In tandem with the growth of microloans and microsavings, insurance policies geared towards low-income households have also become increasingly widespread over the past decade in developing and emerging countries. There is hope that microinsurance will allow large segments of the population who...

Im Zug der Verbreitung von Mikrokrediten und Mikrosparprodukten werden seit ungefähr einem Jahrzehnt auch Versicherungen an einkommensschwache Haushalte in Entwicklungs- und Schwellenländern verkauft. Es besteht die Hoffnung, weite Teile der Bevölkerung, denen ein Zugang zu staatlichem...

Europe's position as the most important economic area in the world is gradually being challenged by China and other regional powers which have been growing faster than the EU in the last 20 years. An economic and political power shift is taking place. How can Europe best cope with this challenge?

Since 1975 the Lomé Conventions have granted trade preferences to African exports to the European Union, Africa's main trading partner. The liberalisation of trade foreseen by the Uruguay Round means that these preferences will disappear, leading to net reductions in African exports. What...

The CFA Franc Zone, with 14 member countries in West and Central Africa, is now entering a phase of restructuring. This is clearly indicated by the debates now occurring in the EC, within the French government, in international organizations such as the World Bank and IMF, and in the CFA Franc...