Development Challenges For The 1990s

The 1990s was a decade of historical significance with numerous and remarkable changes. It was also a time of considerable reforms that strengthened the policy framework in a large number of countries. Yet the resulting growth experiences of developing countries have been extremely varied and often below expectations. What have we learned from this experience? And how can these lessons be applied to the challenges we face in the new millennium? Development Challenges in the 1990s brings together the insights and experiences of some of the world's leading policymakers and global thought leaders, individuals who have had substantial influence on the policy reforms and development strategies in their native countries. Sharing their unique perspectives, these 'practitioners of development' explain the reasons for the uneven outcomes of the 1990s and, with the benefit of hindsight, draw relevant lessons for the future. Essays by leading global economists cover a wide range of topics, from the Washington Consensus as a policy prescription for development to the successes and failures of post-Communist transition countries. Those interested in economics, political science, and international studies will find much to think about in this challenging collection. Contributors include: Lawrence H. Summers, Leszek Balcerowicz, James Bradford Long, Kwesi Botchwey, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Yegor Gaidar, Alejandro Foxley, Zhou Xiaochuan, Montek Ahluwalia, John Williamson, Eduardo Aninat, Mario Blejer, and Kemal Dervis.

Bringing together a body of original essays on key economic problems and challenges of the 1990s, an international group of economists provide new perspectives on key issues including Eastern Europe, 1992, the US trade deficit, protectionism, the unification of Germany, privatization, and many others. The book aims to be a reference point for all economists concerned with economic problems and prospects in the late 20th century.

The most pressing problem for most developing countries is how to reverse the adverse trends of the 1980s and create the conditions for sustainable development. The contributors to this volume bring a great variety of experience, background and interest to bear on this issue. Considerable attention is given to the design of appropriate structural adjustment programmes and the role of debt reduction, food aid and the European Community in this context. The need for an adaptive evolutionary approach to problems of development is, perhaps, the central theme to the volume.