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Shaping the Developing World
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Shaping the Developing World
The West, the South, and the Natural World

Second Edition
February 2021 | 480 pages | CQ Press
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Why are some countries rich and others poor?

Colonialism, globalization, bad government, gender inequality, geography, and environmental degradation are just some of the potential answers to this complex question. Using a threefold framework of the West, the South, and the natural world, Shaping the Developing World provides a logical and intuitive structure for categorizing and evaluating the causes of underdevelopment. This interdisciplinary book also describes the social, political, and economic aspects of development and is relevant to students in political science, international studies, geography, sociology, economics, gender studies, and anthropology.

The Second Edition has been updated to include the most recent development statistics and to incorporate new research on topics like climate change, democratization, religion and prosperity, the resource curse, and more. This second edition also contains expanded discussions of gender, financial inclusion, crime and police killings, and the Middle East, including the Syrian Civil War.


 
Tables, Figures, and Maps
 
Preface
 
About the Author
 
Part I Introduction
 
Chapter 1 Underdevelopment and Diversity in the Global South
Defining the Developing World

 
Economic, Social, and Political Characteristics of LDCs

 
A Brief History of Economic Development

 
Goals and Organization: Who or What Causes Global Poverty?

 
Key Terms

 
Active Learning Exercises

 
Data and Web Resources

 
 
Chapter 2 Human Development and Underdevelopment
Defining Human Development

 
Health Snapshot: Description and Causes of the Developing World’s Deficit

 
Health Trends: Tracking Improvements in LDCs

 
Education Snapshot: Description and Causes of the Developing World’s Deficit

 
Education Trends: Tracking Improvements in LDCs through Time

 
Key Terms

 
Active Learning Exercises

 
Data and Web Resources

 
 
Chapter 3 The Costs and Benefits of Economic Development
Income Inequality and Development

 
The Environment and Development

 
Culture and Development

 
Happiness and Development

 
Conclusion

 
Key Terms

 
Active Learning Exercises

 
Data and Web Resources

 
 
Part II The West: International Contexts
 
Chapter 4 Slavery and Colonialism
The Atlantic Slave Trade

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: The Long-Term Damage of Slavery

 
Critique: Questioning the Magnitude of Slavery’s Legacy

 
Western Colonialism

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: Western Colonialism’s Consequences

 
Critique of Colonial Legacy Arguments

 
Key Terms

 
Active Learning Exercises

 
Data and Web Resources

 
 
Chapter 5 Globalization and Neocolonialism
From the First Global Century to Import Substitution

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: Dependency and Other Early Theories of Global Exploitation

 
Critiques of Structuralism, Dependency Theory, and WST

 
Reintegrating the Globe

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: Newer Concerns about Globalization

 
Critique: Defending Globalization

 
Key Terms

 
Active Learning Exercises

 
Data and Web Resources

 
 
Chapter 6 Foreign Aid and the Bretton Woods Institutions
Foreign Aid

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: Aid Skepticism

 
Critique: Defending Foreign Aid and Its Record

 
The Bretton Woods Institutions: The IMF and the World Bank

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: Imposing Market Fundamentalism

 
Critique: Defending the Bretton Woods Institutions

 
Key Terms

 
Active Learning Exercises

 
Data and Web Resources

 
 
Part III The South: Domestic Factors
 
Chapter 7 States, Markets, and Development Models
State-Led Development

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: Failures of the State-Led Model

 
Critique: Successes of State-Led Development

 
Socialism

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: Failures of Socialism

 
Critique: Successes of Socialism

 
The Market-Oriented Strategy

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: Shortcomings of the Market-Oriented Strategy

 
Critique: Successes of the Washington Consensus

 
Key Terms

 
Active Learning Exercises

 
Data and Web Resources

 
 
Chapter 8 Economic Institutions and Informality
Property Markets and Informal Ownership

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: The Drawbacks of Informal Ownership

 
Critique: Is Formality Worth It?

 
Informal Work and Informal Firms

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: The Drawbacks of Informal Work and Firms

 
Critique: Formalization as a False Solution

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: The Drawbacks of Informal Finance

 
Critique: Overselling Financial Inclusion

 
Key Terms

 
Active Learning Exercises

 
Data and Web Resources

 
 
Chapter 9 Political Institutions and Governance
Political Regimes

 
The Judiciary and the Bureaucracy

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: Bad Political Institutions

 
Critique of NIE

 
Key Terms

 
Active Learning Exercises

 
Data and Web Resources

 
 
Chapter 10 Culture and Identity
Understanding Culture and Social Identity

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: The Culturalist School

 
Critique of Culturalist Claims

 
Cultural Diversity

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: The Costs of Cultural Diversity

 
Critique: Defending Diversity

 
Key Terms

 
Active Learning Exercises

 
Data and Web Resources

 
 
Chapter 11 Gender Inequality
Female Disempowerment

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: Disempowered Women and Girls

 
Critiques of the Instrumentalist View

 
Female Health, Physical Security, and Fertility

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: High Fertility

 
Critique: Doubting the Costs of High Fertility

 
Key Terms

 
Active Learning Exercises

 
Data and Web Resources

 
 
Chapter 12 Violence and State Failure
Political Violence and State Failure

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: War as Development in Reverse

 
Critique: Rethinking the Costs of Political Violence

 
Community Violence

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: The Toll of Community Violence

 
Critique: Putting the Costs of Community Violence in Perspective

 
Key Terms

 
Active Learning Exercises

 
Data and Web Resources

 
 
Part IV The Natural World: Physical Geography
 
Chapter 13 Geography and Development
Geographical Commonalities of the Developing World

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: Physical Geography and Climate

 
Critique: Geographical Determinism?

 
The Resource Curse

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: Subsoil Assets

 
Critique: A Resource Blessing?

 
Key Terms

 
Active Learning Exercises

 
Data and Web Resources

 
 
Chapter 14 Environmental Change and Development
Communal Environmental Problems

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: A Malthusian Trap?

 
Critique: Recent History versus Neo-Malthusianism

 
Climate Change

 
Causes of Underdevelopment: The Burden of Climate Change

 
Critique: An Exaggerated Threat to Development?

 
Key Terms

 
Active Learning Exercises

 
Data and Web Resources

 
 
Appendix: Country Codes
 
Notes
 
Glossary
 
Index

"Shaping the Developing World is the best text I've found for introductory courses in international development. It is well-balanced and accessible for all learners."

Matt Bluem
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

"An excellent and balanced introduction to the politics of the developing world that helps explain competing theories in clear detail."

Justin Lance
Presbyterian College
Key features

NEW TO THIS EDITION

  • New research has been added on topics such as climate change (Chapters 3 and 14), Chinese investment in LDCs (Chapters 5 and 6), democratization (Chapter 9), religion and prosperity (Chapter 10), the resource curse (chapter 13), and more.
  • Expanded and reorganized discussions now appear on the history of global poverty (Chapter 1), the quality of education (Chapter 2), the costs and benefits of development (Chapter 3), the Sustainable Development Goals (Chapter 6), financial inclusion (Chapter 8), the gender earnings gap (Chapter 11), crime and police killings (Chapter 12), and more.
  • The book's coverage of the Middle East has improved, with a new discussion of the West's colonialization of the region (Chapter 4) and a new case study of the Syrian Civil War (Chapter 12).
  • Gender-related topics now appear in more chapters throughout the book. 
  • The order in which chapters appear has been changed to follow a more logical organizational structure. Chapters 7 through 9 focus on policy and institutions, while Chapters 10 and 11 are focused on cultural causes of underdevelopment. 
  • Data for all tables, figures, and maps has been updated.

KEY FEATURES

  • Chapter-opening vignettes paint scenarios that put a human face on underdevelopment and draw students into chapter material.
  • Understanding Indicators boxes explore how social scientists go about measuring concepts like prosperity, ethnic fragmentation, and gender equality, shining a light on just how complex data collection and analysis can be. 
  • Development in the Field boxes focus on different types of aid agencies and their work, such as microfinance institutions and democracy promotion organizations, so students see avenues for their activism or professional aspirations. 
  • Country case studies at the end of chapters examine development through the lens of the threefold framework, while critical thinking questions encourage students to assess scholarly explanations and draw their own conclusions.
  • Active learning exercises provide ideas for getting students out of their lecture-hall seats to run simulations, debate controversial issues, play video games, write papers with a group, analyze data, develop research designs, apply for jobs and grants, and more.
  • Bolded key terms emphasize important concepts, while a Key concepts list at the end of chapters helps with study and review. A Glossary defines key terms and concepts.

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