EBookClubs

Read Books & Download eBooks Full Online

EBookClubs

Read Books & Download eBooks Full Online

Book Reforming Infrastructure

Download or read book Reforming Infrastructure written by Ioannis Nicolaos Kessides and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2004 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Electricity, natural gas, telecommunications, railways, and water supply, are often vertically and horizontally integrated state monopolies. This results in weak services, especially in developing and transition economies, and for poor people. Common problems include low productivity, high costs, bad quality, insufficient revenue, and investment shortfalls. Many countries over the past two decades have restructured, privatized and regulated their infrastructure. This report identifies the challenges involved in this massive policy redirection. It also assesses the outcomes of these changes, as well as their distributional consequences for poor households and other disadvantaged groups. It recommends directions for future reforms and research to improve infrastructure performance, identifying pricing policies that strike a balance between economic efficiency and social equity, suggesting rules governing access to bottleneck infrastructure facilities, and proposing ways to increase poor people's access to these crucial services.

Book World Development Report 1994

Download or read book World Development Report 1994 written by and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1994 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: World Development Report 1994 examines the link between infrastructure and development and explores ways in which developing countries can improve both the provision and the quality of infrastructure services. In recent decades, developing countries have made substantial investments in infrastructure, achieving dramatic gains for households and producers by expanding their access to services such as safe water, sanitation, electric power, telecommunications, and transport. Even more infrastructure investment and expansion are needed in order to extend the reach of services - especially to people living in rural areas and to the poor. But as this report shows, the quantity of investment cannot be the exclusive focus of policy. Improving the quality of infrastructure service also is vital. Both quantity and quality improvements are essential to modernize and diversify production, help countries compete internationally, and accommodate rapid urbanization. The report identifies the basic cause of poor past performance as inadequate institutional incentives for improving the provision of infrastructure. To promote more efficient and responsive service delivery, incentives need to be changed through commercial management, competition, and user involvement. Several trends are helping to improve the performance of infrastructure. First, innovation in technology and in the regulatory management of markets makes more diversity possible in the supply of services. Second, an evaluation of the role of government is leading to a shift from direct government provision of services to increasing private sector provision and recent experience in many countries with public-private partnerships is highlighting new ways to increase efficiency and expand services. Third, increased concern about social and environmental sustainability has heightened public interest in infrastructure design and performance.

Book Private Solutions for Infrastructure in Honduras

Download or read book Private Solutions for Infrastructure in Honduras written by Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2003-01-01 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is designed to promote the development of infrastructure services in Honduras, with the aim of improving the country's competitiveness and contributing to poverty reduction. Its central argument is that Honduras needs a significant increase in private investment in infrastructure services, which should take place in more competitive environment and be subject to an adequate legal and regulatory framework. The study details the progress to date in Honduran infrastructure sectors, identifying the principal problems that exist and outlining a strategy for their solution. It proposes a general set of principles that should guide the provision of infrastructure services. In addition, it recommends specific policies for each sector. The document's scope includes the following services: transportation, water and sanitation, electricity, and telecommunications.

Book Aid  Power and Privatization

Download or read book Aid Power and Privatization written by Benedicte Bull and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2005-01-01 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'This is an important and thought provoking book for the understanding of privatisation. The author perceptively identifies contradictions that emerge from the process and outcome of privatisation, and attempts to explain these through a comparative analysis of telecommunications reform in three Central American countries. The result is a carefully researched book that provides new insights into the politics of privatisation. It will be compelling reading for the student and practitioner alike.' - Paul Cook, University of Manchester, UK This book provides a comparative study of the telecommunication reform process in three Central American countries - Costa Rica, Guatemala and Honduras - focusing on the roles of the local private sector and international financial institutions.

Book Honduras

    Book Details:
  • Author : International Monetary Fund
  • Publisher : International Monetary Fund
  • Release : 2006-02-10
  • ISBN : 1451817185
  • Pages : 103 pages

Download or read book Honduras written by International Monetary Fund and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2006-02-10 with total page 103 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Honduras’s request for a Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility and Interim Assistance Under the Enhanced Initiative for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries is discussed. The social consultation has allowed the government to implement a vital reform of public sector wage policy. A reduction in the pressure of the civil service wage bill is the key for restoring the sustainability of the public finances. An ambitious financial sector reform is designed to address bank fragilities; and far-reaching transparency and anti-corruption measures aim to improve governance.

Book OECD Public Governance Reviews Integrity Framework for Public Investment

Download or read book OECD Public Governance Reviews Integrity Framework for Public Investment written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2016-02-29 with total page 95 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Public investment, and particularly infrastructure investment, is important for sustainable economic growth and development as well as public service provision. However, it is also vulnerable to capture and corruption.

