From Farm to Firm : Rural-Urban
Transition in Developing Countries

Around the world, countries are becoming
urbanized at an astonishing pace. As countries develop
economically, their economies shift from mainly rural and
agrarian to increasingly urban and nonagricultural. This
rural-urban transformation presents both opportunities and
challenges for development. When managed effectively, the
transformation spurs growth and reduces poverty. When
managed poorly, however, the process can result in stark
welfare disparities, the marginalization of entire regions,
and poorly functioning cities that fail to realize the
potential gains from agglomeration economies. This book
investigates the rural-urban transformation underway in
Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, emphasizing the influence
of country conditions as well as the potential of good
policies to minimize disparities and ensure that everyone
shares in the benefits of urbanization. The first part of
this book investigates urbanization and rural-urban welfare
inequalities on three geographic scales global, national,
and local featuring countries and cities in Sub-Saharan
Africa on the national and local levels. The second part of
the book sheds light on the texture of transformation in
five countries in South Asia, each at a different stage in
the process: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.