The Southern African Customs Union (SACU) is the oldest customs union in the world, with significant opportunities ahead for creating higher economic growth and increased welfare benefits to the people of the region, by fulfilling its vision to become an economic community with a common market...

While oil price fluctuations in the past can be explained by pure supply factors, this book argues that it is monetary policy that plays a significant role in setting global oil prices. It is a key factor often neglected in much of the earlier literature on the determinants of asset prices,...

Tables and figures -- Preface -- Abbreviations -- Contributors. Introduction / Naoyuki Yoshino, Peter J. Morgan, and Bihong Huang -- Transitioning from low-income growth to high-income growth: is there a middle-income trap? / David Bulman, Maya Eden, and Ha Nguyen -- The middle-income trap:...

Smes' role in asia, difficulties in accessing finance, and remedies -- Role of smes in Asia and the financing challenges they face / Naoyuki Yoshino and Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary -- Enhancing access to finance for SMEs : the case of Central Asia / Arnault Prêtet and Tabea Klang -- Credit risk...