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Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Tables, Figures, and Boxes -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Author Profiles -- Abbreviations -- 1. Introduction -- 1.1 Rapid Economic Transformation -- 1.2 Oil Boom 2004-2014 -- 1.3 Slowdown from 2015 to 2017 -- 1.4 Government Reform Initiatives -- 1.5 The Strategic Road Maps on the National Economy Perspective and Main Sectors of the Economy -- 1.6 Initial Results of Diversifying into Agriculture and Tourism -- References -- 2. The Growth Diagnostics Framework -- 2.1 High Cost of Finance -- 2.2 Insufficient Investments in Human Capital and Infrastructure -- 2.3 Government Failures -- 2.4 Market Failures -- 2.5 Conclusions and Policy Recommendations -- References -- 3. Strengthening Human Capital -- 3.1 Demographic Trends and Labor Market Assessment -- 3.2 Challenges in Education -- 3.3 Challenges in Skills Development -- 3.4 Review of Policies and Programs -- 3.5 Conclusions and Policy Recommendations -- References -- 4. Enhancing Infrastructure for Economic Diversification and Competitiveness -- 4.1 Infrastructure Vital to the Development Blueprint -- 4.2 Infrastructure Development: Taking Stock -- 4.3 Public Investment in Infrastructure -- 4.4 Institutional Reforms for Smart Public Investments -- 4.5 Pricing Infrastructure Services, Infrastructure Maintenance, and Economic Regulations for Infrastructure -- 4.6 Private Sector Participation -- 4.7 Conclusions and Policy Recommendations -- References -- 5. Transforming State-Owned Enterprises into Engines of Growth -- 5.1 Oil Shock Exposes SOE Weaknesses -- 5.2 Government Reforms to Raise SOE Efficiency -- 5.3 Overview of SOE Inefficiency -- 5.4 Fiscal Implications of Underperforming SOEs -- 5.5 Impact of the Performance of SOEs on the Economy -- 5.6 Conclusions and Policy Recommendations -- References -- 6. Concluding Remarks -- References.

This collection resulted from an international workshop funded and organised by Biosecurity Australia, the agency of government responsible for analysing Australia's quarantine import risks and for negotiating multilateral SPS rules and less restrictive access to overseas markets for Australian produce. The workshop, which was held at the Melbourne Business School on 24-25 October 2000, brought together a distinguished group of applied economists and quarantine policy analysts whose focus involves regions as disparate as Europe, North America, Africa, Asia and New Zealand, in addition to Australia

For decades, earnings from farming in many low-income countries have been depressed by a pro-urban bias in own-country policies, as well as by governments of richer countries favoring their farmers with import barriers and subsidies. Both sets of policies reduce national and global economic growth. They also add to inequality and poverty in developing countries, since most of the world's billion poorest people depend on farming for their livelihood. Over the past two decades numerous developing country governments have reduced their sectoral and trade policy distortions, while some high-income countries also have begun reforming their protectionist policies. Drawing on results from a new multi-country research project, this paper examines the extent of South Africa's reforms relative to those of other temperate-zone Southern Hemisphere countries, of Northern Hemisphere rich countries, and of other developing countries. It concludes by pointing to the scope and prospects for further pro-poor policy reform at home and abroad. ; Financial assistance from World Bank Trust Funds, particularly from DfID and BNPP, are gratefully acknowledged.

This report summarizes the more-easily measured of the wine industry's economic contributions. Other contributions multiply those benefits, including those to the restaurant, accommodation and other tourist-related industries, and to input-supplying industries such as bottle producers, designers and printer of labels, and transport firms. The report also summarizes some key characteristics of the industry at the regional level. In doing so it reveals the increasing distinctiveness of the various regions as they seek to add value by differentiating themselves from each other and from producers abroad

There is no doubt that the open multilateral trading system after World War II was a key ingredient in the rapid economic development of the entire world. Especially in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan, exports increased dramatically both in absolute terms and as a percentage of GNP. In the 1980s, however, preferential trading arrangements (PTAs) began to emerge as significant factors affecting world trade. This volume contains thirteen papers that analyze the tensions between multilateral trading systems and preferential trade arrangements and the impact of these tensions on East Asia. The first four chapters introduce PTAs conceptually and focus on the unique political issues that these agreements involve. The next five essays present more direct empirical analyses of existing PTAs and their economic effects, primarily in East Asia. The last four papers concentrate on the outcomes of individual East Asian nations' trading policies in specific instances of preferential agreements

There has been an increase in food price instability in recent years, with varied consequences for farmers, market participants, and consumers. Before policy makers can design schemes to reduce food price uncertainty or ameliorate its effects, they must first understand the factors that have contributed to recent price instability. Does it arise primarily from technological or weather-related supply shocks, or from changes in demand like those induced by the growing use of biofuel? Does financial speculation affect food price volatility? The researchers who contributed to The Economics of Food Price Volatility address these and other questions. They examine the forces driving both recent and historical patterns in food price volatility, as well as the effects of various public policies in affecting this volatility. The chapters include studies of the links between food and energy markets, the impact of biofuel policy on the level and variability of food prices, and the effects of weather-related disruptions in supply. The findings shed light on the way price volatility affects the welfare of farmers, traders, and consumers