Economic Development: Books

Disparities between the economic development of nations have widened throughout the twentieth century, and they show no sign of closing. In the nineteenth century, the economic potential of developed countries was three times that of the rest of the world. Today the gap is twenty times greater, and the trend is increasing. In this provocative reexamination of theories of accelerated development, or "catching up," Vladislav L. Inozemtsev traces the evolution of thinking about how countries lagging behind can most swiftly move forward, and assesses their prospects for success in this effort. Inozemtsev reviews the experience of the Soviet Union, as well as the recent experience of Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. He finds that those countries that have moved forward most rapidly have successfully adapted new technology to old processes. But even then, they face daunting odds, as they grapple with the need to change their population's ideas and behavior. And in the 1990s, their rates of development have noticeably declined. "Catching Up" assesses prospects for successful application of theories of accelerated development in the global economy. Inozemtsev's pessimistic conclusion is that rapid industrial progress is not achievable in the information society of the twenty-first century. Inozemtsev reaches this conclusion after reviewing theories of accelerated development thinking from the diverse viewpoints of the 1940s and 1950s, to the more intensive ideological polarization of the 1960s. Inozemtsev believes it will be impossible for non-Western nations to "catch up" with the West because of their inability to generate or control information and knowledge.

Since the appearance of the first edition in 1990, Planning Local Economic Development has become the foundation for an entire generation of planners and academics teaching planning. Building on the success of its predecessors, the Fourth Edition continues to explore the theories of local economic development and address the dilemmas communities face. The authors investigate planning processes, analytical techniques, business and human resource development, as well as high-technology economic development strategies. Written by authors with many years of academic, regional, and city planning experience, this book will prove invaluable to professors of economic development, urban studies, and public administration. Economic development specialists in local and municipal government, as well as nonprofit organizations, will also find this an essential reference. New to the Fourth Edition: - Completely revised and updated with current research - Provides more guidance oriented to third world readers - Includes more on issues of urban sustainability such as energy and brown field development - Contains added material on the redesign of neighborhoods for sustainable purposes to include new firms and recycling techniques and technologies as new economic engines

In Economic Revitalization: Cases and Strategies for City and Suburb Fitzgerald and Leigh answer the need for a text that incorporates social justice and sustainability into how we think about and practice economic development. It is one of the first to talk about how revitalization strategies are implemented in both cities and suburbs, particularly inner-ring suburbs that are experiencing decline previously associated only with inner-city neighborhoods. After setting the context with a brief history of economic development practice and its shortcomings, Fitzgerald and Leigh focus on six economic development strategies: sectoral strategies, Brownfield redevelopment, industrial retention, commercial revitalization, industrial and office property reuse, and workforce development.

Provides a visionary blueprint for a marketplace where businesses and environmentalists work together, showing companies how to redesign and manufacture products in innovative ways, reeducate customers, and work closely with government toward a profitable, productive, and ecologically sound future.

Economic Development is the leading textbook in this field, providing a complete and balanced introduction to the requisite theory, the driving policy issues, and the latest research. Todaro and Smith take a policy-oriented approach, presenting economic theory in the context of critical policy debates and country-specific case studies so students see how theory relates to the problems and prospects of developing countries. In the Tenth Edition, the authors integrate new discussions of hot topic research areas such as gender, colonialism, and natural resources, and they update the extensive applications, data, and country-specific case studies throughout.