Suchergebnisse

This book constitutes my doctoral thesis in economics at the University of Hohenheim. But more than a title, it is the final outcome of a research journey of seven years, which has taken me from Germany to Spain, Peru, Brazil, Netherlands, England and Turkey, collecting information and seeking advice on the relations between economic development and human development. This research endeavour aims to contribute to the creation of bridges between structural change and human development research and examine the variety of methods that allow us to explore and research the complex relations between social networks, economic diversity and human development. It is highly sceptical of two-dimensional categorizations, such as black-and-white thinking, which simplify a multidimensional and complex world.

This book combines the human development approach and innovation economics in order to explore the effects that structural economic change has on human development. While economic diversification can provide valuable new social choices and capabilities, it also tends to lead to more complex decision processes and changes to the set of capabilities required by people to self-determine their future. Within this process of structural transformation, social networks are crucial for accessing information and social support, but networks can also be a root cause of exclusion and inequality reproduction. This implies the need to encourage innovation and economic diversification beyond production expansion, focusing on the promotion of human agency and social inclusion. This book provides such a modern perspective on development economics, emphasizing the role of social networks, economic diversity and entrepreneurship for social welfare. The author discusses how innovation, social networks, economic dynamics and human development are interlinked, and provides several practical examples of social and micro-entrepreneurship in contexts as diverse as Peruvian rural villages and Brazil's urban areas. The interdisciplinary perspective put forward in this book illustrates theoretical and methodological methods of exploring the complexity of development in a practical and relevant way. It also provides useful information about structural factors which need to be considered by practitioners when designing pro-poor growth policies. Furthermore, the coverage of the core concepts of innovation, networks and development economics, enriched with multiple examples, makes it a valuable resource for scholars and advanced students of modern development economics.

1. Introduction : economic complexity and human development -- 2. Development paradigms -- 3. Towards a 'Sen meets Schumpeter' approach -- 4. Economic diversification and human development -- 5. Social networks, innovation and human development -- 6. Entrepreneurship and human development -- 7. Policy dimensions for structural change and human development -- 8. Conclusion : key ideas and research outlook.

This book combines the human development approach and innovation economics in order to explore the effects that structural economic change has on human development. The author discusses how innovation, social networks, economic dynamics and human development are interlinked, and provides several practical examples of social and micro-entrepreneurship in contexts as diverse as Peruvian rural villages and Brazil's urban areas