Development studies Books

The book offers a general introduction to timber poles as a construction material. Timber poles have served throughout history as a low-cost, environmentally friendly and structurally efficient building resource. As a result of the establishment of both...

Three volumes designed to assist workers in the field who are encouraging the development of self-reliant creative communities. The book has as its basic philosophy the belief that we should all participate in making this world a more just place to live...

The editors consider the different aspects of, and the issues surrounding, affordable water supply and sanitation. They consider both 'software' aspects - people, communities, health, management and institutions - as well as technological considerations...

Presents the principles of communicating the information needed for building improvement. Covers the uses of different media to convey information and describes the use of graphic design for education.

Consists of papers on women's access to, and use of, improved food technologies in all areas, and addresses such factors as access to credit and training, involvement in technology and design, infrastructure and markets, and the policy environment. The...

Five subject areas are covered, water, energy, forestry, farming and fishing and their sustainability, self-reliance and socio-economic acceptance. The main purpose of this book is to disseminate knowledge of innovations that have been developed and...

Technical problems require technical solutions that are innovative, simple, cheap, robust and easy to maintain. This book lists 100 winning inventions in the first International Inventors Award competition, organized in Stockholm.

The poorest often lose out in aid projects because they are not aware of their possibilities, and this is where non-governmental organizations can play a role. The official aid effort has the potential to help the poorest – but it needs to change and...

In the developing world, people in rural areas are even poorer than city dwellers. Reducing the gap between city and country, even slightly, could greatly improve the quality of peoples lives. This collection of essays presents evidence from a variety of...

This book is unique in that it focuses on extreme poverty. It brings together contributions from both academics and policy makers to address fundamental questions such as what difference does it make if we talk of extreme poverty as opposed to other more...

Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen has shifted the welfare foundations of economic theory by assessing human well-being in terms of 'freedoms'. This has led to a new paradigm in development economics: development is about expanding the freedoms that people have...

 I shall explain why do our societies need to innovate? Product innovation, medical technology innovation, space technology innovation, transport service  innovation, educational innovation. I shall concentrate on discuss these several aspects...

Nowadays, our societies are changing, any developed countries must need to continue to improve in order to avoid technology recession. In my this book, I  shall explain why Japan will need to improve technology development , America will need to...

There are essential questions surrounding Africa's digitalization journey, including whether or not the continent can truly serve as the last frontier for socio-economic transformation through digital innovation. An examination of countries such as...

The people of the Lihir Islands in Papua New Guinea have long held visions of a prosperous new future, often referred to by local leaders as the 'Lihir Destiny'. When large-scale gold mining activities commenced on the main island of Lihir in 1995, many...

Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA) was publicly launched as a think tank in March 2011 and took up the task of following a transdisciplinary approach to the research generated within the organisation. The projects initiated by MISTRA...

Patronage Politics Divides Us: A Study of Poverty, Patronage and Inequality in South Africa explores the relationship between patronage, poverty, and inequality with a particular focus on its impact on the conduct of local politics. The overall aim of...

From girls’ education awareness and action, to attitudes towards violence against children, communication for development (C4D) is a critical tool for sharing knowledge and creating social change. Evaluating how effective such communication has...

Engineering in Emergencies is a hugely successful practical handbook for all relief workers involved in giving humanitarian assistance. It provides the information needed to implement an effective engineering response in the aftermath of an emergency.

This book describes a practical solution to the lack of basic sanitation facilities in the form of a 'Sanplat': a specially designed concrete platform which can be installed easily in rural latrines to improve sanitation and safety. It has footrests to...

Starting with only an anvil and a few basic tools, almost all the tools needed by a blacksmith can be made from commonly found materials. With clear instructions this book gives step by step instructions on basic blacksmithing.

A case study about the work of IT IS and Sarvodaya, a Sri Lankan development charity, in establishing the local production of educational pre-school toys. Full colour photographs illustrate the production process and end results.

This is a guide to the use of induction motors for electricity generation in remote locations. It is written as a practical handbook for engineers and technicians involved in designing and installing small water-power schemes for isolated houses and...

