"We hope that this scheme will enable young British volunteers to work together with young people from developing countries to help build a fairer world, " she said.

BBC: Orphans in Haiti

Much of the work on oDesk comes from firms in rich economies and goes to people in developing countries, above all the Philippines and India.

ECONOMIST: The great mismatch

The main international effort to speed it up is an idea known as REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), which pays people in developing countries to leave trees standing.

ECONOMIST: Forests and how to save them

And, as the World Bank itself acknowledged in its report on the quality of growth, poor people in developing countries need more than just money - to benefit from any growth that occurs, they need more access to jobs and education, and less discrimination and corruption.

BBC: The Lessons of Prague

It was believed that people from China, Japan, Korea and other countries were particularly susceptible to developing myopia.

BBC: Massive rise in Asian eye damage

The spread of daily newspapers in developing countries has risen to 60 copies per 1, 000 people, from 29 in 1970-96, and the number of televisions has increased 16-fold.

ECONOMIST: Liberty's great advance

From developed countries mired in economic woes to developing countries aching for change, people and especially young people found a voice where there was none before.

UNESCO: World Press Freedom Day 2012

Indeed, Tata, though it says it has no plans to export the People's Car beyond developing countries, may be able to leverage what it learns from designing and producing the world's cheapest car.

FORBES: Tata in Tacoma?