A fundamental change is emerging in the World Bank's perception of the problems of the debt overhang and in its ideas for development strategies. The author examines the implications for debtor countries.

A great deal would suggest that the process of urbanisation in developing countries leads to both negative allocation effects and to an increase in income inequality between urban and rural districts. Regional policy measures almed at improving the lot of rural areas would seem called for. Which...

Since their accession to the European Union in 1986, both Portugal and Spain have benefited from strong financial support. Both countries have experienced considerable growth in income per capita, converging towards average European levels. However, several studies suggest a high degree of...

Convergence among regions is explicitly defined as a political aim of the European Union. Overall, NUTS3 regions have indeed shown a path of convergence since the year 2000, but there are huge differences among the regions. Many Eastern European countries as well as several regions in Spain and...

The following article deals with the conditions under which regional associations in the Third World can improve the economic situation of the developing countries and the question how suitable they are for this purpose.

Regional policy and planning in developing countries has the task to surmount spatial disequilibria. Various theories of regional development try to show a way out of economic disparities; but these theories are not always accepted by political institutions.