This book is a collection of articles, written by both academics and practitioners as an evidence base for citizen engagement through information and communication technologies (ICTs). In it, the auth
This Book has been prepared by the World Bank, based on an extensive consultation-based diagnostic exercise initiated at the request from the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat. The EAC - in its
This book illustrates the World Bank’s commitment to assist countries to respond to the opportunities and challenges posed by climate change. Undertaken in collaborative partnership with policy makers
In recent decades, resource-rich developing countries have been using their natural resources as collateral to access sources of finance for investment, countervailing the barriers they face when acce
Tourism energizes economies and fuels the economic transformation of countries from Cape Verde to South Africa. Its benefits are clear: it can trigger infrastructure improvements, create good jobs, in
Cities in developing countries are experiencing unprecedented urban growth. Unfortunately, this is often accompanied by the negative impacts of sprawl as a result of rapid motorization such as congest
This report documents the dynamics of violence against women in South Asia across the life cycle, from early childhood to old age. It explores the different types of violence that women may face throu
Global trade moves along a few select high-density routes or corridors. Such routes have existed for several millennia, of which the Silk Road is the most famous. In fact, all regions of the world,
The report first summarizes the key findings from the following three studies in three provinces (Guizhou, Jilin, Shandong): (a) a demand survey to assess rural ICT access and attitudes; (b) a library
Improving the returns to labor for low-paid workers is a key policy challenge, especially in low-income countries (LICs) where earnings increases are the single most important source of poverty reduct
In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, it is hard to find any macroeconomic policy report that does not include some reference to financial stability or systemic risk and the resulting need
Despite armed internal conflict and the global financial crisis, Sri Lanka has made remarkable progress in recent years, enjoying healthy economic growth and substantially reducing poverty. Moreover,
This report is part of a broader effort by the World Bank Group to understand the motives and challenges of small entrepreneurs in fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS). The report’s key find
This report is about the twelve countries of the former Soviet Union (Eurasia). About 85 percent of the region’s economic output is in six resource-rich economies. Today, 85 percent of Eurasia’s 280 m
In the wake of the recent global financial crisis and against the backdrop of the ongoing global financial sector reforms, macroprudential policy is being increasingly seen as a “must-do” reform. At t
Climate change and migration are major concerns in the MENA region, yet the empirical evidence on the impact of climate change and extreme weather events on migration remains limited. Information is b
High fertility and declining mortality rates have led to a very young population in most Sub-Saharan African countries. The region’s labor force is expected to increase by 11 million a year over the
The purpose of this study is to build a stronger evidence base on the role of faith-inspired, private secular, and public schools in sub-Saharan Africa using nationally representative household survey
The Results-Based Initiatives (RBI), launched in 2007, were a pioneering attempt to provide comprehensive, coherent, and rigorous evidence on effective interventions to foster the economic empowerment
Problem-driven political economy analysis holds considerable promise to help development practitioners identify what policies and strategies are most likely to succeed in addressing difficult and pers
News and money today travel fast, but in Central Asia the bulk of people and goods still travel by road. Hence, the main roads crisscrossing this vast region and related services are arteries supporti
This book discusses how Pakistan’s manufacturing can be revitalized to assist the country in its medium-term growth objectives: through harnessing the positive forces of agglomeration, promoting inclu
This report examines the health and economic impact of noncommunicable diseases (NCD) in Latin America and the Caribbean and the governance, design, and implementation of multisectoral policies to pre
This book looks at both the potential and limits of policies to promote entrepreneurship as an important vehicle for social mobility in Latin America and the Caribbean. Who are the region’s entrepren
Vietnam has attained a strong record of economic growth and poverty reduction since the adoption of market-based economic reforms and pro-poor policies starting in the mid-1980s. Much of this achieve
For two decades, Africa’s strong economic growth has paved the way for poverty reduction. Nevertheless, high chronic poverty levels persist, and the gap between income groups in terms of human capital
Ghana is on a strong trajectory toward solidifying its middle income status. Today, more childrenthan at any time in the history of Ghana have access to basic and secondary education. Overthe past dec
This volume will explore the potentially transformative role of effective laws and legal institutions in providing people with more opportunity that is both inclusive and equitable. Laws, legal framew
The World Bank has a long history of investing in China’s technical and vocational education and training (TVET), dating back to the 1963 Higher Education Project, which benefited selected tertiary TV
'Financial Management Information Systems and Open Budget Data: Do governments report on where the money goes?' is a World Bank Study, initiated in 2012 after an extended stocktaking exercise, to expl
The last 25 years have witnessed unprecedented changes around the world—many of them for the better. In all continents, numerous countries have embarked on a path of international integration, economi
In East Asia, all middle-income countries have national targets for energy efficiency and renewable energy, and some even have targets for carbon reduction. However, a major hurdle to achieving a sust
Despite widespread agreement among economists that labor-intensive manufacturing has contributed mightily to rapid development in China and other fast-growing economies, most developing countries have
Bangladesh is undergoing a double transition—demographic and epidemiological. Increasing life expectancy and declining fertility entail a demographic transition fueling a shift in the disease burden t
The development paradigm has shifted toward private investment, and the private sector has become central in development strategies. There is much to be learned about how to effectively facilitate and
The Federal Government of Nigeria has adopted an ambitious strategy to make Nigeria theworld’s 20th largest economy by 2020. Sustaining such a pace of growth will entail rapidexpansion of activity in
If not addressed in time, climate change is expected to exacerbate Nigeria’s currentvulnerability to weather swings and limit its ability to achieve and sustain the objectivesof Vision 20:2020 [as def
Given the labor market challenges that countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are facing (notably high unemployment, prevalence of skills mismatches, low labor market mobility, an
Financial services are important for women who are starting and growing a business, but in Pakistan microfinance providers (MFPs) are not reaching Pakistan’s businesswomen. Only 59 percent of microf
The purpose of Tajikistan’s Winter Energy Crisis is to assist the Government of Tajikistan (GoT) in exploring ways to overcome electricity shortages due to rising demand for electricity. It focuses on
