Book Review: Sophal Ear, 2012. Aid Dependence in Cambodia: How Foreign Assistance Undermines Democracy. New York: Columbia University Press.

I suppose it is rare to pick up a book and find that the author was doing similar research to that of the reader, at about the same time. While I interviewed many NGO and government officials, as well as academics in Cambodia, my focus was more on poor villages and slums in Cambodia. Professor Ear was more focused on interviews with NGO and government officials, as well as business people. Despite differing interview targets, our findings about conditions in Cambodia today are almost identical. Cambodia is a country with an extremely corrupt government where little is being done to achieve sustained and evenly spread economic development

Review: Amakudari: The Hidden Fabric of Japan\u27s Economy by Richard A. Colignon and Chikako Usiu

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Movements of Crisis and Movements of Affluence : A Critique of Deprivation and Resource Mobilization Theories

In response to the empirical and theoretical weaknesses of the older social stress or deprivation theories of social movements, a new general theory of social movements—resource mobilization theory—has become increasingly popular. One of the most basic points of disagreement between theorists accepting one or the other general perspective involves the extent to which the development and growth of a social movement can be attributed to the preconditions of social stress or some form of deprivation. This article begins by describing how the two perspectives are indirectly rooted in differeing paradigms of social organization, which leads to divergent assumptions about the nature of social conflict and social order. Next, theoretical and empirical problems contained in each perspective are shown to be partially related to these assumptions. Finally, a continuum describing “movements of crisis” and “movements of affluence” is constructed to suggest that the structural conditions inviting social movement activity are varied. When such variance is recognized, we find there is a place for both theories in the complex field of study, though deprivation theories especially face many continuing problems

The Ecology of Welfare: Housing and the Welfare Crisis in New York City by George S. Sternlieb and Bernard P. Indik

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Foreign Investment and Disparities in Economic Development and Poverty Reduction: A Comparative-Historical Analysis of the Buddhist Countries of Southeast Asia

To remain economically competitive in the 21st century a nation must be able to secure resources beyond its borders and protect itself from other nations trying to do the same. While the situation has been shown to be more complex, the original assumption among world system researchers remains that multinational corporate penetration in the periphery can have negative effects on their prospects for economic development. But we now know that these negative effects upon long-term economic development can be prevented. The existence of a strong development state can be critical for this protection. In addition to supplying ‘good governance’ (as the World Bank now calls it), a strong development state can provide protection in the global economy so that multinational corporate penetration is beneficial rather than harmful to less developed nations. But given the importance of a strong development state it is surprising that little research has been directed to the question of how a nation acquires a development state and ‘good governance.’ To begin answering this question, this article focuses on the countries of Southeast Asia. After examination of the wide contrast among Southeast Asian nations with respect to economic development and poverty reduction, a comparative-historical analysis is employed to develop a model which helps us explain these contrasts. Previous research on economic development in East and Southeast Asia only recognized the impact of ‘Asian values’ on unity, respect for authority, and a work ethic among the masses. Beginning with the impact of ancient civilizations and the potential for nation-building, this research also suggests the importance of a sense of national identity and responsibility among elites. The model then turns to how this potential for a strong development state can be affected by different aspects of colonialism. Finally, the article considers the model’s potential application to Africa and Latin America in helping us understand differing rates of economic success for other periphery and semiperiphery nations in the modern world system

Marxist and Functionalist Theories in the Study of Stratification

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