For instance, in Botswana the Government reserves some trades or business enterprises for citizens.
Developing countries aspires to have economic growth as well as for enhancement of economic potential for the citizens. Key to generate employment in organised sector, promote skill development, encourage self employment in small and medium enterprises and involve local communities in service delivery systems. Since most of the communities can be encouraged to participate in services (public and private), along with training in suitable skills. For self employment encourage micro financing, production and marketing linkages for internal consumption and distribution. At macro level more savings at community level would improve work opportunities, and financial sustainability. Following the cooperatives principles in bringing together the communities are important for the financial inclusion. More spatial local and regional plan by the communities participation would lead to better distribution and organisation of government effort for empowerment of people. Selective financial aid, subsidy and support can be harmful without any sustainability plans.
The question is very broad. To give just one example, many countries reserve the right to own a business or to buy land to their own nationals. This limits foreign investors to 49% business ownership and forces them to work with local partners. If a country has attractive opportunities, such as natural resources or a significant domestic market, such a rule may also promote technology transfer and human resource development. In the absence of sufficiently interesting opportunities, or if there are problems with issues such as unpredictable laws, lack of security, lack of political stability, etc., local ownership rules may be the straw that breaks the camel's back, i.e. may in effect keep foreign investors away... What has worked for China may not work for everyone...
I am looking at measures employed by developing countries in pursuing economic empowerment. I notice that apart from Zimbabwe, the most common measure is reservation of certain trades. I also just noticed that these measures can be extended to immigration laws. For instance one of the considerations for allowing a non citizen investor to enter Botswana is market considerations for locals.
1. Employment generation through industrialization mainly (labor intensive industries), 2. Women's Participation in income generating activities and 3. Inclusive Economic Growth could be focused areas for enacting an empowerment policy of a least developed country.
Well, in Poland actually we do not measure any empowerment except using the standard measures proposed by UNDP. However, what came to my mind is that you might try to develop a kind of 'deprivation index' using the basic fuzzy sets approach. I have did so, in the paper I attach - however you could do the 'inverse' deprivation index. Best.
You are thinking of an empowerment of the people. Shashikant Kumar posted a good answer which covers almost all aspects of empowerment of the people. However, in order that these measures be effective, the nation must be empowered as well. Promotion of processing trade is one of such policies. Although this is in fact an old policy which was adopted by Great Britain and Japan many years ago, the HO theory of international trade oriented policy makes and economists to a specific (sometimes wrong) objectives which are not adaptable except for resource rich countries.
Please see my question that I made recently:
Why did the notion of "processing trade" not become a major concept before fragmentation and global supply chain?
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Why_did_the_notion_of_processing_trade_not_become_a_major_concept_before_fragmentation_and_global_supply_chain?_tpcectx=profile_questions