Jobs For Development: Challenges and Solutions in Different Country Settings

Jobs are a pressing issue everywhere. They are at the top of citizens’ concerns in nearly every country and feature prominently in political campaigns. But amid all of this attention, it is difficult to find genuine strategies for creating jobs that will provide opportunities for individuals and contribute to the social and economic development of their societies. This book examines the experiences of seven countries drawn from four continents facing very different development challenges. The chapters illustrate how, in these diverse settings, job creation can drive progress and what policies can support this process. While sound economic fundamentals are necessary everywhere, these cases show how policy priorities can differ substantially. Depending on the country context, the most important jobs strategies may need to be targeted outside the labor market, ranging from raising farming productivity to building functional cities to strengthening the linkages between rich resource sectors and the rest of the economy.