I think it is probably safe to say that development economics has by now, at last, entered the mainstream of economics, at least as far as macroeconomics is concerned. By this I mean that the same principles of macroeconomics are now routinely applied in developing and developed countries alike and there is no longer perceived to be a general need to tailor macroeconomic policy prescriptions to the special characteristics of poor countries. For example, the most effective remedies against inflation are basically the same everywhere and always were, of course. What is new, however, is that over the past generation the rapid economic growth of East Asia,' in particular, has provided strong grounds for believing that the best ways to stimulate growth in the long run and hence also to lift poor countries out of poverty namely, through increased saving and efficiency, including education are most likely essentially the same, independently of the level of development of the country in question. Further, the idea that central planning is good for growth in developing countries is basically dead. Hence, market-friendly reforms (liberalization, privatization, stabilization, etc.) that are good for growth in Eastern Europe and East Asia are almost surely no less good for growth in India and Africa. Therein lies the hope that even the poorest countries can expect to experience a revolution in their living standards in the twenty-first century. This hope, which rests on recent advances in the theory of economic growth as well as on experience with economic reforms in different parts of the world, is, to my mind, realistic. Its entry into the mainstream of economics does not, however, dislodge development economics as an important, independent branch of economics. As Dasgupta's paper demonstrates, many aspects of economic development, not least persistent poverty in poor countries, cry out for independent study. It is important, then, that the whole body of relevant economic knowledge be brought to bear on such studies rather than merely a special subset tailored to the perceived special circumstances of poor countries. For example, in the section on communal rights and the