Human induced land-use change has direct economic and ecological consequences, which are felt the most in the poorest world regions. Therefore, the key question in land-use change research is how to protect and enhance the ecological functions of tropical landscapes while simultaneously...

Low and middle income countries are responsible for more than two thirds of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Although climate stabilization is now impossible without effective climate mitigation policies in developing countries, they are in conflict with developing countries’ legitimate...

This paper reviews the effectiveness and efficiency of key policy instruments for MDG (Millennium Development Goals) achievement. We first demonstrate that average MDG progress is likely to be too slow to meet the education and health sector targets in a number of developing countries. We also...

This paper analyses changes in income portfolios of rural households and its determinants for the case of Ghana in the 1990s. Our analysis shows that, contrary to common beliefs, rural Ghana has seen major economic transformation, as households increasingly diversify their livelihoods by both...

Engagement in non-agricultural activities in rural areas can be classified into survival-led or opportunity-led. Survival-led diversification would decrease inequality by increasing the incomes of poorer households and thus reduce poverty. By contrast, opportunity-led diversification would...