Book
The Rocky Road to Reform

Adjustment, Income Distribution, and Growth in the Developing World

These case studies by an international roster of development economists provide valuable insights into the difficulty of establishing answers to the fundamental question of why nations grow at different rates, with inequitable patterns of wealth and income distribution.

The case studies of Colombia, Chile, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, the Philippines, Mexico, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Argentina, Brazil, Nicaragua, Zambia, and Senegal look at each country from the perspective of its own history and institutions, bringing to light factors that condition observed performances.

The country studies are framed by introductory chapters by Lance Taylor. Taylor discusses the ideas underlying the cases and summarizes their implications. He sets current policy in a broader context surrounded by initial and boundary conditions on economic reform relevant for the 1990s: prior debates in development economics; the theory of the state; currently popular options for economic stabilization and adjustment; and trade, industrial, and agricultural strategies. Drawing on results of the country studies, Taylor also sets up a novel "3-gap" macroeconomic model to calculate foreign resource requirements for growth.

Table of contents
  1. 1. The Rocky Road to Reform
    Lance Taylor
  2. 2. A Three-Gap Analysis of Foreign Resource Flows and Developing Country Growth
    Lance Taylor
    More Working Paper | Foreign Resource Flows and Developing Country Growth
  3. 3. Stabilization, Adjustment, and Reform
    Lance Taylor
  4. 4. Colombia
    José Antonio Ocampo
  5. 5. Chile
    Andrés Solimano
  6. 6. Thailand
    Somchai Jitsuchon and Chalangphob Sussangkarn
  7. 7. Malaysia
    K. S. Jomo
  8. 8. Sri Lanka
    S. A. Karunaratne and Carlo Fonseka
  9. 9. Turkey
    Korkut Boratav and Oktar Türel
  10. 10. The Philippines
    Joseph Y. Lim, Manuel F. Montes and Agnes R. Quisumbing
  11. 11. Mexico
    Nora Lustig and Jaime Ros
  12. 12. Nigeria
    T. Ademola Oyejide and Mufutau I. Raheem
  13. 13. Zimbabwe
    Rob Davies and Jørn Rattsø
  14. 14. Tanzania
    Benno J. Ndulu
  15. 15. Uganda
    Ardeshir Sepehri
  16. 16. Argentina
    Jose Maria Fanelli and Roberto Frenkel
  17. 17. Brazil
    Dionísio Dias Carneiro and Rogério L.F. Werneck
  18. 18. Nicaragua
    Bill Gibson
  19. 19. Zambia
    Thandika Mkandawire
  20. 20. Senegal
    François Boye
Show all