New policies are needed if the Pacific is to realise its potential as a peaceful, prosperous region, where the Pacific's citizens enjoy good standards of health and education, long lives and many opportunities; where Pacific economic growth is constantly improving, driven by environmentally sustainable service industries; where coups, civil conflict and the dangers of failed states have been relegated to the past; where the Pacific is integrated into the wider region, and is an influential voice in world affairs. Argues that Pacific countries including Australia, need to embrace regional integration to realise this vision. The book sets out a comprehensive plan for realising a Pacific regional community dedicated to promoting sustainable development, security, human rights, the rule of law and democracy.

This book is an edited volume of different perspectives on the South Asian region and captures the political, social and economic challenges facing the region following the financial crisis and the region''s responses to these challenges.

"An account of the 1998-2003 crisis, a critical review of the major interpretations and an investigation of the underlying causes ... [and] analyses the post-coup period up to the arrival of RAMSI in July 2003"--Introd.

This book examines the history of nation-building during the era of decolonization and the Cold War, and on the more recent post-Cold War and post-9/11 pursuit of nation-building in what have become known as ‘collapsed’ or ‘failed’ states. In the post-Cold War and post-9/11 era nation-building, or what is increasingly termed state-building, has taken on renewed salience, making it more important than ever to set the idea and practice of nation-building in historical perspective. Focusing on both historical and contemporary examples, the contributors explore a number of important themes that relate to ‘successful’ and ‘unsuccessful’ nation-building efforts from South Vietnam in the 1950s and 1960s to East Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq in the twenty-first century. From Nation-Building to State-Building was previously published as a special issue of Third World Quarterly and will be of interest to students and scholars of comparative politics and peace studies.

World Bank Technical Paper 225. Inefficient civil service administrations are jeopardizing future development in many African countries. The reforms suggested in this paper would make these administrations more accountable, enforce the rule of law, and reward bureaucrats solely on their performance. This approach could help relieve the private sector of disabling regulations, improve services and tax collection, and shift funding away from special interests and toward essential economic programs. Three flexible reform packages are provided. They feature strategies that address varying degrees of inefficiency within a given administration. Also available in French: (ISBN 0-8213-2764-X) Stock No. 12764.

Annual issue called "Economic and social survey of Asia and the Pacific" contained in the March issue.