It is observed through out the world that the financial crisis took Asian countries by storm. Living conditions in my homeland, Thailand, dropped dramatically. Income decreased, the prices of essential goods increased, the stock market collapsed, loans turned to bad debts, businesses closed down...

There is now a consensus that economic growth is a dominant determinant of poverty. That is, poverty reduction requires sustained economic growth significantly above the population growth so that per capita income continues to rise. Economic growth raises mean income and reduces the proportion...