In a world seemingly surfing a wave of unprecedented affluence it is sobering to be reminded that only thirty out of nearly two hundred countries can really be classified as advanced industrialized countries. Eighty per cent of the world's population lives in the developing world. In this popular, concise introduction the authors take a clear-eyed look at this world, its varied political institutions and the key social, economic and environmental issues at the heart of contemporary debates.

Wide-ranging and clearly written, Politics and Society in the...