The population of Uruguay is undergoing a slow but sustained aging process, driven by the demographic transition that started early in the twentieth century. While this reflects significant improvemen
Within the past decade the Maldives moved from poverty to middle-income status, introduced democracy, and was hailed as a Millennium Development Goal Plus country. Women face little discrimination in
The Nigeria Urbanization Review serves the critical and timely purpose of understanding the challenges and opportunities of urbanization in Nigeria. The country’s rapid urban population growth and exp
This toolkit is designed for policy makers and stakeholders who are considering the establishment of a publicly funded asset management company (AMC). An AMC is a statutory body or corporation, fully
Cameroon has strong goals for its growth and development. By 2035, it aims to be an emerging economy. The country’s medium-term goals are focused on alleviating poverty, consolidating democracy, and a
Drylands are at the core of Africa’s development challenge. Drylands make up about 43 percent of the region’s land surface, account for about 75 percent of the area used for agriculture, and are home
The second edition of the Impact Evaluation in Practice handbook is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to impact evaluation for policy makers and development practitioners. First published in
Securing Development provides policy makers from government finance agencies, security and justice ministries, and international organizations with an introduction to the key issues related to public
The Shanghai basic education system has garnered significant attention since its extraordinary performance in the 2009 and 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a global assessme
South Africa has achieved a lot on its path of socio-economic transformation since the end of Apartheid in 1994. While many challenges remain to foster inclusive growth to address the triple challenge
As a low-income country, Ethiopia has made impressive progress in improving health outcomes. This report examines how Ethiopia’s Health Extension Program (HEP) has contributed to the country’s move to
World Development Indicators 2016 provides a compilation of relevant, high-quality, and internationally comparable statistics about global development and the fight against poverty. It is intended to
South Asia is in the midst of a demographic transition. For the next three decades, the growth of the region’s working age population will far outpace the growth of dependents. Close to one million in
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
Inadequate electricity services pose a major impediment to reducing extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Simply put, Africa does not have enough power. Despite the abu
As the country that inspires the world with ‘gross national happiness’ development philosophy, Bhutan is striving to pursue its economic growth while committing to its core values of inclusive and gre
The Little Data Book 2016 is a pocket edition of World Development Indicators 2015. It is intended as a quick reference for users of the World Development Indicators database, book, and mobile app. Th
Jobs are critical to poverty reduction and inclusive growth in Sierra Leone, where more than half the population is poor and most are dependent on labor earnings. Adding to the jobs challenge is the y
The World Bank Legal Review is a publication for policy makers and their advisors, judges, attorneys and other professionals engaged in the field of international development with a particular focus o
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) operates one of the largest nongovernmental school systems in the Middle East. Palestine refugees in UNRWA sc
Enabling the Business of Agriculture 2016 provides a tool for policy makers to identify and analyze legal barriers for the business of agriculture and to quantify transaction costs of dealing with gov
The global movement toward universal health coverage (UHC) is accompanied by requests for large increases in government health spending in some countries. This combined with the global economic situat
Perceptions of Africa have changed dramatically. Viewed as a continent of wars, famines and entrenched poverty in the late 1990s, there is now a focus on “Africa rising” and an “African 21st century.”
The internet has spread rapidly. Development has not. But there are instances where technology can be transformational. A digital identification system such as India’s Aadhar overcomes complex informa
Teachers and Teacher Performance in Bihar: Implications for Teacher Education is a study undertaken in the low income state of Bihar in India to create effective teacher perfomance measuring standards
The Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region has the undesirable distinction of being the world’s most violent region, with 24.7 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. The magnitude of the problem is stag
International Debt Statistics (IDS) 2016 (formerly Global Development Finance) provides statistical tables showing the external debt of 125 developing countries that report public and publicly guarant
The Syrian refugee crisis, which began in 2011, is one of the most pressing disasters in the world today, with its effects reverberating around the globe. By the end of 2015, more than 7.6 million of
Romania identified competition as key to its effective economic development and is positioning the Competition Council to become more visible and effective. Improving Romania’s competitive environment
Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are long-term contracts between a private party and a government agency that strive to provide a public asset or service in which the private party bears both some r
At the turn of the millennium, the world experienced a dramatic increase in funding for global health programs. Competing demands for these resources meant that policymakers needed access to valid, ev
Latin America and the Caribbean region (LAC) has seen a “decade of convergence.” The recent growth performance in LAC has also been especially pro-poor. Understanding the factors underlying LAC’s grow
At the turn of the millennium, the world experienced a dramatic increase in funding for global health programs. Competing demands for these resources meant that policymakers needed access to valid, ev
BPublic procurement accounts for around one-fifth of global gross domestic product (GDP). Given its size the public procurement market can improve public sector performance, promote national competiti
Since the 1960s, it has been known that poor water and sanitation causes diarrhea, which consequently compromises child growth and leads to undernutrition. Ample evidence shows that poor water and san
Private firms are at the forefront of the development process, providing more than 90 percent of jobs, supplying goods and services, and representing a significant source of tax revenues. Their abilit
Chronic poverty raises perhaps the most complex and difficult challenge for governments around the world. Chronic poverty refers to those people that persistently live in low levels of welfare over lo
The number of people in South Asia's cities rose by 130 million between 2000 and 2011-more than the entire population of Japan. This was linked to an improvement in productivity and a reduction in the
Doing Business 2016 is the 13th publication in a series of annual reports comparing business regulation in 189 economies. This year the publication addresses regulations affecting 11 areas of everyday
The Global Monitoring Report 2015/2016, produced by the World Bank Group in partnership with the International Monetary Fund, comes at an inflection point in both the setting of global development goa
