The Persistence of Cambodian Poverty

Since the tragedies of the “killing fields” and the reign of the Khmer Rouge, the global community has largely ignored the social issues plaguing Cambodia. Though the infamous killings have largely stopped, poverty and corruption are rampant in contemporary Cambodia. This book includes a short history of Cambodia and covers the systemic nature of its poverty, and the contrasting economic success stories of Vietnam and Laos. This book is particularly relevant to those interested in the broader issue of eliminating world poverty.

Harold R. Kerbo has been a professor of sociology at Cal Poly since 1977. He has been a Fulbright professor in Japan, Thailand, and Austria, and a visiting professor in Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Thailand and Japan. He is the author of numerous books.

Harold R. Kerbo
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 228
Bibliographic Info: 30 photos, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6408-1
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8587-1
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1

1. Cambodia Today: An Introduction      5

2. How Did It Get This Way? A Little History      29

3. Poverty in Cambodia: How Bad Is It?      42

4. Cambodia’s Poor: The Villages      62

5. Cambodia Compared with Thailand      90

6. Cambodia’s Poor: Slum Clearance, Khmer Rouge Style      115

7. Cambodia Compared with Vietnam and Laos      136

8. Corruption in Cambodia      158

9. State Incapacity: Why Nothing Gets Done, and the Poor Stay Poor      171

10. Cambodia’s Future in the Global Economy      189

Appendix: Village Locations and Summary of Characteristics      201

Chapter Notes      209

Bibliography      215

Index      221

“few books on Cambodia have excited me as much as this one in recent years…worth reading and a highly valuable contribution to our understanding of poverty and its root causes in Cambodia”—Contemporary Southeast Asia.