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Documentation/Library
AARDO
acquires books/reports/periodicals
for its Library from different parts of the world and has a
collection of around 6716 titles and 90 regular
periodicals. The index services
of the Library has been fully computerised. Readers can access
computerised database of the Library. Besides, the Library brings out
from time to time information about the new books received in the
Library. Some of the latest books received are as
follow :
NEW
BOOKS/REPORTS IN THE LIBRARY
July 2009
Distortions to Agricultural Incentives in Africa
Anderson, Kym and Masters, William A. (eds.)
Washington, The World Bank, 2009
The book provides an overview of the evolution of distortions to
agricultural incentives caused by price and trade policies in the Arab
Republic of Egypt plus 20 countries that account for about 90 percent of
Sub-Saharan Africa’s population, farm households, agricultural output,
and overall GDP. Sectoral, trade and exchange rate policies in the
region have changed greatly since the 1950s and there have been
substantial reforms since the 1980s. Nonetheless, numerous price
distortions in this region remain, others have been added in recent
years and there have also been some policy reversals, such as in
Zimbabwe. The new empirical indicators in these country studies provide
a strong evidence-based foundation for assessing the successes and
failures of the past and for evaluating policy options for the years
ahead. The vast majority of the world’s poorest households depend on
farming for their livelihoods.
Science, Technology and Innovation – Capacity
Building for
Sustainable
Growth and Poverty Reduction
Watkins, Alfred and Ehst, Michael (eds.)
Washington, The World Bank, 2008
A strong and dynamic capacity in science, technology and innovation can
no longer be seen as a luxury that is suitable only for wealthier, more
economically powerful countries. Rather, if developing countries hope to
prosper in the global economy and if world leaders expect globalization
to foster sustainable development and to reduce poverty, science,
technology and innovation capacity building is an absolute necessity for
all countries. Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) – Capacity
Building for Sustainable Growth and Poverty Reduction summarizes the
case studies presented at the February 2007 World Bank Global Forum on
Building Science, Technology and Innovation Capacity, held in Washington
D.C. The forum discussed “How-to” lessons of STI Capacity-building
experience from developing and industrial countries. The presentations
highlight and key issues for policy makers when addressing STI capacity
building to alleviate poverty and to grow and diversify the economy. The
book is a good for government officials, international organisations,
universities and other research institutions.
The Impact of Macroeconomic Policies on Poverty
and
Income
Distribution: Macro-Micro Evaluation Techniques and Tools
Bourguignon, Francois; Bussolo, Maurizio and Silva, Luiz A. Pereira da
(eds.)
Washington, The World Bank/Palgrave Macmillan, 2008
Macro-level policies, whatever their impact on macro-level aggregates,
can have significant distributional consequences. Polities and policy
makers are well aware of this, but their economic advisers, especially
those in international agencies, seemed in the past to have been less
well attuned to these realities. This book uses a single modelling
framework- a macro model linked with a household-level micro model to
examine the consequences on poverty and income distribution of changes
to the trade regime, tariffs and nontariff barriers, the exchange rate,
interest rates, the mix of fiscal and monetary policies, the composition
of public spending and labour market regulation. It also examines the
macroeconomic consequences of scaling up micro-level programmes such as
a conditional cash transfer program. The book represents the state of
the art in using models to understand the impact of policies on poverty
alleviation and is a good for both policy makers and students interested
in poverty, income distribution and growth.
Sustainable Development
Das, Kumar
New Delhi, Reference Press, 2009
The field of sustainable development is conceptually divided into four
general dimensions: social, economic, environmental and institutional.
This book argues for sustainable development. It examines the
environmental implications of the economic development process. It
highlights the impact of population, industrialisation and natural
disasters on environment. It analyses the environmental issues
pertaining to agriculture, energy, tourism, fishery and displacement
under the broader framework of sustainable development. It argues that
there are many contradictions and inconsistencies and poses a great
dilemma and challenge. Confronting the challenge is very costly but not
facing the challenge is really disastrous for the whole society. One
cannot afford to be optimist either. Therefore, the idea of sustainable
development should be less idealistic and more practical. The author
provides a systematic treatment organising the increasingly influential
new political economy as a more established field at the highly
productive intersection of economics and environment. By using his
insightful experience, the author demonstrates that national policies
are the key determinants of sustainable development process. The book
focuses on powerful economic and technological forces that have
transformed the world.
