The book consists of revised papers and commentary from the symposium "The Future of Development Economics" held in Dubrovnik in May 1999 and sponsored by the University of Zagreb and the World Bank. Nicholas Stem has written the forward to the book. In the Introduction: Ideas for Development, G. M. Meier notes that " Over the past Half-Century, we have witnessed an unprecedented effort by the international community to accelerate the development of poor countries. This effort has been based on evolution in thinking about economic development - its nature, its causes, and the choice of policies for improving the rate and quality of the development process. Although the development record exhibits many successes, there are also failures and disappointed expectations". He further points out "No formula exists for development. Aid alone cannot yield development".