Jordan stands in the middle of a turbulent region, experiencing substantial refugee flows and economic challenges due to the conflict and insecurity of its neighbors. While the Jordanian economy and labor market in 2010, prior to the refugee crisis, had been shifting in a positive direction, it was an unanswered question how the labor market is faring during these challenging times. The fielding of the new Jordan Labor Market Panel Survey (JLMPS) 2016 wave offers an unprecedented opportunity to assess the challenges Jordan is facing across a number of markets and services. This book leverages the new, nationally representative data to begin addressing key economic and policy questions. The chapters of the book are organized into three parts, the first focused on key indicators of the labor market: labor supply, job creation, wages and inequality, and own account work (self-employed and employers). The second section focuses on migrants and refugees in Jordan, including an in-depth examination of the wellbeing of Syrian refugees in Jordan. The third section examines transitions across the life course in Jordan, including education, the school-to-work transition, marriage and fertility, housing and new households, and social insurance and retirement. Together these chapters show how Jordan's economy has fared during challenging times and provide insight into important challenges Jordan's economy and society face.

As the world becomes more interconnected through travel and electronic communication, many believe that physical places will become less important. But as Mario Polèse argues in The Wealth and Poverty of Regions, geography will matter more than ever before in a world where distance is allegedly dead. This provocative book surveys the globe, from London and Cape Town to New York and Beijing, contending that regions rise—or fall—due to their location, not only within nations but also on the world map. Polèse reveals how concentrations of industries and populations in specific locales often result in minor advantages that accumulate over time, resulting in reduced prices, improved transportation networks, increased diversity, and not least of all, “buzz”—the excitement and vitality that attracts ambitious people. The Wealth and Poverty of Regions maps out how a heady mix of size, infrastructure, proximity, and cost will determine which urban centers become the thriving metropolises of the future, and which become the deserted cities of the past. Engagingly written, the book provides insight to the past, present, and future of regions.

This book provides both an accessible introduction to the economy of cities and an original perspective on what needs to be fixed if cities are to be places of economic opportunity and social cohesion.

A new account of economic performance and state development in African countries across the long twentieth century.

The history of nations is a history of haves and have-nots, and as we approach the millennium, the gap between rich and poor countries is widening. In this engrossing and important new work, eminent historian David Landes explores the complex, fascinating and often startling causes of the wealth and poverty of nations. The answers are found not only in the large forces at work in economies: geography, religion, the broad swings of politics, but also in the small surprising details. In Europe, the invention of spectacles doubled the working life of skilled craftsmen, and played a prominent role in the creation of articulated machines, and in China, the failure to adopt the clock fundamentally hindered economic development. The relief of poverty is vital to the survival of us all. As David Landes brilliantly shows, the key to future success lies in understanding the lessons the past has to teach us - lessons uniquely imparted in this groundbreaking and vital book which exemplifies narrative history at its best.

In The Divided City, urban practitioner and scholar Alan Mallach presents a detailed picture of what has happened over the past 15 to 20 years in industrial cities like Pittsburgh and Baltimore, as they have undergone unprecedented, unexpected revival. He spotlights these changes while placing them in their larger economic, social and political context. Most importantly, he explores the pervasive significance of race in American cities, and looks closely at the successes and failures of city governments, nonprofit entities, and citizens as they have tried to address the challenges of change. The Divided City concludes with strategies to foster greater equality and opportunity, firmly grounding them in the cities' economic and political realities.