This book addresses the role of social capital in promoting rural and local development. The recent financial and economic crises have exposed the European Union (EU) to an increased risk of social exclusion and poverty, which are now at the heart of its economic, employment and social agenda...

The pursuit of sustainable development and smart growth is a main challenge today in countries around the world. Social capital is an asset of their territorial communities. It is also a precondition for national and local policies that aim to better the economic base and quality of life for...

This open access book analyses the development problems of sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) from the eyes of a Korean diplomat with knowledge of the economic growth Korea has experienced in recent decades. The author argues that Africa's development challenges are not due to a lack of resources but a...

The term ‘wasta’ stems from the Arabic root for ‘middle’ or ‘medium' and describes the phenomenon of using ‘connections’ to find job, government services or other favors to circumvent bureaucracy or bypass the system as a whole. The effects of ‘wasta’ may be both positive or...

Tomer considers recently accumulated knowledge related to the human brain's functioning and development to better understand the relationship between human capital and human development in successful economies

This book provides a unique study of the role of universities, as organisation systems, in the pursuit of the Europe 2020 strategy. While Europe 2020 focuses on creating the basis for the advancement and cohesion of the EU’s member states, it also has an important role in influencing the...

'Lee takes the oft cited belief that entrepreneurial endeavour lives and dies by the quality of the networks set in play, and subjects it to a rigorous and sustained analysis. In this he not only provides the reader with an authoritative theoretical and empirical foray into how entrepreneurs can...

This edited volume proposes that the phenomenon of private sector, financialized higher education expansion in the United States benefits from a range of theoretical and methodological treatments. Social scientists, policy analysts, researches, and for-profit sector leaders discuss how and to...

Firms have discovered that open source (OS) communities can be valuable sources of innovation. However, the access for firms to these communities turned to be intricate. One proven way of how firms can enter OS communities is via their personnel (“men on the inside”). Focusing on...

1. Market Solutions for Climate Change -- 2. Energy Security in the Asia-Pacific Region -- 3. Asia’s Role in the Global Economic Architecture -- 4. Energy Economics in China’s Policy-Making Plan -- 5. The Economics of The Green Industrial Revolution -- 6. The Logic of Qualitative Business...