Cases in Economic Development

Cases in Economic Development: Projects, Policies and Strategies presents cases on project analysis, sectoral planning, and macroeconomic policies. The cases are set in an imaginary country called Beracia in order to simulate actual planning experience. Beracia has been designed with a greater than normal range of problems, so that it can encompass the features of mineral-rich countries such as Zambia and Peru; agrarian economies such as the Philippines and Ivory Coast; and aspiring exporters of manufactures such as Colombia and Pakistan. This text has 11 cases divided into five sections. After providing an overview of development planning, development goals and strategies, and planning theory and practice, the book introduces the fictional country in the next section, which presents four reports similar to World Bank economic reports on developing countries (economic and political developments; income and employment; trade and payments; and fiscal and financial developments). Sufficient data are elaborated to explain the economy’s salient features. The third section focuses on assumptions and controversies surrounding project analysis, while the section on sectorial planning introduces the reader to input-output analysis, efficiency indicators, education planning, and industrial strategy. The section on macroeconomic planning covers macroeconomic forecasts; balance-of-payments crisis; fiscal planning and reform; and income inequality and poverty. The cases span many sectors, from mining and agriculture to manufacturing, transport, education, and health. This book is written primarily for students, professional economists, and experienced policy analysts.