Development and Poverty Reduction A Global Comparative Perspective

Although the absolute number of poor people in the world has declined significantly in recent decades, poverty reduction continues to be a very important issue. There still are very large numbers of poor people, relative poverty is an increasingly concerning problem, and progress on poverty reduction varies enormously from one part of the world to another. Factors contributing to poverty reduction include economic growth, economic integration, and specific poverty-reduction programs, which are often initiated by Western countries. This book considers poverty reduction from a global perspective. Development and Poverty Reduction looks at a wide range of specific subjects, across all continents. It highlights in particular how the issues are perceived from a non-Western perspective and especially how the rise of China is both having a profound impact on poverty reduction globally and also changing the overall way in which development and poverty reductionare approached.

PART I: Background discussions. 1 Introduction: poverty reduction in comparative perspective, Yongnian Zheng and Jiwei Qian. 2 The state and development: the two political economy models of China and the West, Yongnian Zheng. Part II: America. 3 Poverty in the US and its causes, Douglas J. Besharov and Douglas M. Call. Part III: Africa. 4 Development and poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, Tony Addison, Ville Pikkarainen, Risto Rönkkö, and Finn Tarp. 5 An overview of recent trends in official development assistance: contradictory new directions in the relationship between DAC donors and China, Mark McQuinn. 6 Africa’s quest for poverty alleviation: lessons from and reflections on the role of China, Humphrey P. B. Moshi. 7 Strengthening Sino-African poverty alleviation collaboration through knowledge sharing, Michael Mitchell Omoruyi Ehizuelen. Part IV: Southeast Asia. 8 Poverty reduction experiences of Southeast Asian countries, Peter Warr. 9 Economic development and poverty reduction in Southeast Asia, Yap Kioe Sheng. Part V: East Asia. 10 The rise of China and its implications for economics and other developing countries, Justin Yifu Lin. 11 Poverty reduction in East Asia: a continuing development challenge, John Wong. 12 The impact of economic development on the social structure of the Japanese rural community, Yoshihisa Godo. 13 The urban informal sector and development in China: institutions and feedback effects, Jiwei Qian.

Yongnian Zheng is Professor and Director of the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore.Jiwei Qian is a Senior Research Fellow at the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore.