China and the Wto
An examination of China's participation in the World Trade Organization, the conflicts it has caused, and how WTO reforms could ease them China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 was rightly hailed as a huge step forward in international cooperation. However, China's participation in the WTO has been anything but smooth, with China alienating some of its trading partners, particularly the United States. The mismatch between the WTO framework and China's economic model has undermined the WTO's ability to mitigate tensions arising from China's size and rapid growth. What has to change? China and the WTO demonstrates that unilateral pressure, by the United States and others, is not the answer. Instead, Petros Mavroidis and Andr矇 Sapir show that if the WTO enacts judicious reforms, it could induce China's cooperation, leading to a renewed confidence in the WTO system. The WTO and its predecessor, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, are predicated on liberal domestic policies. They managed the previous accessions of socialist countries and big trading nations, but none were as large or powerful as China. Mavroidis and Sapir contend that for the WTO to function smoothly and accommodate China's unique geopolitical position, it needs to translate some of its implicit principles into explicit treaty language. To make their point, they focus on two core complaints--that Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) benefit from unfair trade advantages, and that domestic companies, private as well as SOEs, impose forced technology transfer on foreign companies as a condition for accessing the Chinese market--and they lay out specific proposals for WTO reforms. In an age of global trade disputes, China and the WTO offers a timely exploration of unprecedented challenges to the current multilateral system and fresh ideas for lasting solutions.
Inequalities in Sub-Saharan Africa
The growing disparity between the rich and poor remains a critical challenge, affecting countries across all continents, irrespective of their per capita gross domestic product. This widening gap not only impedes efforts to eradicate extreme poverty but also hinders progress toward social justice and resilience-building. Rising inequalities pose substantial barriers to sustainable development, and it is within this context that this book, Inequalities in Sub-Saharan Africa: Multidimensional Perspectives and Future Challenges, contributes to ongoing debates, offering a comprehensive analysis of the current challenges and future perspectives of inequality on the African continent. Despite the intensification of calls for wealth taxation and inequality reduction, progress has been slow. A key challenge lies in creating a viable political path for implementing progressive taxation policies. Resistance from those benefiting from the current system often stalls efforts, making progress difficult. Moreover, reducing inequality requires not only ex-post redistribution but also pre-distribution mechanisms that address inequality at its roots. Policies targeting education, competition, financial market regulation, and industrial development all hold the potential to create equitable economic opportunities, ensuring access to credit, job creation, and more-balanced economic growth. Despite facing unique, profound challenges, Africa is often overlooked in these global discussions. This book seeks to place the continent's issues of income inequality, unequal access to education and health care, climate vulnerability, and inclusive growth at the center of the conversation. The book further advocates for innovative policies, including competition reforms and bargaining frameworks that shift the balance between capital and labor. Given that inequality in Africa is deeply rooted in historical, economic, and institutional factors, a stronger focus on pre-distribution policies is necessary. These systemic changes can help reshape the conditions under which inequality emerges and persists. In addition to policy reforms, it is vital to strengthen the research and academic infrastructure that underpins the understanding of inequality. Equity concerns must be addressed within the scientific field, and African research capabilities must be bolstered. This volume, written in collaboration with the African Center of Excellence for Inequality Research, calls for a greater focus on empowering African researchers as part of a broader development strategy. By doing so, it aligns with the World Bank's and the Agence Fran癟aise de D矇veloppement's commitment to supporting research as a critical tool for sustainable development.
Measuring and Monitoring Absolute Poverty in the European Union
This book sets out a new framework and methodology for the measuring and monitoring of absolute poverty in the European Union. A comparative needs-based analysis of poverty is presented that allows for cross-country examination. By comparing absolute poverty measurements with existing conventional measures, a new understanding of poverty within the European Union is explored, highlighting that poverty is cyclical and unevenly disturbed across Europe. Issued related to poverty, including food basket development, basket pricing, household compatibility, are also discussed. This book aims to provide a comprehensive account of methodological tools available for the measurement of poverty. It will be relevant to researchers and policymakers interested in absolute poverty measurement.This is an open access book.
