Globalization and construction industry development: research opportunities

Raftery, J., Pasadilla, B., Chiang, Y. H., Hui, E. C. M. and Tang, B. S. (1998) Construction Management and Economics, 16, 729-37 review recent developments in the construction industries in Asia. They discuss the main causes and effects of key trends in globalization and their impact on the industries. This paper considers some of the points raised by Raftery et al. It starts with an overall review of their paper. It then considers construction industry development in general, technology transfer and joint ventures, and the impact of policy reform on the industries. It suggests additional relevant issues, and highlights some areas where further research would be appropriate.Globalization Construction Industry Development Developing Countries,

The Interface of Globalization and Peripheral Land in the Cities of the South: Implications for Urban Governance and Local Economic Development

This essay examines the impact of globalization on land peripheral to large cities of the south. It identifies such land as providing major arenas for contested claims between the requirements of international firms and those of local inhabitants and businesses, entailing both threats and opportunities in terms of local economic development. Much depends on the urban governance and institutional processes surrounding the use and allocation of land that are themselves directly influenced by the globalization process. In many cities national, state or provincial governments have set up special parastatal organizations with substantial funding and significant decision-making powers over infrastructure development and land use to facilitate the rebirth of their cities as havens for international investment. In the process local municipalities and the local population are often excluded from the decision-making process, while being left to cope with the aftermath and maintenance of the grand projects. The essay identifies weaknesses in elite governance models usually centred at the state or national levels, and asks if a better alternative may be a local government-led 'inclusive leadership' model capable of clear leadership, greater coordination of different governance layers and inclusion of local actors. Copyright (c) 2007 The Authors. Journal Compilation (c) 2007 Joint Editors and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Housing and Economic Development Debate Revisited: Economic Significance of Housing in Developing Countries

Should housing improvement be part of economic development strategies? Must housing improvement wait until high-economic growth is attained? How much priority should be given to housing in view of the limited resources in less-developed countries? What are housing benefits in economic development vis-à-vis other economic investments? These questions have generated heated debates, both in the literature on development problems and in planning and practice in the 1950s and 1960s. This paper draws on the accumulated body of knowledge resulting from past experiences in research and policy to revisit the earlier debates, survey the main lines of argument and reassess the economic potential of housing. It then attempts to generate broad policy considerations. The main contention of this paper is that in light of past and present evidence, the housing sector needs to be given serious consideration in economic growth strategies