1999 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development: Globalization, Gender and Work

1999 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development: Globalization, Gender and Work

144 Reviews / Journal of Government Information 28 (2001) 113±148 military positions as well as an extensive list of acronyms, a necessity for anyon...

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Reviews / Journal of Government Information 28 (2001) 113±148

military positions as well as an extensive list of acronyms, a necessity for anyone reading much about Liberia. The three authors of this work approached it from different perspectives. Abiodun Alao works in the African Security Unit at the Centre for Defense Studies at Kings College London. His primary interest was the succession of peace agreements. John Mackinlay drew on his military background to analyze the warring factions and their demobilization following the Abuja Agreements, while 'Funmi Olonisakin concentrated on the peacekeeping efforts. This book does far more than detail the various failures of peace in Liberia. It raises issues about peacekeeping forces globally, showing the necessity for continued definition of their roles. The authors' analysis of the Liberian crisis should interest every student of African Affairs but should also engage anyone studying the role of peacekeeping forces in the modern world. Ruth Connell John Carroll University University Heights, OH 44118, USA PII: S 1 3 5 2 - 0 2 3 7 ( 0 1 ) 0 0 2 7 2 - 6

1999 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development: Globalization, Gender and Work United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women; United Nations, New York, 1999, 96 pages, UN Sales Number E.99.IV.8, ISBN 92-1-130200-5, $14.95.

This publication is the fourth World Survey on the Role of Women in Development, and it was undertaken per General Assembly Resolution 49/161 dated December 23, 1994. Having as its purpose to ``examine the impact of current trends and policies on the overall economic and social situation on women (p. vii),'' it also serves as a ``basic document'' for ``Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-First Century,'' a General Assembly Special Session. Previous editions of the World Survey were published in 1986 (Sales No. E.86.IV.3), 1989 (Sales No. E.89.IV.2), and 1995 (Sales No. E.95.IV.1). The three previous surveys focused on multiple themes. However, the 1999 edition concentrates only on one theme, i.e. gender within a globalization context. Gender, according to the Survey ``is defined as the social meanings given to biological sex differences. It is an ideological and cultural construct, but it is also reproduced within the realm of material practices; in turn, it influences the outcomes of such practices. It affects the distribution of resources, wealth, work, decision making and political power, and enjoyment of rights and entitlements within the family as well as public life (p. ix).'' A concise definition of globalization is lacking in this publication. The closest thing to a concise definition is ``Globalization may be defined as the increase in movement across national borders of some combination of goods and services, and factors of production including capital, labour, and financial capital'' (p. 1).

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The publication is divided into Preface; Introduction; I-Globalization of Trade, Capital, and Finance; II-Employment and Displacement Effects of Globalization; III-Internationalization of Production, Reorganization of Work and ``Flexibilization'' of Labour; IV-Changing Pattern's of Rural Women's Work; V-Transformation of the Public Policy Environment; VIConclusion and Gender-Aware Policy Framework; and References. Each of these sections, except for References, is further divided into subheadings. The Preface contains two subheadings, ``Background Information'' and ``Gender and Development.'' The first provides a history of the four published World Surveys, including the General Assembly resolution number and date pertaining to each. Gender and Development discusses the history of ``women in development (WID)'' and movement away from this concept to that of ``gender and development (GAD)'' and ``gender mainstreaming.'' In addition, there is an overview of development and human rights-based conferences that the United Nations convened during the 1990s. The Introduction is divided into three subheadings: ``Globalization, Gender and Recent Labour Market Trends,'' ``Economic Role of Gender in the Context of Globalization,'' and ``Organization of Chapters.'' The first two subsections provide an economic overview of gender within the broad framework of globalization. Such issues as ``reallocation of labour,'' ``adjustment costs,'' and ``human capabilities'' are examined. The ``Organization of Chapters'' supplies an overview of the rest of the publication. Chapter I, Globalization of Trade, Capital, and Finance, begins with a one-page brief history of ``global economic integration'' from the late nineteenth century to the early 1990s. A discussion of ``recent trends (up to the outbreak of the financial turmoil in world markets in 1997) related to (a) the expansion of international trade, (b) mobility of foreign direct investment and the spread of production capacity around the world, and, finally, (c) financial liberalization and mobility of financial capital (p.1)'' completes the chapter. Employment and Displacement Effects of Globalization, Chapter II, delves into the meaty issues of gender in regard to employment in the ``manufacturing sector,'' ``foreign direct investments and export processing zones,'' ``service sector,'' ``informal sector,'' and ``agriculture.'' In addition, this chapter examines displacement, household position, working conditions, gender pay differentials, and gender occupational segregation. Chapter III, Internationalization of Production, Reorganization of Work and ``Flexibilization'' of Labour, provides an overview of production and work transformation. The rest of the chapter examines different kinds of ``flexible labour,'' including ``part-time work,'' ``the informal sector,'' and ``home-based work.'' Changing Patterns of Rural Women's Work, Chapter IV, discusses gender work differences in a rural setting. Included in this discussion are such topics as measurement of work, ``division of labour,'' ``commercialization and market liberalization,'' ``privatization,'' ``entrepreneurial activity,'' and organizational participation. Chapter V, Transformation of the Public Policy Environment, examines macroeconomic and microeconomic issues in relation to gender effects and biases. A case study of the 1997 financial crisis of Asia and its effects on gender are also included in this chapter. The final chapter, Conclusion and Gender-Aware Policy Framework, recaps the purpose of this World Survey and provides a labour market trends summary. In addition, a

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discussion of gender relations and its impact is included along with specific economic and policy measure recommendations. Each chapter contains charts, graphs, informational text boxes, and citations to related sources. The full citations are available in the References section. The World Survey is a good source of information for issues pertaining to gender in relation to globalization. Although each chapter is relatively brief in length, given the subject matter, much information is packed into each chapter. The additional references provide for more in-depth research. According to the Acknowledgement page this, publication is a product of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs' Division for Advancement of Women. Information contributions were obtained from ``background papers prepared by the ILO (International Labour Organization), UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), ECE (Economic Commission for Europe), FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), World Bank, and INSTRAW (International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women). Contributions were also made by UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization), UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women), UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), and various UN regional commissions'' (p. vi). However, the authorship of each individual chapter is not stated, making it impossible to determine if each chapter was written by an individual or as a joint effort. Author identification would be useful to better understand the context and biases. An index is not included. As the various chapters contain related information, the lack of an index prohibits the ability to pull this material together easily. Barbara J. Mann Robert W. Woodruff Library Emory University Atlanta, GA 30322, USA PII: S 1 3 5 2 - 0 2 3 7 ( 0 1 ) 0 0 2 7 3 - 8

Books and other materials received America's Strategic Choices (Revised Edition). Michael E. Brown, Owen R. Cote, Jr., Sean M. Lynn-Jones, and Steven E. Miller (Eds.); The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2000, 415 pages, ISBN 0-262-52274-8, $21.00. The Anatomy of Public Opinion. Jacob Shamir and Michal Shamir; University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI, 2000, 301 pages ISBN 0-472-11022-5, $52.50. Civic Space/Cyberspace: The American Public Library in the Information Age. Redmond Kathleen Molz and Phyllis Dain; MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1999, 259 pages, ISBN 0-26213346-6, $30.00.