This paper describes the privatization program in Italy during the 1990s and puts that policy in the context of macroeconomic adjustment, general market deregulation, and promotion of private investment in the provision of public infrastructure. The wave of state divestitures reached Italy later...

The long-term decline in political instability continued in 2006 and armed conflicts, though still widespread, have diminished. Multiparty elections have taken place in several African countries and progress towards participative democracy is encouraging. Progress in economic governance is still...

Large Western corporations have long invested overseas to penetrate markets, seek resources, and increase efficiency. After the explosion of inward FDI to the South in the 1990s, it is now the turn of the largest companies from emerging and transition economies, including the so-called BRICs, to...

In this paper, we analyse the potential contribution of the Internet and its commercial application to the development process in poor countries. In historical perspective, the Internet has diffused at a far faster rate than earlier generations of communications technology: from 1990 to early...

La forte demande d’énergie et de minerais par la Chine et l’Inde a poussé à la hausse les prix internationaux des matières premières, ainsi que le volume et la valeur des exportations africaines.

China’s and India’s strong appetite for energy and metal has boosted international prices and the volume and value of African exports. China in particular has become the main trade partner for a number of African countries providing cheap manufactured goods and reducing Africa's dependence...

Transport infrastructure has been dangerously neglected in recent times. Lack of transport infrastructure impedes economic integration and poverty reduction. Involving the private sector in financing the transport infrastructure is proving harder than anticipated.

La tendance de long terme au recul de l’instabilité politique s’est confirmée en 2006 avec la diminution des conflits armés, qui restent pourtant fréquents. Plusieurs pays africains ont organisé des élections pluralistes et les progrès vers la démocratie participative sont...

It is relatively easy to assess the progress, achievements, and possible future direction of an existing regional integration pact. However, evaluating the prospects for a successful revival of the East African Community (EAC), a regional integration scheme that collapsed in 1977, is arguably a...

Grâce au progrès technologique et aux nouvelles pratiques d’organisation, les producteurs des pays en développement participent de plus en plus aux échanges internationaux d’une large gamme de biens et de services. Pourtant, les entreprises des pays industriels décident souvent de...