INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES. UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2007. This report was launched at the 15th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, which is focusing on energy, climate change, air pollution and industrial development. The 432-page volume points to new challenges and opportunities facing industrializing countries as a result of globalization, technological change and international trade rules. It also discusses social and environmental aspects of industrial development. To download a copy of the report, visithttp://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/publications/industrial_development/full_report.pdf.
PATENTS, COMPULSORY LICENSE AND ACCESS TO MEDICINES: SOME RECENT EXPERIENCES. By Martin Khor. Third World Network, 2007. Access to medicines has emerged as a major public health issue, especially as intellectual property protections have caused an increase in the prices of many life-saving drugs. Focusing on the experiences of seven Asian and African nations, this report examines recent uses of TRIPS flexibilities and considers how bilateral FTAs affect the implementation of those flexibilities from a public health perspective. To download the report, visit http://www.twnside.org.sg/title2/par/TRIPS.flexibilities.30jan07.with.cover.doc.
FLAT WORLD, BIG GAPS: ECONOMIC LIBERALISATION, GLOBALISATION, POVERTY AND INEQUALITY. Edited by Jomo K.S. with Jacques Baudot. Third World Network, 2007. Many economists claim that globalisation creates worldwide growth and that economic liberalisation leads to economic convergence and lower inequality. This book offers a collection of empirical analyses of how economic liberalisation has actually affected inequality, poverty, and development in recent decades. Avoiding polemics and rhetoric, the book provides a balanced account of the effects of liberalisation and considers the comparative experiences of countries that have pursued different economic policies. To order a copy of the book, visit http://www.twnside.org.sg/bookstore.htm.