With the aim of assessing the efficacy and justice of policies that favor an ethnic group that has historically been short-changed, seven contributions review affirmative action in the US, India, Malaysia, Fiji, South Africa, Northern Ireland, and Brazil. These studies discuss the effects on social inequalities, inter-ethnic group relations, and implications for policy. The two editors are affiliated as follows: Edmund Terence Gomez (political economy, U. of Malaya) and Ralph Premdas (public policy, U. of the West Indies). Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)