By some estimates more than 30 percent of the developing world's GDP and 70 percent of its workers are outside the official economy. The implications: Most small firms are trapped in low-productivity operations with little access to finance, key government services, and formal customers. Workers...

This note is about reform teams.They belong to an exclusive group of economies that grew out of poverty in less than 30 years. They also initially relied on a small, dedicated team of experts to get the job done. These teams brought to bear world-class skills along with direct access to the top...

The fall in foreign direct investment (FDI) since 1999 and China's growing share, worry most developing countries. But an in-depth look reveals new and promising trends. The decline is largely a one-time adjustment following the privatization boom of the 1990s. FDI is coming from more countries...