A.S. Bhalla – författare

A topical study of regional arrangements covering ASEAN, SAARC and APEC in Asia, NAFTA and MERCOSUR in the Americas, SADC, SACU and ECOWAS in Africa, and the European Union, EFTA and Eastern Europe.

In Western Europe, the notion of social exclusion is rapidly diffusing in the late 20th-century. This book investigates the notion of social exclusion as a new way to approach social issues such as the "new poverty" long term unemployment, precariousness, social polarization and disintegration. Particular attention is paid to both the global relevance of an approach in terms of social exclusion and its value compared to more conventional approaches in terms of poverty of deprivation. It is shown that social exclusion goes beyond these by explicitly embracing the relational as well as the distributional aspects of poverty and emphasizes processes. The authors explore the specific forms of social exclusion in the ongoing processes of globalization, deregulation, crisis of the welfare state, and rise of individualism.

Globalization is defined in economic terms to mean freer flows of trade, foreign direct investment and finance, and liberalization of trade and investment policies. Experiences of Africa, East and Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Latin America in the era of globalization are discussed.

The Third World is facing new challenges arising from the emergence of new technologies - microelectronics and biotechnologies - and the process of globalization in capital, goods and services markets. This book examines the pros and cons of using new technologies at different levels of technological capabilities in the Third World. The implications of this challenge for most developing countries, which are users but not producers of these technologies, are considered in terms of their actual and potential impact on employment, income distribution and competitiveness. This last factor is becoming increasingly important, given increasing international competition and globalization of production. The book also pays attention to the need for cleaner or environment-friendly technologies, particularly in small enterprises, to prevent resource depletion and attain sustainable development.

A topical study of regional arrangements covering ASEAN, SAARC and APEC in Asia, NAFTA and MERCOSUR in the Americas, SADC, SACU and ECOWAS in Africa, and the European Union, EFTA and Eastern Europe.

Globalization is defined in economic terms to mean freer flows of trade, foreign direct investment and finance, and liberalization of trade and investment policies. Experiences of Africa, East and Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Latin America in the era of globalization are discussed.

In Western Europe, the notion of social exclusion is rapidly diffusing in recent years. This book investigates the notion of social exclusion as a new way to approach social issues such as the 'new poverty' long-term-unemployment, precariousness, social polarization and disintegration.

Art in physical forms and shapes (e.g. buildings and paintings) existed in both prehistoric and modern societies. This book examines similarities and differences between art in ancient Indian (Indus) civilizations and that of the Aegean civilizations (i.e. Minoan, Mycenaean and the Cycladic). In prehistoric cultures, art was distinct from the modern, which was defined in terms of utility or practicality rather than aesthetics. It was expressed not in terms of the beauty of an object, but rather its purpose, such as for worship through representations of gods and goddesses (male and female sculptures) or the use of figurines as votive offerings; it was also used for trade and commerce (stamp seals) and for indication of social hierarchy (jewellery and ornaments). Demand for prestige objects in the Minoan and Mycenaean societies grew in response to royal and elite patronage, which was absent in the Indus Valley. The book discusses production and consumption patterns of objects such as pottery, figurines, seals, jewellery and paintings to show striking similarities between the Indian and Aegean civilizations. The comparison raises questions about possible cross-cultural influences, which became much more significant and direct following Alexander’s invasion and the subsequent adaptation of Indian art under the Indo-Greek kingdoms.

This book traces the evolution of Covid across different geographic regions, showing how the varying responses of leaders, citizens and other key stakeholders in efforts to tackle the Covid crisis determined outcomes. It finds that leadership, in particular, played a critical role, while initial conditions, such as health-care spending and infrastructure are important factors contributing to a country’s preparedness in coping with a pandemic.

This book traces the evolution of Covid across different geographic regions, showing how the varying responses of leaders, citizens and other key stakeholders in efforts to tackle the Covid crisis determined outcomes.

This book, a second edition, includes new data from the 2010 Census of India and NSS reports on consumer expenditure (2011-12), health and education (2014) to examine poverty in China and India, and how it connects with minorities.