Frontier Issues in Economic Development, 7th Edition

Author: Mel
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2004-07-01
Features: "This book is fantastic; it concisely explains such a rich topic. We are very happy to use it as the main textbook for this course." "This book has always been a compendium of classic and new theories!" This is a classic work, with a total of 7 editions published from 1964 to the present. Most of the essays in this book are written by renowned economists, including four Nobel laureates in Economics. They are: 1. Amartya Sen: An Indian economist, winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economics. He served as the President of Trinity College, University of Cambridge, from 1998. He has been an economic advisor to former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. 2. Arthur Lewis: Winner of the 1979 Nobel Prize in Economics. He served as the President of the American Economic Association in 1982. His works have been translated into Chinese, including "The Theory of Economic Growth" (People's Publishing House of Shanghai, 1995). 3. Gunnar Myrdal: A Swedish economist, winner of the 1974 Nobel Prize in Economics, and the late. He was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. 4. Joseph Stiglitz: Winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Economics. He served as the Chairman of the Economic Advisory Board of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Chief Economist of the World Bank, and Senior Vice President. The goal of this book is to inspire readers with a deeper interest in development economics. To achieve this, the author deviates from the conventional textbook writing style by selecting the most insightful parts from the vast field of development economics and weaving them together with the most fundamental concepts of development economics. This approach not only captures several interconnected themes in development economics but also allows for various perspectives on these issues. Professor Mel has served as the editor-in-chief of "Frontiers of Development Economics" for the first six editions over the past 35 years. He has now chosen Professor Rau to optimize the seventh edition and will be responsible for future revisions. In the seventh edition, Professor Rau has invested significant effort, and the entire book reflects his initial vision: increasing the proportion of quantitative analysis in development economics and emphasizing the challenges faced in formulating development policies now and in the future. In summary, this book may spark readers' fresh attention and serious reflection on the interplay among national development experiences, the evolution of development economists' perspectives, and the formulation of development policies. While maintaining the style of previous editions, the seventh edition introduces several changes compared to the sixth: it adds new chapters on "Income Distribution" and "Development and the Environment," while other chapters have been strengthened. Most of the selections and notes are entirely new. The selections now include references to classic statements from renowned professional journals, and the book heavily employs statistical analysis, with an added appendix "How to Interpret Regression Tables" to help readers better understand the content of each chapter. This book can serve as a basic textbook for teachers and students, as well as supplementary material. For supplementary purposes, the content is designed so that readers can choose chapters and reading order independently. If used as a textbook, readers can follow the organizational structure and content guide provided at the beginning of each chapter to read in sequence. Each chapter of the book includes materials in the following formats: Overview, Selections, Notes, Comments, and Boxes. This is a distinctive textbook. First, the author selects the most insightful and thought-provoking readings from a wide range of materials and arranges them in a logical order based on the structure of the topics, covering almost all theories and practices essential for understanding development issues and policies. Second, to adapt to the changes in development economics and address new challenges faced by developing countries, the seventh edition has been fully revised, offering many new perspectives that are rarely found in general textbooks. Finally, the book summarizes the successes and failures of recent economic development in developing countries, particularly analyzing China's achievements and challenges since the economic reforms of 1978. "A stone from a distant mountain can be used to polish jade." I believe this new edition of "Frontiers of Development Economics" will not only help us learn and master the new theories of modern economic development but also enable us to more effectively draw upon, reference, select, and utilize them, thereby enabling us to more realistically reflect on our own development issues. Mr. Wang Daohan has reviewed the translated manuscript of this book and has gladly written the preface for it. This book is an excellent reference for students in the field of development economics, serving as a compendium of classic and new theories. It concisely explains an extremely rich topic. As a comprehensive and engaging reference book, students can take what they need based on their interests.