"In this paper the authors estimate the rate of return to firm investments in human capital in the form of formal job training. They use a panel of large firms with unusually detailed information on the duration of training, the direct costs of training, and several firm characteristics such as...

"Are natural resources a blessing or a curse? Bravo-Ortega and De Gregorio present a model in which natural resources have a positive effect on the level of income and a negative effect on its growth rate. The positive and permanent effect on income implies a welfare gain. There is a growth...

"Chen and Dahlman assess the effects of knowledge on economic growth. By using an array of indicators, each of which represents an aspect of knowledge, as independent variables in cross-section regressions that span 92 countries for the period 1960 to 2000, they show that knowledge is a...

The scope of this report is twofold. First, it documents skills gaps and mismatches and attempts to understand the reasons for them. Second, it provides a framework for thinking about skills development, drawing on international best practices, with the intent of stimulating further discussion....

The Republic of Maldives, a middle-income country of extraordinary natural beauty, is one of the most advanced nations in South Asia. The Maldives consists of an archipelago of nearly 1,200 islands and a population of approximately 400,000 inhabitants; 310,000 Maldivians and 90,000 expatriate...

The shortage of skills sought by key export-oriented and import competing industries in Bosnia and Herzegovina (henceforth, 'BH') is substantial and if left unaddressed, threatens to constrain future economic growth of the country. Prior to the onset of the global economic crisis, BH enjoyed...