This paper displays and discusses historical data on sovereign debt prices for two Latin American countries and provides a signalling framework to account for the following phenomena: (a) prices for old (defaulted) and newly-issued debts were the same, but such prices diverge and rise sharply...

Maize is a relatively new crop in Thailand, but since commercial production began in the 1950s it has become the second most important crop in terms of planted area and one of the country's top four agricultural exports. Major changes are occurring in the maize market in Thailand. On the supply...

This paper analyses the determinants of intra-African trade (IAT) to assess the potential obstacles to greater sub-regional trade. Both economic and political arguments suggest that increased IAT can foster a regional take-off. Trade linkages in Africa, however, are very weak. Official...

Three novel macroeconomic policy challenges are discussed in this paper: the macroeconomic implications of China’s emergence; the implications of intensifying financial integration; and the interaction of Asia’s foreign exchange regime with monetary policy in the OECD area. First, China may...

This paper is a state-of-the-art report on the scope and efficacy of macroeconomic policies, both demand-management and supply-side, in relation to the level and composition of aggregate domestic savings (household, corporate, and government) performance in developing countries. Its central...

Summary of trends on public opinion and international development co-operation in OECD DAC member countries: <I>i)</I> Public support in OECD DAC member countries for helping poor countries has remained consistently high for almost two decades: there is no aid fatigue; <I>ii)</I> Donations from the public to...</i></i>

In analysing Argentina's variable growth record over the period 1913 to 1984, the study develops a comprehensive framework which disaggregates the economy into three sectors: agriculture, nonagriculture and government. The aim is to examine the relative performance of these sectors in the...

For many countries rich in oil, gas and minerals, development remains an elusive goal. The rich get richer, the poor stay poor, inequality rises, economies stagnate, corruption flourishes and conflict deepens. The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) has helped to direct...

The paper evaluates the economics of foreign investment regulation for pension funds, with a focus on developing countries, where fully-funded pension systems are being started de novo. The analysis produces three observations. First, the benefits of global portfolio diversification apply...

In many developing countries, customs efficiency is hampered by widespread corruption. This creates a major disincentive and obstacle to trade expansion. It also leads to disastrous consequences in terms of national security and public finance. This OECD Development Centre Technical Paper...