Politics and Society in the Developing World

In a world seemingly surfing a wave of unprecedented affluence it is sobering to be reminded that only thirty out of nearly two hundred countries can really be classified as advanced industrialized countries. Eighty per cent of the world's population lives in the developing world. In this popular, concise introduction the authors take a clear-eyed look at this world, its varied political institutions and the key social, economic and environmental issues at the heart of contemporary debates.

Wide-ranging and clearly written, Politics and Society in the Developing World provides first a brisk survey of the major theoretical and methodological interpretations of the social impact of development. The authors then detail the factors which determine the parameters of the developing world before moving on to examine:

• its infrastructure
• the crises currently facing it
• the social and economic contexts of developing societies
• the international arena and its impact on the developing world
• state-building and the tension between dictatorship and democratization
• four policy areas: aid, trade, tourism and the environment

The thought-provoking conclusion summarizes key issues in development studies today - such as the radicalization of the Middle East and the decline of Africa - and invites us to understand why, despite so many well-meaning initiatives, the gap between rich and poor continues to grow.

The book is packed with case studies drawn from Asia, Africa and Latin America and supported by a new feature, The View from the Ground, which presents newspaper and other eye-witness accounts relevant to the issues under discussion. This new edition of Politics and Society in the Developing World continues where its predecessor left off and will be required reading for students of development studies, and for courses on the economics, sociology and politics of development.

Peter Calvert is Emeritus Professor of Comparative and International Politics at the University of Southampton. Susan Calvert was formerly a Lecturer at Itchen College, Southampton and a Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of Politics at the University of Southampton.