region. This book offers a new perspective on colonialism and the economic challenges faced within Africa. It will be relevant to students and researchers interested development economics and economic history.

This book examines the responsible sourcing of raw materials within global value chains. With the need for a vast amount of additional raw materials to enable the global green energy transition, it examines the current responsible sourcing landscape, with the aim of bringing clarity and harmony to theories and practices that are characterized by systemic fragmentation. Normative elements are introduced to create a framework for a functioning responsible sourcing system built around the behavioural change of supply chain actors. Drawing from state of the art conceptual ideas and practical experience, an impactful and economically viable approach to the responsible sourcing of raw material is presented. This book sets out a vision of global value chains based on environmental, societal, and economic sustainability. It will be relevant to researchers, policymakers, and practitioners interested in resource economics and sustainable value chains. This is an open access book.

A key challenge for the post-COVID-19 global economy is whether the disproportionate impact of the crisis on informal workers, who form the majority of the world’s workforce, will be acknowledged. Or whether harmful and negative stereotypes will persist. Today, despite the role of these essential frontline workers — producing, processing, selling, cooking and delivering food, providing cleaning, childcare, eldercare, healthcare, transport, waste removal, and other essential services — many observers consider the informal economy to be non-compliant (resisting registration and taxation) and associate it with low productivity (a drag on the economy) or with crime (illegal activities) and grime (blight on modern cities). Yet, most informal workers are working poor trying to earn an honest living in often hostile environments. Most suffered severe declines in work and earnings during successive waves of the COVID pandemic, and related restrictions and recessions, and have gone deeper into debt and depleted their savings and assets in order to survive. This book explores and informs answers to that key challenge. It presents findings on the impact of the COVID crisis on informal workers in Asia, Africa and North and Latin America. The chapters of the volume analyse the impact of the COVID crisis on informal workers, interrogate whether and which economic recovery plans and schemes include informal workers and explore what a more inclusive economic recovery and reforms might look like.

This open access book thoroughly investigates the domain of policy design tailored specifically for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with a central emphasis on harmonizing these policies with the preexisting social capital inherent to these enterprises, consistent with the mandate of Bank Indonesia to guard price stability and to promote financial stability, inclusive, and sustainable growth. The study, grounded in the context of Indonesia, underscores the paramount importance of a systematic approach, necessitating social planners and stakeholders to engage in a preliminary phase of active listening, empathetic understanding, and comprehensive knowledge of the diverse mental frameworks prevalent among MSMEs across the nation before embarking on the formulation of bespoke interventions. Readers of this scholarly work can anticipate gaining insightful perspectives into the nuanced policy preferences of both MSMEs and government officials. The methodologies employed, including the Analytic Hierarchy Process and Analytic Network Process, are not only presented but also subjected to rigorous feasibility assessments using the Mechanism Design Theory. Furthermore, the book delves into the intricate challenges faced by MSMEs, including addressing the financing gap and adapting to the digitalization landscape that considers the prevailing social capital, both of which significantly influence their overall productivity. Ultimately, the study underscores the pivotal role played by networks, rather than mere size and the usual suspects (financing, technology, and management), as the linchpin of social capital that profoundly shapes the performance of MSMEs within a specific socio-economic context.

Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, this book discusses the potential of social innovation in the pursuit of social justice in Africa. In the twenty-first century, social innovation and entrepreneurship have attracted renewed attention as a way of promoting social justice and addressing challenges of poverty and inequality. Drawing on perspectives from human rights, economics, business, development studies and anthropology, this book illustrates the entangled relationship between societal areas and activities, as well as different actors (individuals, communities, business actors, non-governmental organisations and public authorities) in social innovation. It identifies various models of social innovation, ranging from grassroots initiatives to public policymaking, and discusses their impact on socioeconomic welfare. It analyses a broad range of original research data and incorporates localised understandings of social innovation, highlighting both the empowering potential of social innovation and the possibility that it could sustain or create inequalities. As such, this book deepens an understanding of what makes social innovation ‘social’ and ‘just’. Arguing that social justice innovation can only be understood in context, this book will be of interest for researchers and policy makers across the fields of human rights, economics, business, development studies, anthropology and African studies.

EPDF and EPUB available open access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. As many developing countries are facing increasingly higher levels of debt and economic instability, this interdisciplinary volume explores the intersection of sovereign debt and women's human rights. Through contributions from leading voices in academia, civil society, international organizations and national governments, it shows how debt-related economic policies are widening gender inequalities and argues for a systematic feminist approach to debt issues. Offering a new perspective on the global debt crisis, this is an invaluable resource for readers who seek to understand the complex relationship between economics and gender.

This open access book is a new study by the Institute for Contemporary China Studies at Tsinghua University, condensing the new achievements of the Institute’s national policy research. Taking "common prosperity" as the theme, the book elaborates the historical background, ideological sources and theoretical connotation of common prosperity. It reviews the theoretical and practical innovations of common prosperity in three historical periods: the socialist revolution and construction period, the new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, and the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It discusses the development goals and practical approaches for China to build a society of common prosperity by 2035, analyzes the development basis and challenges China faces in promoting common prosperity, and puts forward the overall goals and quantitative indicator system for achieving common prosperity in the new era, as well as major tasks, policy logic and pathway for promoting common prosperity. The book also looks into the great significance and world significance of China's realization of common prosperity. Policy interpretation in the book is thorough, and the data is accurate, with authoritative, professional and forward-looking perspectives. This is an open access book.

