Rising densities of human settlements, migration and transport to reduce distances to market, and specialization and trade facilitated by fewer international divisions are central to economic development. The transformations along these three dimensions density, distance, and division are most noticeable in North America, Western Europe, and Japan, but countries in Asia and Eastern Europe are changing in ways similar in scope and speed. 'World Development Report 2009: Reshaping Economic Geography' concludes that these spatial transformations are essential, and should be encouraged. The conclusion is not without controversy. Slum-dwellers now number a billion, but the rush to cities continues. Globalization is believed to benefit many, but not the billion people living in lagging areas of developing nations. High poverty and mortality persist among the world's 'bottom billion', while others grow wealthier and live longer lives. Concern for these three billion often comes with the prescription that growth must be made spatially balanced. The WDR has a different message: economic growth is seldom balanced, and efforts to spread it out prematurely will jeopardize progress. The Report: documents how production becomes more concentrated spatially as economies grow. proposes economic integration as the principle for promoting successful spatial transformations. revisits the debates on urbanization, territorial development, and regional integration and shows how today's developers can reshape economic geography.

The World Economic Forum’s annual Global Competitiveness Report evaluates the potential for sustained economic growth of over 130 developed and emerging economies and ranks them accordingly. Since its first release in 1979, the Report has become the most authoritative and comprehensive study of its type. The 2007-2008 Report contains: • Detailed country competitiveness profiles of 131 economies • Data tables for survey and hard data variables ranking profiled economies • Global rankings: the Global Competitiveness Index and the Business Competitiveness Index, measuring growth and productivity, respectively • Exclusive data from the Executive Opinion Survey, with over 11,000 responses from business leaders worldwide. Produced in collaboration with a distinguished group of international scholars and a global network of over 130 leading national research institutes and business organizations, the Report also showcases the latest thinking and research on issues of immediate relevance for business leaders and policy-makers.