The first six volumes in our series Regional Handbooks of Economic Development examine key issues affecting the economic growth of developing regions in Asia and Europe. The series is designed to help non-specialist readers understand a variety of complex factors -- social and political as well as economic -- that will bear on a region's economic growth as it moves into the next century.Each volume begins with an explanation of the region's economic conditions within an historical and political context. Then follow approximately 20 chapter-length essays, each prepared by a recognized expert in the field, analyzing such factors as a region's population, natural resources, foreign trade, banking and financial structure, as well as the role of multi-national corporations, the problems of labor and economic inequalities in the region, etc.