The shipping industry, responsible for approximately 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, urgently needs decarbonization to combat climate change. Traditional approaches to reducing emissions have yet to achieve significant, sustainable results. Maritime businesses and naval engineers need innovative solutions to meet ambitious emissions reduction targets and regulatory requirements. State-of-the-Art Digital Twin Applications for Shipping Sector Decarbonization offers a groundbreaking solution to the challenges of shipping decarbonization. By focusing on integrating digital twin technologies, this book presents a new paradigm for enhancing operational efficiency, reducing environmental impact, and meeting regulatory compliance. Through digital twins, maritime businesses can gain valuable insights into their operations, optimize energy consumption, and develop sustainable practices. State-of-the-Art Digital Twin Applications for Shipping Sector Decarbonization provides a state-of-the-art review of digital twin technologies and their applications in the shipping industry. The book covers various topics, from conceptual frameworks to practical implementations, including digital twin model representation, management, and applications in ship operations and design. It also explores the use of digital twins in the development of renewable technologies and installation onboard ships. By offering insights from EU-funded research and real-world case studies, this book is invaluable for researchers, naval engineers, and maritime professionals seeking to drive sustainability and innovation in the shipping industry.

This book investigates the diverse and dynamic forms of migration within Africa. Centring themes of agency, resource flows, and transnational networks, the book examines the enduring appeal of the Global South as a place of origin, transit, and destination. Popular media, government pronouncements, and much of the global research discourse continue to be oriented towards migration from the Global South to the Global North, despite the fact that the vast majority of migration is South-South. This book moves beyond these mischaracterisations and instead distinctly focuses on the agency of African migrants and the creative strategies they employ while planning their routes within and across the African continent. Case studies explore the flow of resources such as people, money, skills, and knowledge throughout the continent, while also casting a light on the lived experiences of migrants as they negotiate their sometimes precarious and vulnerable positions. Underpinned by intensive empirical studies, this book challenges prevailing narratives and provides a new way of thinking about South-South Migration. Composed by a majority of scholars from the Global South, the book will be crucial reading for researchers, students, and policy makers with a focus on South-South Migration, Migration and Inequalities, Migration and Development, and Refugee and Humanitarian Studies.

This book argues that a resilient region should act reactively and proactively in the face of shocks and disruptions and asserts that the institutionalization of regional cooperation may be the answer to development challenges in times of uncertainty and instability. It considers regional, transregional, and subregional cooperation initiatives for building regional resilience and critically examines a broad spectrum of issues, such as international security and trade, economic development, value chains in production, and social welfare. Adopting the concept of resilience allows for a holistic, dynamic, and systematic approach to the studies on the regional process of institutionalization, responsiveness, and adaptability to challenging circumstances. The economic and social indicators of the countries in the region are examined alongside an analysis of the regional institutional architecture. The reader is acquainted with the essence of resilience concerning each category of challenges and the mechanisms of its achievement and strengthening through regional integration. The interdisciplinary character of the book makes it suitable for usage not only by economists but also by lawyers. As such, the book will be helpful to scholars and students of international economics, international security, and policymakers.

This book presents an innovative African philosophical response to coloniality and the attendant epistemicide of Africa’s knowledge systems, drawing on Igbo thinking. This book argues that theorizing modernity requires a critical conversation between African and Western scholarship, in order to unpack its links with coloniality and the subjugation of Africa’s indigenous knowledges. In setting out this discussion, the book also connects with Latin American scholarship, demonstrating how the modern world is structured to marginalize and destroy knowledges from across the Global South. This book draws on Igbo epistemic resources of solidarity thinking, positioned in contrast to capitalist knowledge-patterns, thereby providing an important Africa-driven response to modernity and coloniality. This book concludes by arguing that the Igbo sense of solidarity is useful and relevant to modern contexts and thus constitutes a vital resource for a less disruptive, more balanced, and more wholesome modernity. At a time of considerable global crises, this book makes an important contribution to philosophy both within Africa and beyond.

India has learned what to do and what not to do when it comes to implementing policy to address human suffering. The COVID-19 pandemic unified the international response in similar ways, and the world has a lot to learn about key initiatives in India that have been implemented since India's independence. This open-access book includes key learnings about the conceptualization, design, and impact of social welfare programs in India spanning more than a 75-year period. The Future of India's Social Safety Nets provides a comprehensive analysis of these systems by combining insights from a wealth of interdisciplinary scholarship on social protection, economic development, and social policy. It covers India’s social development in terms of three essential aspects of policy design: focus (intended beneficiaries), form (transfer modalities), and scope (developmental objectives). Highlighting the developmental achievements and shortcomings of the myriad of social welfare schemes, this book proposes a framework to foster human resilience through social protection. This is an open-access book.

This book examines the politics of revenue bargaining in Africa in a time when attention to domestic revenue mobilisation has expanded immensely. Measures to increase taxes and other revenues can -but do not always- lead to a process of bargaining, where revenue providers negotiate for some kind of a return. This book offers in-depth analyses of micro-instances of revenue bargaining across five African countries: Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. All case studies draw on a common theoretical framework combining the fiscal contract theory with the political settlement approach, which enables a systematic exploration into what triggers revenue bargaining; how these processes unfold; and finally, if and when they reach an agreement (whether a fiscal contract or not). From the empirically rich case narratives emerges a story of how power and initial bargaining position influence not only whether bargaining emerges in the first place, but also the processes and their outcomes. Less resourceful taxpayers are in a more difficult position to raise their voice, but in some cases even these groups manage to ally with other civil society groups to protest against tax reforms they perceive as unfair. Indirect taxes such as VAT often trigger protests, and so do sudden changes in tax practices. Revenue providers rarely call for improved services in return for paying tax, which would be expected to nurture the foundation for a fiscal social contract. Instead, revenue providers are more likely to negotiate for tax reductions, implying that governments’ effort to increase revenue is impeded. We do find many instances of state-society reciprocity when ruling elites try to be responsive to revenue providers’ demands. Hence, this book gives insight into the nature and dynamics not only of revenue bargaining but of policy-making in general as well as the implications hereof for state-society reciprocity in Africa.

