Determinants of economic growth: An overview Thijs de Ruyter van Steveninck, Nico van der Windt, and Maaike Oosterbaan Netherlands Economic Institute What causes economic growth? Why have some countries grown much faster than others? Why do some countries not grow at all, or even experience negative (per capita) growth rates? What can governments do to raise the growth rates of their country? These questions were discussed at a conference on March 23 and 24, 1998, organized by the Netherlands Economic Institute (NEI) on behalf of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This book contains the proceedings of the conference. Economic growth is widely considered as a necessary (though not sufficient) condition for poverty alleviation. During the past two decades, scholars and researchers have found a renewed interest in thinking about economic growth, and advances in the understanding of economic growth have taken place. On the one hand, the theoretical understanding of growth has progressed on various fronts, including endogenous technological innovation and increasing returns to scale; the interaction of population, fertility, human capital, and growth; international spill-overs in technology and capital accumulation; and the role of institutions. On the other hand, the increasing availability and use of data sets has given a large incentive to empirical research on cross-country growth, following the path-breaking work ofBarro (1991).

In less developed countries (LDCs) there is considerable concern that the developments in the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) may lead to a more inward looking European Union (EU). As EU trade, foreign investment and aid flows are diverted from LDCs towards the CEECs, close neighbours of the EU, a new dimension would be added to 'fortress Europe'. This volume consists of 11 chapters by scholars from the EU, the CEECs and LDCs. Each paper is discussed in terms of its policy relevance by a policy maker as well as by an academic specializing in the field. In the opening chapter we aim to do justice to the discussion during the Workshop in Rotterdam in May 1994 at which preliminary versions of all chapters were presented. Edited versions of the interventions by the policy makers and experts are included as far as possible after the chapters. A summary of the discussion is presented in the concluding remarks by Rolf Langhammer. The opinions expressed in this volume are those of the authors and not necessarily of their organizations. The editors XXI Foreword I am glad the first meeting of this network is on the developing country dimension of pan-European integration, for two reasons. Firstly, politi cal and economic liberalization in Central and Eastern Europe makes it possible, even necessary, to discuss such an issue."

In less developed countries (LDCs) there is considerable concern that the developments in the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) may lead to a more inward looking European Union (EU). As EU trade, foreign investment and aid flows are diverted from LDCs towards the CEECs, close neighbours of the EU, a new dimension would be added to 'fortress Europe'. This volume consists of 11 chapters by scholars from the EU, the CEECs and LDCs. Each paper is discussed in terms of its policy relevance by a policy maker as well as by an academic specializing in the field. In the opening chapter we aim to do justice to the discussion during the Workshop in Rotterdam in May 1994 at which preliminary versions of all chapters were presented. Edited versions of the interventions by the policy makers and experts are included as far as possible after the chapters. A summary of the discussion is presented in the concluding remarks by Rolf Langhammer. The opinions expressed in this volume are those of the authors and not necessarily of their organizations. The editors XXI Foreword I am glad the first meeting of this network is on the developing country dimension of pan-European integration, for two reasons. Firstly, politi cal and economic liberalization in Central and Eastern Europe makes it possible, even necessary, to discuss such an issue.

Determinants of economic growth: An overview Thijs de Ruyter van Steveninck, Nico van der Windt, and Maaike Oosterbaan Netherlands Economic Institute What causes economic growth? Why have some countries grown much faster than others? Why do some countries not grow at all, or even experience negative (per capita) growth rates? What can governments do to raise the growth rates of their country? These questions were discussed at a conference on March 23 and 24, 1998, organized by the Netherlands Economic Institute (NEI) on behalf of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This book contains the proceedings of the conference. Economic growth is widely considered as a necessary (though not sufficient) condition for poverty alleviation. During the past two decades, scholars and researchers have found a renewed interest in thinking about economic growth, and advances in the understanding of economic growth have taken place. On the one hand, the theoretical understanding of growth has progressed on various fronts, including endogenous technological innovation and increasing returns to scale; the interaction of population, fertility, human capital, and growth; international spill-overs in technology and capital accumulation; and the role of institutions. On the other hand, the increasing availability and use of data sets has given a large incentive to empirical research on cross-country growth, following the path-breaking work ofBarro (1991).