External demand was the main driver of growth in Thailand in 2006 and 2007. However, WEO projections indicate moderating foreign demand in 2008, with U.S. growth being revised downwards to reflect the turmoil in housing and credit markets, and high oil prices. While the share of Thai exports to...

Although the economic growth literature has come a long way since the Solow-Swan model of the fifties, there is still considerable debate on the ""real'' or ""deep"" determinants of growth. This paper revisits the question of what is really important for strong long-term growth by using a Binary...

This paper examines the efficiency of the different segments of India''s financial system using firm-level data on corporate financing patterns. Firms are increasingly relying on external funds to finance their investment in most recent years. Empirical analyses indicate that (1) the financial...

Using panel data from 120 developing countries from 1975 to 2000, this paper explores the direct and indirect channels linking social spending, human capital, and growth in a system of equations. The paper finds that both education and health spending have a positive and significant direct...

Foreword -- Preface -- Introduction: in search of economic policies to stabilise democratic transitions / Giacomo Luciani -- Reflections on the arab uprisings / Samir Makdisi -- Rethinking the rentier curse / Adeel Malik -- A brief political economy of energy subsidies in the Middle East and...