Before the background of the debt crisis loan loss provisioning has been gaining in importance, as one of the measures adopted by banks to reduce their exposure in highly indebted countries and to strengthen their balance sheets. Prof. Abbott examines the concept and forms of provisioning, and...

What lies behind the call for massive transfers of resources from the rich to the poor countries? What proposals for such transfers have been made? Do these proposals represent an application of Keynesianism to the problems of international development and, if so, is this application legitimate?

Given the chronic and crippling impact which their mounting international indebtedness exerts on the economies of many developing countries, cancellation on a fairly comprehensive basis seems the only realistic way of coping with this problem. According to the author, the existing objections to...