'This book is an indispensable tool to make sense of the enormous transformations experienced by Vietnam over the last two decades. Martin Gainsborough insightful analyses show that rapid economic and social change are not incompatible with a resilience of political power and culture. He convincingly argues that scholarly language about "reforms" misses the point, because what is at play is a continuous reworking of existing power structures.' - Martin Rama, Lead Economist of the World Bank for Vietnam from 2002 to 2010
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Authoritative but provocative, The Lord's Resistance Army provides the most comprehensive analysis of the group available, dismantling numerous myths and providing a wealth of information that is not widely known. From the issue of child soldiers to the response of the Ugandan government, the book looks at every aspect of this most brutal of conflicts, and even includes a remarkable first-hand interview with Joseph Kony himself.
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'There has never been a better, more exciting time to be a feminist. This book shows the positive impact of feminism on our daily lives. Reclaiming The F Word should be every woman's - and many men's - bedside companion.' - Zoe Margolis, aka Abby Lee, author of Girl With A One Track Mind

'A lucid and lively examination of the state of contemporary feminism from two women who really know what they're talking about. Most importantly, at a time when it's easy to feel down-hearted about the state we're in, this book is full of hope.' - Libby Brooks, deputy comment editor, The Guardian
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'A beautifully digressive plea for pluralism' - Guardian

'Fascinating and energetic... the field of international relations is given an overdue shake-up by an author unusually conversant with a wide range of literature, as well as videogames and martial arts' - Stephen Poole, Guardian, non-fiction picks of the year 2009

'...a long and rather splendid dinner with Stephen Chan: a ten-course tasting menu from a three-star Michelin restaurant specialising in global cultural history.' - Independent
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‘Anna Stavrianakis brilliantly researched book provides an original and critical examination of the relationship between NGOs and the international arms trade. While outward commitments to transparency, human rights and international law are the order of the day, this timely and nuanced analysis delves beneath the surface to reveal a far more interesting and worrying story. An essential read for all those interested in the arm trade and the limitations and constraints facing civil society campaigns.’ - Mark Duffield, Professor of Development Politics, University of Bristol
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‘Since the 1970s, the politics of "neoliberalism," based on the purported concern to minimize state interference in the economy and thus to unleash "free" markets, have been mobilized at various sites and scales across the world economy. This book provides useful intellectual tools for deciphering the ideological, social and institutional foundations of neoliberalism and its wide-ranging implications for the still ongoing regulatory reorganization of capitalism.’ - Neil Brenner, Professor of Sociology and Metropolitan Studies, New York University
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'For some time, there has been fragmented evidence that microcredit is way over-hyped as an instrument of development, but Bateman pulls it all together and connects the microfinance fad with the underlying neoliberal themes of so much official development assistance. It's a timely, much-needed, and must-read book for anyone interested in the problems of development assistance.' - David Ellerman, author of Helping People Help Themselves: From the World Bank to an Alternative Philosophy of Development Assistance.
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The writing of Nawal el Saadawi is essential to anyone wishing to understand the contemporary Middle East. Her dissident voice has stayed as consistent in its critique of the neo-imperialist international politics as it has of the oppression of women both in her native Egypt and in the world beyond.

