Unlike the 1950s and 1960s, when the rising tide of economic growth lifted most economies, the last three decades have been characterized by a paradox of greater international economic integration as well as divergent economic growth performances. In recent years, most developing countries have grown faster than the developed economies. But the converse has been true in the 1980s and 1990s, except for a number of mostly Asian developing economies. Hence, the growing north-south gap of the last two centuries has been moderated by the better economic performance of China, India and others in East Asia, implying the expansion of the ‘middle income’ category. This volume of analytical studies seeks to explain these major differences in economic performance in recent decades by considering the dynamics of international economic growth, diverging growth rates, economic structures, and sources of demand, successes and collapses in the developing world, recent episodes of real income stagnation of countries. Several chapters critically review recent misleading claims and the conventional wisdom regarding the relationship of trade liberalization, financial development, development, aid, infrastructure spending, violent conflict, good governance, and industrial policy to economic growth.
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