Presents and analyses policy-oriented papers, development projections, and proposals of how to overcome African countries' dependence on a few primary commodities. In country cases and comprehensive analyses, African countries' state of commodity dependence, their efforts to diversify exports, and their vulnerability to crises, conflicts and disasters are discussed. These problems are considered in the context of the continent's abundance of natural resources, especially with regard to the strategic oil resources of the continent. Resource curse problems are discussed in various contributions, focussing on Cote d'Ivoire, Angola, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Full country cases for Nigeria and Cameroon highlight the export diversification issues by product and function. The implications for the required policy and institutional changes of overcoming the resource curse problems are analysed at the level of national, regional and sub-regional level. Book Reviews and Book Notes are included, and News and Information follow with up-to-date entries. 664pp, GERMANY. LIT VERLAG.

Presents the results of a research project initiated by the African Economic Research Consor-tium (AERC) entitled Africa and the World Trading System. The project was intended to identify and examine the critical analytical and policy issues involved in Africa s economic links with the rest of the world, particularly in the context of the emerging global trading system. This volume represents some of the material presented at a workshop held in Geneva in March 2000 for African representatives to the WTO, to present some of the country studies along with thematic overviews. It covers trade in services in some depth, with both country studies and two overview pieces. Other chapters are devoted to industrial policy, intellectual property rights, special and differential treatment, and experience with technical assistance for capacity building. Index, bib, tables, 221pp, USA. AFRICA WORLD PRESS.

Under the regime of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), local and regional policies are increasingly determined by global factors. One example is the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). It stresses an earlier notion of African Renaissance, which includes the emphasis on collective self-reliance, but at the same time seeks closer cooperation with the global trade system and its international agencies. Bi- and multilateral trade relations between external actors and individual African states or regional blocs are becoming ever more decisive. The contributions to this Discussion Paper reflect upon related matters of socio-economically viable strategies seeking to reconcile the global and the regional in an African perspective. They were originally presented to the Panel Regional Cooperation in Sub-Saharan Africa: Between Collective Self-Reliance and Global Trade Regimes organised by the Nordic Africa Institute within the 11th General Conference of the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI) in September 2005 in Bonn. 70pp, SWEDEN. NORDIC AFRICA INSTITUTE.

Systematic analysis of the WTO and presentation of alternatives. A4 format, notes, 55pp, SOUTH AFRICA.

This paper questions the notion of free trade in the developing world as advocated by the US Government initiative, the 'African Growth and Opportunity Act' (AGOA), designed to lay the foundations for the creation of US free trade agreements. Concludes with an examination of the proposed transformation of the AGOA from a non-reciprocal to a reciprocal trade agreement and the envisaged expansion of African markets. BNS, 39pp, SOUTH AFRICA. AFRICA INSTITUTE. 0798301791

Updated edition. Based on interviews with participants at the Cancun Ministerial the authors expose how negotiations about trade, agriculture, services, investments and intellectual property rights are biased towards the powerful G8 countries, and decisions are made without the full approval of the countries they affect. Index, bib, lxxxv, 329pp, UK. ZED BOOKS, 1842775332

Attempts to bring African trade concerns to the fore of the Doha Round and Hong Kong Ministerial negotiations. 70pp, SOUTH AFRICA. INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL DIALOGUE.

An analysis of the clothing and footwear markets in Africa, looking at the argument that these industries offer starter opportunities for baseline industrial growth. BNS, 646pp, SOUTH AFRICA. AFRICA INSTITUTE OF SOUTH AFRICA.

Can developing countries trade their way out of poverty? International trade has grown dramati-cally in the last two decades in the global economy, and trade is an important source of revenue in developing countries. Yet, many low-income countries are still poor. This book recasts the so-called coffee paradox - the coexistence of a 'coffee boom' in consuming countries and of a 'coffee crisis' in producing countries. While coffee bar chains have expanded rapidly in consum-ing countries, international coffee prices have fallen dramatically and producers receive the lowest prices in decades. The paradox exists because what farmers sell and what consumers buy are increasingly 'different' coffees. It is not material quality that contemporary coffee consumers pay for, it is mostly symbolic quality and in-person services. As long as coffee farmers and their organizations do not control at least parts of this 'immaterial' production, they will keep receiving low prices. 320pp, UK. ZED BOOKS.

