Letter from the editor

• Author: Ian S. McDonald
• Position: Editor-in-Chief
• Pages: 2

Page 2

The problem of corruption has recently received considerable attention worldwide. How is it that, although the laws of virtually all countries forbid corrupt behavior, governments do not work more actively to combat it? This topic is addressed from three perspectives. Robert Klitgaard looks at ways in which greater international cooperation can help to fight corruption and advances a number of interesting initiatives, including a proposal for an international "anticorruption contest." Cheryl Gray and Daniel Kaufmann suggest specific ways in which anticorruption efforts might be promoted in both developing and transition economies, while Paolo Mauro looks at some of the root causes of corruption and proposes an agenda for future research.

The scourge of AIDS could be economically devastating, particularly in the developing world. Three related articles look at the economic implications of the AIDS epidemic and discuss the steps that developing countries should take to prevent its spread. Lyn Squire outlines the extent of the epidemic and describes a role for government; Martha Ainsworth discusses government priorities in AIDS prevention; Mead Over reviews what governments can do to deal with the impact of AIDS in an equitable way.

Lant Pritchett and Daniel Kaufmann examine the extent to which civil liberties and democracy can affect a government's effectiveness and the performance of its investment projects. The challenge of achieving low inflation in transition economies is analyzed by Sharmini Coorey, Mauro Mecagni, and Erik Offerdal. In their article, Paul R. Masson, Miguel A. Savastano, and Sunil Sharma discuss the issue of whether inflation targeting, which has been used as a framework for monetary policy in a number of industrial countries, can also be used in developing countries.

Other articles look at the means by which the vital biodiversity of natural species can be preserved in the face of ever-expanding agricultural development and how distance...