WTO Negotiations on Agriculture and Developing
Countries
Hoda, Anwarul and Gulati, Ashok
New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2007
The Doha Round of trade talks has been deadlocked since July 2006 mainly
on account of differences relating to agriculture. If the negotiations
eventually succeed in establishing a fair and harmonious agricultural
trading system, it will have far-reaching implications for trade and
economic prospects of developing countries. To understand the reasons
underlying the protracted stalemate and to assess the prospect of
agreement on various proposals, the trading community needs to be
initiated into the intricacies of the WTO rules and modalities of the
negotiations. This volume provides an authoritative analysis of the
provisions of the WTO agreements and of their evolution and fills an
important gap in the existing literature. The study examines the
implementation experience of key members of the WTO and traces
development in the negotiations up to the recent impasse. Using India as
a case study, the authors suggest ways to negotiating and strategizing
for developing countries. They offer tough but realistic recommendations
regarding market access, subsidies, special and differential treatment
of developing countries and other issues in negotiations. This book will
interest students and researchers of agricultural economics, trade and
law. It will also be useful to policymakers, trade development agencies
and practitioners in understanding the recent history of agricultural
trade talks.
Reaching the Rural Poor: A Renewed Strategy for
Rural Development
Washington, The World Bank, 2003
Today three out of every four of the world’s poor live in rural areas.
There will be no success in the war on poverty unless we take the fight
to where those people live. Yet, over the last decade, lending to rural
development and especially to agriculture, has been in unprecedented
decline – both at the World Bank and among our development partners.
This situation cannot continue. We must renew our focus on agriculture
and rural development. The new rural development strategy presented in
this document outlines our ‘battle-plan’ for such a renewed focus and
our commitment to reverse the downward trend in rural lending. The core
of our new rural development strategy consists of a commitment to: a)
focus on those that are the most disadvantaged – the rural poor; b)
address rural areas in their entirely and promote broad based rural
growth and service provision both on and off-farm; c)forge alliances
with all stakeholders – with the business community; and d) refine our
approach to respond to changes in the ever-evolving global arena that
have a direct impact upon our clients – including changes in trade
policies, climate, agricultural science and technology.
Globalisation of Food and Agriculture and the
Poor
Braun, Joachim von and Diaz-Bonilla, Eugenio (eds.)
New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2007
The economic impact of globalisation, particularly on poverty and the
changes in agri-food markets have received much attention in recent
years. However, the intersection of these two trends has been neglected.
The present volume fills this gap by focusing on the way globalisation
of agri-food systems affects the world’s poor and its impact on food and
nutrition security in developing countries. The book acknowledges the
complexity of the subject by including a variety of policy and research
perspectives. The contributors analyse in detail the links between
poverty and globalisation. They examine the different interactions
between the forces influencing and driving globalisation – politics and
governance; markets, capital investment and labour; information and
innovation; and health, social policies and conflicts and elements of
the food chain-production, marketing and consumption. Complementing
these analyses are six interspersed essays by leading policy analysts
and economists that highlight primary issues in the ongoing debate on
the impact of globalisation. The insights offered make this volume a
valuable resource for researchers and decision makers in government,
NGOs and the private sector who wish to shape globalisation and the agri-food
system to produce pro-poor outcomes.
Sustainable Land Management: Challenges,
Opportunities and Trade-Offs
Washington, The World Bank, 2006
Land is the integrating component of all livelihoods depending on farm,
forest, rangelands or water (rivers, lakes, coastal marine) habitats.
Due to varying political, social and economic factors, the heavy use of
natural resources to supply a rapidly growing global population and
economy has resulted in the unintended mismanagement and degradation of
land and ecosystems. This book provides strategic focus to the
implementation of sustainable land management components of the World
Bank’s development strategies. Sustainable land management is a
knowledge based procedure that integrates land, water, biodiversity and
environmental management to meet rising food and fiber demands while
sustaining livelihoods and the environment. This book, aimed at policy
makers, project managers and development organisations, articulates
priorities for investment in sustainable land management and natural
resource management and identifies the policy, institutional and
incentive reform options that will accelerate the adoption of
sustainable land management, productivity improvements and pro-poor
growth.
Rural Management
Verma, S.B. (ed.)
New Delhi, Deep & Deep Publications P. Ltd., 2005
Rural Management is the operation of rural sector as a system. The
management system needs to grasp and conceive. It is concerned with the
transformation of rural society. While professionalization and
inculcation of management skills is important, it is equally necessary
to sensitise the administrators, workers and managers, creating in them
an awareness of the major task of their bringing about rural
transformation. People’s participation and organisation of the poor have
political overtones and implications which neither the so-called more
fortunate ones in society nor public administrators are prepared to
face. It needs creative leadership and idealism. The book will
undoubtedly be useful for various segments of society, viz.,
researchers, policy makers, planners as well as social scientists and
students.
