Publisher's Synopsis
The book brings together several important concepts that have not previously been integrated: social capital, environmentally sustainable practices, and their management within an Asian context. People in poor communities may have limited access to economic capital but still have social capital to enhance their economic well-being in a way that reduces pressure on the natural environment. Much depends on how the process is managed. The book incorporates discussions, analyses, and evaluations of various forms and facets of social capital existent in different fields of activity focussing on capacity building, program and service delivery, and monitoring and supervision aspects of Asian sustainable development management, and looks at people's dealings with exploitative situations. Different chapters in the book draw on research undertaken by many prominent researchers in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand. It is individuals' religious values, social and economic reciprocity, kinship, relationship with social entrepreneurs, and patron-client relationships, that matter most in decisions of creating bonds with others, extending mutual help, building networks, showing loyalty and trust, and being involved in traditional and modern social systems. The book attempts to test the theories developed in the West, explore new dimensions of social capital existent in Asia, enable the readers and researchers to comparatively analyse experiences and lessons of Asian social capital in sustainable development management, and help practitioners and policy makers benefit from these experiences and lessons.
