Urban economies and national development

However, recent experience and analysis demonstrate the limits of exclusively rural development strategies and indicate that cities are more efficient sources of economic growth than was previously thought. Chapter I of this report links this reassessment of urbanization with a growing emphasis on private sector development. The chapter also offers an economic framework for analyzing urban size and efficiency. The next chapter considers the relationships between urban development and macroeconomic policy by focusing on the effects of the structural adjustment programs of the past decade. A special section looks in depth at the linkages between urban housing finance and macroeconomic policies. Chapter III explores urban economic development from the local perspective. It examines how economic growth is affected by local policies influencing land and infrastructure markets, local subsidies designed to attract industry, and public-private cooperation in the formulation of local development strategies that take advantage of a locality"s competitive strengths. The final chapter discusses implications of the study"s findings for policy and research. (Author abstract, modified)