Review of Easterly’s The Elusive Quest for Growth

2002 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 907-918 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romain Wacziarg

William Easterly's superb book draws on what we have learned from almost two decades of cross-country growth comparisons, providing a critical synthesis of the current state of empirical knowledge on growth. The author emphasizes policy and institution-driven incentives for growth, and also critically surveys evidence for more traditional sources of growth such as factor accumulation. Another contribution of the book is an accessible and detailed description of the vicious cycle of adjustment loans directed by the World Bank and IMF at countries that squander these resources in current consumption rather than investment, leading to stagnant growth, debt crises, debt relief and further adjustment loans.

1998 ◽  
Vol 37 (4II) ◽  
pp. 1053-1070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sohail Jehangir Malik ◽  
Hina Nazli

By highlighting the lack of rigorous evidence and calling for a greater understanding of the interaction of the two processes, a recent study [Nelson et al. (1997)] has called into question the strong perception that poverty is both a consequence as well as a cause of resource degradation.1 This perception which is widely held is strongly evident in the writings of the multilateral development agencies such as the World Bank (1990) and IFAD (1992) and exists despite extensive reviews which indicate that the short- and long-term implications of land degradation are not very clear [see Scherr and Yadav (1995)]. Similarly, while knowledge about poverty is expanding rapidly, thanks in large parts to the massive international focus and resources brought to bear on its understanding in the past ten.........................


2019 ◽  
Vol 67 ◽  
pp. 02011
Author(s):  
Vasylchenko Anastasiia

The article is devoted to the development of transport infrastructure, the problems of logistics and transit potential of the Republic of Belarus. The review analysis of the logistics potential is given taking into account its development prospects. The monitoring of the dynamics of transit revenues was carried out, relevant conclusions are given, recommendations on its increase are presented. The article presents the dynamics of cargo transportation by type of transport indicating the structural elements of logistics centers and their localization in the Republic of Belarus. Efficiency indexes of the development of the country’s logistic system according to the World Bank are analysed. Reasonable conclusions are given.


2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 207-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serkan Arslanalp ◽  
Peter Blair Henry

At the Gleneagles summit in July 2005, the heads of state from the G-8 countries—the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United Kingdom—called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the African Development Bank to cancel 100 percent of their debt claims on the world's poorest countries. The world's richest countries have agreed in principle to forgive roughly $55 billion dollars owed by the world's poorest nations. This article considers the wisdom of the proposal for debt forgiveness, from the standpoint of stimulating economic growth in highly indebted countries. In the 1980s, debt relief under the “Brady Plan” helped to restore investment and growth in a number of middle-income developing countries. However, the debt relief plan for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) launched by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in 1996 has had little impact on either investment or growth in the recipient countries. We will explore the key differences between the countries targeted by these two debt relief schemes and argue that the Gleneagles proposal for debt relief is, at best, likely to have little effect at all. Debt relief is unlikely to help the world's poorest countries because, unlike the middle-income Brady countries, their main economic difficulty is not debt overhang, but an absence of functional economic institutions that provide the foundation for profitable investment and growth. We will show that debt relief may be more valuable for Brady-like middle-income countries than for low-income ones because of how it leverages the private sector.


Author(s):  
Monika  Proczek

The aim of this paper is to analyze the activities of IMF concerning implementa‑ tion of sustainable development strategies, and in particular to examine evolution of its preferential assistance, present IMF’s initiatives related to reduction of exter‑ nal debt of states with particular emphasis on cooperation with the World Bank in debt relief initiatives and its technical and supervisory activities.