Making Aid Work focuses on the human dynamics of international aid; from impoverished farmers to aid workers; donor diplomats to multilateral bureaucrats; celebrities to activists, and to the unconcerned and uninvolved. This timely work illustrates how the aid system incorporates power relationships, and therefore relationships of dominance. It explores how such dominance can be both a cause and a consequence of injustice. It explains how the experience of injustice is both a challenge to, and a stimulus to, personal, community and national identity, and how such identities underlie the human potential that international aid should seek to enrich.
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'This collection, with its excellent editorial introduction, makes a groundbreaking contribution to understanding the ways in which informal workers are developing new forms of collective organisation for exercising voice and agency, illustrating both the scope for and constraints on their ability to exert political influence. Always fascinating. as might be expected in the varied terrain of Sub-Saharan Africa, the accounts are by turns depressing and inspiring.' - Professor Carole Rakodi, The University of Birmingham
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'East Asia's growing share of the 2 trillion tons of oil shipped each year across the world's oceans is one of the great, but little-told, stories of our age. By tracking this very literal shift of power from West to East, French and Chambers ... provide invaluable insights into energy security, environmental pressure and areas of potential conflict and cooperation.' - Jonathan Watts, The Guardian's Asia Environment Correspondent and author of When a Billion Chinese Jump
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'A treasure trove of ideas and experiences drawn from not just one, but eight fascinating examples of successful social and political change. Gaventa and McGee offer ideas, inspiration and hope to activists everywhere. Indispensable.' - Duncan McGreen, Head of Research, Oxfam House
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'Sex Work Matters is destined to become a classic in its field, offering fresh new perspectives on romantic and economic taboos in the lives of sex workers. The future of research on erotic commerce depends on these powerful voices, informed arguments and timeless ideas.' - Tracy Quan, author, Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl and Diary of a Jetsetting Call Girl, www.tracyquan.net
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Why is the international community so concerned with the fate of prostitutes abroad? And why does the story of trafficking sound so familiar? In this pioneering new book, Jo Doezema argues that the current concern with trafficking in women is a modern manifestation of the myth of white slavery.
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While many have claimed that no one could have foreseen the financial crisis, Harry Shutt was predicting just such a collapse as far back as 1998 in his book, The 'Trouble With Capitalism'. In 'Beyond the Profits System', Shutt offers a radically different analysis to the mainstream, establishment commentators who have struggled to come to terms with the crisis.
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The local and global environmental impacts of transport are more apparent than ever before. Moving People provides an attention-grabbing introduction to the problems of transport and the development of sustainable alternatives, focusing on the often misunderstood issue of personal mobility, as opposed to freight. Re-assessing the value and importance of non-motorized transport the author raises questions about mobility in the face of climate change and energy security, particularly for the developing world.

Featuring original case studies from across the globe, this book is essential for anyone studying or working in the area of environmental sustainability and transport policy.
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'Rod Hill and Tony Myatt have written one of the best critical texts of neoclassical microeconomics that I have ever seen. It is a great text to assign along with an introductory or intermediate microeconomics text. Its critical commentary is sharp and very readable. All heterodox economists who have to teach undergraduate microeconomics should also assign this book for their students.' - Professor Frederic S. Lee, Editor, American Journal of Economics and Sociology

