ABSTRACT
The structure of trade with LDCs in the post-Second World War period retained its colonial origins. The IMF and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) were viewed as institutions primarily for rich countries. Industrialization and development planning in LDCs were preoccupied with domestic efforts to maximize domestic economic growth rates. Little attention was given to structural reform of the international economic system until 1964, when UNCTAD was created by an original group of 77 LDCs (known as the Group of 77).
