THE LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES REPORT,
2004
The Least Developed Countries Report 2004 assesses the
relationship between international trade and poverty within the LDCs, and
identifies national and international policies that can make trade a more
effective mechanism for poverty reduction in these countries.
The Report argues that international trade can play a major positive role in
reducing poverty in the LDCs. However, in practice, this is not happening in
many of them. In some, this failure is due to a weak trade performance, but most
LDCs achieved higher export growth in the 1990s than in the 1980s. The failure
of trade expansion to allow poverty reduction has been related to weak linkages
between trade and economic growth. Moreover, there is a tendency for export
expansion in economies with mass poverty and major financial gaps to generate
exclusionary rather than socially equitable economic growth. Civil conflicts, in
some LDCs, have been closely associated with impoverishing trade.
• Highlights
• Table
of contents
• Press
Information
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Table of contents
What are the Least Developed
Countries
Overview [PDF,
39pp., 389KB]
Part One:
Recent Trends
Chapter 1: Recent Economic Trends [PDF,
24pp., 278KB]
A. Overall economic growth trends
B. Trends in external trade
C. Trends in external finance
D. Trends in external debt
E. ODA targets for donor countries
F. Conclusions
Annex to chapter 1:
Analytical classification of LDCs in this Report
Chapter 2:
Selected Recent Social Trends: Population Growth, Human Development Goals, the HIV/AIDS
Epidemic [PDF, 23pp.,
243KB]
A. Population growth, age structure
and urbanization
B. Progress towards selected human development goals
C. The HIV/AIDS epidemic
D. Conclusions
Annex 1: Progress towards achievement of selected Millennium
Development Goals in LDCs
Annex 2: Progress towards graduation from LDC status
Chapter 3:
Selected Recent Policy Trends: Accession of LDCs to the WTO [PDF, 17pp.,
193KB]
Introduction
B. The challenge of accession
C. Three country cases
D. Comparative assessment amongst the
accession countries
E. Comparison with current WTO member
States
F. Conclusions
Part Two
Linking International Trade with Poverty Reduction
Chapter 1
Trade and Poverty from a Development Perspective [PDF, 31pp.,
315KB]
A. Introduction
B. Trade, trade liberalization and
poverty: Where do we stand?
C. The limits of the current approach to
analysing the trade-poverty relationship
D. A development approach to the
trade-poverty relationship
E. Policy implications of the
development approach
F. Conclusions
Chapter 2
The Potential Role of International Trade in Poverty Reduction in the LDCs [PDF, 27pp.,
304KB]
A. Introduction
B. The importance of sustained economic
growth for poverty reduction in the LDCs
C. The importance of trade expansion for
sustained economic growth
D. Export expansion and the
inclusiveness of economic growth
E. Conclusions
Chapter 3:
How the Trade-Poverty Relationship Works in Practice [PDF, 39pp.,
450KB]
A. Introduction
B. Export structure, trade performance
and the international poverty trap
C. The frequency of export expansion
with poverty reduction
D. The trade-growth relationship
E. Trade expansion, domestic resource
mobilization and the form of economic growth
F. Conclusions
Chapter 4:
Civil Conflict and the Trade-Poverty Relationship [PDF, 18pp.,
223KB]
A. Introduction
B. An overview of trade in civil
conflict in LDCs and other developing countries
C. Low income and economic regression as
economic determinants of civil conflicts
D. Civil conflicts by type of export
specialization
E. Trade and poverty during civil
conflict episodes
F. Conclusions
Chapter 5:
Trade Liberalization and Poverty Reduction in the LDCs [PDF, 40pp.,
456KB]
A. Introduction
B. The depth and extend of trade
liberalization
C. The sequencing, timing and speed of
trade liberalization
D. The short-term impact of trade
liberalization on poverty
E. Prospects for substantial poverty
reduction after trade liberalization: Sustainability of economic growth
F. Prospects for substantial poverty
reduction after trade liberalization: Inclusiveness of economic growth
G.Conclusions
Chapter 6 :
Improving the Trade-Poverty Relationship through the International Trade Regime [PDF, 52pp.,
382KB]
A. Introduction
B. The poverty-reducing impact of
multilateral trade liberalization
C. The importance of generally
applicable measures beyond trade liberalization
D. The effectiveness of current
international support measures targeted at the LDCs
E. Strengthening international support
measures targeted at the LDCs
F. Enhanced South-South cooperation in
the field of trade
G. Conclusions
Chapter 7:
Improving the Trade-Poverty Relationship Through National Development Strategies [PDF, 45pp.,
367KB]
A. Introduction
B. Trade in Poverty Reduction Strategy
Papers (PRSPs): Recent country experience
C. Mainstreaming development into
poverty reduction strategies
D. Mainstreaming trade in
development-oriented poverty reduction strategies
E. How donors can support trade capacity
development
F. Conclusions
Annex to
chapter 7: Alternative post-liberal development strategies
Statistical Annex:
Basic Data on the Least Developed Countries [Pdf,
49pp.,392KB]
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