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Neoliberalism has shaped African development for nearly thirty years. As such, it is not an economic 'shock' or a 'structural adjustment', but rather a historic shift in Africa's development politics and policy. This book explores the ways in which African countries have experienced the neoliberal project, highlighting how this project has gone beyond economic liberalisation and towards a bolder social transformation. As an ideology, neoliberalism projects an end-point not simply of a market economy but of a market society. After thirty years of projects, aid disbursement, technical assistance, and conditionality, this book maps out the extent to which African states have cleaved to neoliberal directives. It suggests that neoliberal 'progress' in Africa is notably limited in spite of the resources behind it and the lack of alternatives to it.
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'The emergence of China and India as key global players propelling what promises to be a new Asian era in world history is widely recognised by scholars as one of the most significant developments of our time. As can be expected, the literature that has mushroomed on the subject is replete with controversy. No where is this controversy more pronounced than with regard to the Chinese and Indian engagement with and in Africa. It is the distinct merit of this book that it eschews propaganda to offer a richly documented, balanced and nuanced analysis of different aspects of the diverse roles which China and India are assuming in Africa. Readers will find the book to be both educative and critical' - Adebayo Olukoshi, Director, African Institute for Economic Development and Planning.
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'In her relish for brassy blondes, gutsy flamboyance and tinsel vulgarity, Dyhouse writes like a woman who knows her way around the lipstick counter and the flea market. She shows how a parade in the trappings of glamour expressed aspiration and assertion at odds with mousy, unobtrusive conformity. Glamour was a cynical business, but also a shriek of camp defiance. All fur coat and no knickers. Dyhouse has whipped the stopper from a vintage bottle of 'Evening in Paris' and conjured a vanished world - cheap, a little tarty, but impossible to forget.' - Amanda Vickery, Professor in History, Royal Holloway, University of London, Author of Behind Closed Doors: At Home in Georgian England (Yale, 2009)
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'A remarkable achievement! Alex Khasnabish has written the clearest, most comprehensive account to-date of the origins, innovations, and significance of the Zapatista movement, on local, national, and global scales. This is a must-read for students, scholars, activists, and anyone who believes another world is truly possible.' - Jeffrey S. Juris, Arizona State University
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'Clive George was at the centre of the EU's ten-year research programme into the impacts of trade liberalization. Now he is able to reveal the true findings of that research. This careful assessment of the evidence shows how trade liberalization threatens economic development, anti-poverty programmes and environmental sustainability in the vast majority of developing countries, with potentially catastrophic results. This book is an important corrective to the myth that free trade will lift millions out of poverty. It should become required reading for all people seeking to understand the truth about trade.' - John Hilary, Executive Director, War on Want
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'A bold and imaginative reflection, in the context of southern Africa, on what the post-development injunction to seek alternatives to development can actually mean. This book contains the most sensitive and nuanced treatment of post-development thinking I have read. I highly recommend this volume not just to Africanists, but to all those who, with an open mind, are willing to reconsider just what the ‘development’ enterprise is and might be.' - Richard Sandbrook, Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto
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'People choose to resist and rebel and people make revolutions. They do this in no small measure by making stories, stories that also make them people. Eric Selbin, author of these words, is the leading advocate for the undeniable centrality of the human side of culture, agency, and identity in the study of revolutions today. This work, beautifully written and subtly powerful in its surprising messages for scholars and activists, fully lives up to the promise of its title, from its first page to its eloquent conclusions. Written with passion and humanity, it is for anyone interested in understanding why people matter in projects of radical social change, in the past and into the not so foreseeable future.' - John Foran, Professor of Sociology, UC Santa Barbara
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'Le Sueur's study is the most historically comprehensive, analytically insightful, and intellectually honest account of Algeria's dramatic and tumultuous last two decades available in any language. That it is written in crisp and accessible prose makes it valuable to both specialists and general audiences alike. Based on many years of close study of the country, the author unveils the many contradictions, complexities, and conflicts that continue to plague North Africa's most important political actor whose fate has implications for the Mediterranean region and beyond.' - John P. Entelis, Fordham University
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'Analysing social movements in Bangladesh, India, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria and South Africa, this book presents a distinct and diverse picture of collective action - and also shows how this picture defies many of the theoretical assumptions of Northern literature on the subject. With a combination of concerns with historical and contextual background, specific characteristics of states and political systems, and cultural and political identities, this thorough and sophisticated analysis of the struggles around citizenship and rights provides a splendid venue for the debate on the limits and possibilities of social mobilization in confronting the deeply rooted and multidimensional inequality of Southern societies.' - Evelina Dagnino, Professor at the Department of Political Science, University of Campinas, Brazil
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'This is a very important and interesting book. When talking about "Muslims in the West" one understands, through the different authors and approaches, that the main challenges are neither religious nor theological, and that it is time to speak out about issues such as racism, mistrust, unemployment, discrimination and empowerment. The West and Muslims will only be able to create true 'spaces of hope' by addressing the real challenges, and this is why this book is precious and relevant.' - Tariq Ramadan, Professor of Islamic Studies, Oxford University
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'Driven by the spectre of preventable poverty and suffering, David Roberts delivers a devastating critique of the neoliberal global order. As a way of bridging the global life-chance divide, Roberts provides a persuasive argument in support of human security as a mobilising and emancipatory concept. This is a must read for all those interested not only in social justice but the means by which social protection can be applied globally.' - Professor Mark Duffield, Director, Global Insecurities Centre, University of Bristol
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'Unique...the book is a scream of pain from the receiving end of a process experienced as cultural genocide.' - Guardian

