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LDC and other country groupings: How useful are current approaches to classify countries in a more hetergeneous developing world?

Author

Listed:
  • Jose Antonio Alonso
  • Ana Luiza Cortez
  • Stephan Klasen

Abstract

The proliferation of country groupings indicates the need to assess the effectiveness of the current system for development cooperation and to explore better ways to manage the international system, as heterogeneity among developing countries increases. Great caution should be exercised in devising new country categories. Donors can use sound criteria for aid allocation without creating new groupings. If new categories are created at all, issue-based classifications should be preferred to comprehensive categories; support should be issue-specific. Among the existing comprehensive classifications, the LDC category has significant advantages but it needs to better address the problems and incentives associated with graduation.

Suggested Citation

  • Jose Antonio Alonso & Ana Luiza Cortez & Stephan Klasen, 2014. "LDC and other country groupings: How useful are current approaches to classify countries in a more hetergeneous developing world?," CDP Background Papers 021, United Nations, Department of Economics and Social Affairs.
    • Handle: RePEc:une:cpaper:021
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    2. John Rennie Short & Justin Vélez-Hagan & Leah Dubots, 2019. "What Do Global Metrics Tell Us about the World?," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-16, May.
    3. Hoy Chris & Sumner Andy, 2016. "Global Poverty and Inequality: Is There New Capacity for Redistribution in Developing Countries?," Journal of Globalization and Development, De Gruyter, vol. 7(1), pages 117-157, June.
    4. Andy Sumner, 2016. "The world's two new middles: Growth, precarity, structural change, and the limitations of the special case," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2016-34, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    5. Pamela Pogliani & Philip Wooldridge, 2022. "Cross-border financial centres," BIS Working Papers 1035, Bank for International Settlements.
    6. Rogelio Madrueño-Aguilar, 2017. "Global Income Distribution and the Middle-Income Strata: Implications for the World Development Taxonomy Debate," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 29(1), pages 1-18, January.
    7. (ed.), 0. "Research Handbook on Economic Diplomacy," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 16053.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Country groupings; country classifications; international aid; least developed countries; country eligibility; graduation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F35 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Aid
    • F55 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - International Institutional Arrangements
    • O19 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - International Linkages to Development; Role of International Organizations
    • O57 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Comparative Studies of Countries

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