Book Chapter
Comparative Analysis of the Globalization-Poverty Nexus in Asia, Latin America, and Africa

Chapter 1 starts with a summary of our analytical approach to the globalization–growth–inequality–poverty nexus based on a review of the main channels through which globalization affects the poor directly or indirectly. Next it presents a comparative analysis of the different ways the three developing regions (Asia, Latin America, and Africa) are affected by globalization followed by a synopsis of the thirteen individual case studies constituting the volume. It is argued that globalization's potential contribution to poverty reduction is large if it can produce a pattern of economic growth conducive to job creation for the poor and unskilled. Contrasting many of the positive experiences in Asia with the mostly disappointing ones in the other two regions, Chapter 1 emphasizes the need for proactive development policies at the national level focused on strategic integration and appropriate structural transformation. It also points to future supranational directions and changes which could enhance the capacity of globalization to reduce poverty and inequality, rather than letting market forces alone determine a socially less‐desirable outcome.