'The Development Dictionary questions the whole basis for twentieth century development through a series of brilliantly written essays by leading writers from around the world.' - Resurgence
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'This book is an extraordinary achievement. It includes a careful study of the political economy of HIV/AIDS and a clear explanation of the economic policies associated with neoliberalism and the IMF. Rowden shows that neoliberalism and IMF policies bear a significant responsibility for the limitations of health policies and budgets in the poor countries and, especially, for the insufficiencies of prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.' - Professor Alfredo Saad Filho, Head of Department of Development Studies SOAS
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The twenty-first century is set to be the stage for the massive urbanization of the world's population. Particularly, the so-called 'megacities' around the world are rapidly becoming the scene for deprivation and exclusion. Featuring case studies from across the globe, Megacities examines recent world-wide trends in poverty and social exclusion, urban violence and politics.
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'Shutt [has] a message for every saver and investor: a crash of 1929 proportions is almost inevitable' - Dan Atkinson in The Guardian (on the first edition of this book)
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'This is a sharp, concise and convincing analysis of the ruthless manipulation of the idea of citizenship by Africa’s rulers. Manby brilliantly exposes the large scale legalised discrimination and disenfranchisement which underlie many of today’s political conflicts in Africa. A must read for policymakers and any serious student of African politics.' - Tom Porteous, author of 'Britain in Africa'
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'Zillah Eisenstein is no armchair analyst. She is a street activist with a globality of vision that sculpts a third dimension in our understanding of things. She writes with Jane Austen's pen, Angela Davis' heart, and Hannah Arendt's mind. From streets of Philadelphia to the campaign headquarters of Florida, from South Africa to Sweden, Zillah Eisenstein’s sisterhood to noble causes is the bone marrow of her convictions and insights. Her Audacity of Races and Genders is the thick description, a people’s history, of a presidential election that will mark our generation for generations to come.' - Hamid Dabashi, Columbia University in New York
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'Paraguay has been a disgrace even by the ugly standards of US domination of Latin America. The election of Fernando Lugo offers a promising opportunity for it to break the chains, and to join much of the rest of South America towards what may be a brighter future for the vast majority who have suffered repression and misery, and in particular for the indigenous population, now rising throughout the subcontinent, which has become in many ways the most exciting part of the world. There could be no one better placed to bring these events to the general public than Hugh O'Shaughnessy. His work on Latin America has been outstanding in its historical depth, subtle insight and sympathetic understanding of the travails of the population, and the intricacies of the domestic structures and international environment.' - Noam Chomsky
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"In a sweeping survey of political ideas from early Islam until now, from Ibn Taymiyya to Shariati and Shahrur, this book makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of how the Middle East has discussed such fundamental notions as authority, individual, society, and the state. Navigating between political history and political ideas, this is an engaging exercise in the Middle Eastern sociology of knowledge." - Asef Bayat, Professor of Sociology and Middle East Studies, Leiden University, The Netherlands
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'Nora McKeon's book is a masterful investigation of how and why the UN system is (slowly) opening up to civil society - a key development in global governance. This is a major contribution and a rare bridge between academic scholarship and policy debate' - Mario Pianta, Professor of Economic Policy, University of Urbino, Italy

'This book is a tonic recipe for reinvigorating the UN by opening up its forums to the social actors most dramatically affected by globalization. This is required reading for all those concerned with global governance' - Henri Carsalade, President, Agropolis International

'Personal, funny and entertaining, this book provides a better insight into the value, potential - and ultimately hugely frustrating practice - of using communication to listen rather than tell than any I’ve come across for a very long time. Anyone interested in development will learn much from this book. Those working or interested in using communication in development could usefully place it on their required reading list.' - James Deane, Head of Policy, BBC World Service Trust