Why We're Getting Poorer
An insider's guide to our broken economy and how it fails to serve us. 'A fascinating examination of the failures of modern economics, and how these failures are harming us all' Grace Blakeley, author of Vulture Capitalism 'Easily one of the most compelling economics communicators of our generation.' Yuan Yang, FT columnist and MP for Earley and WoodleyDid you know that while we think of money as notes issued by the government, the truth is that the overwhelming majority of money today is credit created by private banks?Did you know that the reason housing keeps getting less accessible is because we haven't found a way to separate houses from land in our policies?And did you know that far from globalisation being a mystical force, certain countries and currencies have dominated the way it has played out - to their own advantage?Whilst economics is at the heart of the society we live in, governing so many functions from our taxes to where we live to the price of our shopping, few of us have a strong grasp on the subject. This book is here to help. Why We're Getting Poorer delves into the key topics in economics - money, globalisation, inequality, climate change and growth - showing that what we think we know about these things is wrong, and teaching us what we really need to know. Deciphering the jargon and complexity of economic thinking, with examples ranging from the Simpsons to the German football league to The Inbetweeners, Cahal Moran shows us why our economy set us up to fail, and offers suggestions for how we can make positive changes.Written by an award-winning economist and the YouTuber responsible for 'Unlearning Economics', Why We're Getting Poorer is a thrilling, iconoclastic guide to how the world really works.
Economics as Science
This novel text provides a critical approach to the study of economic thought - from neoclassical economics, to Marxian economics, to Keynesian economics - through the lens of science and the scientific method. It examines the collection of ideas that constitute the core of economic thought in the five basic fields of economics.
The Ultimate Survival Guide for Business in Japan
This book is targeted at business executives of companies: - approaching the Japanese Market, - reviewing their options in terms of Japan Entry Strategy, - already exporting to Japan (Indirect Sales) or, - already established and doing business in Japan (Direct Sales). As a Survival Guide for doing Business in Japan, it aims at providing the reader with an overview of the many issues or obstacles to be taken into account when approaching or interacting with the Japanese Market. The various aspects will be presented under three angles: Part I: Cross-cultural Management, Part II: Sales & Marketing Strategies, Part III: Entry Strategies. In this book, we show: - That the Japanese Market is a great market to approach and that, provided the right methodology and marketing mix, there are great opportunities to seize in the long-term for foreign companies. - That it is necessary to get familiar with cross-cultural differences and to understand better your Japanese clients, their country, their culture and their business system. - How to market your products or services in Japan (B2C and B2B Marketing Guidelines). - Which Entry Strategies are available to foreign companies to choose from and guidelines for selection.
Foundations of Social Ecological Economics
This book explores radical dissent from orthodox mainstream economics, and sets out a theoretically grounded vision for the emerging paradigm of social ecological economics. At the heart of this paradigmatic shift lies an acknowledgement of the inextricable embeddedness of economies in biophysical reality and social structure. The struggle for this transformative vision unfolds through a critical examination of mainstream environmental thought, followed by a nuanced evaluation of contributions from Marxists, socialists, critical institutionalists, feminists and Post-Keynesians grappling with the urgent environmental crisis. Synthesising insights from these diverse and heterodox schools, the book navigates the philosophical underpinnings of science, embracing a critical realist approach that challenges not only mainstream economic thought but also eclectic pluralism, relativism and strong constructionism. The question of what constitutes revolutionary science is explored in light of works by Kuhn, Schumpeter and Neurath, emphasising the pivotal role of values and ideology in works from Marx to Gramsci. Building on these radical and philosophical foundations, the book articulates a preanalytic vision of social ecological economics, dismantling entrenched notions of growth and efficiency in favour of a framework centered on social provisioning and needs embedded in ethics. In a thought-provoking conclusion, the book applies its analytical lens to the multiple crises of modernity within industrialised capital-accumulating economies. An agenda for social ecological transformation toward diverse alternative economies emerges, providing a compelling call to action in the face of contemporary challenges.
