Achieving growth is far from easy, especially in countries that are landlocked and distant from markets (Bolivia and Niger, for example),subject to tropical diseases (West Africa in particular),and with climates and terrain that make them vulnerable to floods or droughts (Bangladesh and Africa's Sahel zone). Some countries therefore start with more favourable prospects for growth than others. But the prospects for growth also very much depend upon the design of development strategy, and particularly on the state's role.
Most people agree that states have an important role to play in protecting property rights, enforcing contracts, and defending their citizens against external aggression. Economists have emphasised the importance of the first two of these in providing a favourable climate for investment and for reducing the transaction costs of market exchange, both of which facilitate growth.