Author Description

Since its headline-making debut in 1990, the Human Development Report has become an essential resource for development specialists, economists, and political scientists around the world. The 1991 report not only updates the findings of the original volume but also examines actual efforts to foster a relationship between economic growth and human development, focusing on the availability of resources for human development.The Human Development Report 1991 begins by examining new data on the levels and distribution of human development. Presenting new methods of measurement that make human development more observable, quantifiable, and amenable to policy planning and intervention, the 1991 report explores the issue of resources for human the level and structure of total spending on human development; efficiency and effectiveness of resource utilization; and existing opportunities for improved resource mobilization. In addition, the report reviews the role of the state in financing human development over the last twenty years—the priorities given to human development, the progressivity of fiscal policy, and the efficiency of centralized or decentralized fiscal systems. A special annex of tables for more than 125 countries presents for the first time the total picture of human development financing.Concluding with analyses of proposed reforms and policies for improving the resource availability for human development, the Human Development Report 1991 will be an essential resource for courses in development studies, economics, and political science.