Beyond the City: The Rural Contribution to Development

Abstract

From p. 1-2: "Most LAC countries are preoccupied about the state of their rural economy, particularly the competitiveness of rural economic activities, poverty, and environmental degradation. While the majority of LAC countries have in place trade policies, sector-specific government support policies, social intervention policies, infrastructure development strategies, and various regulatory regimes designed to respond to demands of various subsectors in the rural economy, most of these have focused on problems affecting the rural economy per se, without paying enough attention to how the rural economies (and policies) contribute to overall national welfare. This report aims to fill this gap by systematically evaluating the contribution of rural development and policies to growth, poverty alleviation, and environmental degradation both in rural areas and in the rest of the economy. Specifically, it uses this broad framework to shed light on five critical policy issues for Latin American economic authorities. For the convenience of readers interested in policy issues, this chapter presents first a summary of the policy implications of our findings. We then turn to the findings themselves, summarizing our methodological approach and main results."