I conduct a cross-country analysis of the human development index (HDI) components, income, life expectancy, literacy and gross enrolment ratios, using Gray and PurserÕs 1970-2005 quinquennial database for 111 countries. 1) A descriptive analysis uncovers a complex pattern of divergence and...

There is increasing awareness that race and ethnicity play an important role in the poverty and social marginalization of Latin American and Caribbean populations.

Even though the current crisis is clearly global, much of the analysis and many of the policy proposals have a single country viewpoint, particularly in the case of the United States. Explanations concentrate, for example on the financial system and on population-wide indebtment. Here we examine...

A production market with given preferences, technology and competition technology is vulnerable if it admits both perfect competition and monopoly or oligopoly. Under decreasing returns, the combination of sunk costs and a potential for monopoly profits can be sufficient basis for vulnerability,...

I broadly summarize the theoretical and recent empirical literatures on human development. Using Gray and Purser’s 1970-2010 database of human development index (HDI) components (income, life expectancy, literacy, gross enrolment ratios) for 135 countries, together with indicators of the...

Within the causal structure of economic development, we can distinguish between short-term and long-term causal links. In particular, this study examines long-term short-term causal relations in economic development. We construct a balanced panel for 72 countries over the period from 1980 to...

The paper focuses on the long-term determinants of economic development and demographic transition and identifies the causal structure governing the triad of high income, high human development and low fertility rates defined as the “developed lifestyle”. We construct a balanced panel for 72...

This book offers insights into the process of economic reform in developing countries. It is organized around three factors that are critical to the success of any reform. According to Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, these key dimensions are Reach, Range, and Reason. ‘Reach’ refers to...