The Handbook provides a broad introduction to Swedish politics, and how Sweden's political system and policies have evolved over the past few decades.

'Should be on the shelf of any academic, student, NGO activist or politician with an interest in aid issues. It should also be required reading for donor agency officials' Development and Change 'As accessible as it is comprehensive has established itself as a reliable 'watchdog' for anyone interested in this important aspect of international relations' ORBIT Despite commitments to eradicate poverty, 21 of the world's richest nations have slashed their aid to the world's poorest countries to just 0.3% of GNP, its lowest level for more than 20 years. In real terms, aid in 1994 was below the 1990 level, and with several donors planning further cuts it is likely that the aid level will continue to fall. Now in its fourth annual edition, The Reality of Aid critically examines the reality behind the rhetoric of development assistance, and the discrepancy between the targets that the 21 member countries of the OECD Development Assistance Committee are publically committed to and the aid that is actually disbursed. Part 1 of this year's edition includes analyses of; * the impact of the Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development and '20/20' compact; * developing countries' debt and their Northern creditors, including banks and international financial institutions; * efforts to eradicate poverty, a stated aim of development assistance; * the human and economic cost of the estimated 140 million unexploded landmines currently planted around the world; and * the impact of conflict and humanitarian need on development cooperation. In a new section, Part 2 presents perspectives from the South, with contributors from India, Cambodia, Peru, Zimbabwe, Poland and Fiji. Part 3 consists of detailed, country-by-country profiles of the aid performance of the OECD donors; and Part 4 reviews aid spending by Northern governments and NGOs, with 'at a glance' tables and charts which compare donors' performance on issues such as aid to basic health and education, the priority given to poverty reduction, the political management of aid and public attitudes to aid in developed countries. Throughout, information is summarized in easily interpreted figures and graphs. First produced in 1993, The Reality of Aid has established itself as a unique source of independent evaluation and comment on aid policies and developments. It is indispensable for all involved in development aid, whether in the official or voluntary sectors. Originally published in 1996

This volume sets out a strategy for raising rural incomes which emphasises the creation of diversified rural economies with opportunities within and outside agriculture.

Assessing Aid determines that the effectiveness of aid is not decided by the amount received but rather the institutional and policy environment into which it is accepted. It examines how development assistance can be more effective at reducing global poverty and gives five mainrecommendations for making aid more effective: targeting financial aid to poor countries with good policies and strong economic management; providing policy-based aid to demonstrated reformers; using simpler instruments to transfer resources to countries with sound management; focusing projects oncreating and transmitting knowledge and capacity; and rethinking the internal incentives of aid agencies.

Over the course of the twentieth century, Sweden carried out one of the most ambitious experiments by a capitalist market economy in developing a large and active welfare state. Sweden's generous social programs and the economic equality they fostered became an example for other countries to emulate. Of late, Sweden has also been much discussed as a model of how to deal with financial and economic crisis, due to the country's recovery from a banking crisis in the mid-1990s. At that time economists heatedly debated whether the welfare state caused Sweden's crisis and should be reformed—a debate with clear parallels to current concerns over capitalism. Bringing together leading economists, Reforming the Welfare State examines Sweden's policies in response to the mid-1990s crisis and the implications for the subsequent recovery. Among the issues investigated are the way changes in the labor market, tax and benefit policies, local government policy, industrial structure, and international trade affected Sweden's recovery. The way that Sweden addressed its economic challenges provides valuable insight into the viability of large welfare states, and more broadly, into the way modern economies deal with crisis.

The Role of Trade in Ending Poverty looks at the complex relationships between economic growth, poverty reduction and trade, and examines the challenges that poor people face in benefiting from trade opportunities. Written jointly by the World Bank Group and the WTO, the publication examines how trade could make a greater contribution to ending poverty by increasing efforts to lower trade costs, improve the enabling environment, implement trade policy in conjunction with other areas of policy, better manage risks faced by the poor, and improve data used for policy-making.