Suchergebnisse

In this first comprehensive study of women as economic actors in medieval Norway, Susann Anett Pedersen analyses the economic agency of unmarried heiresses, wives and widows c.1400-1550. Drawing on sources such as sales contracts and private letter correspondence, the book investigates elite women's formal and informal roles in decision making processes and their ability to make independent economic choices. In particular, the book stresses the importance of looking beyond the legal regulation of women's economic activities and rather analyses women's own actions, in order to better grasp the complexity of their economic agency

This important book challenges conventional development theory by addressing not only technological but also socio-economic factors influencing low agricultural productivity in the developing world. Agricultural productivity has long been regarded as a fundamental factor in influencing economic development, yet relatively little research has examined the causes of stagnated and low agricultural productivity in developing countries. This book goes beyond the traditional discussion of low productivity being primarily determined by technological factors, and addresses the more complex determinants. Special attention is given to the influences of ecology and environmental degradation, the distribution of political power and socio-economic factors, as well as possibilities for biotechnology. The authors have been drawn from an international arena and transcend traditional academic disciplines combining historical, statistical and formal analysis for a better understanding of critical development issues. Economic Development and Agricultural Productivity will be of special interest to development and agricultural economists and policymakers