This book identifies possible factors responsible for the recent rise of many developing countries. It examines how robust these trends actually are and speculatively predicts the implications and consequences that may result from a continuation of these trends. It also suggests possible scenarios of future development. Ultimately, it argues that the rise of 'the Rest' would not only imply geopolitical shifts, but could lead to proliferation of new growth models in the Global South and to profound changes in international economic relations.

This book is an attempt to analyse the unfavourable developments in the dynamics of mortality and life expectancy in post- communist countries in the global context. It appears that this mortality crisis in post-communist countries has a lot of similarities with the recent unfavourable developments in health status in developed countries and many developing countries. Such unfavourable trends have been caused by socio-economic, anon-material' factors, namely by a loss of social dynamism and/or stress, associated with economic restructuring and social adjustments. First, the stagnation of life...