Book
Development Success

Historical Accounts from More Advanced Countries

What lessons can be learnt from 'developed' countries that might be useful for developing and emerging economies? With an emphasis on long-term growth and development, this book provides historical accounts of the development strategies of a select set of advanced countries.

Each case study typically presents the country's 'successes' and the root causes of those successes. Organized into three parts, it covers four of the Nordics (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden), other industrially advanced countries (Japan, Ireland, and Switzerland), and transition economies (Czech, Hungary, and Poland).

Although the book stresses that development strategies are, by and large, country and context-specific, the historical accounts are full of recurrent themes, which should provide useful lessons for developing countries and emerging economies.

Table of contents
  1. Introduction
    1. Development Success: Historical Accounts from the More Advanced Countries
    Augustin Kwasi Fosu
    More Working Paper | Development Success
  2. Part I: The Nordics: Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark
    2. The Finnish Developmental State and its Growth Regime
    Markus Jäntti, Juhana Vartiainen
    More Working Paper | The Finnish Developmental State and its Growth Regime
  3. Part I: The Nordics: Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark
    3. Can Norway Be a Role Model for Natural Resource Abundant Countries?
    Ådne Cappelen, Lars Mjøset
    More Working Paper | Can Norway Be a Role Model for Natural Resource Abundant Countries?
  4. Part I: The Nordics: Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark
    4. The Swedish Model
    Ari Kokko
    More Working Paper | The Swedish Model
  5. Part I: The Nordics: Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark
    5. The Danish Model and the Globalizing Learning Economy
    Bengt-Ake Lundvall
    More Working Paper | The Danish Model and the Globalizing Learning Economy
  6. Part I: The Nordics: Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark
    6. The Nordic Development Models: The Riddle is Still There, But We May Be a Little Wiser
    Juhana Vartiainen
    More Working Paper | The Nordic Development and Growth Models
  7. Part II: Other Advanced Industrialized Countries: Japan, Ireland, Switzerland
    7. Japan's Model of Economic Development: Relevant and Non-relevant Elements for Developing Economies
    Fukunari Kimura
    More Working Paper | Japan's Model of Economic Development
  8. Part II: Other Advanced Industrialized Countries: Japan, Ireland, Switzerland
    8. Committing to Economic Openness in Ireland: The Importance of Domestic Institutional Capabilities
    Paul Teague, Denise Currie
    More Working Paper | Developing Ireland
  9. Part II: Other Advanced Industrialized Countries: Japan, Ireland, Switzerland
    9. Switzerland's Rise to a Wealthy Nation: Competition and Contestability as Key Success Factors
    Beatrice Weder, Rolf Weder
    More Working Paper | Switzerland’s Rise to a Wealthy Nation
  10. Part II: Other Advanced Industrialized Countries: Japan, Ireland, Switzerland
    10. Country Role Models: Japan, Ireland, and Switzerland
    Ronald Findlay
    More Working Paper | Country Role Models: Synthesis of Ireland, Japan and Switzerland
  11. Part III: Transition Economies: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland
    11. The Czech Transition: The Importance of Microeconomic Fundamentals
    Jan Svejnar, Milica Uvalic
    More Working Paper | The Czech Transition
  12. Part III: Transition Economies: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland
    12. Hungary: The Janus-faced Success Story of Transition
    Làszlò Csaba
    More Working Paper | Hungary
  13. Part III: Transition Economies: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland
    13. A Two-Thirds Rate of Success: Polish Transformation and Economic Development, 1989- 2008
    Grzegorz W. Kolodko
    More Working Paper | A Two-thirds Rate of Success
  14. Part III: Transition Economies: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland
    14. Lessons from Transition Economies: Putting the Success Stories of the Post-communist World into a Broader Perspective
    Vladimir Popov
    More Working Paper | Lessons from the Transition Economies
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Endorsements

‘As the importance of getting institutions right to promote development is acknowledged there is a rising need for sophisticated, contextual, historical narratives of how the now prosperous countries managed to do it. This book fills that need, fleshing out not just the Nordic model (with its commonalities and differences) but also compares countries like Switzerland and Ireland. A useful step away from the dogma of a single canonical model of development to the diversity and richness of paths countries have followed.’- Lant Pritchett, Professor of the Practice of International at Harvard Kennedy School

‘A fascinating account of some lesser known success stories.’- Paul Collier, Professor in Economics and Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford

‘By drawing together the lessons from successful and diverse historical development experiences of some advanced countries while insisting on the inherent country specificity of development, this book will be of most practical help to all those seeking effective development strategies for poorer countries in today's world.’- François Bourguignon, Director, Paris School of Economics, Former Chief Economist in the World Bank