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'Camilla Toulmin combines a deep and nuanced knowledge of African society with a profound grasp of the impact of climate change on that continent. Covering both threats and opportunities, she shows how, for good or ill, climate change will be a new and critical driver in the next phase of African development. In the run up to the Copenhagen climate summit, this book should be required reading for anyone wishing to get to grips with the multiple interconnections between climate change and development in the world's poorest continent.' - Duncan Green, Head of Research, Oxfam

This book is a concise and accessible introduction to development thinking, contemporary development theory and practice and - a critical analysis of the values that lie behind them. Hettne argues that schools of development thinking should be historically contextualized, not presented as evolving towards a universal theory. The book will present development as an 'essentially contested concept', that has meant a number of things at various times to different people in different places.
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'Body Politics in Development is about a lot more than "development."This is a book about today's complex international feminist movements. Anyone interested in learning who are the major crafters of feminist discourses, feminist strategies and feminist alliances will be made smarter by reading Wendy Harcourt's deeply informed book.' - Cynthia Enloe, author of 'The Curious Feminist'
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'Nadje Al-Ali and Nicola Pratt bring together here some of the smartest feminist analysts of war and militarism in the Middle East. Together they show not only the profound effects of war and militarism on women's lives, but how asking feminist questions can make us all smarter about what causes and perpetuates both.' - Cynthia Enloe, author of The Curious Feminist: Searching for Women in the New Age of Empire

'Living Silence is particularly valuable for its study of the psychological effects of military rule on the people of Burma. The real struggle in Burma is the struggle between the desire to opt for the easy option of submitting to the demands of the powers that be and the commitment that leads to the hard road of resisting the threats and blandishments of a ruthless regime. By exploring the impact of military rule on the lives of ordinary people against a broad historical and social backdrop, Christina Fink makes an important contribution towards an understanding of the root causes of the problems and choices that the people of Burma are facing today.' - Aung San Suu Kyi
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'This valuable collection of studies on the Social Economy makes a notable contribution to understanding about a developing mode of production in different parts of the world, representing a new way to those fighting for a society in which liberty and equality are not in contradiction to each other.' - Paul Singer, Secretary of State for the Solidarity Economy, Brazil
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'I commend Johnson and Wilson for this excellent book in which they reflect on the role that learning can play in development. It deals with complex issues in a style that is both considered and clear; critical and committed. It should be required reading for those who unreflectively "do development"' - Simon McGrath, Professor of International Education and Development, Nottingham
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'This is one of the rare books I have read which brings out the complex web of relationships among science, technology and development with great clarity and originality' - Prof M S Swaminathan, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Chairman, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation

Bringing a unique diversity of perspectives from leading academics and activists, this book opens up the term 'Dowry' to undertake a study of its role in various communities across the world from the practice of 'mehr' amongst Muslim societies, the role of the dowry in Bangladesh, and its position in the wider diasporic populations globally. The groundbreaking, multidisciplinary book is essential reading for students, policymakers, practitioners and activists alike.

'The best overall account of the background to the genocide, and the failure to prevent it, is Linda Melvern's A People Betrayed ... She discovered so much that we did not know, and her book remains one of the best sources available.' - Lt. Gen Romeo Dallaire, Force Commander United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda, UNAMIR. October 1993-August 1994 and author of Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda

Read more reviews of 'A People Betrayed' on Linda Melvern's website here


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'In the excellent work of Severine Deneulin and Masooda Bano we now have a new basis, firmly rooted in good judgment and buttressed by the best research, for bringing religion in to the mainstream of development policy and research ... With its clear style and abundance of telling examples, this book will be indispensable to policymakers, practitioners and academics working in development.' - David Lehmann, Cambridge University
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'Grace Livingstone's admirable study shows why US policy towards Latin America needs to change both urgently and substantially. Packed with telling information and written with both verve and attention to detail, this book addresses the key issues in a perennially uneven and generally unjust relationship. Readers coming to the theme for the first time will benefit from a lucid synthesis of the voluminous literature in the field, whilst those more familiar with Pan-American affairs will find much useful material and discussion on developments in recent years.' - James Dunkerley, professor of Latin American politics, former director of the Institute of the Americas, University of London

