This paper surveys the theoretical and empirical literature on the financing of investment in order to lay the foundation for subsequent analysis of technology investments by Southern European SMEs. By adapting a variety of approaches to suit this purpose, a number of findings for policy are...

While poverty reduction has become the central focus of the multilateral institutions, research into macroeconomic policy has lagged behind and continues to be almost solely growth-focused. This paper aims to contribute to one policy area, that of capital account regulation, and sets out a...

This paper presents a 'real options' model of investment under uncertainty, which incorporates the assumption of a financial market characterised by asymmetric information and which can explain the stylised facts of firm growth. The decision-making situation faced by small and medium-sized...

Agency is inescapably plural in both concept and measurement. In Sen’s account of agency, i) agency is exercised with respect to goals the person values; ii) agency includes effective power as well as direct control; iii) agency may advance wellbeing or may address other-regarding goals; iv)...

Violence impedes human freedom to live safely and securely, and can sustain poverty traps in many communities. A key challenge for academics, policy makers and practitioners working broadly in programs aimed at poverty alleviation, including violence prevention, is the lack of reliable and...

Africa's industrial performance has been poor and its ability to industrialize successfully is under increasing question. This paper argues that industrialization remains vital to African development. It describes the current global industrial setting and analyses the recent performance of...

There is an ongoing debate on whether or not developing countries suffer a trend deterioration in their terms of trade in their exchange of manufactures with developed countries. In a contribution to this debate, this paper analyses trends in the prices of US imports and exports of manufactures...

The paper explores the conditions making for success in Human Development (HD) in developing countries. For this purpose it defines success in HD in a materialistic and reductionist way as being measured by progress in improving life expectancy and reducing infant mortality rates. Drawing on...

There is growing concern in Southeast and East Asia about the competitive threat posed by China’s burgeoning exports, exacerbated by its accession to the WTO. The threat is not confined to labour-intensive products but spans the whole technological and skill range. At the same time, China is...

While it may be possible to mitigate poverty through social transfers, it is not possible to eradicate the processes that create poverty under capitalism. Eight such processes are discussed: i) the creation of the pre-conditions; ii) petty commodity production and trade; iii) technological change...