Flat World, Big Gaps: Economic Liberalization, Globalization, Poverty & Inequality Edited by Jomo K.S. with Jacques Baudot

Publisher: Third World Network (Published in association with the United Nations)

ISBN: 9781842778340

About the Book

Many mainstream economists have claimed that globalization creates worldwide growth, and that economic liberalization will lead to economic convergence and lower inequality.

It is now clear that since the 1980s the world economy has experienced slower growth as well as greater inequalities at the national level.The research in this volume provides rigorous empirical analyses of how economic liberalization has actually affected inequality, poverty and development in recent decades.

Avoiding polemics and rhetoric, the book provides a balanced account of recent trends, the effects of globalization and liberalization, and the comparative experiences of countries that have pursued different economic policies and trajectories.

About the Editors
Jomo K.S. is Assistant Secretary General for Economic Development and Jacques Baudot was Coordinator of the World Summit for Social Development, Director of the Division for Social Policy and Development and Coordinator of the International Forum for Social Development, all based in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) of the United Nations Secretariat.

Contents

Preface
Chapter 1: Global Income Inequality: What it is and Why it Matters
Chapter 2: The Scorecard on Development: 25 years of Diminished Progress
Chapter 3: A Converging or Diverging World?
Chapter 4: World Economic Growth and Income Distribution, 1980-2000
Chapter 5: Globalizing Inequality: ‘Centrifugal’ and ‘Centripetal’ Forces at Work
Chapter 6: Growth is Failing the Poor: The Unbalanced Distribution of the Benefits and Costs of Global Economic Growth
Chapter 7: Inequality Trends in Some Developed OECD Countries
Chapter 8: Unequal Fortunes, Unstable Households: Has Rising Inequality Contributed to Economic Troubles for Households?
Chapter 9: Poverty and Inequality in Eastern Europe and the CIS Transition Economies
Chapter 10: Equity in Latin America since the 1990s
Chapter 11: Income Distribution in the Middle East and North Africa, 1960-2000
Chapter 12: Openness, Trade Liberalization, Inequality and Poverty
Chapter 13: Inequality in India: A Survey of Recent Trends
Chapter 14: Growth with Equity in East Asia
Chapter 15: Understanding the Extent and Evolution of Inequalities in China