Social outsourcing means the contracting out of goods or services to social enterprises. When used by government, it can be seen as a hybrid of the workfare outsourcing found in wage employment schemes, and the commercial outsourcing of government activities to the private sector. This paper...

This paper addresses the question of how greater equality by gender and race/ethnicity in the distribution of earnings would affect earnings inequality in Sri Lanka. The decomposition exercise of male-female earnings indicates the significant extent to which the gender disparity in earnings...

This paper is motivated by the observation that the type and the combination of assets are associated with the likelihood of poor households' experience of shock. Focusing on the case of <italic>adivasi</italic> households in the south Indian state of Kerala, we find that the type, number and combinations of...</italic>

The impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on development largely depends on the existing economic, social and cultural fabric into which they are introduced. This can be seen in the case of Kerala in India, which has been implementing an ICT-based strategy that particularly...

In this paper we examine the effect of career breaks on the working lives of women using survey data from the state of Queensland in Australia. After estimating the income penalty faced by women with career interruptions - according to the duration of, and reasons for, the interruptions - we...

This paper emphasizes bequest motives by evaluating participation patterns in micro life insurance against insurance demand and supply side factors. Based on household survey data from Sri Lanka, it presents evidence on the determinants of micro life insurance participation of low-income...

This paper is motivated by the observation that type and combination of assets play a significant role in reducing incidences of shocks by asset-poor households. Asset-based strategies treat assets not just as resources, but also as an agency to transform such resources to improve livelihood...

In general, indigenous livelihoods are often adversely incorporated within development processes and policies on account of their multiple disadvantages and discrimination. The paper argues that the ability to build on or manage livelihoods is largely gendered, often exacerbated through the...

Increasing numbers of ethical trade initiatives are being launched, reflecting concerns about the limited benefits that globalisation brings to producers in developing countries. Ethical trade is an information-intensive activity yet little is known about the role of information systems in...

The book draws together contributions from leading experts across a range of disciplines including economics, law, politics and governance, public management and business management. The authors begin with an extensive overview of the issues of regulation and competition in developing countries,...