In November 2001 the members of the World Trade Organization approved the start of new trade talks at the WTO ministerial meeting in Doha. Written by a team of authors from developing and developed countries in the Asia-Pacific region, this collection of essays identifies ways that progress might be made on key negotiating topics. The negotiations launched will focus on such problematic issues as improving market access in agriculture, and strengthening the development impacts of WTO which, if achieved, will have profound implications on world trade.

This book examines the economic success of the newly industrializing and near-industrializing economies of East Asia. The distinguished group of authors covers a range of topics in a comparative perspective, and identifies lessons of concern to economic, political, and social questions throughout the developing world. Contributors: James Riedel, Hollis Chenery, Seiji Naya, Thomas G. Parry, Robert Wade, Arnold C. Harberger, Deepak Lal, Ryokichi Hirono, Stephen Haggard, J.A.C. Mackie, William J. O'Malley.

This book analyzes the remarkable postwar development of East Asian economies and assesses the prospects for copying this blueprint elsewhere. Leading economists examine the key factors and policy issues involved, especially the changed emphasis from import-substitution to outward-orientation.

Fiscal Decentralisation in Developing Countries features important, original and up-to-date research from leading scholars assessing fiscal decentralization in developing countries. It has rich and varied case-study material from countries as diverse as India, China, Colombia, Bosnia-Herzogovina and South Africa.

Labour Market Reform in China analyzes institutional changes in the Chinese labor market over the past twenty years, and offers evidence that further reform is necessary if China is to sustain its high growth rates. It investigates separately the impact of economic reform on the rural and urban labor markets and then considers their interaction. Consideration is given to employment and unemployment, wages and social security. It provides a detailed analysis of how current ownership patterns of urban enterprises hinder further labor market reform.

Trade integration contributes substantially to economic development and poverty alleviation. In recent years much progress was made to liberalize the trade regime, but customs procedures are often still complex, costly and non-transparent. This situation leads to misallocation of resources. 'Customs Modernization Handbook' provides an overview of the key elements of a successful customs modernization strategy and draws lessons from a number of successful customs reforms as well as from customs reform projects that have been undertaken by the World Bank. It describes a number of key import...

International policies toward protecting intellectual property rights have seen profound changes over the past two decades. Rules on how to protect patents, copyright, trademarks and other forms of intellectual property have become a standard component of international trade agreements. Most significantly, during the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations (1986-94), members of what is today the World Trade Organization (WTO) concluded the Agreement on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which sets out minimum standards of protection that most of the world's economies...

What requirements must Turkey the largest country among the candidate and accession countries meet to join the European Union? What progress has been made toward meeting them? This timely volume analyzes the economic challenges confronting Turkey in its quest to accede to the European Union (EU). It focuses on the extent to which Turkey is ready to join the Single Market, comply with the EU's body of economic regulations and directives, the 'Acquis Communautaire', and meet the Maastricht criteria for fiscal, monetary, and exchange rate policies. This book also provides an assessment of...

The past decade has brought an increasing recognition to the importance of pension systems to the economic stability of nations and the security of their aging populations. During this time, the World Bank has taken a leading role in addressing this challenge through its support for pension reforms around the world. 'Old-Age Income Support in the 21st Century' attempts to explain current policy thinking and update the World Bank's perspective on pension reform. The Bank has been involved in pension reforms in nearly 60 countries, and the demand for its support continues to grow. This book...

Poverty reduction on a large scale depends on empowering those who are most motivated to move out of poverty?--poor people themselves. But if empowerment cannot be measured, it will not be taken seriously in development policy making and programming. Building on the award-winning 'Empowerment and Poverty Reduction' sourcebook, this volume outlines a conceptual framework that can be used to monitor and evaluate programs centered on empowerment approaches. It presents the perspectives of 27 distinguished researchers and practitioners in economics, political science, sociology, psychology,...