Transforming the Rural Nonfarm Economy:
Opportunities and
Threats in the
Developing World
Haggblade, Steven; Hazell, Peter B.R. and Reardon, Thomas (eds.)
New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2007
Contrary to conventional wisdom that equates rural economics with
agriculture, rural dwellers in developing countries often rely heavily
on activities other than farming for their income. Indeed, nonfarm work
accounts for between one-third and one-half of rural incomes in the
developing world. It proves particularly important for landless and
near-landless households and among farm households it provides a
critical source of cash flow for financing input purchases in
agriculture. In recent years, accelerating globalisation, increasing
competition from large businesses, expanding urban markets for rural
goods and services and greater availability of information and
communication technology have combined to expose rural nonfarm
businesses to new opportunities as well as new risks. By examining these
rapid changes in the rural nonfarm economy, the international experts
contributing to this volume explore how the rural nonfarm economy can
contribute to overall economic growth and poverty reduction in
developing countries. The authors review an array of recent studies of
the rural nonfarm economy in order to summarize existing empirical
evidence, explore policy implications and identify future research
priorities. They examine the varied scale, structure and composition of
the rural nonfarm economy, as well as its relationship with agricultural
and urban enterprises.
Distortions to Agricultural Incentives in Asia
Anderson, Kym and Martin, Will (eds.)
Washington, The World Bank, 2009
Comprehensive empirical studies in world agricultural markets appeared
approximately 20 years ago. Since then, the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) has provided estimates each year of
market distortions in high-income countries, but there have been no
comparable estimates for the developing countries. The book provides an
overview of the evolution of distortions to agricultural incentives
caused by price and trade policies in the 12 largest economies of East
and South Asia. Together these countries constitute more than 95 percent
of the region’s population, agricultural output and overall GDP.
Sectoral, trade and exchange rate policies in the region have changed
greatly since the 1950s and there have been substantial reforms since
the 1980s, most notably in China and India. Nonetheless, numerous price
distortions in this region remain and others have been added in recent
years. The new empirical indicators in these country studies provide a
strong evidence-based foundation for assessing the successes and
failures of the past and for evaluating policy options for the years
ahead. The vast majority of the world’s poorest households depend on
farming for their livelihoods.
The Dragon and The Elephant: Agricultural and
Rural Reforms in
China and India
Gulati, Ashok and Fan, Shenggen (eds.)
New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2007
China and India are the two most extraordinary economic success stories
of the developing world. Both the economies have grown dramatically over
the past few decades, elevating them from two of the world’s poorest
countries into projected economic superpowers. As a result, the number
of people living in poverty has rapidly fallen and per capita incomes in
China and India have quadrupled and doubled, respectively. This book
investigates how the dynamics in the agricultural sector can help not
only these two countries but all economies in transition. It shows how
institutional reforms relating to land use and price policies can lead
to high agricultural growth. Contributed by experts from India and
China, this thematically clustered book offers a set of policy and
strategic options for future growth and poverty reduction. These include
setting the right priorities for public spending, identifying trade and
market reforms, creating social safety nets for the poorest of the poor
and building accountable institutions that can effectively provide
public goods and services. The volume will be useful for agricultural
research institutes, social and political scientists, implementing
agencies and post graduate students of development economics.
Public Expenditures, Growth and Poverty:
Lessons from
Developing Countries
Fan, Shenggen (ed)
New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2008
The book assesses the efficacy of poverty-reduction spending in Asia,
Africa and Latin America by synthesizing studies conducted by the
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) over the past ten
years. Overall, the studies find that investments in agricultural
research, infrastructure and human capital are beneficial in the long
term, while food aid and poverty-reduction programmes have little
utility beyond immediately abating hunger and generating short-run
income effects. The book develops a conceptual framework for analysing
public expenditures and their short and long term impact on poverty
through various channels. It surveys spending trends and analyse the
effect of growing public investment on urban and rural poverty through
case studies of China, India, Thailand and Uganda. It also highlights
the advantages of directing spending toward public-works programmes that
engage impoverished peoples rather than using limited aid money on food
subsidies and other passive donations. Featuring discussions about the
roles of various social safety-net programmes, this volume will aid
policymakers and researchers and encourage further analytical study of
worldwide poverty reduction programmes.
Agricultural Research, Livelihoods and Poverty:
Studies of
Economic and Social Impacts in six Countries
Adato, Michelle and Meinzen-Dick, Ruth (eds.)