Summary of proposals put to the WTO's Doha Round negotiations in the following areas: agriculture, non-agricultural market access, service, trade facilitation, special and differential treatment, trade related intellectual property rights, commodities and regional trade agreements. NO PAGINATION, SOUTH AFRICA. INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL DIALOGUE.

Question and answer format explicating the ACP EU Partnership agreement, which brings together over 100 countries in an integrated trade development assistance and political co operation relationship. BNS, 404pp, UK. COMMONWEALTH SECRETARIAT.

Explores African finance and trade issues via historical and econometric analyses to develop a model for investigation of external shocks and resulting donmestic policy responses. Tables, diagrams, notes, refs, index, xxv, 427pp, UK 033397722X

An analysis of free trade doctrine and the supposed benefits that wholesale and uncritical adherence to World Trade Organisation theory would bring. Index, refs, xv, 254pp, UK. ZED BOOKS, 1856498638

Two years ago saw large mobilisations around the world, calling for trade justice. The cam-paigners were lobbying for the introduction and implementation of new world trade rules and that the global trading system should be rebalanced, taking into account the needs of the poor, human rights and the environment. Drawing on lessons from the slave trade, studies of the international finance institutions and the struggles of many African people to make a living, these essays provide insights into how free trade policies have a profoundly negative impact on democracy and justice in Africa. Whether it is the effects of trade policies on informal street traders, who in Africa are often women, the deterioration of a country’s health system as a result of the World Bank’s obsession with low inflation, or the sacrificing of community rights in the interests of multinational corporations, it is clear that 'free' trade policies impose a profit first and people last regime in Africa. Contributors include: include Charles Abugre, Tope Akinwande, Soren Ambrose, Nnimmo Bassey, Patrick Bond, Jennifer Chiriga, Cheikh Tidiane Di'ye, M.P. Giyose, Manu Herbstein, Mouhamadou Tidiane Kasse, Salma Maoulidi, Stephen Marks, Mariam Mayet, Henning Melber, Winnie Mitullah, Patrick Ochieng, Oduor Ongwen, Robtel Neajai Pailey, Liepollo Lebohang Pheko and Jagjit Plahe. 170pp, UK. FAHAMU

The author chronicles her undercover operations across the world and twenty three years investigating the diamond cartels and inhuman mining practices that characterise the world diamond trade. Roberts reveals De Beers's hidden diamond deposits, the astonishingly low cost of production, the exploitative and cruel treatment of black mineworkers and price fixing operations. Her investigation also revealed the links between the diamond trade and Nazi Germany, international terrorism and conflict in West and Central Africa. Index, apps, gloss, b/w illus, notes, 374pp, USA. DISINFORMATION COMPANY.

An analysis of the role of gender, ethnicity and class in the formation of coffee societies and the interaction between technology and ecology. BNS, 350pp, UK. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, 0521818516

Trade, along with the free movement of capital, is at the heart of today's international economy. But international trade is an intensely political and contested subject. The book traces the history of global trade, the impact of current global trading arrangements on poverty, inequality and the environment, its hugely differential consequences for high-income and low income countries, and the future options for revised trading arrangements. It argues that factors like future fossil fuel costs, global warming, and the economic imbalances between North and South are likely to impel a radical reshaping of the WTO and the principles enshrined in its agree-ments. It outlines the diverse proposals advocated by the global justice movement to make global trade more sustainable. 224pp, UK. ZED BOOKS.

The textile industry was one of the first manufacturing activities to become organized globally, as mechanized production in Europe used cotton from the colonies. Africa, the least developed of the world's major regions, is now increasingly engaged in the production of this crop for the global market, and debates about the pros and cons of this trend have intensified. This book illuminates the connections between Africa and the global economy. The editors offer a compelling set of linked studies that detail one aspect of the globalization process in Africa, the cotton commodity chain. 297pp, SWEDEN. NORDIC AFRICA INSTITUTE.

A critique of free trade asking who benefits from increasing liberalisation in the agriculture industry, how poor farmers can be protected, and food self sufficiency be established. Index, notes, sources, xii, 178pp, UK. ZED BOOKS, 1856498654

Traces the longstanding interaction between these two regions, showing that the Indian Ocean world provides many examples of cultural flows that belie our understanding of globalization as a recent phenomenon. This region has had, and continues to have, an internal integrity that touches the lives of its citizens in their commerce, their cultural exchanges, and their concepts of each other and of themselves in the world. These connections have deep historical roots, and their dynamics are not attributable solely to the effects of European colonialism, modernity, or contemporary globalization - although these forces have left their mark. The contributors to this interdisciplinary volume come from the fields of history, literature, dance, sociology, gender studies, and religion, making this collection unique in its recreation of an entire world too seldom considered as such. Index, b/w illus, 296pp, USA. INDIANA UNIVERSITY PRESS.

