Retailing in the third world countries takes place in an enormous range of contexts. In some places it is literally a matter of life and death and is concerned with the distribution of the most basic foodstuffs. Elsewhere it is at the forefront of economic development. This volume explores some of the factors which explain the variety of retail structures and modes of consumer behaviour that characterise retailing in developing countries. Geographical variations are seen to be the product of cultural forces as well as economic ones - the interface between culture and consumer behaviour is...

The idea that culture can be employed as a driver for urban economic growth has become part of the new orthodoxy by which cities seek to enhance their competitive position. Such developments reflect not only the rise to prominence of the cultural sphere in the contemporary (urban) economy, but how the meaning of culture has been redefined to include new uses in order to meet social, economic and political objectives.

This significant book focuses on the ability of cultural investment to meet the rhetoric of social inclusion and the extent to which it offers sustainable solutions to...

A comprehensive, up-to-date account of the urban condition, relevant to a wide readership from academics to researchers and policymakers this provides a theoretically and empirically informed account embracing all the different disciplines contributing to urban studies.

This four volume set examines the social meaning of cities and how they have been variously imagined. It reviews social stratification and national and global inequalities and provides an assessment of the rich literature on living in cities and concludes, in the final volume, by looking at discussion of social engineering and the search for the good city.

'Culture-Led Urban Regeneration' focuses on the ability of cultural investment to meet the rhetoric of social inclusion, and the extent to which it offers sustainable solutions to the problems of the city.

"This textbook of essays by leading critical urbanists is a compelling introduction to an important field of study; it interrogates contemporary conflicts and contradictions inherent in the social experience of living in cities that are undergoing neoliberal restructuring, and grapples with profound questions and challenging policy considerations about diversity, equity, and justice. A stimulant to debate in any undergraduate urban studies classroom, this book will inspire a new generation of urban social scholars."
- Alison Bain, York University

...

Cities and Economic change is a much-needed textbook, combining a sound theoretical grounding with an empirical overview of the urban economy. Specific references are made to key emergent processes and debates including splintered labour markets, informal economies, consumption, a comparative discussion of North and South, and quantitative aspects of globalization.

The text is clear and readable with pedagogical features and illustrative case studies integrated throughout. The use of boxes for city examples, key questions for discussion at the end of main chapters...