Book Lifelines

    Book Details:
  • Author : Stephane Hallegatte
  • Publisher : World Bank Publications
  • Release : 2019-07-16
  • ISBN : 1464814317
  • Pages : 316 pages

Download or read book Lifelines written by Stephane Hallegatte and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2019-07-16 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Infrastructure—electricity, telecommunications, roads, water, and sanitation—are central to people’s lives. Without it, they cannot make a living, stay healthy, and maintain a good quality of life. Access to basic infrastructure is also a key driver of economic development. This report lays out a framework for understanding infrastructure resilience - the ability of infrastructure systems to function and meet users’ needs during and after a natural hazard. It focuses on four infrastructure systems that are essential to economic activity and people’s well-being: power systems, including the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity; water and sanitation—especially water utilities; transport systems—multiple modes such as road, rail, waterway, and airports, and multiple scales, including urban transit and rural access; and telecommunications, including telephone and Internet connections.

Book Honduras

    Book Details:
  • Author : International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
  • Publisher : International Monetary Fund
  • Release : 2023-09-22
  • ISBN :
  • Pages : 142 pages

Download or read book Honduras written by International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept. and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2023-09-22 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Honduran economy has shown remarkable resilience to various domestic and external shocks over 2020-22, and real GDP is now around 6 percent above pre-pandemic levels supported by the authorities’ prudent policies. That said, Honduras faces long-standing social and structural challenges that hinder its development potential and stability. Under the previous Fund-supported program that expired in January 2022, Honduras succeeded in enhancing the quality of fiscal policy and implementing institutional reforms. The current authorities are committed to maintaining prudent macroeconomic policies and advancing structural reforms while fostering inclusive growth by creating space for critical social spending and infrastructure investment. In this context, the authorities have requested a new Fund arrangement to anchor their economic and institutional reform agenda.

Book Reforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance

Download or read book Reforming Public Institutions and Strengthening Governance written by World Bank. Public Sector Board and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2003 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report seeks to assess the progress to date in implementing the World Bank's strategy for governance and public sector reform. It also highlights specific challenges and approaches of individual regions, the Development Research Group and the World Bank Institute.

Book Investment Climate Reforms

Download or read book Investment Climate Reforms written by World Bank World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2015-11-02 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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 ability to grow, create jobs, and reduce poverty depends critically on a well-functioning investment climate--defined as the policy, legal, and institutional arrangements underpinning the functioning of markets and the level of transaction costs and risks associated with starting, operating, and closing a business. The World Bank Group has provided extensive support to investment climate reforms. This evaluation by the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) assesses the relevance, effectiveness, and social value of World Bank Group support to investment climate reforms as it relates to concerns for inclusion and shared prosperity. IEG finds that the World Bank Group has supported a comprehensive menu of investment climate reforms and has improved investment climate in countries, as measured by number of laws enacted, streamlining of processes and time, or simple cost savings for private firms. However, the impact on investment, jobs, business formation, and growth is not straightforward. Regulatory reforms need to be designed and implemented with both economic and social costs and benefits in mind; IEG found that, in practice, World Bank Group support focuses predominantly on reducing costs to businesses. In supporting investment climate reforms, the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation use two distinct but complementary business models. Despite the fact that investment climate is the most integrated business unit in the World Bank Group, coordination is mostly informal, relying mainly on personal contacts. IEG recommends that the World Bank Group expand its range of diagnostic tools and integrate them in the areas of the business environment not yet covered by existing tools; develop an approach to identify the social effects of regulatory reforms on all groups expected to be affected by them beyond the business community; and exploit synergies by ensuring that World Bank and IFC staff improve their understanding of each other's work and business models.

Book Rethinking Power Sector Reform in the Developing World

Download or read book Rethinking Power Sector Reform in the Developing World written by Vivien Foster and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2019-12-05 with total page 482 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the 1990s, a new paradigm for power sector reform was put forward emphasizing the restructuring of utilities, the creation of regulators, the participation of the private sector, and the establishment of competitive power markets. Twenty-five years later, only a handful of developing countries have fully implemented these Washington Consensus policies. Across the developing world, reforms were adopted rather selectively, resulting in a hybrid model, in which elements of market orientation coexist with continued state dominance of the sector. This book aims to revisit and refresh thinking on power sector reform approaches for developing countries. The approach relies heavily on evidence from the past, drawing both on broad global trends and deep case material from 15 developing countries. It is also forward looking, considering the implications of new social and environmental policy goals, as well as the emerging technological disruptions. A nuanced picture emerges. Although regulation has been widely adopted, practice often falls well short of theory, and cost recovery remains an elusive goal. The private sector has financed a substantial expansion of generation capacity; yet, its contribution to power distribution has been much more limited, with efficiency levels that can sometimes be matched by well-governed public utilities. Restructuring and liberalization have been beneficial in a handful of larger middle-income nations but have proved too complex for most countries to implement. Based on these findings, the report points to three major policy implications. First, reform efforts need to be shaped by the political and economic context of the country. The 1990s reform model was most successful in countries that had reached certain minimum conditions of power sector development and offered a supportive political environment. Second, countries found alternative institutional pathways to achieving good power sector outcomes, making a case for greater pluralism. Among the top performers, some pursued the full set of market-oriented reforms, while others retained a more important role for the state. Third, reform efforts should be driven and tailored to desired policy outcomes and less preoccupied with following a predetermined process, particularly since the twenty-first-century century agenda has added decarbonization and universal access to power sector outcomes. The Washington Consensus reforms, while supportive of the twenty-first-century century agenda, will not be able to deliver on them alone and will require complementary policy measures

