Editorial introduction: HRM and performance: confronting theory and reality

This editorial introduction has twin purposes. The first is to make a wide audience aware of the new Dutch HRM Network. The second is to introduce a set of papers which make a contribution to the connections between HR policies/strategies and organizational performance. These purposes are linked by the fact that the papers come from the inaugural conference of the Network that was held in the Rotterdam School of Economics at Erasmus University at the end of 1999.     

Editorial introduction: Is the World Bank lending effective in developing countries?

This special issue of Economic Systems includes five papers about the World Bank lending in developing countries. The motivation for the special issue stems from the relatively extensive literature on the sister institution, namely, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but not on the World Bank itself. The papers’ focus is the influence of the World Bank lending on economic growth, education and health, poverty reduction, and regulation in the recipient countries. The papers’ findings contribute to our understanding of the effects of the World Bank lending in developing countries, which reflects both successes and shortcomings.