A comprehensive introduction to the important economic, social and political processes and development issues in this extremely popular region. The Central American nations and those of the Caribbean (including Guyana, Surinam and French Guiana on the mainland) share many historical processes as well as experiencing similar development problems today. These include European colonialism, structural adjustment, small size, reliance on primary production, influence of the United States and moves towards democratisation. While Mexico is obviously a much larger country in area, economy and population terms, it is included in this volume because of its close ties to the other countries in the region through processes such as trade and migration.

A unique and comprehensive introduction to contemporary development issues in East and Southern Africa, and represents a significant departure from the often descriptive approach adopted by existing regional and development texts on African regions. Each contribution is carefully chosen to highlight the theoretical basis to development issues, and the practical problems of implementing development plans, in this vital subregion. Overall this produces comprehensive and balanced coverage of historical, economic, political and social issues. The twin issues of globalisation and modernisation give the book a clear focus.

Drawing upon a variety of empirical and theoretical perspectives, The Urban Climate Challenge provides a hands-on perspective about the political and technical challenges now facing cities and transnational urban networks in the global climate regime. Bringing together experts working in the fields of global environmental governance, urban sustainability and climate change, this volume explores the ways in which cities, transnational urban networks and global policy institutions are repositioning themselves in relation to this changing global policy environment. Focusing on both Northern and Southern experience across the globe, three questions that have strong bearing on the ways in which we understand and assess the changing relationship between cities and global climate system are examined. The Urban Climate Challenge will be of interest to scholars of urban climate policy, global environmental governance and climate change. It will be of interest to readers more generally interested in the ways in which cities are now addressing the inter-related challenges of sustainable urban growth and global climate change. Chapter 9 and Chapter 11 of this book are freely available as downloadable Open Access PDFs under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 license. https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/tandfbis/rt-files/docs/Open+Access+Chapters/9781138776883_oachapter11.pdf Chapter 9 and Chapter 11 of this book are freely available as downloadable Open Access PDFs under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 license. https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/tandfbis/rt-files/docs/Open+Access+Chapters/9781138776883_oachapter9.pdf

Central America constitutes a fascinating case study of the challenges, opportunities and characteristics of the process of transformation in today’s global economy. Comprised of a politically diverse range of societies, this region has long been of interest to students of economic development and political change. The Handbook of Central American Governance aims to describe and explain the manifold processes that are taking place in Central America that are altering patterns of social, political and economic governance, with particular focus on the impact of globalization and democratization. Containing sections on topics such as state and democracy, key political and social actors, inequality and social policy and international relations, in addition to in-depth studies on five key countries (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala), this text is composed of contributions from some of the leading scholars in the field. No other single volume studies the current characteristics of the region from a political, economic and social perspective or reviews recent research in such detail. As such, this handbook is of value to academics, students and researchers as well as to policy-makers and those with an interest in governance and political processes.

This book is a joint effort lead by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in collaboration with the Economic Commission of Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) focused on the climate and development challenge for LAC. It deals with a matter that is bound to affect the likelihood of achieving sustainable progress in Latin America and the Caribbean. Indeed, climate change is already affecting the foundations on which Latin American societies rely for sustenance and welfare.

The global coronavirus pandemic is revealing major weaknesses, inequities and system-wide risks in global food systems, giving renewed urgency to foster pathways to greater food system sustainability and resilience. Due to rising unemployment, supply chain disruptions and other responses to the pandemic, such as disruptions to social assistance programs in some countries, predictions suggest a near doubling of food insecurity globally. Nutritional changes are also occurring, as food availability and access changes, leading to substitution of dry, canned or processed foods for healthier, fresh ingredients, for some communities, and the reverse for others. These food security and nutritional changes are likely to be as impactful on human health as the virus itself. As a system-wide shock, the pandemic reveals weaknesses of global supply chains. The media highlighted empty supermarket shelves alongside food dumping in situations where producers locked into disappearing food service outlets were unable to access new markets. Farmers with long-standing reliance on migrant agricultural labor that can no longer travel across international borders under lockdown struggle to access support for the upcoming harvest season. The pandemic highlights well-known inequities for marginalized food systems employees; as essential workers are exposed to greater risks of contracting the virus in food-processing, agricultural and grocery store settings, but have little choice in accepting these conditions in order to keep these low-paying jobs. The pandemic reinforces another well-known food system inequity: marginalized and impoverished minorities often suffer from diet-related diseases (i.e. cardiovascular diseases, diabetes) and/or malnutrition that place them at greater risk of morbidity and mortality from the coronavirus. Lockdowns and border closures are reducing economic opportunities such as day labor and agricultural markets in some regions, such as much of Africa; ensuing risks of food and nutrition insecurity for vast segments of the population threaten to set back development, increase social conflict, and catalyze migration. Finally, the current pandemic shines a spotlight on the systemic risk of infectious diseases to emerge and become globalized through local bushmeat markets and international wildlife trade, and how wildlife hunting and trade is influenced by land use changes, including by industrial agriculture. At the same time, adaptive responses to the coronavirus illustrate how more resilient and sustainable food systems could evolve going forward. To avoid supply chain disruptions, communities are increasing their reliance on local food systems, including an increase in urban gardening and community-supported agriculture programs. Small-scale farmers are innovating to connect with buyers and with each other, including through new online marketing initiatives. Entrepreneurs are identifying foods that would otherwise be wasted and directing them to food banks. Retailers and wholesalers are re-configuring their distribution networks to shift food to where it is needed most. Food pantries, local producers and food businesses are also collaborating with municipal governments to address food security gaps arising from COVID-19 impacts.

Latin American Political Culture: Public Opinion and Democracy presents a genuinely pan-Latin American examination of the region’s contemporary political culture. This is the only book to extensively investigate the attitudes and behaviors of Latin Americans based on the Latin American Public Opinion Project’s (LAPOP) AmericasBarometer surveys. The findings reveal a complex Latin America with distinct political culture. Authors John Booth and Patricia Bayer Richard join rigorous analysis with clear graphic presentation and extensive examples, and readers learn about public opinion research, engage with further questions for analysis, and have access to data, an expansive bibliography, and links to appendices.