Latin American Economic History: An Introduction to Daily Life, Debt, and Development guides readers through significant features and developments in the region’s economic history from independence through 2022. In approachable language, the book introduces readers to relevant New Economic History concepts and explains important characteristics of Latin America, such as the region’s high volatility, rapid urbanization experience, the continued prominence of commodities, and its culture of informality. The volume provides explicit connections between culture, politics, and economics over five distinct time periods. Readers will learn how Cinco de Mayo featured into foreign debt repayments in the nineteenth century, how novels like Gabriel García Márquez’sOne Hundred Years of Solitude reflected on the expansion of railroads during a period of export-led growth, and how a United States federal reserve interest hike in 1979 sent the region into the Lost Decade. When considered collectively, the region’s economic trajectory demonstrates that development does not always accompany economic growth. This is an accessible introductory text with clear definitions and discussions of relevant economic concepts, which will be a valuable resource for students of Latin American economic, cultural, and political history.

This book disrupts the dominant underlying international norms informing urban development strategies across African cities. International policy frameworks have created a new universal agenda for developing cities. However, these frameworks have also imposed global paradigms and discourses that are often in conflict with local urbanisms. As we approach the deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, there is need for reflection and deliberation on a post-2030 agenda. The authors identify powerful assumptions, norms, and positionalities that obfuscate the efforts to achieve sustainable development in African cities, as well as along the North–South divide. They argue that a disruptive critique of these normative concepts, grounded in the lived African urban everyday, opens up opportunities to dismantle their assumed neutrality. Through disruption, the authors critically re-interpret the meanings of policy and the praxis of local urbanism, ultimately challenging the logic of universalising concepts underpinning implementation in the current international policy system, and asserting the need for contextualised urban policies. The book will be of interest to scholars and students of urban studies, development planning, urban governance, human settlements, development studies, urban geography, and African studies. It will also be useful for practitioners including town and regional/urban planners, urban policy consultants, and international development cooperation agencies. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

The struggle for world leadership between China and the United States, resulting in Russia's war with Ukraine, among other things, underscores the reality of structural changes in the global economy and the global system. This book explains that a new era of egocentrism and polycrisis in a multipolar system has emerged in international economic policy, with a strong drive toward interventionism and protectionism of national economies. Dynamic economic imbalances are becoming a constant factor in disrupting international competitiveness and forcing changes in both monetary policy and general economic policy. This prompts a new, more pragmatic definition of fundamental concepts in the theoretical sphere as well as an up-to-date and viable cause-and-effect narrative that is not disconnected from decision-making processes in the economic and political spheres. This book provides a comprehensive diagnosis of the current global economy landscape and evaluates the processes affecting the economic and financial realities and the effectiveness of economic policies. The recent dynamics have rendered much of the existing literature outdated or confined to individual economies, economic systems, and regions. The book describes the evolution of international economic policy, offering a comparative analysis of foreign trade theories, especially in the context of macroeconomic trends and the impact of international trade in goods and services in the new balance of power of the global economy. Targeted primarily at academics, students, and researchers in economics, finance, international relations, and management, it will also serve as a valuable resource for policymakers shaping and implementing contemporary state economic policies.

The struggle for world leadership between China and the United States, resulting in Russia's war with Ukraine, among other things, underscores the reality of structural changes in the global economy and the global system. This book explains that a new era of egocentrism and polycrisis in a multipolar system has emerged in international economic policy, with a strong drive toward interventionism and protectionism of national economies. Dynamic economic imbalances are becoming a constant factor in disrupting international competitiveness and forcing changes in both monetary policy and general economic policy. This prompts a new, more pragmatic definition of fundamental concepts in the theoretical sphere as well as an up-to-date and viable cause-and-effect narrative that is not disconnected from decision-making processes in the economic and political spheres. This book provides a comprehensive diagnosis of the current global economy landscape and evaluates the processes affecting the economic and financial realities and the effectiveness of economic policies. The recent dynamics have rendered much of the existing literature outdated or confined to individual economies, economic systems, and regions. The book describes the evolution of international economic policy, offering a comparative analysis of foreign trade theories, especially in the context of macroeconomic trends and the impact of international trade in goods and services in the new balance of power of the global economy. Targeted primarily at academics, students, and researchers in economics, finance, international relations, and management, it will also serve as a valuable resource for policymakers shaping and implementing contemporary state economic policies.

This book addresses the realities of the circular economy, a resource efficiency concept that has risen to global prominence in academic, policy and business circles over the last decade. Considered an approach to sustainable growth, the volume critically analyses how sustainable emerging applications of a circular economy are in practice. The book stems from an international, interdisciplinary project exploring the discourses, policies, implementation and impacts of the circular economy across public, private and third sector accounts. It draws on a wide range of case studies, from the UK, Portugal, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Chile, China, Nigeria, Taiwan and Vietnam, highlighting how experiences both shaped and were shaped by the places in which they were happening. It provides a guide to researching a complex phenomenon such as a circular economy, which involves both collaboration and competition between multiple stakeholders across different sectors and places. Synthesising the multiple perspectives employed in the project, the book makes recommendations for circular economy implementation in different contexts, including the assessment of sustainability implications, whilst indicating the limited potential for circular economy activity to bring social and economic benefits without explicit motivation for those to happen. Benefitting from extensive empirical research, this critical assessment of sustainability in the context of the circular economy will appeal to a broad readership of academics, upper-level students, practitioners and policy-makers in sustainable development, business, economics, geography, sociology and environmental engineering. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

COVID-19 and Bangladesh analyzes the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and features the socioeconomic fallouts for disadvantaged communities in Bangladesh, their coping mechanisms, and implications for the country’s development ambitions. The contributors to the book examine the immediate impact of economic adversities, which rapidly translated into health, employment, education, and other socioeconomic problems. They show that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted the communities that were traditionally left behind and created a new group of people that are “pushed behind”. Structured in four sections, the book examines impact and adjustment in the areas of employment, income, and expenditure and health, education, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and offers policy perspectives. The empirical analysis and policy conclusions presented in the chapters are based on official secondary data, household-level primary surveys, focus-group discussions, key informant interviews, and reviews of public policy documents. The policy conclusions and outlook presented in the book can be instructive for other low-middle income, or graduating least developed countries (LDC). A unique contribution to the current debate on the diverse implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, this book will be of interest to policymakers and academics studying health and society in Asia and other countries of the Global South.

