Why are poor countries poor and rich countries rich? How are wealth and poverty related to changes in health, life expectancy, education, population growth and politics? This non-technical introduction to development studies explores the dynamics of socio-economic development and stagnation in developing countries. Thoroughly updated and revised, this second edition includes new material on the effects of the 2008 financial crisis, the emergence of the BRICS economies, the role of institutions in development and the accelerated growth of economies in Africa and Asia. Taking a comparative approach, Szirmai places contemporary debates within their broader contexts and combines insights and theories from economics, economic history, political science, anthropology and sociology. Each chapter includes comparative statistics and time series for thirty-one developing countries. Assuming no prior knowledge of economics, this book is well-suited for students in interdisciplinary development studies and development economics, for policy-makers and for practitioners pursuing careers in developing countries. Visit www.dynamicsofdevelopment.com for additional resources. : "Professor Szirmai’s fully revised edition of Socio-Economic Development is a tour de force. Grounded in economic history, it elegantly combines and integrates the modern development economics literature, careful empirical analysis, and illuminating country studies. Any serious student of long-run economic development, from the first-timer to those with decades of immersion in the subject, will want to have a copy of this encyclopedic yet accessible volume." Hal Hill, H. W. Arndt Professor of Southeast Asian Economies, Australian National University "This is a scholarly and comprehensive treatment of development economics that is accessible to a wide range of social science and development studies students. Its treatment of health issues, education policy, and rural development, and its comprehensive data tables, are unsurpassed in the development economics field." Kenneth A. Reinert, George Mason University, Virginia "This textbook … succeeds in achieving this aim in a comprehensive and masterly fashion. … The book is written in a lucid non-technical style and is attractively laid out. Szirmai's text is the best that I have read on this subject and should be extensively used as a core text on development courses in all universities." The Times Higher Education Supplement Review of previous edition: This textbook … succeeds in achieving this aim in a comprehensive and masterly fashion. … The book is written in a lucid non-technical style and is attractively laid out. Szirmai's text is the best that I have read on this subject and should be extensively used as a core text on development courses in all universities.' The Times Higher Education Supplement Taking a comparative and multidisciplinary approach, this textbook offers a non-technical introduction to the dynamics of socio-economic development and stagnation. Adam Szirmai is Professorial Fellow at the United Nations University Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT) and Professor of Development Economics at Maastricht University. His research focuses on the determinants of long-run growth, catch up and stagnation in the developing world, with particular emphasis on the role of the manufacturing sector. A second focus of his research concerns the relationships between innovation, technological change and economic growth.