New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2007
Until recently, poverty reduction was a secondary goal of agricultural
research, which focused primarily on high yields, increases in food
production and reduction in food prices. Now the challenge lies in
building strategies that address the needs of the poor. This volume
studies the impact of agricultural research on poverty and how it can
contribute to further poverty reduction. It measures the direct impacts
of agricultural research experienced by farmers who adopt the resulting
technologies as well as indirect impacts affecting broader populations
as the new technologies transform the economic and social landscape. A
set of seven case studies spread across three continents shows how
poverty reduction can be attributed to different technologies and how
these affect different social and economic groups. The essays
demonstrate the challenges and concerns that agricultural scientists
face in meeting the needs of poor farmers and in negotiating the many
debates regarding poverty. The volume will be useful to agricultural
scientists and researchers, multilateral donor agencies, agricultural
policymakers and students of agrarian policy and development at
undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
International Trade and Economic Development:
Essays in Theory
and Policy
Marjit, Sugata
New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2008
International trade does not guarantee unmixed benefits to nations
suffering from deep structural distortions. Addressing trade,
development and related issues, this volume systematically analyses the
adjustment problems faced by developing countries as they confront
markets in the rest of the world. Using simple models and addressing
topics that have influenced literature mainly in the last three decades,
the volume focuses on: pattern of trade and related issues; trade and
income distribution; trade, migration and unemployment; protectionism,
foreign capital and welfare; international technology transfer; and
international joint ventures and strategic foreign investment. Published
over the last twenty years, these essays provide the missing link
between popular concerns of developing countries and the analytical
domain of theoretical economics. This book will benefit students and
researchers in development economics, industrial organisation and
international trade. It will also be useful to policymakers, trade
analysts and readers interested in emerging problems of open developing
economies.
Mission India: A Vision for Indian Youth
Kalam, A.P.J. Abdul and Rajan, Y.S.
India, Penguin Books, 2005
Mission India is a road map for the youth of today who will shape the
India of tomorrow. The mission is to transform India into a developed
nation and one of the world’s top five economic powers by the year 2020.
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Y.S. Rajan examine India’s strengths and
weaknesses to show how this goal is not an unrealistic one. This
inspirational book introduces children to the unknown success stories of
India and discusses the country’s problems at the beginning of the
twenty-first century. It looks at different aspects of national life and
clearly explains the achievements and challenges in each of these areas.
It also discusses the ways in which today’s youth can make a difference
to the country. Based on the central tenets of the runaway best-seller
“India 2020: a Vision for the New Millennium”, this book seeks to
inspire readers with the crucial sense of purpose, which is essential
for developing a strong and prosperous nation.
The Welfare Impact of Rural Electrification:
A Reassessment of
the Costs and Benefits
Washington, The World Bank, 2008
This report is part of the Independent Evaluation Group’s (IEG) impact
evaluation series. These studies fit under the category of “rigorous but
relevant” evaluations, seeking to use a variety of data sources both to
demonstrate impact and to deliver policy-relevant conclusions. This
study is the first of the impact evaluations to combine evidence from a
number of different countries; it uses data from a range of sources,
both existing studies and reanalysis of existing survey data. Although
the report touches on aspects of sector performance, it does not claim
to be a comprehensive sector review. This report reviews recent
methodological advances made in measuring the benefits of rural
electrification and commends them. It also notes that the understanding
of the techniques shown in project documents is sometimes weak and
quality control for the economic analysis in project documents lacking.
This study shows that willingness to pay for electricity is high,
exceeding the long-run marginal cost of supply.
Sustainable Land Management Sourcebook
The World Bank
Washington, The World Bank, 2008
Sustainable Land Management - an essential component of policies – will
help to ensure the productivity of agriculture, forestry, fisheries and
hydrology. Sustainable Land Management will also support a range of
ecosystem services on which agriculture depends. The Sustainable Land
Management Sourcebook provides a knowledge repository of tested
practices and innovative resource management approaches that are
currently being tested. The diverse menu of options represents the
current state of the art of good land management practices. Section one
identifies the need and scope for Sustainable Land Management and food
production in relation to cross-sector issues such as freshwater and
forest resources, regional climate and air quality and interactions with
biodiversity conservation and increasingly valuable ecosystem services.
Section two categorises the diversity of land management systems
globally and the strategies for improving household livelihoods in each
system type. Section three presents a range of investment notes that
summarise good practices, as well as innovative activity profiles that
highlight design of successful or innovative investments. Section four
identifies east-to-access, Web-based resources relevant for land and
natural resource managers. This book will be interest to project
managers and practitioners working to enhance land and natural resource
management in developing countries.
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