Adaptation, Poverty and Development
The Dynamics of Subjective Well-Being

The first book to examine in detail the ways in which people adapt their understanding and behaviours towards poverty as a direct result to their experiences of poverty in developing countries, including world-leading academics and case studies from China, India, Ethiopia and South Africa.

In contrast to previous attempts to examine adaptation to climate change in developing countries, the authors focus on how individuals and broader social groups adjust their aspirations, mental states, social values and behaviour as well as practices in response to changes in their personal and social circumstances. Employing a unique blend of cross-disciplinary work from economics, psychology, sociology and philosophy, this innovative book draws on quantitative and qualitative techniques. The three sections deal with conceptual issues, empirical studies and specific topics (gender, disability, migration) relating to adaptation in developing countries. It includes detailed case studies of adaptation in China, Ethiopia, India and South Africa and underlines the case for listening to the poor by suggesting that people who become worse off are less likely to lower their aspirations -- or restrict their values -- than is commonly thought by some philosophers and social scientists.

Adaptation and Development -- Issues, Evidence and Policy Relevance PART I: ADAPTATION AND DEVELOPMENT: CONCEPTS AND ISSUES Utilitarianism, 'Adaptation' and Paternalism
M.Qizilbash Adaptation: Implications for Development in Theory and Practice PART II: ADAPTATION AND DEVELOPMENT: THREE CASE STUDIES Aspirations, Adaptation and Subjective Well-Being of Rural-Urban Migrants in China
J.Knight &
R.Gunatilaka A Multidimensional Analysis of Adaptation in a Developing Country Context
A.Barr Adaptation, Poverty and Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from South India
D.Neff PART III: ADAPTATION AND DEVELOPMENT: SPECIFIC ISSUES Subjective Well-being, Disability and Adaptation: A Case Study from Rural Ethiopia
M.Fafchamps &
B.Kebede Adaptation of the Rural Working Class in India: A Case Study of Migrant Workers
B.Reddy &
W.Olsen