Climate change is increasingly contested on financial terms. Different actors are advancing competing climate visions and interests by adopting financial positions. International institutions urge action by identifying financing gaps needed to meet climate targets. The finance sector claims it holds the key to unlocking money needed for climate investment. Activists expose greenwashing while using financial tactics to undermine fossil fuels. Vulnerable countries demand wealthy governments repay historical climate debts.This book offers an accessible and critical guide to the political economy and economic geography of climate finance. It identifies six competing ""positions"" of climate finance to make sense of the array of financial instruments, institutions and ideas that are remaking the relationship between capitalism and climate change. Using a wide range of case studies, from green bonds, to divestment, carbon offsetting, climate tech, central banks, and international climate funds, the authors show how climate finance is shaping our collective climate futures.

Les stratégies de développement priorisées correspondent-elles à la réalité et aux besoins locaux dans la société haïtienne ? Les acteurs locaux participent-ils au processus de développement économique ? Quelle place occupe le local dans la fabrication des décisions collectives ? La classe dirigeante et les décideurs publics éprouvent-ils une certaine volonté pour que le processus du développement local et la décentralisation soient une réalité effective en Haïti ? Les fondements des deux notions tout juste évoquées voudraient que les acteurs, les citoyens et les pouvoirs locaux prennent part au processus décisionnel devant aboutir à la formulation des politiques de développement. Or, dans les faits, la planification locale du développement est une réalité difficile à institutionnaliser. Basée essentiellement sur une interprétation multidimensionnelle du développement et sur une approche institutionnelle de l’analyse des politiques publiques, la réflexion que propose Lovinski incite à interroger les politiques de développement priorisées par les décideurs publics. L’auteur examine les démarches entreprises dans la conduite des politiques de développement et montre à quoi elles ont abouti tout comme il saisit les dynamiques en marche et en appréhende les ambiguïtés. Cet ouvrage est disponible en libre accès. . ; Are the priorities of sustainable strategies aligned with the local realities and needs of Haitian society? Are local actors involved in the economic development process? What role does the local community play in collective decision making? Do the ruling class and policy makers have the will to make local development and decentralization an effective reality in Haiti? The foundations of these concepts assume that community, actors, citizens, and authorities should be included in the decision-making process. Aimed to leading to the development of sustainable policies, however, local development planning is difficult to institutionalize. Lovinski’s analysis is based on a multifaceted interpretation of development and takes an institutional approach to public policy. Thereby, prompting an interrogation of sustainable policies prioritized by policy makers. This investigation examines the steps taken to achieve sustainable policies and shows the results and considering the dynamics and their ambiguities.

Les stratégies de développement priorisées correspondent-elles à la réalité et aux besoins locaux dans la société haïtienne ? Les acteurs locaux participent-ils au processus de développement économique ? Quelle place occupe le local dans la fabrication des décisions collectives ? La classe dirigeante et les décideurs publics éprouvent-ils une certaine volonté pour que le processus du développement local et la décentralisation soient une réalité effective en Haïti ? Les fondements des deux notions tout juste évoquées voudraient que les acteurs, les citoyens et les pouvoirs locaux prennent part au processus décisionnel devant aboutir à la formulation des politiques de développement. Or, dans les faits, la planification locale du développement est une réalité difficile à institutionnaliser. Basée essentiellement sur une interprétation multidimensionnelle du développement et sur une approche institutionnelle de l’analyse des politiques publiques, la réflexion que propose Lovinski incite à interroger les politiques de développement priorisées par les décideurs publics. L’auteur examine les démarches entreprises dans la conduite des politiques de développement et montre à quoi elles ont abouti tout comme il saisit les dynamiques en marche et en appréhende les ambiguïtés. Cet ouvrage est disponible en libre accès. . ; Are the priorities of sustainable strategies aligned with the local realities and needs of Haitian society? Are local actors involved in the economic development process? What role does the local community play in collective decision making? Do the ruling class and policy makers have the will to make local development and decentralization an effective reality in Haiti? The foundations of these concepts assume that community, actors, citizens, and authorities should be included in the decision-making process. Aimed to leading to the development of sustainable policies, however, local development planning is difficult to institutionalize. Lovinski’s analysis is based on a multifaceted interpretation of development and takes an institutional approach to public policy. Thereby, prompting an interrogation of sustainable policies prioritized by policy makers. This investigation examines the steps taken to achieve sustainable policies and shows the results and considering the dynamics and their ambiguities.

The outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges to both developed and less developed local economies. The aim of the book is to uncover the best practises in responding to a pandemic from global perspectives, as well as from a trans-disciplinary point of view. Scholars from various spheres in arts, culture, education, health, environment, business and the public sector present their perspectives on the impacts, responses and consequences for local economies and communities. As a fundamental part of LED, the arts, culture, education, health, environment, business and the public sector domains were some of the hardest hit by the pandemic. The pandemic has certainly exposed the weaknesses of current development policies and calls for new, innovative measures in developing resilient local regions. This book will form an essential part of the development series of CENLED as it offers insight into how a global pandemic (COVID-19) impacted LED in the global North and Global South and the different responses from different spheres.

