This book attempts to provide an effective strategy for industrial development based on the KAIZEN management training experiments conducted in Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Vietnam, and Tanzania. We focus on micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in industrial clusters, because clusters consisting of MSEs are ubiquitous and have high potential to grow.

This book focuses on the innovative development of microfinance in China and takes Luqiao District, Taizhou as the example to sum up Chinese experiences in the local innovative development of microfinance and the application of that experience nationwide. Based on theoretical research regarding microfinance, this book analyzes the history and current situation of the development of microfinance in Luqiao District, and places emphasis on proceeding from three-pronged positioning, five characteristics and three major modes of microfinance’s innovative development in Luqiao District to explore and summarize the Luqiao story of microfinance. Subsequently, this book takes five perspectives—the innovative development of small and medium-sized banks, the innovative development of non-banking financial institutions, the roles of private capital, the policies of the local government and cooperation between the Chinese Mainland and Taiwan—to analyze the experience and paths for helping the development of small and micro enterprises. Finally, based on the conclusions of the research, this book presents some inspirations from the innovative development of microfinance in Luqiao District and future prospects. This book will interest economists, scholars of China’s economic model, and banking sector analysts.

Clusters – the geographic concentration of specialized firms that are working in similar or related activities and are interdependent – have played an important role in the industrial development of many countries, including in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. A large part of these successes can be explained by the ability of clusters to build on existing strengths of local communities, such as social capital and abundant labor, to overcome common constraints to economic expansion, such as weak financial markets and institutions. Realizing the potential for cluster-based development and the long history of clusters in the country, the Egyptian Government has made cluster-based industrialization a key pillar of Egypt’s sustainable development strategy to 2030. The timing for a cluster-based industrial development model for Egypt seems favorable as macroeconomic reforms in recent years have made Egypt’s economy more competitive and the country’s young labor force provides a comparative advantage for labor-intensive sectors. The objectives of this paper are to take stock of existing clusters in Egypt; to identify a set of promising “organic” clusters; and to make high-level recommendations for the further expansion of agribusiness and handicrafts clusters based on an innovative analysis of economic census data, a review of previous cluster studies in Egypt, and information obtained from expert interviews and a stakeholder workshop. Our findings suggest focusing cluster development efforts on Upper Egypt, which has a comparative advantage in several sectors, especially in labor-intensive sectors. However, the current cluster density in Upper Egypt is low, particularly in rural areas. Expanding the number and density of clusters there will likely require improvements in infrastructure, institutions, and services. The most promising clusters identified through the analysis include medical and aromatic plants, sugarcane, and tomatoes in the agribusiness sector; ready-made garments and carpets in the handicrafts sector, and furniture. These are all promising organic clusters based on their high market demand, export potential, labor intensity, and historical roots. We develop several recommendations for the agribusiness and the handicrafts sectors, especially highlighting the important facilitating role that local governments should play in cluster-based development by providing necessary basic public goods and services. In-depth case studies for specific, promising clusters should follow to help local governments and entrepreneurs to fully harness the unique opportunities that clusters can provide for local industrial development and job creation in Egypt.

It is a daunting task to build institution and infrastructure over a short time period in developing countries. But in the absence of sound institutions and adequate infrastructure, it is difficult for economic transformation to take place. An alternative is to facilitate existing industrial clusters or build industrial parks by creating an enabling environment in a limited place. This paper reviews the commonly used strategies to build effective clusters and industrial parks. Clusters and industrial parks are location specific. Because they have an informational advantage, local governments are in a better position than the central government to identify and solve the bottlenecks that affect clusters and industrial parks. As clusters and industrial parks evolve, new bottlenecks emerge, thereby requiring new solutions. This in turns calls for continuous tinkering by local governments. It is important to place local governments and business communities in the driver’s seat of local economic growth so that they can watch out for and adjust to the bumps in the road ahead.

"Economic Development, the leading textbook in this field, provides your students with a complete and balanced introduction to the requisite theory, driving policy issues, and latest research. Todaro and Smith take a policy-oriented approach, presenting economic theory in the context of critical policy debates and country-specific case studies, to show how theory relates to the problems and prospects of developing countries."--Publisher0́9s description

The book mainly uses the New Institutional Economics Approach (NIE) to examine the formation and development of industrial clusters in China through multiple case studies of textile and clothing clusters in the Zhejiang province. The micro case studies illustrate the interaction between institutional change and the industrial development of China in transition.It also attempts to fill the information gap through an analysis of the typical institutional factors leading to the development and upgrading of industrial clusters, and provides a better understanding of the changing nature of the public-private interface in the process of cluster development in China.