Since the 1940s, development thinking has been the subject of fierce debate and continual evolution. The authors of this book trace the ideas that have driven changing approaches to development, focusing also on the Prebisch-Singer Thesis, which seeks to explain the widening gaps between rich and poor nations, caused by unequal distribution of trade benefits. They discuss both aid during and after the cold war, and the rise and subsequent liberalisation crisis of the Asian ‘Tiger Economies’.

The Economic North–South Divide goes on to explore the structural roots of the debt crisis and considers the impact of debt management on North–South economic relations, exposing certain double standards that tilt global markets further against the South. Encouraged by recent successful opposition to neoliberalism, the authors finally propose ideas for a world where people seem to matter.

List of Chapters

Chapter 1: Six decades of economic and social development policies p.1

Chapter 2: Beyond terms of trade: Convergence, divergence, and (un)creative destruction p.16

Chapter 3: The evolution of development thinking p.32

Chapter 4: The neoliberal tide of the 'Washington Consensus' p.48

Chapter 5: Aid to development and the bi-polar world p.64

Chapter 6: ODA after the Cold War: Less money at tougher conditions p.79

Chapter 7: Lomé - Reflecting North-South relations since colonial times p.99

Chapter 8: Oil - Temporarily a special case p.120

Chapter 9: The Asian tigers: What do they prove? p.138

Chapter 10: The debt crisis: Historical roots and 'debt management' during the 1980s p.158

Chapter 11: Too little, too slowly - Dragging the debt problem into the third millenium p.175

Chapter 12: The WTO: Tilting trade rules further against the South p.197

Chapter 13: Textiles and apparel: Double standards of adjustment and transition p.220

Chapter 14: Towards a more equal world order p.236

Bibliography p.257