Customer Reviews

Leading Issues in Economic Development

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book on the recommendation of a colleague who teaches development economics and uses the book himself. I am an economist by training, my background is on macroeconomics and international economic relations, and hence there was much that i recognized. One reason I wanted to learn more on development economics is that I am currently involved in work on EU Candidate Countries and economic transition issues. Although these countries are clearly not in the same category as less developed countries (although that phrase has become increasingly meaningless in itself as it covers so many very different countries), I think there could be fruitful cross-fertilization from reading a book on development economics. Certainly there would seem to be a number of issues where the candidate countries share some common ground at least, or where useful lessons could be learned from development economics (institution and capacity building and macroeconomic stabilization, for instance). The discussion on how development economics is different from other disciplines in economics (notably macro-economics) or adds value to it is of course as old as development economics itself. I found this book very useful as a broad and balanced introducion, and even though it sometimes covered familiar ground I think it often did so with a specific slant on LDCs that did add value for me, as did discussion of subjects not usually found in most economics books on social issues such as the role of women. I liked the listings of positive and negative arguments on a number of issues such as what has been achieved incpoverty reduction. I also liked the broad collection of seminal articles that you are unlikely to find elsewhere.

I found the articles and empirical research quoted not always of very recent date, and especially the latter bothered me. In several instances the texts quoted empirical findings from studies dating from the 70s or so. I do not find that very convincing; have there really been no more recent findings for the last 25 years? Also the lay-out of the text was not always very clear or attractive to the eye, and I think there is definite room for improvement there as well.

That said, this is still excellent value for money, and the book is certainly well worth to read for anybody interested in a good introduction on development economics.

This book is a very good introduction to development economics for those who have some background in economics. The book does assume some prior knowledge of concepts and terminology, as it seeks to address many of the main contemporary issues related to development. There is a definite bias of focus on Third World developing countries rather than transitional or developed countries.

The issues addressed include the more traditional ones (such as poverty reduction, trade policy, population issues, financing issues) coupled with some newer areas of debate (such as the specific role of women in development). Most interesting I found the section on industrial and technological progress, which follows from the classical eocnomics argument that there should be no indsutrial policy. As it is a compilation of arguments, it does not go terribly in depth in any of the subjects, but offers enough references for those who wish to do so.

For the introductory student of development, this is an essential compilation. For the more advanced student, this is great reference and the bibliography is a list of important works.

Meier's book provides an excellent tool for anyone interested in Development Economics. Most, if not all, of the important development theories and issues have been covered in a clear and concise way. Amongst the contributors, many are notable economists and scholars such as: Chenery, Stiglitz, Bardhan, Nurske, Sen, Lewis, Todaro, Krueger, Ranis, Rosenstein-Rodan, Hirschman- to name but a few. This book has truly been the most useful reference tool from my first year to final year as an undergraduate reading development economics. Particularly interesting and useful chapters include: Dualistic Development(Lewis Model etc.), Debt and Aid, Population, Trade Strategy, and an awesome section on Industrialisation and Technological Progress.

A must buy for students of Development!

This is a book written for students and researchers working in the field of Development Economics. Virtually all areas of the field are covered and most of the most important articles that have been published on the development of the economy are in it. More advanced readers will however notice that some articles that should been in this book are missing. It is nevertheless an incredible help for all those who want to get a good oversight or a good reference in the latest research in Development Economics. The style is naturally very technical, however the authors are helping with comments and case study examples, which makes the understanding of the areas that they cover a lot more easy.

Five stars are awarded for this book, as it really is an excellent anthology for all those involved in the subject of Development Economics.

A concise and but detailed review of the most important issues in agricultural development. The text includes new and important perspectives on issues in development. Topics covered include dualistic development, domestic financing of development, external financing of development, human resourses, industrialisation and agriculture and trade/development. This is an excellent reference book as well as a very interesting read. It is uptodate and enables the reader to quickly grasp the main themes. Also includes comprehensive references for futher reading. Very good value!

"Leading Issues..." es un libro con un enfoque verdaderamente apropiado para los investigadores de la economía del Desarrollo Económico. La combinación de experiencias internacionales con resúmenes de los principales "papers" sobre los temas seleccionados hacen de este libro el punto de partida para la investigación y la docencia. El libro tiene la versatilidad de poder aplicarse a cursos "undergraduate" como "graduate", debido al modo en que se abordan los temas. No requiere conocimientos elevados de álgebra o cálculo matemático, ni de modelos de optimización dinámica. Sin embargo, esto no significa que no sea un libro de alto contenido cientifico y de gran valor para los que se dedican a este tema.

I am a newcomer to the field of developmental economics, but I feel that this book has provides a sufficient base of knowledge. Of course, rudimentary knowledge of macro and micro economics is necessary for reading this book

The product was a very old edition (1980) so it was lacking much of the more contemporary material, including issues on gender.