Applied Statistics and Multivariate Data Analysis for Business and Economics
Ecosystems as Models for Restoring Our Economies, 2nd Edition
Emerging from the fields of ecological restoration and economics, this interdisciplinary book delivers a clear path to restoring our economies in a way that speaks well to industry groups and business owners, students and the general public, and to policy makers. There are proven relationships between ecology and economics. Giordanengo employs those relationships in an intriguing way and integrates them with global case studies to argue that redesigning economic systems according to ecological principles is necessary to balancing critical social, environmental, and economic goals. For example, he reveals how more obscure ecological principles and theories--succession, evolution, diversity-productivity curves, and so on--can inform the restructuring of economic systems that are resilient, productive, and regenerative. A variety of students and practitioners have read the first edition, or attended John's seminars, only to remark "Why haven't we learned this in our traditional coursework?" or "This book brings so much clarity to the fields of sustainability and environmental sciences." Traditional approaches to sustainability focus on the social, environmental, and economic pillars of an economy, while paying little attention to the foundation those pillars rest upon. A comprehensive focus on our economy's foundational components has been ignored for good reason; we have lacked an understanding of what they are or how they interact with one another. Cross-cutting research between ecological and economic systems reveals three foundational components (i.e., drivers) common to both systems. The effective management of these components is perhaps the most important obstacle to resolving current tensions between society, nature and the global market economy. The scale at which diversity, energy and trade must be managed is also justified by self-regulating ecosystems such as jungles, prairies, and pine forests. That scale is not global, nor is it hyper local. The economic and ecological rationale agree that the scale of a sustainable economy--the natural geography of humans-- is regional. To the contrary, the attempt to manage our economy at a global scale has given rise to chronic social, environmental, and economic symptoms across earth. In highly developed countries such as the United States, these symptoms include flat real wages and productivity growth, a growing wealth gap, degraded environmental conditions, rising social unrest, and more. The closing chapters outline a natural path for restoring our economies, illuminated by humanities shared experience in ecological restoration. The process of ecosystem recovery following disturbance (i.e., succession) is one such pathway. Unwittingly, developed nations such as the United States mange succession to concentrate wealth into fewer hands, while lowering the economy's productive capacity, net productivity, and resistance to future disturbances. Economic policies can also move the succession dial toward the productive and diverse center, where wealth and resources are recirculated quickly, new business opportunities are created, and resilience and resistance are fortified--a stout shield in the face of global economic turmoil. For policymakers, consumers, and industry groups, this book explores root causes of the challenges you face, so that you may take deep correct actions to yield lasting change. Giordanengo provides critique, but goes further, with clear steps that individuals, businesses, communities, and policymakers can take to start restoring our economies now. From agricultural restoration to regional manufacturing and energy systems, he outlines practical strategies and policy mechanisms for building regenerative economies. Students will find not just theoretical and systems knowledge, but applied economics, ecology, and conservation centered around actionable pathways. Economic restoration is not only possible--it is our humanitarian duty.
Ecosystems as Models for Restoring Our Economies, 2nd Edition
Winner, International Impact Book Award 2026. Appeals to a broad range of people across ages, values and political beliefs, and will change the way we live our lives Integrating the fields of ecology and economics with practical business and conservation experience, this book delivers a clear path to restoring our economies to a sustainable state. The result is not a decline in our freedoms, values, and quality of life, but a means to sustaining them in a turbulent 21st century. Students, business owners, and consumers have read this book and attended John's seminars only to remark, "Why haven't we learned this in our traditional coursework?" or "This book brings so much clarity to the fields of sustainability and environmental sciences." Intuitively, many of us sense some universal relationships exist between Earth's ecological and economic systems. For Giordanengo, the most insightful relationships were not the ones he first imagined as a business and ecology student in the early 1990s. This book not only unveils critical new insights into ecology and economics, but integrates them with global case studies to make a bold case for redesigning our economies according to the immutable rules of nature. For example, viewing theories such as ecological succession through an economic lens, we discover the root causes of the wealth gap, while gaining clarity on the role of economic diversity in productivity growth and innovation gains. Timely, Giordanengo melds centuries of research with decades of business and ecological experience to reveal three simple components common to ecosystems and economies: diversity, energy, and trade. The proper management of these foundational components is perhaps the greatest obstacle to resolving tensions between society, nature, and the global market economy. The scale at which diversity, energy, and trade must be managed is not global, nor is it hyper local. The scale of a sustainable economy lies somewhere between these two extremes, the subject of part II. Part III of this book outlines a path for restoring our economies, guided by humanity's shared experiences in ecological restoration. The essential process of ecosystem recovery (i.e., succession) is one such pathway. Unwittingly, the United States and other developed nations manage economic succession in ways that lower their productivity growth and resistance to future disturbances, while concentrating wealth into fewer hands. With such knowledge in hand, however, nations can also move the succession dial toward the productive and diverse center, where wealth and resources are recirculated quickly, new business opportunities are created, wealth is naturally distributed, and resilience and resistance are fortified--a stout shield in the face of global economic turmoil. From regenerative agriculture to regional-scale manufacturing, and from endogenous energy systems to ecological conservation, practical business strategies and government policies are woven throughout this seminal book. Consumers will find sound evidence to support a sustainable future. Students will discover not just theoretical and systems knowledge, but applied economics, ecology, and conservation centered around actionable pathways. Business and industry leaders will find novel solutions that balance financial responsibilities with social and environmental well-being. One of nature's most primeval rules is that times of great turbulence favor the evolved model, not the model of the past.