Using the results of recent surveys of indigenous market institutions in twelve countries including Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi and Zimbabwe, the author presents findings about economic exchange in Africa that have implications both for future research and current policy. BNS, 464pp, UK. JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD, 0262062364

Essays on African export prospects in relation to the expereinces of some of the more successful developing countries in East Asia and Latin America. The focus is on a sample of seven Sub-Saharan African nations. BNS, 352pp, tables. UK. PALGRAVE, 0333968913

The first in a series of books documenting and elaborating challenges to the processes of globalisation and the assumptions behind it from a Southern perspective. BNS, 143pp, ZIMBABWE. SEATINI.

A collection of papers mapping policy processes and the political economy of policymaking in trade and industry in Africa, discussing how issues of ethnicity, nationality and politics can impact policy implementation. Includes detailed case studies from Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Senegal, Cote D'Ivoire and Nigeria. Note, refs, vii, 367pp, USA. AFRICA WORLD PRESS, 1592211658

An exploration of new World Trade Organisation proposals on direct investment, and international trade negotiations from the viewpoint of the developing country. Index, bib, notes, tables, graphs, xiii, 178pp, UK. ZED BOOKS, 1842771833

Based on five case studies (Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Madagascar, and Tanzania), it suggests that the reform measures introduced largely on the recommendation of multilateral financial institutions over the last twenty years have entailed a redefinition of the role of the state so profound that it is without historical precedent. The comparative study of three generations of African mining codes concludes that past reforms have the potential to drive down standards in areas of critical importance to social and economic development, and undermining the preservation of the environment in the countries concerned. Bib, 89pp, SWEDEN. NORDIC AFRICA INSTITUTE.

An examination of the current situation in tropical commodities markets. At present, small farmers get only a tiny share of the price tag on supermarket shelves in the North and as prices have collapsed, economic growth in developing countries have plummeted. The author looks at the historical reasons for this and the possible ways forward. Index, 188pp, UK. ZED BOOKS, 1842772813

Seeks to clarify the key issues, detailing how trade impacts on the environment, and the effects that environmental concerns can have on trade. BNS, notes, tables, bib, index, 256pp, UK. ZED BOOKS, 1842770993

The three analyses presented in this publication are centred on related issues in the ongoing process of globalisation under the WTO regime, and their likely effect on African countries. Each chapter critically examines recent trends in the discourse on trade reform and develop-ment. Contents: Development Cooperation Revisited: New Dilemmas; Development and Coop-eration: Is the EU Helping Africa? Globalisation and (De-)Regionalisation: Southern Africa in Times of Trade Liberalisation, 44pp, SWEDEN . NORDIC AFRICA INSTITUTE. 917106544X

Experts from Europe, North and South America, Africa and the Asia Pacific region provide a comprehensive overview of the politics of international trade in the 21st century, explaining the changing political environment and core political issues. Index, bib, xviii, 326pp, UK. ROUTLEDGE.

Situates the Southern African Development Community's attempts to implement coherent regional economic agreements in the context of the World Trade Organization's expanding agenda: multilateral liberalization, the momentum of globalization and regional integration. Tables, index, 230pp, ZIMBABWE.. SAPES, 1779051425

2002 Paperback

At the same time as sparkling innocently in a footballer's ear, the gems fund some of the worst fighting in Africa. Diamonds are not as rare as we think and they have been mined by virtual slave labour, so why are they so expensive? These simple pieces of carbon have, over centuries, turned into the ultimate 'rocks': desired, possessed, traded, stolen, smuggled and, literally for many, 'to die for'. From engagement ring to bling, via mining corporations, free trade and the black market this short book reveals the dark stories hidden behind the sparkle. 96pp, UK. NEW INTERNATIONALIST.

An account of the history and fundamental ideas of the economic ideology of neoliberalism propagated by the World Trade Organisation, International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The author shows how these three organisations have changed since their inception to become financial policemen of a world economy characterised by mounting extremes of rich and poor and instability. Index, bib, x, 250pp, UK. ZED BOOKS, 184277073X