This publication examines issues related with the social and economic conditions required for achieving development by developing countries. In terms of social conditions, the publication looks at variables such as composition of society, leadership, political independence and sovereignty, group skills, size and density, among others. The economic conditions are basically related to the factors of production (land, labor, capital and entrepeneurship) limitations and distribution.

The EDCC journal does not only look at the conditions of the development but also at its social and economic manifestations in terms of living conditions, cultural change and economic growth.

These issues are analyzed taking into account successful and not successful experiences of developing policies as a way to provide information for the developing world and enrich the discussion.

In order to provide a theoretical framework of discussion, most of the articles are supported with empirical analysis and statistical data. This situation is especially evident in recent volumes where mathematical models are applied to almost every issue studied.

PROBLEMS AND PRIORITIES

During the last 23 years of existence of this journal, the issues, which have been addressed, are: Economics-People, economic policies, ethnic issues, small enterprises, democratization and governance, environment and gender. In terms of countries studied, the one at which more dedication has been devoted is India. This Journal is a good source to look at the policies implemented in India during the last 50 years. In recent years, Korea and Brazil have received increasingly attention.

The Journal of Development Economics publishes papers relating to all aspects of economic development - from immediate policy concerns to structural problems of underdevelopment. The editors seek relevant, intellectually stimulating work from all specialized fields of economics and regions of the globe as long as it deals in scholarly and nonapologetic fashion with problems of economic growth and change. High quality reviews of ongoing works and thorough, critical book reviews will be welcomed. (1978-89)

The Journal of Development Economics publishes papers relating to all aspects of economic development - from immediate policy concerns to structural problems of underdevelopment. The emphasis on quantitative or analytical work, which is relevant as well as stimulating. (1990-98)

The World Development Journal is a multidisciplinary monthly journal founded in 1973. This journal was created for the study and promotion of world development. This publication examines problems such as poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, disease, illiteracy, homelessness, environmental degradation, inadequate scientific and technological resources, trade and payments of balances, international debt, gender and ethnic discrimination, violation of human rights, militarism and civil conflict and lack of popular participation in economic and political life.

The journal highlights a mix of both qualitative and quantitative methods of inquiry. The methodologies of the articles in more recent issues of The World Development Journal are more quantitative than earlier issues. Many of the articles used surveys of other forms of data such as GNP/GDP, poverty rates, wage levels, prices of products and other indicators that gauge economic health. Some of the authors created their own through statistical analysis and case studies. The World Development Journal’s publishes papers that discuss the issues of interest to the journal in ways that are creative and that also point to possible solutions or reforms. Another criteria for publication in this journal includes a policy that submitted manuscripts had not been previously published or were not being simultaneously submitted for publication elsewhere.

The frequency of articles about (1) certain regions of the world, (2) the Third World in general, and about (3) specific countries. Asia and Africa were the two most studied regions, with Latin American coming in a close third in terms of the number of articles focusing on this region. China was the most frequently studied country in the journal.

Vol. 1 1952 Pages 73-82

The author analyzes the usefulness and value of foreign technical assistance during the Indonesian transition process to an independent government. He explains what the requirements of a successful and valuable foreign help in Indonesia are: 1) A non-useful foreign help is focused on doing the government’s job while a useful one accompanies the government in doing its job. 2) Foreign help is valuable for the country if the imported technologies are adapted to the to the country’s needs and environment. 3) Foreigner experts must speak the native language, at least in a basic level, to be able to communicate with native people and read reports. 4) Foreign salaries must keep secret to avoid discomfort among native workers. Finally, the author identifies insecurity as the most important barrier for foreign assistance because it sets limits on the places where foreigners can or can not work, limiting the extent of their studies.

Vol. 2 1952 Pages 109-119

The article deals with the problems that a policy maker confronts in the process of development. The process must be rational. It means all the alternatives must be studied and valued in terms of the development goals (increase per capita income of people). The development process must include not only economic variables (factors of production) but also social, cultural and political ones. In addition, it must acknowledge that those variables are not static. They change induced by economic growth or by contact with other cultures. As a result of those permanent changes, development process tends to be slow. Finally, the article deals with the ways of financing development. The most representative part of the cost must come from the government and the rest from foreign help after analyzing in the long run the effects of the debt repayments cost.

Vol. 1 1952 Pages 8-21

The purpose of the article is to identify the non-economic barriers of economic development assuming that economic development is a rapid industrialization process leading to economic growth which will affect the social composition and cultural aspect of the society. In this process, not also economic obstacles are found, such as: lack of natural resources, need for improved infrastructure and increase in the demand for new labor skills, but also non-economic ones. Some of the barriers identified are: First, individuals hold to traditional values what slows down the implementation of development policies. Colonialism created a high sense of nationalism in developing countries, which creates opposition for foreign help or thoughts. The economic development process requires the implementation of new technologies or economic policies, which sometimes are rejected by society. Another barrier is the conception of defective development plans. For example, governments want to become industrialized without taking into account the need of identifying priorities when resources are scarce. Those plans are designed under the absence of reliable information. There is difficulty in identifying macro goals due to the differences in needs and potentiality for change between rural and urban areas. In terms of financing the plan, the international aid turns into a barrier because it is tied to some particular conditions, which sometimes interferes with government’s goals. This situation puts the developing country in the dilemma: to choose between eliminating the foreign aid and reducing its developing goals or accepting the foreign aid and following their rules.

