In this paper, World Bank researcher Michael Finger summarises a collection of case studies from his book of the same title (Helping poor people to earn from their knowledge, Oxford University Press 2003). The case studies are built on examples of how poor people in developing countries use skills, innovation and creativity to earn a living from traditional crafts and traditional technologies.

Finger says that an important aim of the book is to draw attention to the income-generating potential of traditional knowledge for poor communities. He says policymakers (in both developed and developing countries) seem preoccupied with legal issues regarding traditional knowledge — such as defending traditional knowledge from being misappropriated by industrial interests; or policing biopiracy — when they ought to be also thinking about finding ways to help poor communities develop the commercial potential of traditional knowledge.

This paper summarises a research project that looked at the impacts of high skilled emigration on developing countries and the policy options of developed countries. The authors say that while there is little doubt that skilled emigration at the levels estimated will create challenges for certain developing countries the impact of increased international mobility of skilled workers may not necessarily be negative.

They emphasise that "brain exchanges" between countries characterise all advanced economies, forming one component of the flow of goods and information in a globalising economy. A central challenge is therefore for developing countries to engage appropriately in the exchange of skills taking place in the global labour market, and to maximise on the benefits of skilled migration.

The authors recommend that developed receiving countries should play an active role in addressing the issue, for example by encouraging temporary and return migration, controlling recruitment from at risk countries, incorporating mechanisms that encourage developing country economic growth, and assisting with diaspora arrangements. They conclude that the best means of addressing developing country skill shortages over the long run is to improve education, training and targetted economic deveopment.

This article notes that while highly-skilled migration is eliciting much debate, its effects — both positive and negative — have not been well studied or measured (particularly when compared with international migration in general). Simple models of "brain drain" and "brain gain" — which dominate most policy discussions — do not fully capture the complexity of the movement of people and knowledge across borders.

Data from the United States — as the world's largest educator of foreign students — is used to provide insights into the magnitude and direction of some of the possible effects of highly-skilled migration. The author warns that economic and knowledge creation should not be the only component of policy making on immigration policy, and that freedom of movement — as a human right — should also be considered.

In conclusion, both sending an receiving countries should be concerned with the potential effects of highly-skilled migration, and much research needs to be done to better understand its impacts. While the paper does not explicitly explore policy options, it describes how the magnitude of the effects of such migration will be significantly affected by aspects of a country's immigration, education and technology policies.

The author challenges the assumption that the emigration of highly skilled people is detrimental to their country of origin, and suggests that some developing countries — if not the majority of them — have in fact benefitted from this brain drain. He explains that the main reason for this is that migration prospects increase the expected return to education and, hence, foster domestic enrollment in education.

This concise article gives a brief overview of the current status of the brain drain, the feedback effects of this migration. It then asks whether there is an "optimal" brain drain, such that a country's stock of human capital can actually be increased. The author suggests that this could be achieved by designing specific incentives to return migration to those countries negatively affected by the brain drain, and to promote international cooperation aimed at furthering brain circulation.

Carlos Correa presents a detailed analysis of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), examining the motives behind developing countries calling for a review of the agreement.

The report also discusses issues related to the implementation of the agreement and to the 'in-built agenda', and looks at the interface between TRIPS and the Convention on Biological Diversity and proposals for enhancing the transfer of technology to developing countries.

The author suggests the development of a comprehensive approach to address developing countries' concerns relating to transfer of technology, possibly including the review of various WTO agreements, and concludes that the improvement of conditions for access to and effective use of foreign technologies will require a broad approach beyond the TRIPs Agreement.

Part of IFPRI’s annual report (2000-2001), this detailed essay attempts to counter claims that the application of intellectual property rights to agricultural research may leave farmers in the developing countries 'out in the cold'. They say that agricultural researchers in many developing countries are freer than one might think to make use of innovations protected in developed countries.

The authors conclude that concerns that patents and other forms of intellectual property are constraining the 'freedom to operate' in developing countries are largely misplaced, and are actually diverting attention from more crucial issues for agricultural researchers working on staple food crops.

This article analyses the ways in which African states might implement plant variety protection as part of their obligations under the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement.

The report summarises the legal and institutional framework of intellectual property rights, examines the possibility of developing alternative regional and domestic systems, argues the case for sui generis plant variety protection systems, and highlights lessons from India concerning the development of such systems.

The author recommends that African — and should avoid the introduction of patents or plant breeders' rights.