The International Information Centre for Local Credit, with the assistance of member banks, carries out investigations in different countries and publishes the results. The present study relates to the problem of the unequal economic, social and cultural development of different areas in the world. Particu larly since the second world war this problem has been recognized as being of major importance. While initially it was the differences in development between different countries which attracted almost all the attention, for a number of years now an increasing interest has been apparent in...