Cities exist, grow, and prosper because
they take advantage of scale economies and specialization
wrought by agglomeration. But output growth inevitably
stresses transport infrastructure because production
requires space and mobility. To prevent congestion from
crowding out agglomeration benefits and to expand the supply
of urban land, cities must invest in transport
infrastructure. Building more infrastructures, especially

This report addresses the insolvency of
natural persons following this structure: a first part
introduces the objectives and nature of the report, deals
with general issues, and describes the foundations of a
system for the treatment of the insolvency of natural
persons. The second part of the report analyzes the core
legal attributes of system for the treatment of the
insolvency of natural persons: within this system, the most

The phrase “land grab” has become common in Myanmar, often making front page news. This reflects the more open political space available to talk about injustices, as well as the escalating severity and degree of land dispossession under the new government.

But this seemingly simple two-word phrase is in fact very complex and opaque. It thus deserves greater clarity in order to better understand the deep layers of meaning to farmers in the historical political context of Myanmar.

Today, Brazil has the second longest
highway network under private concessions in the world. This
paper analyzes Brazil's experience under the two first
phases of the federal road concession program, and
highlights some of the program's strengths and areas
for further development. Despite the unfolding world
financial and economic crisis, the potential for further
private participation in the sector appears very good. This

In many countries the private sector has
been involved in financing infrastructure through
concessions under a public-private partnership (PPP)
program. PPP schemes, however, are somewhat underutilized in
transition economies, where the potential financing gaps are
significant and growing, and there seems to be an enormous
potential for more private sector involvement in the
financing and operation of highway assets in these

This paper uses data from a large survey
of Chinese firms to investigate whether local government
efforts to facilitate market development improve firm
efficiency. Both government provision of information about
products, markets, and innovation and government assistance
in arranging loans are positively associated with firm
efficiency. Those private firms with weak access to and
knowledge of financial, input, and product markets benefit

Russia and other countries in the
commonwealth of independent states that have implemented
voucher privatization programs have to account for the
puzzling behavior of insiders manager-owners-who, in
stripping assets from the firms they own, appear to be
stealing from one pocket to fill the other. This article
suggests that asset stripping and the absence of
restructuring result from interactions between insiders and

Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have their say. Please click here if you are interested in contributing.

The international community, whose Western representatives so readily flock to Myanmar in both good will and selfish interest, is often an unwitting contributor to the country's persistent instability. This will likely lead not to intended peace but to more unwanted war until certain facts are fully faced...

Property rights represent the maximum power over a good. This is the essence of that right. However, beyond that base is possible a greater or smaller degree of limitation, according to the legal system and the prevailing ideology in the Constitution. the author argues that it is essential to tie the concept to the prevailing economic system, because in a closed economy we can tolerate greater limitations on this right that in an open economy. Peru, certainly, changed its model to an open economy in 1993, when it limited the possibility of expropriation.

For the last 60 years, the Korean economy has achieved an astounding development that is called “the Miracle of the Han River.” Korea was one of the world’s poorest countries at the time of the national liberation in 1945 and it went through a three-year long Korean War from 1950. However, it grew into one of the world’s leading trading powers. Its per capita income, which was merely 255 USD in 1970, reached 22,000 USD as of 2012.

Indonesia comprises more mangroves than any other country, but also exhibits some of the highest mangrove loss rates worldwide. Most of these mangrove losses are caused by aquaculture development. Monetary valuation of the numerous ecosystem services of mangroves may contribute to their conservation.

Whereas 2011 had seen a sharp increase in the number of Economic Land Concessions (ELCs) granted by the Royal Government of Cambodia to private companies, in 2012 conflicts became more acute and protests multiplied. The government showed that it had understood the seriousness of the situation by taking initiatives aimed at resolving land disputes, addressing some of the issues related to ELCs and granting thousands of land titles to rural families.