Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Trade liberalization, rural poverty and the environment / Jonathan A. Cook ... [et al.] -- 2. Trade liberalization, rural poverty and the environment : a case study of the forest and salmon sectors in Chile / Raúl O'Ryan, with Mario Niklitschek ... [et al.] -- 3. The impacts of trade liberalization in Pingbian, China / He Daming and Liu Jiang, with Bobby Cochran -- 4. Shrimp exports, environment and human well-being in the Sunderbans, West Bengal / Kanchan Chopra, with Pushpam Kumar and Preeti Kapuria -- 5. Trade liberalization, rural poverty and the environment : two studies of agricultural exports in Madagascar / Bart Minten, with Philippe Méral, Lalaina Randrianarison and Johan Swinnen -- 6. Trade liberalization, rural poverty and the environment : a case study of sugarcane production in the Incomati River Basin in Mpumalanga, South Africa / Jo Lorentzen, Anton Cartwright and Charles Meth -- 7. Expansion of shrimp farming in Ca Mau, Vietnam / Mai Trong Thong, with Hoang Xuan Thanh ... [et al.] -- 8. Lessons from the case studies : 1 / Pamela Stedman-Edwards, Jonathan A. Cook and Owen Cylke -- 9. Lessons from the case studies : 2 / John D. Nash and Donald F. Larson -- 10. Beyond trade : economic transition in the globalization era and prospects for poverty and environment / Bruno Losch.

While some argue that trade liberalization has raised incomes and led to environmental protection in developing countries, others claim that it generates neither poverty reduction nor sustainability. The detailed case studies in this book demonstrate that neither interpretation is universally correct, given how much depends on specific policies and institutions that determine "on-the-ground" outcomes. Drawing on research from six countries around the developing world, the book also presents the unique perspectives of researchers at both the world's largest development organization (The World Bank) and the world's largest conservation organization (World Wildlife Fund) on the debate over trade liberalization and its effects on poverty and the environment.