This analysis of slash/mulch practices from around the world shows that they have generally shortened the necessary fallow periods and have restored degraded soils, thus increasing or stabilizing yields; allowing small-scale, resource-poor farmers to...

Industrial Work and Life: An Anthropological Reader is a comprehensive anthropological overview of industrialisation in both Western and non-Western societies. Based on contemporary and historical ethnographic material, the book unpacks the 'world of...

This catalogue has been prepared to help houseowners in low-income urban communities choose an appropriate low-cost toilet option. It is designed to be used by toilet builders or other NGO or government fieldworkers who can support houseowners in their...

This collection covers a wide range of contemporary toilet designs along with a valuable list of website links where additional information about each design can be sought.

Development has remained elusive in Africa. Through theoretical contributions and case studies focusing on Southern Africa's former white settler states, South Africa and Zimbabwe, this volume responds to the current need to rethink (and unthink)...

Il libro ""Il Delinquente Nei Promessi Sposi: Ricerche D'Antropologia Criminale E Di Critica Scientifica (1899)"" di Leggiardi-Laura ����� una raccolta di studi sull'antropologia criminale e la critica scientifica. L'autore esplora le cause della...

""Die Hebung der Arbeitenden Klassen durch Genossenschaften und Volksbanken"" ist ein Buch des deutschen Sozialreformers Max Wirth aus dem Jahr 1865. In dem Werk setzt sich Wirth mit der Frage auseinander, wie die Arbeitenden Klassen durch die...

Almost a half century has passed since the inception of the People's Republic cf China

Around the world, discriminatory legislation prevents women from accessing their human rights. It can affect almost every aspect of a woman's life, including the right to choose a partner, inherit property, hold a job, and obtain child custody. Often...

The Himalayas are said to be the youngest mountain ranges in the world. This book studies the well-being of the eastern Himalayan forest-dwellers in terms of their capabilities and functioning. Using Amartya Sen's and Martha Nussbaum's Capabilities...

Learning takes place both inside and outside of the classroom, embedded in local practices, traditions and interactions. But whereas the importance of social practice is increasingly recognised in literacy education, Numeracy as Social Practice: Global...

Development-caused forced displacement and involuntary resettlement has increased exponentially in recent years. This book challenges existing weak policies and dysfunctional practices, and proposes a robust set of solutions to improve the...

This open access book introduces the theoretical frameworks and academic debates concerning sexual cultural practices and HIV/AIDS in Africa. It shows how these frameworks have been applied in a practical sense in Africa to investigate sexual cultural...

This open access book presents 18 case studies that explore current scientific and technological efforts to address global development issues, such as poverty, from a holistic and interdisciplinary point of view, putting actual impacts at the centre of...

This book brings together a range of ideas and theories to arrive at a deeper understanding of inequality in Latin America and its complex realities. To so, it addresses questions such as: What are the origins of inequality in Latin America? How can we...

Though there have been many studies on "political Islam", only a few approaches to broaden our understanding of Muslim NGOs have appeared. Based on empirical studies in Japan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, and Jordan, this book explores...

With All Our Strength is the inside story of this women-led underground organization and their fight for the rights of Afghan women. Anne Brodsky, the first writer given in-depth access to visit and interview their members and operations in Afghanistan...

Written by a leading expert in the field, this book provides a clear and incisive analysis of the different perspectives of the global response to HIV/AIDS, and the role of the different global institutions involved. The text highlights HIV/AIDS as an...

This book illustrates the growing need for real understanding of local knowledge strategy and its power to assist in positive change.

This book gives a comprehensive overview of Ghana's hydrocarbon economy using actor network and assemblage theories to contest the methodological nationalism of mainstream accounts of the resource curse in resource-rich countries.

Public Policy Lessons from the AIDS Response in Africa　examines how the interplay between national state dynamics in Africa and the global political arena has shaped the global AIDS response, and in this context develops a framework for analysing public...

This fully updated fifth edition of An Introduction to African Politics is an ideal textbook for those new to the study of this fascinating continent. Charting trends in government over six decades of the post-colonial era, the book tackles key questions...

This book explores how and why the idea of the African environmental crisis developed and persisted through colonial and post-colonial periods, and why it has been so influential in development discourse. From the beginnings of imperial administration,...