By most accounts, rural Malawi has lacked dynamism in the past decade. Growth has been mostly volatile, in large part due to unstable macroeconomic fundamentals evidenced by high inflation, fiscal def
The Arab Spring protests caught most of the world by surprise and precipitated a chain of events that changed the course of history in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), ushering in a period of
The movement of people in Southeast Asia is an issue of increasing importance. Countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are now the origin of 8 percent of the world's migrants.
Income inequality has increased considerably in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2007–08 to the extent that one percent of global population possess almost half of the global assets. Whereas t
The primary focus of this book is on a specific outcome of the rule of law: the practical enforcement of laws and policies, and the determinants of this enforcement, or lack thereof. Are there signifi
The natural endowment of the Democrat Republic of Congo, in the form of land, minerals, and forests, is unparalleled. The right mix of policies has the potential to unleash incentives that could trans
The objective of this report is to inform an improved understanding of expenditure allocations and processes, the quality of service delivery in terms of inputs and outputs, and educational outcomes a
In Zimbabwe, trade has been a driver of economic growth, rising incomes, and progressive empowerment of Zimbabweans through rising standards of living and the promise of better jobs. Since 1980, throu
Agriculture is one of the most climate-sensitive of all economic sectors. Armenia is one of the many countries where the majority of the rural population depends on agriculture—directly or indirectly
Agriculture is one of the most climate-sensitive of all economic sectors. Georgia is one of the many countries where the majority of the rural population depends on agriculture—directly or indirectly
Agriculture is one of the most climate-sensitive of all economic sectors. Azerbaijan is one of the many countries where the majority of the rural population depends on agriculture—directly or indirect
This evaluation is about the nature and magnitude of the cost savings and other benefits of business license simplification in one of the central districts of Lima, Peru. IEG asked whether the project
The 2012 edition of this annual report begins with an analysis of foreign direct investment flows into developing countries and the findings of a corporate survey of foreign investors regarding their
After decades of stagnation, the size of Latin America's middle class recently expanded to the point where, for the first time ever, the number of people in poverty is equal to the size of the middle
Sub-Saharan Africa has only 12 percent of the global population, yet this region accounts for 50 percent of child deaths, more than 60 percent of maternal deaths, 85 percent of malaria cases, and clos
MENA is one of the richest regions in the world in terms of natural resources: it holds more than 60 percent of the world’s proven oil reserves, mostly located in the Gulf region, and nearly half of g
As part of the Country Status Report series, this book provides a comprehensive review of the status of education in post-conflict South Sudan. It is a result of collaborative work between MOE, key ed
Any analysis of health financing issues has to begin with sound estimates of the level and flow of resources in a health system, including total levels of spending, the sources of health expenditures,
Millions of migrants worldwide send billions of dollars in remittances each year to their families or communities of origin. In many developing countries, remittances are an important source of family
This study provides a conceptual framework for the analysis of the questions of out-of-court debt restructuring from a policy-oriented perspective. The starting point of the analysis is given by the W
The Cash Dividend: The Rise of Cash Transfer Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa assimilates results of a thorough review of the recent use of cash transfer programs in Sub-Saharan Africa. Drawing from sou
South Asia has the highest rates of malnutrition and the largest number of malnourished women and children in the world. Childhood malnutrition is the main cause of child mortality—one-third of all ch
"A combination of case studies, data on many scales, and application of economic principles...[this report] provides an understanding of the relative roles of the market, government intervention, and
The sustainable development of “ger” areas in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, is one of the critical development issues facing the country. The ger areas host 60% of the population of Ulaanbaat
The prices of farm products are crucial determinants of the extent of poverty and inequality in the world.The vast majority of the world’s poorest households depend to a considerable extent on farming
The importance of moving toward high-quality, global standards of accounting and auditing has never been clearer. In the midst of the global financial and economic crisis, the leaders of the Group of
In Africa, with the expansion of coverage of primary education in recent decades, many of the remaining out-of-school children are in hard to reach areas, with low population density and poor transpor
To investigate whether the weak creation of productive jobs in Latin America and the Caribbean is the result of a lack of dynamism in the economy, this report looks at the behavior of firms and how re
This report is the result of a study carried out under the guidance of China's Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Finance, designed to assist the government of China in implementing it
This book is a fascinating study of economic history and history of economic thought. It narrates the history of the World Bank and the establishment of its role as leading development institution. Th
'Risk-Based Supervision of Pension Funds' provides a review of the design and experience of risk-based pension fund supervision in countries that have been leaders in the development of these methods.
This book is a peer review of journals addressing the issue of the impact of development communication in a number of development projects and programs. It provides an overview of this discipline and
'Cities in a Globalizing World' stresses that quality of governance can determine whether the burgeoning cities of the developing world can become global centers of opportunity or urban examples of ov
The urbanization of Latin America has also lead to the urbanization of its poor. Today about half of the region's poor live in cities. Yet the phenomenon of urban poverty is not one that is well studi
Earthquakes, floods, drought, and other natural hazards cause tens of thousands of deaths, hundreds of thousands of injuries, and billions of dollars in economic losses each year around the world. Man
'Causes of Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon' is part of the World Bank Working Paper series. The report suggests that, in contrast to the 1970s and 1980s, when occupation of Brazilian Amazonia wa
Urbanization is occurring at a rapid pace in Bangladesh, accompanied by the proliferation of slum settlements, whose residents have special health needs given the adverse social, economic, and public
After more than three decades of average annual growth close to 10 percent, China's economy is transitioning to a 'new normal' of slower but more balanced and sustainable growth. Its old drivers of gr
With a population of 16 million, Karachi is the largest megacity in Pakistan. Despite being a large city that is home to many, it has seen a substantial decline in quality of life and economic competi
