This paper examines data on economic growth and various social indicators and compares the past 25 years (1980-2005) with the prior two decades (1960-1980). The paper finds that the past 25 years in low- and middle-income countries have seen a sharp slowdown in the rate of economic growth, as...

This report looks at available data on economic growth and various social indicators - including health outcomes and education - in low- and middle-income countries over the last 25 years.

This paper examines data on economic growth and various social indicators for 193 countries over the past 50 years, divided into three periods: 1960-1980, 1980-2000, and 2000-2010. The paper finds that after a sharp slowdown in economic growth and in progress on social indicators during the...

This report analyzes the recounted sample from Mexico's presidential elections and raises questions about the electoral process.

European employees work fewer hours per year -- and use less energy per person -- than their American counterparts. This report compares the European and U.S. models of labor productivity and energy consumption. It finds that if all countries worked as many hours per week as U.S. workers do, the...

his issue brief looks at the likely costs to the U.S. Treasury from a $108 billion increase in the U.S. contribution to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The White House's Office of Management and Budget originally proposed the $108 billion be scored at zero in the budget, and there are...

Latin America's economic growth rebound in the 2000s is often attributed to a “commodities boom,” which implies that the region’s growth was stimulated by sizable increases in the price of commodity exports. This paper looks at whether the data support such a conclusion. It finds that...

Will developing countries continue to face an expanding U.S. market for their imports? This report projects that the annual value of U.S. imports, measured in non-dollar currencies, can actually be expected to contract over the next decade -- in contrast to its rapid growth over the last decade.

This report examines data on poverty in Venezuela, and corrects misreporting which claimed that poverty increased during the seven years of the Chavez administration.