This volume examines the dichotomy between the two faces of South Asia - one poverty stricken and lagging in development, the other highly urbanized and growing rapidly - and tries to find a workable solution to bridge this gap. It looks at the many policy and institutional constraints that...

The new millennium catalyzed a shift in the focus of South Asian economies to the service sector. The South Asian countries share many common characteristics - a young population, familiarity with the English language, and an emphasis on quantitative skills at the school level. This report on...

"The surge in global commodity prices of the past few years has presented a tremendous development challenge for South Asian countries. The large loss of income from the terms of trade shock has worsened macroeconomic balances, fueled rapid inflation, and hurt growth. Although commodity prices...