This handbook provides a cutting-edge, comprehensive overview of global land and resource grabbing. Global land and resource grabbing has become an increasingly prominent topic in academic circles, among development practitioners, human rights advocates, and in policy arenas. The Routledge Handbook of Global Land and Resource Grabbing sustains this intellectual momentum by advancing methodological, theoretical and empirical insights. It presents and discusses resource grabbing research in a holistic manner by addressing how the rush for land and other natural resources, including water, forests and minerals, is intertwined with agriculture, mining, tourism, energy, biodiversity conservation, climate change, carbon markets, and conflict. The handbook is truly global and interdisciplinary, with case studies from the Global South and Global North, and chapter contributions from practitioners, activists and academics, with emerging and Indigenous authors featuring strongly across the chapters. The handbook will be essential reading for students and scholars interested in land and resource grabbing, agrarian studies, development studies, critical human geography, global studies and natural resource governance.

Producer Organisations (POs) have the potential to provide alternatives to the current iniquitous economic systems through collectivising small farmers into economic production chains, and as essential actors in bringing about socially-oriented innovation. The exponential growth of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in India indicates ongoing efforts to transform farming as an enterprise through greater connection with markets and value chains, and lesser state involvement. The chapter provides a comprehensive review of global literature on collective enterprises and locates this research in the context of dynamic and fluid realities of the Global South that often get underrepresented in mainstream literature. The incubation, promotion and management of these institutions require a new inclusive frame to make sense of the complexity of FPOs in India beyond the narrow parameters of agricultural economics with a greater focus on socio-political dimensions. Through detailed studies of fifteen FPO cases, this volume seeks to expand the boundaries of the current discourse by exploring the multiple dimensions of FPO growth, management, and performance in diverse settings through a unique participatory research process.

Krushidhan Producer Company Ltd. (KPCL) was incubated by the Development Support Centre (DSC), Ahmedabad. Registered in December 2013, KPCL caters to about 40,000 farmers from 190 villages in four districts, where it was increasingly becoming unviable to practice agriculture. DSC worked in three phases, first establishing an agri-extension system, then forming the company, and finally helping it become financially independent over 6 years. By 2020-21, the company was serving 18,400 farmers – 4409 shareholders and 14,000 non-members. Its share-capital stood at Rs. 4.406 m and its turnover at Rs. 85.0 m. KPCL’s success tells us the story of how community mobilization and building social capital of the community in the form of SHGs, Kisan clubs, etc. can lead to a strong institution. It was able to draw on resources from its members to carry out its activities, in the absence of formal credit. This brings out the social nature of FPOs, and needs to balance its social goals with commercial viability. Given its multi-location, multi-community and multi-commodity nature, Krushidhan presents lessons for many similar producer organizations.

Governing the Interlinkages between the SDGs: Approaches, Opportunities and Challenges identifies the institutional processes, governance mechanisms and policy mixes that are conducive to devising strategies of integrated Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) implementation. The book edited by Anita Breuer, Daniele Malerba, Srinivasa Srigiri and Pooja Balasubramanian examines the dedicated policies targeting the SDGs, as well as political and institutional drivers of synergies and trade-offs between the SDGs in selected key areas – both cross-nationally and in specific country contexts. Their analysis moves beyond the focus on links between SDG indicators and targets. Instead, the book takes advantage of recent evidence from the initial implementation phase of the SDGs and each chapter explores the question of which political-institutional prerequisites, governance mechanisms and policy instruments are suited to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs. The findings presented are intended to both inform high-level policy debates and to provide orientation for practitioners working on development cooperation. This volume will be of great interest to practitioners and policy makers in the field of sustainable development, as well as academics in the fields of sustainability research, political science, and economics. A PDF version of this book is available for free in Open Access at www.taylorfrancis.com. It has been made available under a Creative Commons BY license

This book traces the experience of digital economic transformation in seven developing countries, providing insights for policymakers and practitioners in similar situations as well as lessons for outsiders trying to support government reform efforts more broadly. In one country, the prime minister pushes for the liberalization of digital finance as a central pillar of the country’s national strategy, while the central bank almost makes it a criminal offence. In another, the digital minister tries to scupper the very process to support digital transformation that the president has asked them to co-lead. This book gives a ringside seat on seven developing countries’ tumultuous early steps on the path to a reform of the economy and the government using technology. Written by a group of academics and practitioners from Oxford at the heart of the process, but foregrounding the voices of the policymakers and participants, this book documents and critically assesses efforts to assist a set of governments to kick-start digital transformation. In doing so, it offers lessons for policymakers in other countries. But beyond that, it is an exposition of the process of policymaking more generally in the 2020s, and offers a broader insight as to how outsiders can play a sensible role in other reform processes in developing and emerging countries., illustrator

Using a range of countries from the Global South, this book examines heterogeneity within informal work by applying a common conceptual framework and empirical methodology. The country studies use panel data to study the dynamics of worker transitions between formal and heterogeneous, informal work. The range of country studies in the book (covering Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa) allow us to present a comparative perspective across developing countries. Each country study provides a nuanced view of informality, dividing workers into six work status groups: formal wage-employees, upper-tier informal wage-employees, lower-tier informal wage-employees, formal self-employed, upper-tier informal self-employed, and lower-tier informal self-employed. Based on this common conceptual framework, the country studies examine the distribution of workers between each of these work status groups. Using panel data, the country studies document transition patterns across different formality and work status groups. The panel data analysed in each country study gives a basis for making statements about labour market transitions that are not warranted when using comparable cross sections. In addition to measuring the distribution of workers and transitions between work status groups, each country study also examines individual-level and household-level characteristics associated with workers in each work status. Using these characteristics, each country study constructs a ‘job ladder’ that ranks each work status. The country studies then examine the characteristics of workers that are associated with transitions up (and down) the job ladder.

