Download or read book Food and Agriculture in the Czech Republic written by Csaba Csáki and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1999-01-01 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Becoming a member of the European Union is one of the most important objectives of the Czech Republic for the coming years, both for the government, and for the Czech society as a whole." With the exception of a few traditional Czech products, the Czech Republic is not a major exporter of agricultural goods due to its land-locked position and relatively poor product differentiation. Since the "velvet revolution" in 1989, agricultural production has declined. To conform to European Union standards for accession, the Czech Republic needs to make some adjustments. This report reviews the current state of Czech agriculture and agro-industry in the context of EU accession. It analyzes institutional reforms and their actual impacts and proposes a series of adjustments to complete the reforms in the agricultural sector. This report is intended for agricultural scientists, public officials, agricultural and agro-industrial leaders, and researchers interested in the transformation of agriculture in the transition economies and in issues pertaining to accession of Central and East European candidate countries to the European Union.
Download or read book Food and Agriculture in the Czech Republic written by Csaba Csáki and published by World Bank Group. This book was released on 1999 with total page 91 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study reviews the share of agriculture in the Czech economy, which has diminished significantly since 1989. Two opposing trends are analyzed: a) a reduction in the agricultural production; and, b) a recovery in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) between 1994-1996, after a sharp contraction in the first years of transition, with the share of agricultural employment dropping by half in 1997. Such reduction, however, facilitated by new opportunities in non-agricultural activities, resulted in improved agricultural labor productivity. The report indicates that while, a marked slow-down in agricultural production exists, a slow switch from animal production to crop production is being experienced. The status of sectoral reforms as of 1989 is examined, focusing on three categories of institutional reforms, and their impacts: 1) the creation of a macro-framework and incentives for producers, processors, and traders; 2) the privatization of major means of production - primary agriculture, agro-processing, and, input supply; and 3) the changes in institutions and regulations aimed at enhancing market development. A series of adjustments are proposed for the completion of reforms in the areas of financial consolidation of farms, privatization of state-owned land, competitiveness, and, development of a market institutional framework, envisaging the transformation for accession to the European Union.
Download or read book Building Market Institutions in Post communist Agriculture written by David A. J. Macey and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2004 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Editors David Macey, William Pyle, and Stephen Wegren, with a host of world-leading agrarian analyst and practitioners, unravel the shortcomings surrounding post-communist agrarian reform and answers how and why particular policies were adopted in Eurasia. Building Market Institutions in Post-Communist Agriculture draws on country-level case studies to analyze a range of initiatives that institutions have applied to agricultural economies. In this edited collection, contributors use a comparative analytical framework to project a universal process of agrarian transformation that continues to change the social, economic, and political characteristics of this part of the world.
Download or read book Hungary written by Ioannis Nicolaos Kessides and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2000-01-01 with total page 106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hungary was one of the first countries in Central and Eastern Europe to embark on economic transition. It has also led the region in terms of the restructuring and privatization of the infrastructure sectorselectricity, gas, and telecommunications. In fact, when negotiations over accession into the EU commenced, Hungary's institutional and structural framework was comparable to, if not ahead of, that of most EU countries. However, even an excellent process of reform provides some opportunities for further improvements, especially as new information and experience accumulate.This report: Provides a diagnostic assessment of recent and ongoing structural and regulatory reforms in Hungary's infrastructure sectors-electricity, oil and gas, and telecommunications; Identifies priorities for additional competitive restructuring and regulatory decontrol measures, their expected impacts, and policies designed to minimize the transition costs of deregulation and market liberalization; Assesses the progress made toward compliance with the European Union (EU) accession requirements and identify areas that might benefit from special attention to accelerate the transition to a liberalized regime; Identifies the major regulatory issues that need to be addressed in the medium term by the Hungarian regulatory agencies and suggest a strategy for addressing these issues. This volume will be of interest to Bank staff, policymakers, and World Bank client countries.
Download or read book Agriculture in Transition written by Zvi Lerman and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2004 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Agriculture in Transition: Land Policies and Evolving Farm Structures in Post Soviet Countries authors Zvi Lerman, Csaba Csaki, and Gershon Feder study the land policies and farming structures of these newly emerging nations as components of institutional change in the rural sector - change from a centralized rural economy to a market-oriented economy.
Download or read book Dismantling Russia s Nonpayments System written by Brian Pinto and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2000-01-01 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One question preoccupies many scholars and practitioners: How can economic growth in the Russian Federation be reinvigorated? This report contributes to the current debate.Nonpayments in Russia evolved into a complex, inter-linked system over the latter half of the 1990s, becoming one of the most critical issues facing policymakers. This paper analyzes this system, including its origins, its evolution, the factors that now perpetuate it, and its costs, and identifies a minimum set of economic reforms needed to dismantle it. The paper also proposes answers to key questions about nonpayments, including: • How has its course been influenced by government policy at the federal and subnational levels? • What are the links with macroeconomic policy? • What is the role of the energy sector, and how has the system affected the way businesses operate? • What are the implications for economic growth? • How indeed, as part of Russia's transition to a monetized, market economy, did the nonpayments system come to exert a stranglehold on virtually every aspect of the economy? This report will be of interest to policymakers and economists interested in transition economies.
