George Bernard Shaw once said that reasonable people adapt themselves to the world but unreasonable people adapt the world to themselves. In a sense, this book explores how these so-called ‘unreasonable people’ may interact to re-fashion the world around them in fragile economic development. Drawing on empirical research in the volatile and traditional context of Afghanistan, the study investigates the challenge of poor women’s participation in business and diverse outcomes for local development. Institutional Innovation and Change in Value Chain Development takes a unique look at nuanced institutional phenomena through the lens of social institutions, with a subtle appreciation of the interaction of structure and agency. Drawing on in-depth qualitative research in Afghanistan, the case studies specifically investigate the transformation of the women’s norm of purdah, and the subsequent development of new market institutions in three women’s enterprises. Shedding new light on the opaque process of institutional change, the research shows that external actors (such as NGOs) can both initiate and guide institutional development in fragile environments. Yet there may be limitations to their endeavours, with strong resistance from local power holders. Meanwhile, dominant entrepreneurs are shown to play a major role in fostering institutional development pathways. This influences the scope of inclusion and exclusion in enterprise and value chains, and broader streams of socio-economic development.

Explaining the connection between economics and violent extremism, this book argues that American foreign policy must be rebalanced with a greater emphasis on social inclusion and shared prosperity in order to mitigate the root causes of conflict. Rosenberger argues that economic coercion has usually proven counterproductive, and that a militarized American foreign policy too often results in frustration and strategic failure. He analyses this theory through a number of case studies, from the Treaty of Versailles to the more recent issues of Israel in Gaza, US sanctions against Iran, the US backed, Saudi-led boycott of Qatar and Donald Trump’s trade war against China. He concludes that the economic logic of social inclusion and shared prosperity demonstrated in Jean Monnet’s European Coal and Steel Community would be a more successful strategy in reducing the demand for violence in the civil wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and Syria. This book will be of particular relevance for courses on American Foreign Policy, International Relations and International Political Economy and seminars on the Near East and South Asia. Professional economists, diplomats and military officers in America and in the Near East and South Asia will also find the argument useful.

This book looks at the policy challenges confronting India and other developing countries in creating a robust, sustainable and industrialized economy. It investigates different facets of the nature, structure, growth and impact of innovation in industries, education and within institutions to foster greater productivity and growth. The volume examines systems adopted to boost innovation and diffusion of technology in different economies while also mapping their success and failures. It offers suggestions for the future for long-term growth, sustainability and inclusiveness amidst dynamic, fast-changing technological frontiers using examples and case studies from India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, among others. The chapters in the book, written to honour the academic work of Professor Lakhwinder Singh in the field of development economics and innovation economics, highlight the importance of adopting and adapting new technologies and development models to local contexts and small industries. An important contribution to research on innovation economics, this interdisciplinary book will be of interest to students, researchers, practitioners and policy-makers working in industrial economics, international economics, political economy, innovation economics, institutional economics, industrial organization and international trade.

Governments, nongovernmental organizations, donors, and the private sector have increasingly embraced value-chain development (VCD) for stimulating economic growth and combating rural poverty. Innovation for Inclusive Value-Chain Development: Successes and Challenges helps to fill the current gap in systematic knowledge about how well VCD has performed, related trade-offs or undesired effects, and which combinations of VCD elements are most likely to reduce poverty and deliver on overall development goals. This book uses case studies to examine a range of VCD experiences. Approaching the subject from various angles, it looks at new linkages to markets and the role of farmer organizations and contract farming in raising productivity and access to markets, the minimum assets requirement to participate in VCD, the role of multi-stakeholder platforms in VCD, and how to measure and identify successful VCD interventions. The book also explores the challenges livestock-dependent people face; how urbanization and advancing technologies affect linkages; ways to increase gender inclusion and economic growth; and the different roles various types of platforms play in VCD.

There is a void of research and other academic materials to support stakeholders operating within industry and the service sector with respect to their perceptions and experiences of remote work, particularly in the context of global business, sustainability, and change management. As more businesses consider remaining and maintaining a remote workforce, it is of paramount importance that new research be conducted regarding the multifaceted area of remote work and sustainable change for global business. Remote Work and Sustainable Changes for the Future of Global Business raises awareness of the multifaceted area of remote work in the context of sustainable change. In particular, it explores remote technology in an attempt to cope with the changing landscape of work environments amidst global change from a sociotechnical perspective. This book provides insight into the challenges both national and international businesses face during a world crisis. Covering topics such as crisis management, the human cloud, and virtual collaboration, this book is essential to business managers, project managers, business clusters, entrepreneurs, higher education practitioners, faculty and PhD researchers, educational boards, technology vendors and firms, and academic researchers.

Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Regional Development is unique in that it addresses the central factors in economic development – entrepreneurship, innovation and organizational learning – as regional phenomena. This definitive text focuses on different types of organizations to illustrate the value of entrepreneurship and innovation both for businesses and for regional development. Establishing a firm link between entrepreneurship, innovation and economic regeneration, the book also examines the factors contributing to their success. Replete with international case studies, empirical evidence of concepts and practical examples, this is an ideal text to support postgraduate teaching and research related to entrepreneurship, innovation management and regional economic development.

As technology grows as the largest source of modern economic growth, the emergence of new models is currently challenging the standard western model of organizational management. Companies from all over the world have succeeded in creating emerging economies with these new models and are now competing with established multinational corporations. Organizational Innovation and IT Governance in Emerging Economies develops a methodological framework that supports new approaches of technological innovation by companies. This reference book provides contributions from experts in emerging economies, highlighting specific case studies of home grown companies from these emerging markets, offering lessons on how traditional multinationals can compete with these new companies for policymakers, government officers, academics, researchers, students, and practitioners.

This book aims to propose a unique analytical framework to find out the general successful experience for large developing countries, which are defined with two main physical characters of large population and vast land. They are naturally crucial for the global development. Thirteen countries are chosen as large developing countries in this book, which are China, India, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Congo (DRC). On the basis of selecting massive data, the author analyzes the performance of large countries in terms of human resources, natural resources, market size and other factors. The book conducts the comparative study of large countries’ latecomer strength, transformation path and innovation strategy with the perspective of development economics. It presents a comprehensive overview about large developing countries