Scarcity is considered a ubiquitous feature of the human condition. It underpins much of modern economics and is widely used as an explanation for social organisation, social conflict and the resource crunch confronting humanity's survival on the planet. It is made out to be an all-pervasive fact of our lives be it of housing, food, water or oil. But has the conception of scarcity been politicized, naturalized, and universalized in academic and policy debates? Has overhasty recourse to scarcity evoked a standard set of market, institutional and technological solutions which have blocked out...

Uprootedness, exile and forced displacement, be they due to conflict, persecution or so-called 'development', are conditions which characterise the lives of millions across the globe. This book analyses a range of displacement situations, including development 'oustees', refugees and internally displaced persons.