The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are unlikely to be met by 2015, even if huge increases in development assistance materialize. The MDGs are a set of quantitative, time-bound targets for indicators such as poverty, education and mortality in developing countries adopted unanimously by the...

There are significant weaknesses in some of the traditional justifications for assuming that aid will foster development. This paper looks at what the cross-country aid effectiveness literature and World Bank Operations Evaluation Department reviews have suggested about effective aid, first in...

The complexities and uncertainties of development -- The domestic context -- History and the legacy of colonialism -- Big men, personal rule, and patronage politics -- Violent conflict and civil war -- Political change and democratization -- Core development questions -- Africa's growth puzzle...

Introduction -- The complexities and uncertainties of development -- The domestic context -- History and the legacy of colonialism -- Big men, personal rule and patronage politics -- Violent conflict and civil war -- Political change and democratization -- Core development questions -- Africa's...

The world has increasingly recognized that private capital has a vital role to play in economic development. African countries have moved to liberalize the investment environment, yet have not received much FDI. At least part of this poor performance is because of lingering skepticism toward...

Zimbabwe is embarking on a long, complex, and difficult journey to rebuild its economy, which has been shattered by years of neglect and destructive government policies. If the final political hurdles are overcome hopefully sooner rather than later - the new coalition government will be faced...

The complexities of African development -- Part 1: Historical and political context -- The colonial legacy -- Big men, personal rule, and patronage politics -- Party systems and democratic trajectories -- Conflict, war, and state fragility -- Part 2: Core development questions -- Growth and...

The most basic economic theory suggests that rising incomes in developing countries will deter emigration from those countries, an idea that captivates policymakers in international aid and trade diplomacy. A lengthy literature and recent data suggest something quite different: that over the...