Poverty has a high social cost for countries of the region: it negatively affects all aspects of society because of migration to the cities, destabilizing political consequences, and the pressures that poverty exerts on the environment. This book looks for new ways to alleviate rural poverty,...

This study uses data from Malaysia's Household Income and Expenditure Surveys to quantify the importance of different factors in accounting for the changes in Malaysia's income distribution between 1984 and 1989 ("Period 1") and between 1989 and 1997 ("Period 2"). The analysis is therefore...

What did the Latin American economies achieve in the course of a hundred years and how has this affected standards of living? This comprehensive history examines the political and economic forces that have shaped Latin America's development process.Abstract: Esta historia económica revisa las...

For decades, the prevailing sentiment was that, since geography is unchangeable, there is no reason why public policies should take it into account. In fact, charges that geographic interpretations of development were deterministic, or even racist, made the subject a virtual taboo in academic...

This paper presents an integrated overview of the literature linking institutions, financial development and economic growth. From the large body of research on institutional development, the paper first selects those contributions that make it possible to study the role of institutional...

This paper is part of the project "Explaining Economic Growth Performance" launched by the Global Development Network (GDN). The purpose of this project is to explain economic growth performances across seven regions of the world. This paper provides a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of...

This paper examines Brazilian economic growth as part of the project "Explaining Economic Growth Performance" launched by the Global Development Network (GDN), the purpose of which is to explain economic growth performances across seven regions of the world. According to the author of this...

This study focuses on how Latin America¿s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can participate in global markets in a way that provides for sustainable growth. In addition, it study analyzes the impact of collective efficiency on clusters upgrading and undertakes an investigation of the...

This paper sums up the experience of a Brazilian cluster of small and medium enterprises in the Sinos Valley. It shows that cooperation amongst local enterprises strengthens their ability to compete globally and that business associations can play an important role in identifying the key...

The presentation gives a brief overview of the most important aspects of adjustment strategies in the ceramic tile cluster in Criciúma and the textiles and clothing cluster in Itajaí Valley, Brazil. It also addresses the question of why industrial district-like structures did not emerge in the...