The Least Developed Countries Report 2013 analyses the employment challenge of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Demographic projections indicate that around 225 million people in LDCs will be entering the labour force until 2030. Hence, creating sufficient and decent employment opportunities for all will be a real challenge. However, recent experience shows that the link between growth and employment in LDCs is not automatic. The LDC Report 2013 aims to raise awareness and galvanize the attention of policymakers to the magnitude of the problem. It also reviews and analyses recent labour market performance of the LDCs, compares it with the future needs in relation to job creation, and elaborates concrete policy recommendations for growth with employment.

Contains an updated comprehensive explanation of the criteria, procedures and methodology used in establishing which countries are eligible for inclusion in, or recommended for graduation from, the least developed country (LDC) category. It also provides an overview of the special support measures that can be derived from having least developed country status.

In light of the current economic difficulties facing traditional development partners and the non-sustainable and non-inclusive nature of performance of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) over the last decade, LDC governments need new development paths to tap into dynamic growth poles in the South. This publication explores the role of South-South cooperation and regional developmentalism, and finds that, in order to benefit from evolving South-South relations, LDCs need to transform into Catalytic Development States that are highly sensitive to LDC vulnerabilities and offer new policy agendas.

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.