Kartik C. Roy – författare

After reviewing theories about how women are likely to fare as a result of economic development, the editors and their contributors focus on the socioeconomic status of women and changes in it as a result of processes of economic development in individual countries in five continents. Economic development is supposed to remove impediments to the improvement in women's status. In some developing countries researchers have found that instead of lessening the forces of restrictions, economic development may, in fact, have strengthened them. The editors call for a greater involvement of women as active participants in the process of dismantling social, legal, and institutional barriers to women's development.

After reviewing theories about how women are likely to fare as a result of economic development, the editors and their contributors focus on the socioeconomic status of women and changes in it as a result of processes of economic development in individual countries in five continents. Economic development is supposed to remove impediments to the improvement in women's status. In some developing countries researchers have found that instead of lessening the forces of restrictions, economic development may, in fact, have strengthened them. The editors call for a greater involvement of women as active participants in the process of dismantling social, legal, and institutional barriers to women's development.

Since women account for almost 50 percent of the world's population, the sustainability of development of the global economy can be greatly impaired if the state authorities in individual countries pay less attention to the improvement in the socio-economic status of women relative to men. Improvement in socio-economic status which facilitates empowerment of individuals is greatly dependent on conducive informal institutions and state institutions. This book is the first of its kind to critically examine the role of these institutions in women's empowerment in five continents in the world. The analysis of the role of institutions in individual countries is underpinned by a robust theoretical background presented in the first three chapters. The chapters on individual countries also include a section dealing with recommendations for changes in state policies affecting women's empowerment.

"Roy's book is a rich and detailed study of various facets of economic and social development in ten countries, both democratic and authoritarian. Researchers and students will find here a wealth of information and statistics that can be mined to explore fundamental questions around state interventionism and modes of governance, around democratisation, authoritarianism and economic development, around the factors driving the differential developmental performance of specific countries, and around the desirability of economic growth at all costs. It also provides a very useful starting-point for considering the future of Asia as China's economic, political and military strength continues to grow."Jude A HowellProfessor London School of Economics (LSE), London, UKFrom the Foreword With over three decades worth of research and analysis, Roy compares ten countries — India; Brazil; Indonesia; China; Japan; South Korea; Singapore; Vietnam; Thailand; and, Malaysia — in the role of the state in economic development. Comprising of a rich body of work on state intervention and developmental states, Roy postulate on the idea of 'virtuous' and 'vicious' interventionist states.