Plastic pollution is one of the biggest challenges of the twenty-first century that requires innovative and varied solutions. Focusing on sub-Saharan Africa, this book brings together interdisciplinary, multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder perspectives exploring challenges and opportunities for utilising digital innovations to manage and accelerate the transition to a circular plastic economy (CPE). This book is organised into three sections bringing together discussion of environmental conditions, operational dimensions and country case studies of digital transformation towards the circular plastic economy. It explores the environment for digitisation in the circular economy, bringing together perspectives from practitioners in academia, innovation, policy, civil society and government agencies. The book also highlights specific country case studies in relation to the development and implementation of different innovative ideas to drive the circular plastic economy across the three sub-Saharan African regions. Finally, the book interrogates the policy dimensions and practitioner perspectives towards a digitally enabled circular plastic economy. Written for a wide range of readers across academia, policy and practice, including researchers, students, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), digital entrepreneurs, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and multilateral agencies, policymakers and public officials, this book offers unique insights into complex, multilayered issues relating to the production and management of plastic waste and highlights how digital innovations can drive the transition to the circular plastic economy in Africa. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

This book explores the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of the global mining sector and local communities by focusing on a number of international cases drawn from various locations in Canada, the Philippines, and Scandinavia. Mining’s contribution to economic development varies greatly across countries. In some, it has been a major engine of development, but in others, disputes have erupted over land use, property rights, environmental damage, and revenue sharing. Corporate social responsibility programs are increasingly relied upon to manage company-community relations, yet conflicts persist in many settings, with significant costs for companies and communities. Exploring the many factors and drivers that characterize relationships among different actors within the sector, the volume contributes towards the development of practical wisdom, collective understanding, common sense, and prudence required for the mining sector and community partners to realize the economic potential and social and environmental responsibilities of non-renewable resource development. The book examines case studies from Canada, Scandinavia, and the Philippines, three regions amongst the world's top countries of mining operations. Drawing on their extensive experience in these regions, the contributors explore distinctive mining sectors in the Global North and South, the variation surrounding different types of extractive industries, and at different scales, and the legal processes in place to protect local communities. Key themes include corporate social responsibility, impact assessment, foreign ownership, Indigenous Peoples, gender, local insurgency, and mining disasters as well as climate change. The book identifies areas of future research and pathways to achieving stronger, respectful, and mutually beneficial relationships at the nexus of global mineral extraction and local communities. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of the extractive industries, natural resource management, sustainable business and corporate social responsibility, Indigenous studies, and sustainable planning and development.

Critical mapping—a problematizing, reflective approach—is the process of compiling and analyzing existing design outcomes (DOs) that address a wicked problem (e.g., food insecurity) in a way that creates a synthesis between equity, justice, and environmental responsibility. Critical mapping begins with identification and operationalization of the wicked problem leading to an integrative literature review of multidisciplinary scholarly sources to identify peer-reviewed DOs that contribute to addressing the wicked problem sustainably. Next, it progresses to charting the sustainable DOs affinitively with four quadrants—top-down and local, top-down and memetic (i.e., widespread), bottom-up and memetic, bottom-up, and local. The resulting visualization, introduced as a wicked solution, facilitates analysis to identify places to intervene in the system, where one can synthesize the impact of existing sustainable DOs to understand where gaps exist for future design innovation or appropriation that has the potential to cumulatively solve the wicked problem over time.

Critical mapping—a problematizing, reflective approach to design inquiry—investigates how existing design outcomes (DOs) can be coupled to form a wicked solution to address a wicked problem. We have found that visual framing married to affinity organization is one of the most important strengths in critical mapping, helping to communicate the concepts to stakeholders, structure our analysis, and identify places to intervene in the system to design a more sustainable future. In this book, we apply critical mapping to the challenge of identifying and compiling food DOs that are equitable, just, and resilient against ecological and economic changes; that is, the wicked solution must entail sustainable design. “Sustainable design” in this context refers to the manifestation of creative problem solving across a range of intangible and tangible design forms of varying degrees of sustainability. Using food insecurity as the wicked problem, this chapter introduces a visual framework for critically mapping a wicked solution, a diagram onto which existing sustainable DOs are charted and analyzed to identify places where designers should intervene to impact the current state of the system—in the specific case of food—and shift it toward a future of sustainable food security within the realm of equity and justice.

governance;politics;Sustainable development goals;sustainability;technological change

This open access book seeks effective strategy to realize a rice Green Revolution in sub-Saharan Africa based on more than ten years of research team’s inquiries into determinants and consequences of new technology adoption in rice farming in seven countries in this region. Rigorous statistical analyses are carried out by using valuable household data of rice farmers. The book is actually sequel to the two earlier books on the same subject published by Springer and edited by K. Otsuka and D.F. Larson, An African Green Revolution published in 2013 and In Pursuit of an African Green Revolution in 2016. The main message of the first book was that rice is the most promising cereal crop in SSA because of the high transferability of Asian rice technology, whereas that of the second book was that rice cultivation training programs are effective in significantly increasing rice yield in SSA. This third book has wider coverage in terms of topics, study periods, and study sites. It continues to show the significant impacts of rice cultivation training on productivity and newly demonstrates the high sustainability of the productivity impact of the training and the existence of spillover effects from trainees to other farmers by using panel data. We newly assess the important role of mechanization in intensification of rice farming, high returns to large-scale irrigation schemes, and the critical role of rice millers in improving the quality of milled rice. Based on these studies, this book provides clear pathways toward full-fledged Green Revolution in rice farming in sub-Saharan Africa.

This Open Access book explores the multifaceted nature of agricultural and rural development in Asia and examines the extent to which the Asian experience is being replicated in contemporary Africa. This volume compiles the works of top scholars who provided analyses and evidences from household-level surveys collected for many years in several parts of Asia and Africa. The most important finding presented in this book is that African agricultural development has evolved following the pathways of Asian agricultural development. The common pathways are borrowed technology from abroad and adaptive research in rice farming; secured property rights on natural resources; adoption of ICTs; investments in human capital, including training; and launching of the high-value agriculture. In both continents, agricultural development started in the crop sector, which had a strong tendency to induce the dynamic development of other sectors in rural areas.

