| Economic activity becomes increasingly
concentrated with development. As this happens, substantial
disparities in welfare can emerge between cities and their
hinterland, between leading and lagging areas within
countries and, perhaps most dramatically, between countries
in different regions of the world. The objective of the
World Development Report (WDR) 2009 is to identify and
understand the interactions between geography, economic
activities, and living standards, and to draw the
implications of these interactions for public policy.
WDR 2009 will chart the changes that accompany
development in the three spatial dimensions: rising density,
falling distance and persisting division. The
report will identify the forces that influence the location
of economic development. The report will then assess
public policies that can facilitate the spatial
transformations necessary to sustain economic growth and
reduce geographic disparities in welfare.
The WDR will attempt to reframe three important policy
debates: on urbanization in developing countries; on
territorial development policies; and on the pros and cons
of regional integration. The report will propose that
integration of markets should be the guiding principle for
designing policies and institutions that help developing
countries exploit the economic gains from concentration
while ensuring convergence of social welfare. Drawing
lessons from the experience of both developed and developing
countries and recent advances in economic thinking, the WDR
will discuss promising approaches and interventions.
The report will have three parts which will,
respectively:
| 1 |
Summarize the salient features and
evolution of spatial distribution of economic
activities and social welfare in the developed and
developing world, using three spatial scales that
progressively widen to include density, distance,
and division. |
| 2 |
Propose a framework for identifying
the drivers of these spatial transformations,
focussing on agglomeration economies, factor
mobility, and trade costs. |
| 3 |
Assess the public policies through
which governments have, intentionally or otherwise,
shaped these disparities. |
A discussion draft of the report will be posted on
this site in June 2008. The report will formally be
launched in October 2008.
|
