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Discusses the failure of the plan implemented by President Collor in Brazil to try to control the economy. Price freeze and seizure of private savings; Failure of second plan; Deregulation and liberalization; Macroeconomic stabilization program;Leader of economics team for first plan Zelia Cardoso de Mello; Role of leader Marcilio Marques Moreira; Details.

This article focuses on the role of Indonesian President Makam Suharto in the economic development of the country and when he has relatively few years left in which to dole out favors to his family and friends. Pessimists fear that this could mean that the next five years in Indonesia will see the tide of deregulation ebbing. Monitoring back scratching and corruption in the Indonesian economy is difficult, because large parts of the system remain secretive. Critics point in particular to the role of yayasans, charitable foundations that control huge assets and often have large business interests. President Suharto is the chairman of five yayasans, controlling $1.5 billion worth of assets.

The article looks at the damage of regulations in developing countries. An often-ignored fact is that poor countries frequently hurt themselves by strangling business with red tape. A report from the World Bank, "Doing Business in 2005", provides a long list of such self-inflicted wounds in 145 countries. It examines seven indicators of a country's business climate, from the cost of starting a new firm and enforcing contracts to the ease of hiring or firing workers and of borrowing money. It finds that poor countries impose on average three times the administrative costs and twice the number of bureaucratic procedures as rich countries. Many of the problems in poor countries are the legacy of European colonists' laws and bureaucracy, designed to control a local population, not to encourage growth. Development aid is beset by arguments over whether improving the business climate or reducing poverty should be the priority.

The article discusses the deregulation of the electricity market in California. Californians are up in arms because their path-breaking efforts to deregulate their power markets, beginning in 1996, seem to have gone awry. About half of America's states have followed California's lead and introduced liberalisation, others are thinking about it. All are watching California's wrenching experience with great interest. None of the promised benefits of cheaper power, more reliable supply or innovative services have yet materialised in the state, but unfamiliar devils such as price surges and brown-outs have.

Details Carlos Menem's presidential decree to deregulate the economy of Argentina. Banned restrictions on sales of goods and services; Deregulation of road freight and the closing of national grain and meat boards; Abandonment of most regulations and taxes on imports and exports; Menem's intent to drive prices down with deregulation; Opponents of Menem's economic policy.

The article focuses on the question of how to make it easier to buy and sell electricity across national borders. Long the province of dull technocrats, the topic of electricity deregulation is exciting new passion. And once again Great Britain and France are at loggerheads on how to manage the process. By contrast, Britain's electricity industry has been sliced both vertically and horizontally. Generators compete with each other to supply both industrial customers and a spot market in electricity. Distribution has been split between a dozen regional firms in England and Wales. Britain and France differ on the principles of deregulation. The British retort that such policies are incompatible with competition.

In this article the author discusses his view about the importance of free trade with minimal governmental barriers. The author argues that free trade promotes skill specialisation and creates economic opportunities. He notes that U.S. President Barack Obama has not made his views on free trade entirely clear but some are concerned that he may become a protectionist or use trade policy as a means to advance other environmental, political and social goals.

The article looks at deregulation in Italy. Italian parliament members voted for a set of measures that will make life better for consumers and worse for vested interests. Taxi-drivers, chemists, lawyers, vets, notaries, banks and bakers all stand to lose privileges and protection because of a decree presented by the economic development minister, Pierluigi Bersani. Some of the main aspects of his legislation in its original form dealt not with liberalisation as such, but with reducing the cost of goods and services by encouraging bigger and more efficient businesses.