Development finance : debates, dogmas and new direction

This book examines the subject of Development Finance, or more specifically how financial systems can help or hinder the process of human development. As an expert in this field, Stephen Spratt reviews the components of the domestic and international financial systems, and considers reform options objectively against the central goal of human development. The result is a combination of orthodox and more innovative approaches, which provides a thorough grounding in development finance theory and practice in the twenty-first century. Topics covered in the book include:

The Millennium Development Goals flows

Financial crises and international capital Designing and regulating the domestic financial system

Finance and the private sector.

Focusing on the roles of the World Bank and the IMF, and with a host of case studies and real world examples from Asia, Africa and Latin America as well as the 'transition' economies of Eastern Europe, the author examines developing countries' engagement with the international financial system and its influence on the process of human development, both positive and nega tive. Spratt argues that the success or failure of financial systems and reforms can be judged against a simple benchmark: do they positively contribute to poverty reduction and human development, or not? He goes on to say that reforms that pass this test are to be welcomed whilst those that do not should be discarded, regardless of the ideological package in which they are wrapped. Packed with helpful tables and figures, this book will be essential reading for students taking courses on: international development; development finance; development economics; financial theory and practice.