Rethinking Development Strategies After the Financial Crisis

Book excerpt: Recent economic trends and the challenges posed by the global crisis reinforce the importance of implementing strategies for development as opposed to leaving the economy to market forces. Countries need a strategic compass for long-run economic development. This comprises macroeconomic policies, sectoral policies (including financial sector, trade and industrial policies), institution building in key areas and development-friendly global governance. Within a chosen medium- or long-term strategy, governments need more policy space to adjust to the specific (and evolving) social, historical and institutional context. In this volume, issues that all developing countries need to handle are discussed.