This book discusses the role of cultural practices and policy for sustainable development in West Africa across different artistic disciplines, including performance, video, theatre, community arts and cultural heritage. Based on ethnographic field research in local communities, the book presents findings on current debates of cultural sustainability in Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Benin. It provides a unique perspective connecting cultural studies, conflict studies and practical peacebuilding approaches through the arts. The first part pays particular attention to aspects of social cohesion and the circumstances of internally displaced persons e. g. caused by the Boko Haram insurgency in Northeast Nigeria. The second part focuses on cultural policy issues and challenges in the context of sustainable development, investigating participatory approaches and bottom-up processes, the role of governments and civil society, as well as performing arts organizations and universities in policy making and implementation processes. Performing Sustainability in West Africa presents research results and new methods on the role of artistic and cultural practices in conflict situations as well as current debates in cultural policy for researchers, academics, NGOs and students in cultural studies, sustainable development studies and African studies.

This open access book explores the role of innovation in technological convergence processes in the EU regional space and shifts the focus from absolute and conditional income convergence to technological convergence and its determinants. Presenting new theoretical and empirical evidence on the determinants and trajectory of the EU region’s development and convergence, this book will appeal to scholars of economics and regional science, as well as practitioners and policymakers interested in the policy implications of regional technological convergence. The presented findings will also contribute to the development of the knowledge-based economy paradigm in the regional context. This is an open access book.

Public innovation and digitalization are reshaping organizations and society in various ways and within multiple fields, as innovations are essential in transforming our world and addressing global sustainability and development challenges. This book addresses the fascinating relationship of these two contemporary topics and explores the role of digital transformation in promoting public innovation. This edited collection includes examples of innovations that emerge suddenly, practices for processing innovations, and the requirements for transformation from innovation to the ""new normal"". Acknowledging that public innovation refers to the development and realization of new and creative ideas that challenge conventional wisdom and disrupt the established practices within a specific context, expert contributions from international scholars explore and illustrate the various activities that are happening in the world of multiple digitalization opportunities. The content covers public administration, technical and business management, human, social, and future sciences, paying attention to the interaction between public and private sectors to utilize digitalization in order to facilitate public innovation. This timely book will be of interest to researchers, academics and students in the fields of technology and innovation management, as well as knowledge management, public service management and administration.

The struggle for world leadership between China and the United States, resulting in Russia's war with Ukraine, among other things, underscores the reality of structural changes in the global economy and the global system. This book explains that a new era of egocentrism and polycrisis in a multipolar system has emerged in international economic policy, with a strong drive toward interventionism and protectionism of national economies. Dynamic economic imbalances are becoming a constant factor in disrupting international competitiveness and forcing changes in both monetary policy and general economic policy. This prompts a new, more pragmatic definition of fundamental concepts in the theoretical sphere as well as an up-to-date and viable cause-and-effect narrative that is not disconnected from decision-making processes in the economic and political spheres. This book provides a comprehensive diagnosis of the current global economy landscape and evaluates the processes affecting the economic and financial realities and the effectiveness of economic policies. The recent dynamics have rendered much of the existing literature outdated or confined to individual economies, economic systems, and regions. The book describes the evolution of international economic policy, offering a comparative analysis of foreign trade theories, especially in the context of macroeconomic trends and the impact of international trade in goods and services in the new balance of power of the global economy. Targeted primarily at academics, students, and researchers in economics, finance, international relations, and management, it will also serve as a valuable resource for policymakers shaping and implementing contemporary state economic policies.

Despite the rise of global technocratic ideals of city-making, cities around the world are not merging into indistinguishable duplicates of one another. In fact, as the world urbanizes, urban formations remain diverse in their socio-economic and spatial characteristics, with varying potential to foster economic development and social justice. This book argues that these differences are primarily rooted in politics, and if we continue to view cities as economic and technological projects to be managed rather than terrains of political bargaining and contestation, the quest for better urban futures is doomed to fail. Dominant critical approaches to urban development tend to explain difference with reference to the variegated impacts of neoliberal regulatory institutions. This, however, neglects the multiple ways in which the wider politics of capital accumulation and distribution drive divergent forms of transformation in different urban places. In order to unpack the politics that shapes differential urban development, this book focuses on East Africa as the global urban frontier: the least urbanized but fastest urbanizing region in the world. Drawing on a decade of research spanning three case-study countries (Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda), Politics and the Urban Frontier provides the first sustained, book-length comparative analysis of urban development trajectories in Eastern Africa and the political dynamics underpinning them. Through a focus on infrastructure investment, urban propertyscapes, street-level trading economies, and urban political protest, it offers a multi-scalar, historically grounded, and interdisciplinary analysis of the urban transformations unfolding in the world’s most dynamic crucible of urban change.

This book argues that international higher education has to be competitive, sustainable and contribute to educational development both locally and internationally. It shows that higher education institutions (HEIs) are seen as being driven by an economic or an educational agenda. For example, internationalization can be influenced by the university ranking system, which is based on the international reputation of universities, the competitive quality of programmes offered in a market-oriented education environment, generation of income from the enrolment of international students, and employment of high-profile researchers. Likewise, the book contributes to the production of knowledge by positing that an international profile for HEIs is fundamental to building their international excellence, outstanding academic standards, and strengthening their competitiveness and economic growth. Although virtual internationalization can be used as an effective vehicle for students to gain international exposure, the majority of students have remained in their local environment. This book provides a detailed array of new needs, attitudes and demands that teaching and learning pedagogy has to consider with a view to fostering the internationalisation of higher education. In addition, this book also argues that HEIs must ethically and pedagogically respond to the needs of international students and other stakeholders across various modes of internationalization of higher education. The book argues that any rationale to internationalise higher education must ensure that inequitable and unethical ideologies and practices are addressed. In the same vein, this book also places emphasis on the importance of institutional quality assurance mechanisms, accreditation, learning outcomes, and multicultural connectivity through an inclusive curriculum. Lastly, in providing thorough strategies for comprehensive internationalisation of higher education, this book provides pertinent discussions on the sustainable funding models for the HEIs, repositioning the higher education sector as a vibrant export sector, reforms in higher education, governance in HEIs, entrepreneurship in higher education and competition in higher education.