Clintonomics
Clintonomics explores how Clinton's presidency marked the return of fiscal discipline and the end of big government.
How Progress Ends
Shortlisted for the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year Award How 1,000 years of global history show why technological and economic progress is often followed by stagnation and even collapse In How Progress Ends, Carl Benedikt Frey challenges the conventional belief that economic and technological progress is inevitable. For most of human history, stagnation was the norm, and even today progress and prosperity in the world's largest, most advanced economies--the United States and China--have fallen short of expectations. To appreciate why we cannot depend on any AI-fueled great leap forward, Frey offers a remarkable and fascinating journey across the globe, spanning the past 1,000 years, to explain why some societies flourish and others fail in the wake of rapid technological change. By examining key historical moments--from the rise of the steam engine to the dawn of AI--Frey shows why technological shifts have shaped, and sometimes destabilized, entire civilizations. He explores why some leading technological powers of the past--such as Song China, the Dutch Republic, and Victorian Britain--ultimately lost their innovative edge, why some modern nations such as Japan had periods of rapid growth followed by stagnation, and why planned economies like the Soviet Union collapsed after brief surges of progress. Frey uncovers a recurring tension in history: while decentralization fosters the exploration of new technologies, bureaucracy is crucial for scaling them. When institutions fail to adapt to technological change, stagnation inevitably follows. Only by carefully balancing decentralization and bureaucracy can nations innovate and grow over the long term--findings that have worrying implications for the United States, Europe, China, and other economies today. Through a rich narrative that weaves together history, economics, and technology, How Progress Ends reveals that managing the future requires us to draw the right lessons from the past.
Political Challenges of Economic Development in Rentier States
Legal and Political Foundations of Capitalism
"Institutions matter", is a common refrain amongst all economists - This book draws principally on the original institutional economics and American legal realist traditions to propose a theory of legal institutionalism or institutional political economy.
The Complex Environments of Special Economic Zones
This book presents a comprehensive framework for understanding Special Economic Zones (SEZs) as a powerful tool for regional development, stimulating investment, creating employment opportunities, and supporting economic growth through tax incentives and other benefits. It explores the relationships between academic institutions, industry, policymakers, and institutional actors, and highlights how collaborations between public and private sectors drive economic growth. The book further provides insights into how these zones foster innovation, attract foreign investment, and promote regional advancement through an in-depth analysis of SEZ types such as export processing zones, free trade zones, and high-tech parks. Drawing on global case studies, the book identifies key governance structures and labor policies that enhance SEZ performance. It also examines how strategic interventions can address labor market challenges, especially in developing countries. The book will appeal to scholars, policymakers, and stakeholders seeking to understand the role of SEZs in economic and employment growth worldwide.
Thomas Aquinas on Risk in Economic Activity
This book provides a detailed look at Thomas Aquinas's view and understanding of economic activity. The work of Aquinas, one of the greatest thinkers of the Middle Ages, is contextualised within his own experiences, the history of the era, and the socio-economic changes underway in 13th-century Europe. Particular attention is paid to Aquinas's approach to risk, mapping out the different forms of risk he addresses, establishing typologies, and presenting it as a dynamic structure. This book offers unique insight into the economic work of Thomas Aquinas. It will be relevant to students and researchers interested in the history of economic thought, economic analysis of risk, medieval studies, philosophy, and theology.
