For various reasons—whether philosophical, political, humanitarian, or by institutional mandate—people are concerned for the well being of the most vulnerable groups in society: women, the poor, and t
The two volumes of 'Understanding Civil War' build upon the World Bank's prior research on conflict and violence, particularly on the work of Paul Collier and Anke Hoeffler, whose model of civil war o
The international dimension of higher education is a theme that is getting more priority on the agenda of institutions of higher education, national governments, and regional and international organiz
The HIV/AIDS epidemic has the potential to impede and even reverse development if not addressed early enough. Poverty and income inequality have been shown to facilitate the diffusion of HIV epidemics
This title examines the evolution of the U.S. interest swap market. It reviews the theory and past empirical studies on U.S. swap spreads and estimates an error correction model for maturities of 2-,
This book relates the latest chapter in the story of a remarkable partnership between the worlds of faith and development, launched in 1998 by Jim Wolfensohn and then Archbishop of Canterbury, George
The analysis of the distributional impact of policy reforms on the well-being or welfare of different stakeholder groups, particularly on the poor and vulnerable, has an important role in the elaborat
This report provides an in-depth diagnosis of where Central American countries stand along several education dimensions, underscoring the most urgent and serious challenges, and suggesting policy opti
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
'Judicial Systems in Transition Economies' looks at the experience of countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltics (CEE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as they reform thei
This report assesses the relevance and effectiveness of ten years of support from World Bank organizations for public sector capacity building by examining conditions in Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi
The past decade has brought an increasing recognition to the importance of pension systems to the economic stability of nations and the security of their aging populations. During this time, the World
The past two decades have witnessed a fundamental transformation in the structure of government across East Asia. Prior to 1990 most East Asian countries were highly centralized; today, decentralizati
The majority of the world's poor depend directly or indirectly on agriculture. Despite the strong linkages between broad-based agricultural growth and poverty reduction, international support to agric
In recent years, the focus in many developing regions is increasingly moving away from communicable disease, where as Africa continues to face a high burden of communicable disease, malnutrition, and
This is the first comprehensive assessment of pension systems in the Middle East and North Africa. While other regions—Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, in particular—have been actively
'Balancing the Development Agenda' examines the evolution of the World Bank and its operations during the presidency of James Wolfensohn. It examines the modernization of this global economic institut
This empirical analysis of the magnitude, forms, and consequences of economic transformation in China looks at the process, the main players involved, and outcomes, based on a survey of close to 700 e
Access to financial services in Brazil has been relatively stable over the past ten years, despite the banking sector contraction of the late 1990s. Wide geographic variations in the supply of banking
Recognition of the problem of "indoor air pollution" (IAP) and its deleterious effects of health is growing worldwide as efforts increase to understand and articulate the complex health-air pollution
This World Bank "Needs Assessment," carried out at the request of the Albanian government, analyzes the socioeconomic, cultural, institutional, and historical multi-dimensionality of poverty and exclu
This book reviews the role of addressing within the array of urban management tools and explores the links between addressing and civic identity, urban information systems, support to municipal servic
Global Agricultural Trade and Developing Countries presents research findings based on a series of commodity studies of significant economic importance to developing countries. The book sets the stage
The proliferation of regional trade agreements is fundamentally altering the world trade landscape. The number of agreements in force surpasses 200 and has risen eight-fold in two decades. Today, as m
The aim of 'Reshaping the Future' is to draw international attention to the key role that education can play in both preventing conflict and in reconstructing post-conflict societies. The author also
This book provides an independent assessment of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Initiative for the World Bank as well as the broader development community. It offers a frank and in-depth review of the
According to the authors of 'Zambia', poverty is on the rise in the country, its economy is not growing fast enough, the quality of economic governance is on the decline, and its public resources are
"Books, Buildings, and Learning Outcomes examines the impact of World Bank-supported educational reforms introduced in Ghana since 1986 and related investment projects in support of basic education. A
Education for All, supported by the international community, emphasizes the importance of learning quality. This book focuses on the use of assessment to monitor and evaluate learning in Sub-Saharan A
"The Human Right to Water traces the issue of the right to water through a number of international legal instruments, particularly General Comment No. 15 which recognizes such a right. It analyzes the
Construction of infrastructure, a pre-requisite for sustained socioeconomic growth, often requires acquisition of land and, therefore, physical relocation and economic displacement of people. If such
What is development? And what does it take to make development sustainable? How can we measure and compare levels of development for different countries? The author of 'Beyond Economic Growth' challen
The world of religion has been unacknowledged and often unseen by many development practitioners. The areas of common concern and activity, though, are numerous and have great importance in the global
This report attempts to explain the paradoxes and potential of Jamaica's economic history, and concludes that one possible explanation for Jamaica's low growth in GDP is that its GDP has been understa
'Public Health in the Middle East and North Africa' documents the main highlights and findings from the Middle East Regional Symposium, Meeting the Public Health Challenges of the 21st Century in the
Over the next two decades, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region faces an unprecedented challenge. In 2000, the labor forces of the region totaled some 104 million workers, a figure expected
This report presents the results of a recent research project that examined the World Bank's efforts to improve the environmental quality of cities in client countries. The project reviewed the Bank's
Power for Development evaluates the performance of the World Bank Group during the 1990s in promoting private sector development in the electric power sector. This joint review aims to inform the impl
Decades of investment and improved policies have greatly increased women's education and health and have reduced their fertility rate. However, the expected payoffs in higher employment and economic g
Benson and Clay of the London based Overseas Development Institute were the principal researchers for this three-year study, initiated to investigate the short- and long-term economic and financial co
