This study provides a summary of patterns, policies, and prospects concerning the foreign direct investment (FDI) in developing countries. The focus of the study is on host country policies, but the policies of home governments and international institutions are also analyzed. The emphasis of...

Many developing countries have been reluctant to participate in multilateral trade negotiations except for those on agriculture and services, topics mandated under previous World Trade Organization (WTO decisions. The author argues that developing countries can gain significant benefits from a...

The report considers the role of group heterogeneity in the success or failure of common property resource management. The author argues that cooperative agreements are less likely to come about when agents are highly heterogeneous along relevant dimensions - and existing agreements are more...

Special strategies are needed to address the widespread incidence of rural poverty in developing countries, but initiatives aimed at improving the rural standard of living have not consistently reduced poverty. The author examines the rationale for a specific rural focus in poverty reduction...

The author analyzes a recent household survey for Ecuador to assess the role of the nonagricultural rural sector in reducing poverty. That sector accounts for roughly 40 percent of rural incomes in Ecuador, three-fourths of which comes from nonagricultural enterprises as opposed to wage labor....

The author analyzes contemporary rights-based and economic approaches to health care and education in developing countries. He assesses the foundations and uses of social rights in development, outlines an economic approach to improving health and education services, and then highlights the...

World Bank lending in the population, health and nutrition (PHN) sectors increased significantly in fiscal 1990. Over the past five years, PHN lending has grown rapidly both in the number of projects and in the amounts of loans and credits. The future lending portfolio indicates continued...

Vietnam's ethnic minorities, who tend to live mostly in remote rural areas, typically have lower living standards than the ethnic majority. How much is this because of differences in economic characteristics (such as education levels and land) rather than low returns to characteristics? Is there...

The author makes four main points in this paper: (1) social development, in addition to improving human welfare directly, is an excellent investment. The hard-nosed economic fact is that it contributes to economic growth. Even a narrow interest in growth for growth's sake dictates putting your...

If states would interact more synergistically with communities, they could tap local energies and resources for development-- and help create a development-oriented society and polity in the process. The authors analyze experience in several countries to identify the actions required for...