'In this compassionate, elegantly written book Patrick Chabal argues that mainstream political science, political theory and economics fail to do justice to the complexities of African social life. In their place, he offers an interdisciplinary, interpretive approach that offers sensitive insights into contemporary political realities from the point of view of the people who suffer and strive through them.' - Tim Kelsall, Editor, African Affairs

"Seattle, Genoa and Prague have etched the centrality of the IMF, the IBRD and the WTO into our consciousness. Unholy Trinity charts the contours and the reach of these global regulatory institutions and how they serve as a fortress for the prevailing neoliberal theory of globalization." - Michael Watts, Director, Institute of International Studies, University of California
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'This is a thought provoking book. It challenges common assumptions about the global social and political environment we face, both in the west and at a global level. In doing so it gives voice to a critical perspective that needs to be heard and critically discussed.' - John Solomos, City University London

'This is an important and nuanced discussion of the `war on terror' as a cultural project which deploys sexualized racisms as its method. We are asked to stand against the rhetoric of transnational security and instead build alternative global publics to reject the `open secrets' that make us unwilling actors in this horrific war.' - Zillah Eisenstein

"Refreshingly provocative" - Geoffrey Fishburn, Department of Economics, University of New South Wales.

"Particularly useful to those, like myself, who are interested in economics but not formally trained in it." - Henry C.K. Liu, Chairman, Liu Investment Group
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'This collection brings together in one place key texts of leading thinkers in environmental ethics. No one who takes environmental responsibility seriously will want to be without this book.' - Ruth Chadwick, Director, ESRC Centre for Economic and Social Aspects of Genomics (Cesagen) Cardiff University

'Inspiration, ethics and pragmatic reflection on why we have reached the crisis we face today and tomorrow. This kind of deep thinking will be key to whether we can shift to become global citizens with an eye to the future.' - Dr Camilla Toulmin, Director, International Institute for Environment and Development
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'One of the world's most prominent radical scientists' - The Guardian

'Shiva has devoted her life to fighting for the rights of ordinary people in India. Her fierce intellect and her disarmingly friendly, accessible manner have made her a valuable advocate for people all over the developing world.' - Ms Magazine

'The South's best known environmentalist.' - New Internationalist

'Shiva is a burst of creative energy, an intellectual power.' - The Progressive
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'The most intelligent treatment of the politics and economics of climate change I have ever read. Brilliant, clear and unanswerable’ George Monbiot

'Elegantly simple and eminently workable, this is a proposal that could change the world. Kyoto2 should be read by anyone with an interest in climate change policy.' - Mark Lynas

'Schreuder authoritatively surveys the political and economic hurdles facing efforts to reduce carbon emissions, establish carbon-trading schemes, and combat slow global warming-with special emphasis on the roles and responsibilities of transnational corporations. I recommend it highly: it is vital, insightful reading for anyone interested in carbon trading, climate mitigation, international relations, and the pervasive role of mega-corporations in our world today.' - William F. Laurance, Senior Research Scientist, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Panama

'A terrific read...this book is "vital" in the most profound meaning of that word.' - Review of Radical Political Economics

'Full of insights into the relationship between ecological degradation and capitalist expansion, this is a must-read for thinkers and activists.' - Walden Bello

'The ultimate antagonist of capital is not labor but nature… is capitalism setting the state for ecosocialist uprising?' - Ted Dace, CounterPunch, www.counterpunch.org

'A highly valuable book.' - Socialist Review

Read the Ecosocialist Manifesto by Joel Kovel and Michael Lowy

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