There is a debate between those who think that environmental degradation is a necessary outcome of economic growth and those who believe that economic growth and environmental quality go hand in hand.

Based on an econometric model developed by the authors, they demonstrate that even in a world in which environmental quality is not valued in markets, economic growth does not necessarily lead to environmental degradation. Even for market economies in which environmental quality is a pure public good (market price equals zero) economic growth and environmental quality improvement are not incompatible if growth is accompanied by technical change. Moreover, public policy can move the economy towards a point in which more environmental and market goods are produced.

The model designed chose parklands and the rate of afforestation as environmental amenities as a function of country’s resources endowment, population and per capita income. The sample was made of 93 countries.

The empirical results support the hypothesis that environmental amenities are negatively related to income in countries with less than about $1,200-$2000 income per capita, and in higher-income countries the environmental amenities are positively related to income with an income elasticity greater than 1.

Method: Sample survey of women aged 20-24, none of whose children have died.

Conclusion: Other studies have already shown that prolonged malnutrition of the mother will increase infant mortality by reducing the birth weight of children. This study shows that improvements in nutrition will lead to declines in fertility through decreases in infant mortality. If calorie consumption can be held constant and protein consumption increased, both infant mortality and fertility may fall.

Method: Current (as of 1983) analytical framework underlying IMF conditionality in described and critically appraised.

Conclusion: While existing financial programming techniques are valid for certain areas, they would need to be revised and supplemented to make them relevant to other cases. Some suggestions for improvement of the Fund’s operational procedures are made.

Method: Focused on three social security objectives: protection of the needy affected by social risks; progressive income redistribution ; and promotion of savings-investment to reduce inflation and enhance development.

Conclusion: Analysis indicated that in most of Latin America, social security reserves have not played an important role in the savings-investment-development process that could have improved the situation of the very poor. In fact, the investment structure has favored the insured groups (reducing their loans, housing costs).

Vol. 20, 1. 1992 Pages 19-37

Summary: This article surveys data on poverty in Latin America to ascertain the relationship between growth, inequality and poverty. The authors conclude that to reduce poverty there needs to be more income-earning opportunities and programs that help the poor to take advantage of these opportunities. The authors propose three policies: redistribution in the form of direct transfers to the poor, a return to the basic needs approach of international organizations and an emphasis on more research of poverty. This article was significant because it did a thorough survey of poverty data and proposed policies to combat the problem.

Vol. 18, 12. 1998 Pages 1599-1619

Summary: This article addresses the problem of integrating environmental concerns into development policies. The authors analyze a number of development practices in terms of their benefit to the environment and they discuss ways to achieve development without environmental damage. First, development must be an integrated policy, taking the environment into consideration. Second, environmental costs should be factored in when measuring progress. Third, development policies should include an internalization of externalities, using such programs as the Polluter-Pays. Fourth, mechanisms must be put in place to encourage environmentally sound agricultural methods and there should be a reduction in fiscal policies that encourage environmentally irresponsible behavior. This article is significant because it offers concrete approaches and policy recommendations to creating environmentally and economically viable development.

Vol. 23, 6. 1995 Pages 1007-1021

Summary: This article analyzes the effects of environmental reclamation projects in Ethiopia after the 1985 famine. The paper’s main criticism is that these projects do not put their initiatives in a cultural context and instead use general paradigms or narratives that are inappropriate for the needs of the people and the land. The author contends that environmental policies that are undertaken without the necessary research of the indigenous peoples’ methods and lifestyle cause more harm than good. Mr. Hoben concludes that these paradigms will continue to have power when: (1) the experts and their domestic constituencies are attached to the ideas of the project, (2) there is pressure on the donors to act quickly, (3) there has been little technical and socioeconomic research on the country, (4) the recipient country relies heavily on the advice of the foreign experts, (5) the recipient government depends on foreign aid, and (6) the recipient government is weak and/or authoritarian and does not have the capacity to learn or hear its rural people. This article is significant because it points to the significance of understanding the cultural context when undertaking environmental policy.

Vol. 20, 1. 1992 Pages 83-95

Summary: This article analyzes and critiques the industrial adjustment policies of the World Bank and the IMF as it relates to Africa. The author compares the effects of the policy on various African states and concludes that the model of industrial adjustment is flawed. Mr. Stein asserts that due to the weaknesses of the model, Africa’s existing industry will falter and the industrial policies will not create a viable replacement. This article is interesting because many of the critiques of the World Bank/IMF policies have focused on their handling of the East Asian economies and in Africa’s case, more attention has been given to agricultural adjustment policies.

Vol. 25, 6. 1997 Pages 963-975