2020 ◽  
pp. 70-74
Author(s):  
MIKHEIL CHIKVILADZE

The article is focused on problems in the Georgian economy caused by the new coronavirus epidemic. The current implementation of the state budget of Georgia for 2020 has been analyzed, attention has been drawn to the difficulties of both tax and total revenue performance. The main focus is on the effectiveness of business support measures and the transparency and legality of spending money. Measures have been taken on the operative elaboration and implementation of the relevant micro-fiscal policy, in response to the shocks in demand-supply. Coronavirus has caused many problems in the world economy. The world economy fell by 7.5% in the United States on March 9, which has not happened on Wall Street since 2008 global economic crisis. Of course, the influence of Coronavirus on the Georgia’s economy is severe, and the country is trying to deal with it in every possible way. If we analyze the current state budget execution this year, it can be seen that the current state budget for 2020 has been implemented in the first quarter. However, we should not expect the second quarter of the state budget for the same year, as this trend is already visible in April and May. The problems will be reflected in May, both in terms of tax revenues and total revenues as well, which is expected to double the state budget deficit of 2.5%, which means a complete failure of the two quarters. It can be said that the shock of the economy that accompanies coronavirus is quite strange and it affects to the supply and demand at the same time. We see negative risks on the supply side, which is reflected in the high cost of doing business, the demand will decrease as for increased uncertainty, tighter security measures and restrictions on free movement, as a result, the ability of consumers to spend their own money will be reduced. Experience has shown that 1/3 of the economic losses will be caused by direct losses: job cuts, quarantine and etc. 2/3 of economic losses will be indirect - which will be related to the decrease in consumer confidence, changes in the behavior of business entities, as well as the tightening of access to credit resources. It can be said that the global financial market is now more stable than it was before the 2008 crisis, but the main challenge in the current situation is still to manage uncertainty. In such a situation, it is inevitable that the funds from the budget will be prioritized for health care, so that the health care of the citizens not to be hindered. It seems inevitable for us to resolve the demand – to develop appropriate microfiscal policies in response to the shocks in supply. It is welcome that the European Investment Bank supports Georgia in the fight against the new coronavirus, which is to support Georgian business, support the health care system and accelerate the implementation of existing projects. The World Bank provided $ 15 billion quick and instant assistance to address the first challenges of COVID-19, this was mainly in the field of health and social care. The World Bank is currently working on three financial assistance packages: 1. To assist the government in responding to health and social protection challenges, 2. Substantiation will be provided to the state budget to reduce the expected deficit, 3. The World Bank intends to help small and medium-sized businesses to restore jobs and develop the economy, with a particular focus on affected sectors such as tourism, the first phase shall be completed by the end of April, which will be followed consistently. The World Bank has highlighted such an important circumstance as the inevitability of a zoological recession, which will be followed by a slowdown in economic growth, which in the case of Georgia will be 4% (which is significant to consider). According to the government›s decision, 2 billion GEL has been allocated for direct assistance to the economy, in order to provide emergency financial and material assistance to a number of different categories of affected citizens. Particular attention is paid to operative execution and control of measures envisaged in the concrete plan of economic stimulus and the anti-crisis plan of the government.


2018 ◽  
pp. 111-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Aprile ◽  
Laura Bini

This paper uses some major contributions from accounting institutional theory to discuss the process of convergence toward IFRS. Our analysis identifies the most influential institutions and the complex networks of relationships among institutions, offering a valuable contribution to a better understanding of the current state of diffusion of IFRS around the world and the current progress of the convergence process. We identify the different roles of some main institutions, grouping them into three categories and highlighting their main interactions in different contexts. We place global and international institutions such as IOSCO, EU and other international agencies such as the World Bank into the first category, since they have fostered the initial phase of the convergence process. Secondly, we find that the presence of institutions such as local government and standard setters, which play an intermediary role, mediates between the need to guarantee the implementation of the standards and the need to preserve pre-existing equilibria. Finally, we discuss the role played by the end-users of the standards. Our analysis shows that these institutions are the most critical forces. In fact, in the absence of a structured, led program that orients these forces toward IFRS, the convergence process could result in the proliferation of local systems of standards, increasing the risk that harmonisation is achieved only in name.


Policy Papers ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (53) ◽  
Author(s):  

This paper responds to the Board’s request for an assessment of eligible countries that could qualify for Fund debt relief under the MDRI once the requisite consents and requests have been received. Directors requested that, by end-2005, staff prepare, in collaboration with the World Bank, an assessment of the 18 post-completion point HIPCs, as well as eligible non-HIPCs, and propose for Board consideration a list of members that would qualify immediately for MDRI debt relief. Directors also requested that, for those members that do not presently meet the MDRI qualification criteria, remedial measures be expressly identified that would allow them to qualify for MDRI relief.


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