Measuring and Accounting for Environmental Public Goods
Provides strategies and approaches for integrating natural capital into environmental statistics. While the importance of natural resources and the contributions of the environment to welfare are apparent, traditional national income and wealth accounting practices do not measure or value environmental public goods. This volume examines the conceptual and empirical basis for integrating natural capital--forests, oceans, and air--into the economic and environmental statistics that inform public policy. It offers innovative approaches to valuing nonmarket environmental goods and services, including strategies for capturing heterogeneity in measurement across types of capital, geography, and individuals. The chapters focus on measuring productivity with adjustments for pollution damage, developing a microdata infrastructure to advance our understanding of the distribution of environmental amenities and hazards, and estimating long-run sustainable development indicators. Case studies consider coastal assets, forests, and marine ecosystems, and develop strategies for implementing specific environmental-economic accounts such as environmental activity accounts and natural capital accounts for forests and the marine economy. As national income accounting standards are updated to incorporate expanded guidance on issues related to natural capital, this timely book will help inform decisions on the measurement and treatment of climate, air, water, and other public goods.
South Asian Economic Development in the Era of Global Turbulence
South Asia's developing nations have been enjoying moderate to high growth over the past decade before the global pandemic of 2020 began. This new edition provides an up-to-date guide to the growing markets in South Asia in the post-COVID-19 period. It offers an analysis of the changes and consequences of high sustainable growth, investigating what has been achieved in the region over the last 2001-2023 from a macroeconomic viewpoint, identifying new challenges to 2030, and the end of the UNSDGs period.Part I of the textbook presents an analysis of how South Asia is rated against Southeast and East Asia in recent decades in economic and social terms.Part II focuses on South Asia's economic development over 2000 and the bearly 2020s. It demonstrates that globalization enhanced global trade and that trade further increased the region's prosperity up to 2020.Part III identifies major governance issues that were responsible for South Asia's social and economic underperformance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This new edition includes a new chapter about AI and South Asia in the future. The textbook advocates for a shift in focus from policy reform per se to the more challenging task of implementing institutional reform that will invigorate the capability of the political leadership to bring about rapid, sustained and poverty-reducing growth in South Asia in post-Covid era. The book also considers climate change and the environment, and it analyses the impact of these changes and developments on the economic health and social conditions in South Asia. The concluding chapter demonstrates current political unrest in three South Asian nations, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, termed the South Asian Spring.Offering an analysis of the changes and consequences of high sustainable growth in South Asia, this textbook will be useful for students and researchers in Development Economics, Business Economics, Development Studies, and Asian Studies.
Multi-Regional Input-Output Analysis of the Japanese Economy
Anatomy of Development
This multidisciplinary book details the fundamentals of development studies with a mix of economic, social, political, cultural, and administrative premises of development, while analysing its theoretical and practical dimensions. It also provides insight into the role of the stakeholders of development in different sectors.
Reclaiming Economic Sovereignty in Africa
This book has approached the question of natural resources in Africa from a different perspective. It makes the argument that natural resources in Africa can be utilised to reclaim its economic sovereignty which is central to the economic development and industrialisation of the continent. In making this argument, the book acknowledges that African countries have political control (de jure sovereignty) over natural resources in their respective territories, but most of them have little control over what happens to these resources (de facto sovereignty) once an extractive licence is issued. This is evident in the fact that the bulk of primary commodities in Africa are shipped out of the continent in raw or semi-processed form, with most African states having no say over what happens to these natural resources once they are extracted. This is mainly because most countries have low productive capabilities to transform the abundant natural resources into final consumer and capital goods. As a consequence of low productive capabilities, most African countries have no option (no margin of discretion or autonomy) but to sell their primary commodities in raw or semi-processed form, leading to the now famous situation of 'commodity trap'. The lack of freedom (autonomy) to choose what happens to natural resources extracted from the continent is an indication of the weak economic sovereignty. Although the primary commodity companies that operate across the continent obtain licences and pay royalties and other taxes levied for extracting natural resources, African states have no say after primary commodities are extracted partly because the bulk of primary resources extracted leave the continent and get processed into final and intermediate goods elsewhere. As long as the processes of adding value to primary commodities take place outside of the continent, African countries have no control and role to play in the process of adding value. This is the main cause of weak economic sovereignty because the most powerful process (transforming natural resources into final and intermediate goods and services) occurs outside, beyond the continent's reach. As the book illustrates, it is the capacity to transform primary resources into goods and services needed in society that strengthens a country's economic sovereignty and ultimately strengthens its political sovereignty and influence. Drawing from a natural resource-based industrialisation perspective, the book offers suggestions on how African countries can use their rich natural resources to strengthen their economic sovereignty, arguing that natural resources constitute the foundation for building sustainable and inclusive economies on the continent. The book argues that the key to strengthening economic sovereignty (which includes financial and monetary sovereignty) is building strong and diversified productive capabilities, because this enables a country to enlarge its economic options and alternatives, which in turn increases its economic sovereignty. Building of regional value chains (RVCs) capitalising on the African Continental Free Trade Agreement offers a new opportunity for the continent to strengthen its economic sovereignty by building diverse productive capabilities.