Book Honduras

    Book Details:
  • Author : International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
  • Publisher : International Monetary Fund
  • Release : 2019-12-20
  • ISBN : 1513523775
  • Pages : 71 pages

Download or read book Honduras written by International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept. and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2019-12-20 with total page 71 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper highlights Honduras’ First Reviews Under the Stand-By Arrangement and the Arrangement Under the Stand-By Credit Facility, and Request for Modification of Performance Criteria. Despite headwinds to growth and a challenging external environment, the Honduran authorities remain fully committed to the economic program supported by the IMF. They have maintained prudent macroeconomic policies—the fiscal position is in line with the Fiscal Responsibility Law, inflation is within the central bank’s target band, and the current account deficit has narrowed despite adverse terms of trade—and have taken initial steps on structural reforms to promote sustained, inclusive growth. Important measures to strengthen the governance and anti-corruption frameworks have been incorporated into the program, adding to the ongoing efforts to strengthen the institutional framework in the central bank and in public finances, and to improve the business environment. The authorities are expected to protect the revenue mobilization efforts made over the past years to reduce the infrastructure gap and increase social spending. These efforts seem to be critical to reduce poverty and inequality, while maintaining a prudent fiscal position that secures debt sustainability over the medium term.

Book World Development Report 2019

Download or read book World Development Report 2019 written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2018-10-31 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Work is constantly reshaped by technological progress. New ways of production are adopted, markets expand, and societies evolve. But some changes provoke more attention than others, in part due to the vast uncertainty involved in making predictions about the future. The 2019 World Development Report will study how the nature of work is changing as a result of advances in technology today. Technological progress disrupts existing systems. A new social contract is needed to smooth the transition and guard against rising inequality. Significant investments in human capital throughout a person’s lifecycle are vital to this effort. If workers are to stay competitive against machines they need to train or retool existing skills. A social protection system that includes a minimum basic level of protection for workers and citizens can complement new forms of employment. Improved private sector policies to encourage startup activity and competition can help countries compete in the digital age. Governments also need to ensure that firms pay their fair share of taxes, in part to fund this new social contract. The 2019 World Development Report presents an analysis of these issues based upon the available evidence.

Book Republic of Honduras

Download or read book Republic of Honduras written by and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Macro Structural Policies and Income Inequality in Low Income Developing Countries

Download or read book Macro Structural Policies and Income Inequality in Low Income Developing Countries written by Ms.Stefania Fabrizio and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2017-01-26 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite sustained economic growth and rapid poverty reductions, income inequality remains stubbornly high in many low-income developing countries. This pattern is a concern as high levels of inequality can impair the sustainability of growth and macroeconomic stability, thereby also limiting countries’ ability to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. This underscores the importance of understanding how policies aimed at boosting economic growth affect income inequality. Using empirical and modeling techniques, the note confirms that macro-structural policies aimed at raising growth payoffs in low-income developing countries can have important distributional consequences, with the impact dependent on both the design of reforms and on country-specific economic characteristics. While there is no one-size-fits-all recipe, the note explores how governments can address adverse distributional consequences of reforms by designing reform packages to make pro-growth policies also more inclusive.

Book Law and Economics of Public Procurement Reforms

Download or read book Law and Economics of Public Procurement Reforms written by Gustavo Piga and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-10-03 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Appropriate laws and regulations are essential tools to direct the action of procurers toward the public good and avoid corruption and misallocation of resources. Common laws and regulations across regions, nations and continents potentially allow for the further opening of markets and ventures to newcomers and new ideas to satisfy public demand. Law and Economics of Public Procurement Reforms collects the original contributions related to the new European Union Directives approved in 2014 by the EU Parliament. They are of both economists and lawyers, and have been presented in a manner that allows for exchanges of views and "real time" interaction. This book features, for each section, an introductory exchange between two experts of different disciplines, made up of a series of sequential interactions between an economist and a lawyer, which enriches the liveliness of the debate and improve the mutual understanding between the two professions. Four sections characterize this book: Supporting social considerations via public procurement; Green public procurement; Innovation through innovative partnerships; and Lots - The Economic and Legal Challenges of Centralized Procurement. These themes have current relevance of the new European Public Procurement Directives. Written by an impressive array of experts in their respected fields, this volume is of great importance to practitioners who work in the field of EU public procurement in the Member States of the EU, as well as academics and students who study public finance, public policy and regulation.