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
Although access to financing in Pakistan is expanding quickly, it is two to four times lower than regional benchmarks. Half of Pakistani adults, mostly women, do not engage with the financial system a
The fifth and last volume in the 'Distortions to Agricultural Incentives' series focus on distortions to agricultural incentives from a global perspective.During the 1960s and 1970s most developing co
This paper reviews how women in the developing world access and use information and communication technology (ICT). It examines the discourse and controversies surrounding the digital gender divide, i
The history of debt relief goes back several decades. It reveals that a country’s accumulation of unsustainable debt stems from such factors as deficiencies in macroeconomic management, adverse terms-
The fifth and last volume in the 'Distortions to Agricultural Incentives' series focus on distortions to agricultural incentives from a global perspective.During the 1960s and 1970s most developing co
Strategic communication is a powerful tool for creating broad-based support for reform and change initiatives. Much has been written about why communication matters in reform efforts, but there is sca
The seventh in a series of annual reports investigating the regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it, 'Doing Business' presents quantitative indicators on business regula
The conference of which this is the proceedings has been an annual event since 1989. Its purpose is to provide a forum for the presentation of empirical data which will help elucidate realities in the
The government of Bolivia seeks to reinvigorate the nontraditional export sector as part of its national development strategy. This Country Study investigates the role that trade should play in Bolivi
In 2004 the Indonesian government made a commitment to provide its entire population with health insurance coverage through a mandatory public health insurance scheme. It has moved boldly already prov
The main objective of this report is to help policymakers in the Caribbean design an agenda of policy actions to accelerate trade integration and growth and reduce poverty. The report is a joint respo
This study evaluates the effectiveness of the World Bank Group’s support for health, nutrition, and population (HNP) in developing countries from 1997 to 2008 – totaling more than $17 billion – and di
Bolivia’s informal economic sector is the largest in Latin America and has been attributed to many factors including the burden of regulations, the weakness of public institutions, and the lack of per
What do we mean when we say participatory communication? What are the practical implications of working with participatory communication strategies in development and social change processes? What exp
Housing finance markets have been changing dramatically in both emerging and developed economies. On the one hand, housing finance markets are expanding and represent a powerful engine for economic gr
What are students learning? Throughout the world, governments striving to improve educational quality are turning to national assessments to provide this much-needed information in key curriculum area
This book examines how agricultural innovation arises in four African countries—Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda— through the lens of agribusiness, public policies, and specific value chains for foo
The Berlin Workshop Series 2009 presents selected papers from meetings held from September 30 – October 2, 2007, at the tenth annual forum co-hosted by InWEnt and the World Bank in preparation for the
Over the past two years, the world has seen turmoil in a relatively small segment of the U.S. credit markets morph into a severe global economic and financial crisis. Although aggressive monetary poli
Stronger agricultural growth is needed to reduce poverty in Africa, yet the region continues to fall behind. During the past three decades, many traditional African export crops have lost their compet
The global food, fuel, and financial crises have given new prominence to school feeding as a potential safety net and as a social support measure that helps keep children in school. Rethinking School
'The Road to Results: Designing and Conducting Effective Development Evaluations' presents concepts and procedures for evaluation in a development context. It provides procedures and examples on how t
HIV/AIDS reverses life expectancy gains, erodes productivity, consumes savings and dilutes growth efforts, threatening the realization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa.The report i
This World Bank report on the protection of environmental flow conditions in rivers, lakes and other waterways provides policymakers and researchers with an analysis of the effects of climate change,
'The Little Data Book on External Debt' provides a quick reference for users interested in external debt stocks and flows, major economic aggregates, key debt ratios, and the currency composition of l
Gender-related statistics have been abstracted from World Development Indicators 2009 for use as a quick reference. It covers 36 indicators for 1990 and 2007 in 209 member countries of the World Bank,
The World Bank has developed a new annual series of World Bank Country Briefs. Tanzania—the first report in the series—is a concise introduction to the most important aspects of Tanzania's economic an
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
Trade liberalization can create economic opportunities for poor people. But are these opportunities available to men and women equally? Do the gender disparities in access to education, health, credit
Several economies in the Caribbean region, especially from the lower-income group, are highly dependent on remittances. Between 1991 and 2006, the combined flows of total remittances reaching the Cari
Argentina’s youth—6.7 million between the ages of 15 and 24—are an important, but to a certain extent untapped, resource for development. Over 2 million (31 percent) have already engaged in risky beha
Software comes from India, hardware comes from China. Why is that? Why did China and India take such different paths to global dominance in new high-tech industries? Will their paths continue to diver
Non-Conviction Based (NCB) asset forfeiture is a powerful tool for recovering the proceeds and instrumentalities of corruption, particularly in cases where the proceeds are transferred abroad. A proce
'A Development Emergency', the title of this year’s 'Global Monitoring Report', the sixth in an annual series, could not be more apt. The global economic crisis, the most severe since the Great Depres
Trade liberalization can create economic opportunities for poor people. But are these opportunities available to men and women equally? Do the gender disparities in access to education, health, credit
The third edition of this guide to financial risks in banking has been expanded to include a new chapter on management of the treasury function and revised chapters on capital adequacy, transparency a
This World Bank publication contains the most detailed collection of data on Africa available in a single volume, with 450-plus macroeconomic, sectoral, and social indicators, covering 53 African coun
More than 1 billion people around the world live without access to safe, potable water, in part because of poor governance and corruption. Illegal connections and substantial losses caused by deferred
The purpose of this book is to provide policy insights to decision-makers, academics and researchers on investment flows and patterns in Southeast Europe. The report explores some of the determinants
