This IEA volume brings together a set of essays written by leading authors on themes relevant to the study of economic development. The book covers a range of topics many of which are relevant to policy issues. The contributors bring new insights from empirical research in a range of economies with chapters including discussions of the UN development agenda, fiscal policy in Latin America, poverty data in Africa and Jordan, and monetary policy in South Africa.

Contemporary Issues in Development Economics is an essential read for researchers, scholars and policymakers interested in economic development in low- and middle-income countries.

Timothy Besley is School Professor of Economics and Political Science at the London School of Economics, UK, and President of the International Economic Association.

1. World Economic Outlook And The Challenges To The UN Development Agenda Beyond 2015; Pingfan Hong
2. Fiscal Policy, Income Redistribution And Poverty Reduction In Latin America: Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru And Uruguay; Nora Lustig
3. 'Small Miracles'Behavioral Insights To Improve Development Policy: World Development Report 2015; Allison Demeritt And Karla Hoff
4. Culture And Different Types Of Collective Action; Gerard Roland And Yang Xie
5. Is Poverty In Africa Overestimated Because Of Poor Data?; Andrew Dabalen, Alvin Etang, Rose Mungai, Ayago Wambile And Waly Wane
6. Filling Gaps When Poverty Data Are Missing: Updating Poverty Estimates Frequently With Different Data Sources In Jordan; Hai-Anh H. Dang, Peter F. Lanjouw, And Umar Serajuddin
7. The Social Pension And Time Allocation In Poor South African Households; Vimal Ranchhod And Martin Wittenberg
8. Assessing The Impact Of Social Grants On Inequality: A South African Case Study; Reinhard Schiel, Murray Leibbrandt And David Lam
9. Speculative Capital Flows, Exchange Rate Volatility And Monetary Policy: South African Experience; Shakill Hassan
10. Challenges Of Urbanisation In India; Isher Judge Ahluwalia
11. Are Foreign Direct Investments In The Balkans Different?; Estrin, Saul And Milica Uvalic
12. Time-Consistency And Dictator Punishment: Discretion Rather Than Rules?; Shaun Larcom, Mare Sarr And Tim Willems