Analyzing global successes and failures, this work argues for the centrality of human factor development to sustainable economic development. The author argues that it is the integrating core of every development programme, without which no nation can develop, however plentiful the other resources.

This book aims to pave the way for a new interdisciplinary approach to global cooperation research. It does so by bringing in disciplines whose insights about human behaviour might provide a crucial yet hitherto neglected foundation for understanding how and under which conditions global cooperation can succeed. As the first profoundly interdisciplinary book dealing with global cooperation, it provides the state of the art on human cooperation in selected disciplines (evolutionary anthropology and biology, decision-sciences, social psychology, complex system sciences), written by leading experts. The book argues that scholars in the field of global governance should know and could learn from what other disciplines tell us about the capabilities and limits of humans to cooperate. This new knowledge will generate food for thought and cause creative disturbances, allowing us a different interpretation of the obstacles to cooperation observed in world politics today. It also offers first accounts of interdisciplinary global cooperation research, for instance by exploring the possibilities and consequences of global we-identities, by describing the basic cooperation mechanism that are valid across disciplines, or by bringing an evolutionary perspective to diplomacy. This book will be of great interest to scholars and postgraduates in International Relations, Global Governance and International Development.

Critiques traditional development thinking and examines the causes for the failure of development programmes in developing countries. Argues that what is fundamental to development is the human factor perspective.

Since the 1980s, the world has experienced an unprecedented push towards economic, political, social, cultural, financial and technological integration. This integration is a key element of the process of globalization. Much of this revolves around the tensions and conflicts inherent in globalization with emphasis on political economy but at the expense of the human factor (HF), which places people at the centre of all discussions about globalization. This volume brings the HF into the debate and examines to what extent this hitherto marginalized concept holds the key to providing a holistic understanding and contestation of globalization. The volume develops a distinct concept or framework of the human factor; examines the role and significance in global change from an interdisciplinary perspective; analyzes the extent and significance in contemporary globalization discourse; and provokes further debate about the unresolved disputes surrounding globalization. The account will help readers navigate the 'minefields' of the globalization debate.

Focusing on the development agenda of selected developed and developing countries, the contributors in this volume show that the varying degrees of success or failure in the programs of different countries are due to the way they deal with human factor development. Each essay clearly shows that a nation cannot achieve development if it continuously fails to develop its own national human factor. The contributors maintain that what different parts of the world, particularly Southeast Asia, call a development miracle is not a miracle at all. Countries such as Japan and Singapore have experienced significant development in recent decades because their programs have focused intently on building the human factor. Countries such as Mexico, Nigeria, Bolivia, and India, on the other hand, are struggling to develop because their ongoing development programs do not address the human factor. Nations that aspire to achieve sustained human-centered development in the 21st century should focus on human factor development now.

The development problems of many countries continue to escalate despite the huge sums of money that are spent on social, economic, and political programs. In order to determine why particular solutions to these problems often do not work, it is necessary to identify and evaluate the human factor traits that give rise to specific attitudes, behaviors, and actions. Human factor traits include personality characteristics and other dimensions of human performance that enable social, economic, and political institutions to function and remain functional over time. In this fascinating volume, contributors examine the role of human factor traits that may promote or hinder the effectiveness of economic development programs. It brings together scholars from a variety of disciplines to discuss the relevance of human factor traits in shaping history and development, with the ultimate goal of providing information that will help create safer and more prosperous societies in the future. Original and thought provoking, this volume will be of value to scholars studying international development and economic planning.

The Human Factor investigates every level of human activity - from simple matters such as our hand-eye coordination to complex human systems such as government regulatory agencies, and why businesses would benefit from making consumer goods easier to use.