Economic Development and Social Change


Book Description

Some of the greatest thinkers in the history of economic thought have been instrumental in advancing the study of development economics. In this volume, leading scholars are brought together to illuminate this tradition, with particular emphasis on the question of growth and development. Divided into two parts, this collection offers a blend of papers of history of economic thought and development economics, and suggests that classical political economy - that strand of thought which goes from Physiocracy to Smith and to Ricardo and Marx - has a precise vision and indeed a precise model of long term development. This book: examines the influence that has been exerted by both pre-classical and classical thought on modern day development economics provides a synthetic analysis of the classical vision of growth and development from the mercantilist era to physiocracy examines Adam Smith’s contribution to growth theory explores Marxian thinking and ideas, and the political developments that gave rise to state functions in post-war theory. Including contributions by well known authors such as Eltis, Murphy and Kurz, this significant volume by one of the premier historians of economic thought will be a valuable resource for postgraduates and professionals in the fields of economic history and political economy.




Social Protection, Economic Growth and Social Change


Book Description

This highly original and thought-provoking book examines the recent expansion of social protection in China, India, Brazil and South Africa four countries experiencing rapid economic growth and social change. The authors explore the developments in each country, analyse the impact of government cash transfers and discuss key future trends. The study reveals that social protection has complemented economic growth and supported development efforts and has been fundamental to promoting equitable and sustainable societies. The book is essential reading for students of social policy, economics, development studies and public administration and will be an important resource for policymakers and administrators everywhere.




Development and Social Change


Book Description

The Second Edition of this popular textbook has been conceptually reworked to take account of the instabilities underlying the project of global development. While the conceptual framework of viewing development as shifting from a national, to a global, project remains, new issues such as the active engagement in the development project by Third World elites and peoples are considered. The first four chapters cover the rise and fall of the "development project" around the world. The next three cover the period of globalization, from the mid 1980s onwards. The final two chapters rethink globalization and development for the 21st century. Throughout, extensive use is made of case studies.




Development and Social Change


Book Description

In this new Sixth Edition of Development and Social Change: A Global Perspective, author Philip McMichael describes a world undergoing profound social, political, and economic transformations, from the post-World War II era through the present. He tells a story of development in four parts—colonialism, developmentalism, globalization, and sustainability—that shows how the global development “project” has taken different forms from one historical period to the next. Throughout the text, the underlying conceptual framework is that development is a political construct, created by dominant actors (states, multilateral institutions, corporations and economic coalitions) and based on unequal power arrangements. While rooted in ideas about progress and prosperity, development also produces crises that threaten the health and well-being of millions of people, and sparks organized resistance to its goals and policies. Frequent case studies make the intricacies of globalization concrete, meaningful, and clear. Development and Social Change: A Global Perspective challenges us to see ourselves as global citizens even as we are global consumers.




The Pursuit of Development


Book Description

In this book Ian Goldin shows how the understanding of how nations escape poverty and achieve economic and social progress has changed as the pendulum has swung from arguments for state-led development to a preoccupation with market forces.




Economic Theory and Social Change


Book Description

This book is a discourse on modelling Man in a social context. Its focus is on economic main-stream theory in its capacity to handle basic problems such as uncertainty, social dynamics and ethics. The point of departure is a systematic critique of the specific methodology of economics and its axiomatic structure. The ultimate aim is to develop an economic theory for a socially sustainable society. Economic Theory and Social Change analyses the foundation of economic market theory in relation to its social implications. On rejecting the axiomatic structure of the market theory Hasse Ekstedt and Angelo Fusari analyse the concept of growth and uncertainty with respect to a more realistic modelling of man, The book also addresses central political problems and their potential solutions, including permanent unemployment, distribution of income, the interaction of real and financial growth, money and the credit system. In seeking objective values to help to obtain a socially sustainable society, the book traces a tentative revision of economic and social thought based on a deepening of some crucial features of modern economies and societies. These features include innovation, the connected flows of uncertainty, entrepreneurship, and their role in fuelling and characterizing economic growth and development. This book will be of interest to postgraduate students and researchers of Economics, particularly to those focussing on Economic Theory and Political Economy.




Community Economic Development


Book Description

Communities have long been ahead of governments in responding to changes in the economy, forging ahead with innovative grassroots projects that now make up a substantial portion of economic development initiatives. Having made major gains in practice and having built local capacities through innovation, Community Economic Development now stands at a crossroads. In Building for Social Change, Eric Shragge, Michael Toye and colleagues from across the country offer a timely critical examination of CED practices and debates. This book is designed for CED practitioners, for others working in community-based organizations and those being trained. There are a growing number of post-secondary programs in English Canada that educate students in CED and related fields such as regional development, yet there are not many publications that provide analytical perspectives and debate. The goal of this book is to describe and analyze CED practice, primarily in Canada, through a wide range of subjects--the evolution of its definitions, economic dimensions and the key elements that form its context. Building for Social Change situates CED in wide political, economic and social contexts: rich examples of the scope and practices, and some of the limits--in Aboriginal communities, as a tool to support women, psychiatric survivor enterprises, housing and worker ownerships--are explored to help spur further critical discussion and debate.




The Dynamics of Socio-Economic Development


Book Description

Why are poor countries poor and rich countries rich? How are wealth and poverty related to changes in nutrition, health, life expectancy, education, population growth and politics? This modern, non-technical 2005 introduction to development studies explores the dynamics of socio-economic development and stagnation in developing countries. Taking a quantitative and comparative approach to contemporary debates within their broader context, Szirmai examines historical, institutional, demographic, sociological, political and cultural factors. Key chapters focus on economic growth, technological change, industrialisation, agricultural development, and consider social dimensions such as population growth, health and education. Each chapter contains comparative statistics on trends from a sample of twenty-nine developing countries. This rich statistical database allows students to strengthen their understanding of comparative development experiences. Assuming no prior knowledge of economics the book is suited for use in inter-disciplinary development studies programmes as well as economics courses, and will also interest practitioners pursuing careers in developing countries.




Social Change and Development


Book Description

During the past four decades, the field of development has been dominated by three schools of research. The 1950s saw the modernization school, the 1960s experienced the dependency school, the 1970s developed the new world-system school, and the 1980s is a convergence of all three schools. Alvin Y. So examines the dynamic nature of these schools of development--what each of them represents, their contributions, how they have criticized each other, how they have defended themselves, and how they were transformed. He reviews a variety of empirical studies, focusing on the "classical" and the "new" models, to show how each of the perspectives affects the study of development. In addition, this book features a unique emphasis on the research implications of the three perspectives, involving changes in orientation, agenda, methodology, and findings.




Community Economic Development in Social Work


Book Description

Community economic development (CED) is an increasingly essential factor in the revitalization of low- to moderate-income communities. This cutting-edge text explores the intersection of CED and social work practice, which both focus on the well-being of indigent communities and the empowerment of individuals and the communities in which they live. This unique textbook emphasizes a holistic approach to community building that combines business and real-estate development with a focus on stimulating family self-reliance and community empowerment. The result is an innovative approach to rehabilitating communities in decline while preserving resident demographics. The authors delve deep into the social, political, human, and financial capital involved in effecting change and how race and regional issues can complicate approaches and outcomes. Throughout, they integrate case examples to illustrate their strategies and conclude with a consideration of the critical role social workers can play in developing CEDÕs next phase.