Living with Transition in Laos Market Intergration in Southeast Asia (Routledgecurzon Contemporary Southeast Asia Series)

Laos - the Lao People's Democratic Republic - is one of the least understood and studied countries of Asia. Its development trajectory is also one of the most interesting, as it moves from state, or perhaps more appropriately subsistence, to market. Based on extensive original research, this book assesses how economic transition and marketisation are being translated into progress (or not) at the local level, and at the resulting impact on poverty, inequality and livelihoods. It concludes that the process of transition in fact contributes to the growth of poverty for some people, and shows how people manage to cope in very unfavourable circumstances. A Node Of Poverty Lying At The Geographical Core Of The World's Most Dynamic Region, Laos Is Being Progressively Drawn Into The Wider Greater Mekong Sub-region. The Spatial, Market And Mental Integration Of The Population Of Laos Is Advancing As Boundaries Become More Permeable, Mobility Rises And, More Generally, As People Are Drawn Into The Mainstream. Drawing On Original Field Work And Unpublished Reports, And Taking An Individual And Household Viewpoint, The Book Examines And Assesses The Effects Of These Transitions On Poverty, Inequality And Livelihoods.--book Jacket. Managing And Coping With Transitions -- New Poverty And Old Poverty : Livelihood And Transition In Laos -- Subsistence Affluence Or Subsistence Struggle? : Unpicking Tradition And Illuminating The Past -- Poverty, Inequality And Exclusion -- The Best Of Intentions : Policy-induced Poverty -- Not In Our Hands : Market-induced Poverty And Social Differentiation -- Making Livelihoods Work -- Muddled Spaces, Juggled Lives. Jonathan Rigg. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [214]-229) And Index. BookCover......Page 1 Half-Title......Page 2 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Illustrations......Page 8 Figures......Page 10 Tables......Page 13 Boxes......Page 15 Preface......Page 16 Acknowledgements......Page 17 Abbreviations and terms......Page 19 1 Managing and coping with transitions......Page 21 Part I Setting the context......Page 37 2 New poverty and old poverty......Page 38 3 Subsistence affluence or subsistence struggle?......Page 60 4 Poverty, inequality and exclusion......Page 87 Part II Constructing the case......Page 115 5 The best of intentions......Page 116 6 Not in our hands......Page 138 7 Making livelihoods work......Page 160 Part III Putting it together......Page 188 8 Muddled spaces, juggled lives......Page 189 Appendix 1......Page 204 Appendix 2......Page 207 Appendix 3......Page 208 Appendix 4......Page 211 Appendix 5......Page 216 Bibliography......Page 218 Index......Page 232