Developing countries are suffering from the multiple and overlapping problems of poverty, malnutrition, excessive population growth and also the increased environmental pollution due to rapid industrialization and urbanization, particularly in the existing urban centres. The migration from rural areas of agricultural population to urban areas is making this situation more problematic. The lack of established institutions leads to the failure of public policy no matter how efficiently it is formulated. The book discusses the major regional developmental problems in poor countries, covering economic, social and environmental problems. It deals with case-studies for a set of individual countries, and discusses their unique problems, investigating how the established methods of regional science can be used to solve some of these problems.

An examination of the central spatial tendencies of capitalist development and state-society relations in Peru for the 1914-84 period. Although the study focuses on the Peruvian experience, this book also considers the effects of the changing internationalization of capital.

Uncertain Regional Urbanism in Venezuela explores the changes cities face when they become metropolises, forming expanding regions which create both potential and problems within settlements. To do so, it focuses on three metropolitan areas located in Venezuela’s Center-North region: Caracas, Maracay and Valencia, designated as "Camava." Considering three core topics, government and territorial administration, infrastructure and environment, as well as looking at the reciprocal impact, this book describes and analyzes the determinant variables that characterize the phenomenon of regional urbanization in this area and in the wider Global South. It includes documentary research, semi-structured interviews and Delphi methodology, involving a total of forty experts from different disciplines to build a comprehensive outlook on the situation. This book presents a broader understanding of the region to encourage a more sustainable and knowledge-based development plan, moving away from the exploitation of natural resources, with six future-oriented scenarios to consider. This is a much-needed study in the urban regions of Venezuela, which will be of interest to academics and researchers in Latin American studies, the Global South, architecture and planning.

There is a silent globalization being carried out far below the action of multinational firms, international organizations, and state policies. It is the work of societies--communities of determined and creative people. Communities in Globalization richly illustrates the experiences of three Central American communities connected with global markets. The unique perspective of each is developed to show the economic, political-institutional, and social effects of its connection with world trade. Ultimately, this book seeks to identify the resources that allow a community to face globalization while minimizing risks and maximizing opportunities.

The Cambridge History of Latin America is a large scale, collaborative, multi-volume history of Latin America during the five centuries from the first contacts between Europeans and the native peoples of the Americas in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries to the present. Latin America: Politics and Society since 1930 consists of chapters from Part 2 of Volume VI of The Cambridge History that provide a thorough account of political movements in Latin America. Each chapter is accompanied by a bibliographical essay.