Download or read book Agricultural Finance and Credit Infrastructure in Transition Economies Focus on South Eastern Europe Proceedings of OECD Expert Meeting Portoroz Slovenia May 2001 written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2001-09-24 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: - What has been achieved in rural finance and institutional reform during more than a decade of transition and what challenges remain? - What are the special needs of South Eastern European countries to attract agricultural credit and finance to ...
Download or read book Structural Reforms in Southeastern Europe Since the Kosovo Conflict written by Daniela Gressani and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2002-01-01 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study examines the progress made by the countries of south-east Europe (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Romania, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) towards implementing structural economic reforms in the three years since the end of the Kosovo conflict, as well as considering the challenges that lie ahead. It discusses four key areas of reform: strengthening public finances and fighting corruption; creating a liberal trade environment; encouraging foreign investment; and fostering the growth of private markets.
Download or read book Breathing Clean written by Masami Kojima and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2001-01-01 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Because evidence that shows that diesel fumes are more toxic than was previously thought, there has been increased interest in the use of natural gas for vehicles operating in cities. Transit buses, traditionally fueled by diesel, are one of the cheapest forms of mass transit. They are also significant polluters and typically operate in heavily congested urban areas, where significant air pollution problems exist. The report provides an overview of the issues that must be considered when evaluating natural gas an alternative to diesel for use in transit buses.
Download or read book Measurement and Meaning written by Estanislao Gacitúa-Marió and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2001-01-01 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This yearÂ's Global Economic Prospects argues for reshaping the global architecture of world trade to promote development and poverty reduction. The report focuses on four policy areas: -Using the WTO ministerial to launch a Â"development roundÂ" of trade negotiations that would reduce global trade barriers. -Engaging in global collective action to promote trade outside the negotiating framework of the WTO. -Adopting pro-trade development policies of high-income countries unilaterally. -Enacting new trade reform in developing countries. The report contends that the policies recommended in these four areas would reshape the global trade architecture in a way that would enhance the prospects of developing countries and reduce world poverty. While the most likely scenario is for recovery beginning in 2002, todayÂ's slow growth of global trade and weakening financial flows to all but the most creditworthy countries, has impeded growth in developing countries. Global Economic Prospects 2002 concludes that the long-term promise of well-implemented trade reform is therefore tangible: a world with a much higher standard of living, hundreds of millions lifted out of poverty, and a sharp increase in children living beyond their fifth birthday to become productive citizens of the world.
Download or read book Coping With the Cold written by Julian A. Lampietti and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2002 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Does Eurosclerosis Matter written by Michelle Riboud and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2002 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Whether or not labor market rigidities are an important contributor to persistently high levels of unemployment remains at the center of an important debate in Europe. European labor markets are often viewed as rigid and inflexible in opposition to those in North America where legislation is less protective and fosters more mobility. This paper shows that the labor market policies adopted by Central and Eastern European countries, aspiring to join the European Union, do not appear excessively rigid. However, significant and wide- ranging economic reform programs make it difficult to assess the impact of labor market institutions."
Download or read book Poverty and Ethnicity written by Ana Revenga and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2002-01-01 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Roma are a unique minority in Europe, and with current estimates of between seven and nine million living throughout the continent, they represent the largest minority group. They are the main poverty risk group in many countries of central and eastern Europe, yet there is little information available on their living conditions. This paper analyses data from a new cross-country household survey, conducted by the Center for Comparative Research at Yale University, into the ethnic dimension of poverty in Roma communities in Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania. Findings describe the multidimensional nature of Roma poverty, both in terms of consumption and income, as well as other deprivation measures such as housing and health status, access to education and employment opportunities. Significant structural factors are identified which reflect past and present discrimination. Whilst specific policies need to be formulated at the country level, the report also seeks to highlight common policy options among national governments, Roma communities, non-governmental organisations and international agencies.
Download or read book Foreign Investment and Restructuring written by Michelle Riboud and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2000 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although the official rhetoric in most transition economies has been in favor of foreign direct investment (FDI), few countries have succeeded in attracting sizable inflows. Hungary stands out among those countries that have done so effectively. Several factors helped Hungary to get ahead of other transition economies in terms of attracting FDI. This volume analyzes Hungary's achievement, the scope and depth of FDI and the effect of FDI on Hungary's economy and foreign trade. This report will interest European Union member and candidate countries, foreign ministries, think tanks, and libraries.
Download or read book Services Trade in the Balkans written by Constantine Michalopoulos and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2013 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Institutional Elements of Tax Design and Reform written by John McLaren and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2003 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Institutional Reform for Irrigation and Drainage written by Fernando J. Gonzalez and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2002-01-01 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If sustainable management of tropical forests is to be accomplished and deforestation brought under control, the on-the-ground performance of existing forest concessions, along with the allocation of new concessions, will have to be strengthened. This study examines the failures of forest concessions and the loss of tropical forests due to mismanagement during the last two decades. It also emphasizes the potential gains resulting from strengthening the allocation, management, and supervision of concessions by concentrating on improving procedures, introducing performance incentives, and monitoring key performance elements
