Sustainable Livelihoods and Rural Development looks at the role of social institutions and the politics of policy, as well as issues of identity, gender and generation. The relationships between sustainability and livelihoods are examined, and livelihoods analysis situated within a wider political economy of environmental and agrarian change.

Rural Development Rural development refers to the process of improving the quality of life and economic well-being of people living in rural areas. It involves initiatives and strategies aimed at enhancing infrastructure, livelihood opportunities, social services, and overall living standards in rural communities. Here are key aspects and objectives of rural development: Objectives of Rural Development: Poverty Alleviation: Rural development aims to reduce poverty by creating sustainable livelihood opportunities, enhancing income levels, and improving access to basic services such as education, healthcare, and sanitation. Infrastructure Development: Enhancing rural infrastructure is crucial for connectivity, transportation, communication, and access to markets. This includes roads, bridges, electricity, water supply, and telecommunications. Agricultural Development: Improving agricultural productivity and efficiency through modern farming techniques, irrigation systems, access to credit, market linkages, and agricultural extension services. Employment Generation: Promoting non-agricultural employment opportunities through rural industries, small-scale enterprises, skill development programs, and microfinance initiatives to reduce dependency on agriculture. Social Inclusion and Equity: Ensuring equitable access to resources, services, and opportunities for marginalized groups, including women, youth, indigenous communities, and people with disabilities. Environmental Sustainability: Promoting sustainable natural resource management practices, conservation of biodiversity, and resilience to climate change impacts in rural areas. Health and Education: Improving access to healthcare facilities, sanitation, nutrition, and quality education to enhance human capital and well-being in rural communities. Strategies for Rural Development: Integrated Rural Development Programs (IRDP): Holistic approaches that combine infrastructure development with social and economic initiatives to address multi-dimensional aspects of rural poverty. Decentralized Governance and Participatory Approaches: Empowering local communities through participatory decision-making processes, decentralized governance structures, and capacity-building initiatives. Public-Private Partnerships (PPP): Collaborative efforts involving government, private sector, NGOs, and community organizations to leverage resources, expertise, and innovation for rural development projects. Technology and Innovation: Harnessing technology, digital solutions, and innovation to enhance agricultural productivity, access to information, e-governance services, and entrepreneurship in rural areas. Skill Development and Capacity Building: Promoting vocational training, skill development programs, and entrepreneurship education to empower rural youth and enhance employability. Financial Inclusion and Rural Finance: Expanding access to financial services, credit facilities, insurance, and savings mechanisms to support rural enterprises, farmers, and small businesses. Monitoring and Evaluation: Establishing robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks to assess the impact of rural development programs, ensure accountability, and inform evidence-based policy decisions. Challenges in Rural Development: Infrastructure Deficits: Poor road connectivity, inadequate power supply, and limited access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities. Income Disparities: Persistent poverty and income inequalities between rural and urban areas, exacerbating migration and social exclusion. Natural Resource Management: Environmental degradation, deforestation, soil erosion, and water scarcity affecting agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods. Social Issues: Gender disparities, lack of access to healthcare and education, child labor, and social exclusion of marginalized groups. Policy Implementation Gaps: Inefficient governance structures, bureaucratic delays, and insufficient coordination among stakeholders impacting program effectiveness and outcomes. Conclusion: Rural development is essential for achieving inclusive and sustainable growth, reducing regional disparities, and enhancing the overall quality of life in rural communities. It requires comprehensive strategies, targeted interventions, and multi-sectoral partnerships to address socio-economic challenges and unlock the potential of rural areas as engines of economic development. Effective rural development policies should prioritize inclusive growth, environmental sustainability, social equity, and empowerment of rural populations to create resilient and thriving rural communities.

This book discusses the development of the rural tourism industry in the Himalayan region, specifically in the region of Himachal Pradesh (HP), from the perspective of different stakeholders in the tourism industry. It examines the current status and trends of rural tourism in HP, discusses the challenges faced in response to the vulnerability of the Himalayas to global climate change, and evaluates the consequences of rural tourism on the socio-economic structure in HP to sustainably formulate a framework for promoting financial and social inclusion. This framework covers flexible strategies for planning rural tourism development, assesses the role of technology in the tourism industry in achieving the objective of social and financial inclusion, and identifies the factors influencing a tourist’s decision to undertake rural tourism and develop a hierarchical relationship among those factors. The book will be of interest to students and researchers of sustainable rural tourism and tourism economics, as well as stakeholders from various sectors aiming to sustainably improve the ecological and economic fragility of the Himalayas due to climate change.

The topics studied in this Special Issue include a wide range of areas in finance, economics, tourism, management, marketing, and education. The topics in finance include stock market, volatility and excess returns, REIT, warrant and options, herding behavior and trading strategy, supply finance, and corporate finance. The topics in economics including economic growth, income poverty, and political economics.

In 2011 the World Bank—with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—launched the Global Findex database, the world's most comprehensive data set on how adults save, borrow, make payments, and manage risk. Drawing on survey data collected in collaboration with Gallup, Inc., the Global Findex database covers more than 140 economies around the world. The initial survey round was followed by a second one in 2014 and by a third in 2017. Compiled using nationally representative surveys of more than 150,000 adults age 15 and above in over 140 economies, The Global Findex Database 2017: Measuring Financial Inclusion and the Fintech Revolution includes updated indicators on access to and use of formal and informal financial services. It has additional data on the use of financial technology (or fintech), including the use of mobile phones and the Internet to conduct financial transactions. The data reveal opportunities to expand access to financial services among people who do not have an account—the unbanked—as well as to promote greater use of digital financial services among those who do have an account. The Global Findex database has become a mainstay of global efforts to promote financial inclusion. In addition to being widely cited by scholars and development practitioners, Global Findex data are used to track progress toward the World Bank goal of Universal Financial Access by 2020 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The database, the full text of the report, and the underlying country-level data for all figures—along with the questionnaire, the survey methodology, and other relevant materials—are available at www.worldbank.org/globalfindex.

Agriculture is vitally important to humanity. Climate change, environmental pollution, global warming, and the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the importance of food safety and food security. This book discusses sustainable agriculture and its importance in combatting the adverse effects of climate change and meeting the world’s food demand. And essentially the technologies to be used for CE to prevent climate change should be “common property of humanity”. This may be a new paradigm, but the real issue is the future of the earth and ensuring the continuity of sustainable life. It is a fact that the creation of such a culture of sharing will serve all the SDGs put forward by the UN.