Adaptation, poverty and development : the dynamics of subjective well-being

• Main Author: Clark, David Alexander
• Format: eBook Book
• Language: English
• Published: Basingstoke Palgrave Macmillan 2012; Palgrave Macmillan UK
• Edition: 1
• Series: Rethinking International Development series
• Subjects: Development Aid; Development Policy; Development Studies; Development Theory; Economic development; Geopolitics; Palgrave Political & Intern. Studies Collection; Political science & theory; Political Science and International Relations; Political Sociology; Politics Of Development; Poverty; Poverty & Homelessness; Poverty & unemployment; Poverty > Developing countries; Poverty > Psychological aspects; Poverty and Human Development; Public Policy; Third World Development
• ISBN: 9780230360563; 0230360564; 1137002778; 9781137002778; 9781349347902; 1349347906
• DOI: 10.1057/9781137002778

01 02 In contrast to previous attempts to examine adaptation to climate change in developing countries, the authors focus on how individuals and broader social groups adjust their aspirations, mental states, social values and behaviour as well as practices in response to changes in their personal and social circumstances. Employing a unique blend of cross-disciplinary work from economics, psychology, sociology and philosophy, this innovative book draws on quantitative and qualitative techniques. The three sections deal with conceptual issues, empirical studies and specific topics (gender, disability, migration) relating to adaptation in developing countries. It includes detailed case studies of adaptation in China, Ethiopia, India and South Africa and underlines the case for listening to the poor by suggesting that people who become worse off are less likely to lower their aspirations – or restrict their values – than is commonly thought by some philosophers and social scientists. 16 02 No other book focuses on adaptation in the context of developing countries. The available work on adaptation is scattered across a wide range of disciplines mostly in the form of journal papers or single chapters in edited volumes. The available empirical work either focuses on case studies of Western countries or international datasets which under-represent developing countries. The only book that deals specifically with adaptation is Adaptation Level Theory: A Symposium (H. M. Apley, Academic Press, 1971). This book is dated and is concerned with psychological theory rather than cross disciplinary work on adaptation in poor countries. The nearest competing books in psychology/ economics include works like Well-Being: The Foundations of Hedonic Psychology (Daniel Khaneman et al, 1999, Sage) Culture and Subjective Well-Being (Ed Diener et al, 2000, MIT) Happiness: Lessons from a New Science (Richard Layard, 2006, Penguin)   In political economy/philosophy and international development the nearest competing works include Sour Grapes: Studies in the Subversion of Rationality (Jon Elster, 1983, Cambridge University Press) Commodities and Capabilities (Amartya Sen, 1985, Blackwell) Women and Human Development (Martha Nussbaum, 2000, Cambridge University Press). With the exception of Elster's book (which is largely concerned with one particular form of adaptation), these volumes typically include a single chapter on adaptation. 31 02 World-leading academics investigate 'adaptation', in its various guises and forms including gender, disability and migration, in the context of economic and social development in poor countries 02 02 The first book to examine in detail the ways in which people adapt their understanding and behaviours towards poverty as a direct result to their experiences of poverty in developing countries, including world-leading academics and case studies from China, India, Ethiopia and South Africa. 19 02 Examines in detail how people adapt their understanding and behaviours towards poverty when experiencing it firsthand in developing countries Written byinternationally reputed academicsfrom the UK, Australia, Germany, and India Includes country case studies from China, India, Ethiopia, and South Africa 08 02 'Economics is venturing into a new world previously inhabited by psychologists, the extent to which people adapt in various ways to changing circumstances. Better knowledge of adaptation is fundamental to advancing our understanding of human behavior and feelings of well-being. This volume is a welcome and valuable contribution to an important and much-neglected subject.' – Richard A. Easterlin, Professor of Economics, University of Southern California, USA 'This book breaks new ground by bringing together theoretical and empirical perspectives on the problem of adaptation, using case studies in India, China and Africa. Clear, insightful and methodical, it will become essential reading for all those interested in the increasingly important question of how to interpret subjective measures of well-being, especially in a development context.' – Tania Burchardt, Deputy Director, Centre for the Analysis of Social Exclusion, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK 'Is adaptation of deprived people to their often abysmal circumstances a healthy reaction which improves the quality of their lives? Or does it inhibit action to improve the situation – by them and by others? This fascinating book explores such issues conceptually and empirically, and is especially pertinent today when 'happiness' is being promoted as the new metric of development.' - Frances Stewart, University of Oxford, UK '...covers interesting themes that are of importance to those interested in the dynamics of subjective well-being (SWB), whether from a theoretical, empirical or policymaking perspective, which is a great achievement indeed...There is no doubt that anyone can learn a lot from reading this book. The range of topics covered is so broad that even experts in the field can enhance their knowledge as they also add new insights and open up novel perspectives for future research...the editor is certainly to be lauded for having succeeded in publishing a book that may also be read by non-specialists. For all these reasons, I expect Adaptation, Poverty and Development. The Dynamics of Subjective Well-Being to be well received by its readers.' - Claudia Tello, University of Barcelona, European Journal of Development Research 13 02 DAVID A. CLARK Honorary Fellow and Research Associate at theBrooks World Poverty Institute of the University of Manchester, UK, and Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion of London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. Previous publications include The Elgar Companion to Development Studies and Visions of Development: A Study of Human Values . 04 02 Adaptation and Development – Issues, Evidence and Policy Relevance PART I: ADAPTATION AND DEVELOPMENT: CONCEPTS AND ISSUES Utilitarianism, 'Adaptation' and Paternalism; M.Qizilbash Adaptation: Implications for Development in Theory and Practice PART II: ADAPTATION AND DEVELOPMENT: THREE CASE STUDIES Aspirations, Adaptation and Subjective Well-Being of Rural-Urban Migrants in China; J.Knight & R.Gunatilaka A Multidimensional Analysis of Adaptation in a Developing Country Context; A.Barr Adaptation, Poverty and Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from South India; D.Neff PART III: ADAPTATION AND DEVELOPMENT: SPECIFIC ISSUES Subjective Well-being, Disability and Adaptation: A Case Study from Rural Ethiopia; M.Fafchamps & B.Kebede Adaptation of the Rural Working Class in India: A Case Study of Migrant Workers; B.Reddy & W.Olsen