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

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

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