After decades of war, with a dilapidated infrastructure and millions of people dead, wounded or displaced, Vietnam could have been considered a hopeless case in economic development. Yet, it is now about to enter the ranks of middle-income countries. The obvious question is: How did this happen? This paper goes one step further, asking not which policies were adopted, but rather why they were adopted. This question is all the more intriguing because the process did not involve one group of individuals displacing another within the structure of power.

Botswana represents one of the few development success stories in Sub-Saharan Africa. Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth averaged almost 9 percent between 1960 and 2005, far above the Sub-Saharan Africa average. Real GDP per capita grew even faster, averaging more than 10 percent a year -- the most rapid economic growth of any country in the world. The crucial question is: Why has Botswana grown the way it has done, and what lessons does it offer?

Rapid growth since 1980 has transformed India from the world's 50th ranked economy in nominal U.S. dollars to the 10th largest in 2005. The growth of per capita income has helped reduce poverty. At the same time, evidence suggests that income inequality is rising and that the gap in average per capita income between the rich and poor states is growing. This paper reviews India's long term growth experience with a view to understanding the determinants of growth and the underlying political economy.

This paper analyzes the role of the leadership in the economic growth in Rwanda, a country that was seriously affected by civil war and the 1994 genocide. It appears that the will and the clear vision of the leadership in Rwanda were one of the central pillars of the very good economic and social performances in Rwanda. This is particularly important because the country has almost no natural resources and the economy and its fundamentals were completely destroyed by the 1994 genocide.

The Cambodia environment monitor 2008 is one of a series of environmental reports prepared for East Asian countries under an initiative sponsored by the World Bank. The objective of this series is to present a snapshot of environmental trends across a range of issues. The purpose of the monitor is to engage and inform interested stakeholders about key environmental changes in an easy to understand format accessible to a wide audience. This report identifies seven strategic priorities for the Royal government of Cambodia and its conservation partners.

The sustainability of irrigated agriculture is questioned and the challenge is to increase simultaneously land and water productivity in the face of the limited availability of land and water in the CRV, the Central Rift Valley. The aim of this research is to assess the social-economic performance of two communitybased small-scale irrigation schemes in Adami Tullu Jido Kombolcha Woreda (ATJK) and to identify options to improve irrigation performance and resource management

Myanmar's agricultural economy has been under transition from a planned to a market system since the late 1980s and has experienced a substantial increase in production. However, little research is available on the impact of economic policies in this country on agricultural production decisions and rural incomes. Therefore, this paper investigates the impact using a micro dataset collected in 2001 and covering more than 500 households in eight villages with diverse agro-ecological environments.

De regie over de aanpak van natuurbeleidsproblemen verschuift met de invoering van het ILG in 2007 verder naar de provincies. Doel is het realiseren van een slagvaardiger sturing van het landelijk gebied door het rijk meer op afstand te laten sturen. Het betreft hier beleidsterreinen als: natuur, landschap, landbouw, recreatie, groen en milieu

De Directie Platteland van het ministerie van LNV wil aan de hand van de case 'Toegankelijkheid platteland' meer inzicht te krijgen in de rol die MKBA kan spelen in de beleidsvoorbereiding (interactie LNV en provincies). In dit rapport wordt een indicatieve maatschappelijke kosten-batenanalyse (MKBA) en een beperkte financiële analyse uitgevoerd voor wandelpaden op boerenland. De ontwikkelde methodiek is toegepast op twee regio's, de Hoeksche Waard en het Land van Wijk en Wouden (omgeving Stompwijk - Hazerswoude).

Politieke, economische en maatschappelijke ontwikkelingen zullen de komende jaren gevolgen hebben voor de ruimtelijke ontwikkelingen in Nederland. Die ontwikkelingen zullen niet egaal over Nederland plaatsvinden. Hoe krijgen we een beeld van wat we waar kunnen verwachten? Zo zal de landbouw zich moeten aanpassen aan nieuw gebruikers. De gebieden die het betreft, zijn divers van aard.

La Comunidad Andina de Naciones ha intentado emular en la mayor parte de las etapas al proceso seguido por la UE, en particular en la práctica de desarrollar instituciones análogas como condición necesaria para avanzar en el proceso integracionista. A partir de fuentes bibliográficas y hemerográficas oficiales el documento revisa el proceso histórico de la CAN desde su creación y hasta el 2005, con énfasis en los cambios institucionales; presenta algunos indicadores socioeconómicos, así como un sucinto dossier de las políticas sectoriales y agropecuarias.