This paper is an introduction to the Development Studies Conference and an overview of the four main topics that were the focus of conference discussion. A survey of the evolution of development thought serves to introduce the presentation of nine hypotheses. The latter provide a framework for...

A method of stochastic dominance analysis with respect to a function (SDRF) is described and illustrated. The method, called stochastic efficiency with respect to a function (SERF), orders a set of risky alternatives in terms of certainty equivalents for a specified range of attitudes to risk....