Recognizing that the neoliberal approach to poverty alleviation has been a failure in Southeast Asia, Tang (social work, U. of Northern British Columbia, Canada) and Wong (social work, Chinese U. of Hong Kong) present country studies of poverty alleviation programs and essays describing alternative approaches (rights-based, institutional, the International Labor Organization, social development, and social activism). The countries under examination include China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Japan. Contributors discuss the magnitude of poverty, the extent of poverty monitoring, and the effectiveness of state interventions in poverty alleviation. Annotation 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

The growth performance of East Asia's market economics over the two-and-half decades has been one of unparalleled success. In this regional comparative study of country experiences, the author demonstrates the considerable scope for complementarity between economic growth and poverty alleviation in the development process. Government policies are shown to have been a major determinant of the development path for the East Asian countries, including the outcomes in income growth and distribution. The study sheds light on the types of policies conducive to both economic growth and poverty reeducation, and provides important lessons for the other developing countries.

This volume presents a variety of papers on issues related to growth, development and poverty prepared by specialists in their particular development-related fields. While the living standards of most people around the world have improved over time in absolute terms, many are still in desperate poverty. The major bulk of humanity lives in the continent of Asia, and it is here that some of the more spectacular contrasts in both economic growth and levels of affluence and destitution can be found. Whether India and China can continue to grow as fast as they have done in recent years remains to be seen. More importantly perhaps, whether growth alone can reduce poverty in these countries and in others is a question that needs to be discussed and understood. Outside of India and China, the African continent, particularly the nations in Sub-Saharan Africa is home to large numbers of poor and deprived humanity. Many of these countries are natural resource rich, but that has not enabled many of them to achieve adequate growth and reduce poverty. As countries grow, they put extra pressure on both global resources and the natural environment. The question as to whether there are finite limits to economic growth in a global sense is one that has long exercised thinkers. Technological progress has often enabled countries to economise on resource use without sacrificing growth. Whether that can continue indefinitely is also a question that has acquired a new urgency with the recent faster growth experience of the most populous countries.

Recognizing that the neoliberal approach to poverty alleviation has been a failure in Southeast Asia, Tang (social work, U. of Northern British Columbia, Canada) and Wong (social work, Chinese U. of Hong Kong) present country studies of poverty alleviation programs and essays describing alternative approaches (rights-based, institutional, the International Labor Organization, social development, and social activism). The countries under examination include China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Japan. Contributors discuss the magnitude of poverty, the extent of poverty monitoring, and the effectiveness of state interventions in poverty alleviation. Annotation 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

Comparative study that shows that most of the countries in the East Asia region have emphasised, with varying success, policies promoting economic growth rather than ones stressing income redistribution. Working Paper No. 90/5 in the Centre's series.

This book looks at the role of social policy and particularly social security in addressing the ongoing challenge of poverty in East Asia despite the region’s spectacular experience of economic growth in decent decades. The East Asian miracle resulted over the last four decades in a transformation of the region’s traditional agrarian economies and significant increases in standards of living for many ordinary people. Even though it was given little attention, poverty has remained an ongoing problem. The problem became particularly evident however with the Asian financial crisis of 1997 when many low income and middle class workers became unemployed. As a result of this crisis, the need for effective social policies and social security programs were recognized. The idea that economic growth would solve the problem of poverty was increasingly challenged. Even in China today, where rapid growth has created new employment opportunities and the promise of prosperity for many, the government has recognized that the problem of poverty cannot be addressed only through economic growth but that comprehensive social policies must be formulated, and this includes the development of an effective security system.

Changes in the poverty profile.

This book provides examples of possible triple-win solutions for simultaneously reducing poverty, raising the quality of the environment, and adapting to climate change. The book provides empirical evidence and observations from sixteen case studies in Southeast and East Asia, and from the Pacific. It argues that a spatial approach focussing on the environments in which the poor and vulnerable live, would trigger changes for development policies and implementation that better balance environmental and social concerns. In line with the post-2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda, emphasizing integrated development approaches for the slum poor, the upland poor, the dryland poor, the coastal poor, and the flood-affected wetland poor, would also bring the environment and poverty agenda closer. The book emerged from a cooperation of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) with the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) in partnership with experts from research institutes and think-tanks in the Asian region.