Fairs, Cities and Merchants
Today, it has largely been forgotten that fairs played a decisive role in trade and finance in pre-modern Europe. In the Middle Ages and Early Modern period, many cities endeavoured to obtain a fair privilege and attract as many merchants as possible. Through the economic activities and infrastructures provided, a supra-regional spatial configuration gradually emerged, which was not only made up of places within a region, but across the whole of Europe and in some cases the wider world. The contributions in this volume are based on a project jointly funded by the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche and the German Research Foundation, which focussed mainly on fairs and cities in France, the Holy Roman Empire and Italy. In chronological terms, they cover the period from the end of the Champagne fairs (ca. 1320) to the success of the Besan癟on fairs (ca. 1580 to 1630), which epitomised a new type of fair. The geographical focus has been extended to include fairs and trade routes in Eastern Europe and China (temple fairs). This overall view makes it possible for the first time to analyse the functions of the various market forms in their regional context and in their development: from the exchange of goods to the credit market and financing government debt, but also the deep integration of the merchant culture into urban and religious culture. Based on archival studies and the integration of artefacts, new graphs and maps, this volume provides a new look at the history of annual markets and fairs. In addition to functional aspects, spatiotemporal aspects such as disputes over fair dates, visiting rhythms, the transport of goods and routes (by land and water) are dealt with. Credit activities, transport of goods, and mobility of merchants, trading families and companies point to the highly developed transnational dimension of pre-modern trade. The volume concludes with a presentation of the project database, its functionalities and opportunities to participate.
The Rise and Fall of the Privatized Pension System in Chile
'The Rise and Fall of the Privatized Pension System in Chile' presents the rationale for the existence of social security systems and provides a historical discussion of its origins and evolution before turning to the four-decade-old Chilean experience with a privatised pension system. This experience is examined in historical and comparative perspective from the twentieth century up to the present. The book presents various hypotheses on the resilience of the privatised system in spite of the low level of pensions delivered to the population at large, underscoring the ability of the powerful fund managing companies lobby to veto reform proposals geared towards a return to a public-private system. The book also underscores the fiscal costs of the system, the high earnings of private pension managing companies and the macroeconomic role of the system in providing financial resources for investment and growth in a pattern driven by the large corporate sector. The book discusses the experience of Chile as a counter-current to the reversal of pension privatisation in Latin America and Central-Eastern Europe as also the scope for de-privatisation of social security in the country.
In Pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals
Until 2014, rural women in India had limited involvement in the country's economic growth. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration has worked to change that by making a notable shift towards female empowerment and equitable growth through initiatives like Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat 2047. This timely study showcases PM Modi's efforts in transforming rural development by empowering women through self-help groups, resulting in the exponential growth of female entrepreneurs. In Pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals uses first hand interviews and real-world case studies to delve into how initiatives like self-help groups and community lending have empowered women and contributed to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of poverty reduction (Goal 1) and women's empowerment (Goal 5). Additionally, the work uses case studies of women entrepreneurs from Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, and Gujarat, to highlight their success in international markets through traditional crafts like Bandani, Pashmina, and Kannuj perfume. Key to this investigation is the importance of leadership, marketing strategies, and geographic indicators in transforming handicraft sectors and enhancing sustainability. Further, this work examines why women excel as risk managers within community lending groups, analysing leadership traits and the impact of gender-inclusive policies on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Highlighting the strategic management of community groups through success stories and real-life accounts communicated through first hand interviews, this work is essential reading for academic scholars, students and policymakers working in the areas of strategy and public policy as well as microfinance and development studies.
