Much of the vast literature on changes in income distribution in advanced countries during the last two decades attributes these either to globalization, or to skill-biased technology, or to a combination of the two. A transatlantic concensus has emerged to suggest that thes two factors have led...

Uzbekistan is typically seen as one of the slowest reformers among the countries in transition from central planning to a market-oriented economy. This paper evaluates the walfare impact of gradual transition in Uzbekistan, asking whether it has avoided the short-term disruption associated with...

As seen from the year 2001, economic policy in developing and post-socialist economies during the preceding 10-15 years had one dominating theme - external "liberalization" or the drastic lowering or removal of long-standing barriers to almost all international transactions in markets for goods...

This paper investigates the impact labour regulation, as defined by labour standards, have on the international trade regime. After providing a description of the debate's landscape, the paper focuses on the questions: Could the adoption of a domestic labour standard improve welfare for an...

In analyzing Viet Nam's recent economic adjustments, this paper attempts to distinguish events and policies that are properly assigned to the trasition effort and those more properly associated with economic development.

This paper is the fruit of an attempt to distinguish the elements, present in a fiscal decentralization process, that are likely to contribute to efficiency enhancement in the provision of social services in developing countries. From the methodological point of view, the paper makes an effort,...

We analyse the prospects for greater monetary integration in Africa, in the wake of EMU. We argue that the structural characteristics of African economies are quite different to the EMU members but that much can be gained from monetary cooperation, as external agency of restraint and in...

The study identifies three modes of group behaviour: one which secures members' adherence to the group objectives via power and control, in a hierarchical way; one which operates by the use of financial incentives; and one which operates through co-operation among members to achieve the often...