This book presents the proceedings of a conference held near Washington, DC (Airlie, Virginia) to discuss the need for innovative new approaches to rural policy. U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan opened the conference by stressing the crucial importance of flexibility in enhancing...

Local governments, rural credit and regional development -- The rural financial system and rural development in China -- The design of China's rural credit institutions -- The implications of cadre evaluation and fiscal system for local government behavior -- Diverging pathways to prosperity :...