Given the rising criticisms of and growing doubts about globalisation, this timely edited volume looks at globalisation and its economic impact on eight countries in Asia and the Pacific region, namely Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, the United States (US), and Vietnam. The eight selected countries are members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and yet the economies of these member countries have benefited differently from globalisation. This book summarises findings from existing academic literature in a coherent framework and reviews them critically to provide a balanced analysis. It also identifies the mechanisms through which globalisation impacts economies and explains how understanding of such mechanisms can be useful for formulating policies, which would benefit from globalisation while achieving inclusive economic growth in the context of rising nationalism and protectionism. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/10.4324/9781003138501, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

In this chapter, we aim to compare the Nordic societies in a broad fashion in the last 200 years in their process of “sailing” (with the implication of rough waters along the way) from social fragmentation to more inclusive welfare societies. Our main goal is to examine the co-evolution of economic, political, and fiscal factors among the Nordic societies in the long-run by making use of recent longitudinal datasets. In this way we can map out some key patterns that characterized the shift toward more peaceful and well-functioning societies. First, we focus on the process towards economic and political convergence that took place, with some exceptions, in the latter part of the 20th century. Second, we also examine how these processes of convergence translated into the realm of fiscal and social policies, and to what extent they were related to decreasing levels of social fragmentation. The chapter shows that the paths towards welfare states were not uniform among the Nordic countries, and that some of the pivotal forces and periods were connected to various types of crises, namely that these were not processes that were smooth or inevitable. We conclude our paper with some general findings and discussion of current day problems among the Nordic societies from a comparative historical perspective.

This book explores the role of agriculture in long-term economic growth. With a particular focus on Ethiopia, the role of the state in igniting agricultural growth and in sustaining economic growth is highlighted as essential for low-income countries. Taking ideas from both economic history and development economics, the ability of Ethiopia and the rest of Africa to sustain recent rapid growth into something that can tackle the development agenda is discussed, alongside policy suggestions. This book overall presents an optimistic account of Africa and its economic prospects. It will be relevant to students and researchers interested in economic development and agricultural economics. This is an open access book.

This book argues that renewable electrification in developing countries provides important opportunities for local economic development, but new pathways are required for turning these opportunities into successful reality. Building Innovation Capabilities for Sustainable Industrialisation offers a novel input into the debate on development of capabilities for sustainable industrialisation and delivers key insights for both researchers and policy makers when it comes to the question of how to increase the economic co-benefits of renewables expansion. The chapters in the book use a tailored analytical framework in their studies of renewable electrification efforts in Kenya and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa. They draw on a mix of project, sector and country level case studies to address questions such as: What capabilities are developed through on-going renewable electrification projects in developing economies? How can the expansion of renewable electrification be supported in a way that also encourages sustainable economic development? What role do international linkages (South-South and North-South) play and what role should they play in the greening of energy systems in developing economies? The authors provide a new understanding of how green transformation and sustainable industrialisation can be combined, highlighting the opportunities and constraints for local capability building and the scope for local policy action. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of development studies, energy studies, sustainability and sustainable development, as well as practitioners and policy makers working in development organisations and national governments.

Evaluation is increasingly important for finding sustainable solutions for the people and the planet, based on a systematic analysis of what works, for whom, and under what circumstances, and to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, as they pertain to the environment. This book explores why the Global Environment Facility (GEF) invests in evaluation for accountability and learning to inform its decision-making on programming priorities, and how this leads to wiser funding decisions and better program performance on the ground. The book is based on real-life experiences of how to make evaluation count for international environmental action. Drawing upon comprehensive evaluations of the GEF, it provides unique insights from authors responsible for designing, implementing, and disseminating the findings of the evaluations. No other multilateral development or environment agency places evaluation fully at the center of their decision-making. The book outlines the trends in the global environment and the changing landscape of international environmental finance. It defines the role of the GEF and explains its institutional framework and the unique partnership that involves donor and recipient countries, multilateral development banks, UN agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and national agencies in the developing countries. Further, it provides useful pointers to other organizations wishing to enhance evidence-based decision-making for improving their relevance, performance, and impact. The book will be most suitable for graduate-level, specialized study in a variety of disciplines such as environmental and development economics, political science, international relations, geography, sociology, and social anthropology.

The ebook will be Open Access and made available on publication. Written by many of the key influencers at the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), the book focuses on advancing sustainable development into education, research and partnerships at higher education institutions and, specifically, at business schools, with the purpose of educating responsible leaders for today and tomorrow. The book serves as a concrete source of inspiration for universities and other stakeholders in higher education on structures, processes and content for how to advance responsible management education and sustainable development. It articulates the importance of key themes connected with climate change, gender equality, anti-corruption, business for peace, anti-poverty and other topics that are related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The book emphasizes the significance of local–global interaction, drawing on local action at management schools in combination with global knowledge exchange across the PRME community. In addition, the book clearly demonstrates the background, key milestones and successful achievements of PRME as a global movement by management schools in collaboration with a broader community of higher education professionals. It exemplifies action in various local geographies in PRME Chapters, PRME Working Groups and the PRME Champions work to advance responsible management education. The authors of the book are all globally experienced deans, professors, educators, executives and students with a global outlook, who are united to advance responsible management education locally and globally. The book will be invaluable reading for university leaders, educators, business school deans and students wanting to understand and embed responsible management education approaches across their institutions and curricula.