I conduct a cross-country analysis of the human development index (HDI) components, income, life expectancy, literacy and gross enrollment ratios, using Gray and Purser's 1970-2005 quinquennial database for 111 countries. 1) A descriptive analysis uncovers a complex pattern of divergence and convergence for these components' evolution. Development is not a smooth process but consists of a series of superposed transitions each taking off with increasing divergence and then converging. 2) Absolute divergence/convergence for the HDI components is decomposed using simultaneous growth regressions including a full set of quadratic interactions between the HDI components, and indicators of urbanization, trade, institutions, foreign direct investment and physical geography. These are implemented, first, using three stage least squares, all of the non-exogenous independent variables fully instrumented, and second, as independent regressions with errors clustered by countries, again all non-exogenous variables instrumented. 3) A set of quantile regressions is run for the HDI component levels on the same variables (just the linear terms), again fully instrumented. Urbanization is a leading significant variable for human development indicators in both sets of estimates, stronger than trade, FDI and institutional indicators. These indicators act with ambiguous signs that may result from their distributive impacts, reducing their effectiveness. The results indicate that improving markets will have smaller returns than complementing them with institutions that can coordinate urbanization as well as investment in human capital. Urbanization itself can provide a concrete agenda for development involving all aspects of economic, political and social life as well as human development.

This book deals with the consequences of converging and diverging processes and their development in language contact situations. It provides insights into the various forms of language contact and the conditions under which bilingual speakers master their every-day life in bilingual communities. Its nine contributions cover both theoretical and typological aspects, such as the classification of languages, the role of language contact, linguistic complexity and spontaneous speech innovations, and convergence and divergence processes in translation, (morpho)syntax and phonology/phonetics. Taken together, these studies provide challenges for linguistic theories that generalize from situations of monolingualism suggesting instead that a sound linguistic theory cannot be a theory for just one single, isolated language but must be a theory for at least two languages. It must also account for the fact that some structures involved in contact situations are not kept apart but develop in such a way that the distance decreases between the languages involved.

The thesis relates the ‘creative economy' with the ‘sustainable human development', tracing a parallel between economic growth (e.g. GDP) and human development (e.g. HDI). The aspect of sustainability is addressed through the potential dematerialization of production and immaterialization of consumption, offering the ‘creative industries' as one of the candidates to convey both – together with services and ICTs. Communications technologies are shown, by the way, partially as the source of the communicational capital: sometimes implemented at universities and companies in a very human mode, but sometimes constituted as automata economicus – artificially intelligent machines able to create wealth in an independent and creative way. Also, the thesis approaches the Girona's creative economy, interested on how both the University of Girona and its Science and Technology Park may participate in such matter. The bond between the University and the creative economy is analyzed further by the case of the University of São Paulo (Brazil) and its departments – focusing its School of Communications and Arts. It is suggested that Girona, more than exclusively investing to get more creative industries, may also present itself as a managerial contractor to the creative sectors – eventually adopting the broader concept of the ‘experience economy' by the Scandinavian perspective. Finally, the thesis recalls for the centrality of persons to the economy, relativizing the power of economics and its impersonal paraphernalia.

Volumes 1 and 2 of the Invited Lectures present the main contributions from the 29th International Congress of Psychology, held in Berlin in 2008.

This edited book focuses on the dynamic balance between global cultural diversity and multilateral convergence in relevant policy areas that involve actual and potential policy convergences (and divergences): the environment, trade, peace and security, and human rights. It offers theoretical reflections about the impact of the concept of multiple modernities on new ideas, cultural backgrounds, and/or national or regional particularities. An interdisciplinary team of authors combines comparative policy analysis with theoretical dialogue about the conceptual, institutional, normative, and political dimensions of a new kind of multilateral cooperation. Finally, the book concludes that by stimulating an intercultural dialogue which goes beyond a mere "rational choice" approach, we can foster progress through a better understanding of the opportunities and limitations offered by a pluralist, varied, post-hegemonic, and multilayered form of multilateral cooperation. This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of European/EU studies, economics, human rights, climate change, history, cultural studies, international relations, international political economy, security studies, and international law.