Download or read book Safety Net Programs and Poverty Reduction written by K. Subbarao and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1997 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The need for social safety nets has become a key component of poverty reduction strategies. Over the past three decades several developing countries have launched a variety of programs, including cash transfers, subsidies in-kind, public works, and income-generation programs. However, there is little guidance on appropriate program design, and few studies have synthesized the lessons from widely differing country experiences. This report fills that gap. It reviews the conceptual issues in the choice of programs, synthesizes cross-country experience, and analyzes how country- and region-specific constraints can explain why different approaches are successful in different countries.

Download or read book Expanding Housing Finance to the Underserved in South Asia written by Tatiana Nenova and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2010-06-22 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rapid economic growth in South Asia, urbanization, and a rising middle class have created considerable pent-up demand for housing and housing finance. More than 14 percent of low-income South Asians have no home. In response, South Asia s dynamic housing and housing finance markets have grown at rates of around 30%, but are still limited to upper-income groups. The contribution of housing and real-estate sector to overall economic growth, social uplift and employment is considerable. Housing and housing finance services have the clear potential to expand to middle- and even lower- income families. This requires an improved land administration, strengthened legal framework for land titling, registration, and foreclosure, better market data provision, and promotion of long-term funding for mortgage lenders and developers. Innovative traditional mortgage products and Islamic finance could match demand in underserved market segments. This report, a first regional effort on the topic, examines housing shortages in South Asia, as well as outlines shortcomings of the market for home mortgages. Information on good practice and country-specific examples are presented on enabling builder/developers, mortgage lenders, land administration, as well as foreclosure and other relevant regulations, to strengthen home ownership in South Asia. Special emphasis is accorded to low-income housing solutions.

Download or read book Labour law compliance and human resource management innovation Better Factories Cambodia written by Raymond Robertson and published by Better Work (ILO/IFC). This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Analyzing labour law compliance data in the apparel industry from Better Factories Cambodia, we find that (1) there was a broad improvement in working conditions among factories both with and without a reputation sensitive buyer, (2) factories with a reputation sensitive buyer have higher average compliance, (3) after the elimination of public disclosure of factory level noncompliance the rate of improved compliance slowed for factories with a reputation sensitive buyer and compliance declined for factories lacking a reputation sensitive buyer but (4) compliance did not return to the baseline even in the absence of a reputation sensitive buyer or threat of public disclosure of noncompliance. These findings are consistent with the hypotheses that (1) third party enforcement complements code compliance efforts by reputation sensitive buyers, (2) factory-specific public disclosure of noncompliance helps control free-riding of noncompliant factories lacking a reputation sensitive buyer on the market-level reputational externalities generated by compliant factories and that (3) enforcement activities induce factories to experiment in human resource management innovations that are both more humane and more efficient.

Download or read book The Cash Dividend written by Marito Garcia and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2012-02-21 with total page 441 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides in-depth descriptions and analysis of how cash transfer programs have evolved and been used in Sub-Saharan Africa since 2000. The analysis focuses on program features and implementation, but it also highlights political economy issues and current knowledge gaps.

Download or read book Climate Impacts on Energy Systems written by Jane O. Ebinger and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2011 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "While the energy sector is a primary target of efforts to arrest and reverse the growth of greenhouse gas emissions and lower the carbon footprint of development, it is also expected to be increasingly affected by unavoidable climate consequences from the damage already induced in the biosphere. Energy services and resources, as well as seasonal demand, will be increasingly affected by changing trends, increasing variability, greater extremes and large inter-annual variations in climate parameters in some regions. All evidence suggests that adaptation is not an optional add-on but an essential reckoning on par with other business risks. Existing energy infrastructure, new infrastructure and future planning need to consider emerging climate conditions and impacts on design, construction, operation, and maintenance. Integrated risk-based planning processes will be critical to address the climate change impacts and harmonize actions within and across sectors. Also, awareness, knowledge, and capacity impede mainstreaming of climate adaptation into the energy sector. However, the formal knowledge base is still nascent?information needs are complex and to a certain extent regionally and sector specific. This report provides an up-to-date compendium of what is known about weather variability and projected climate trends and their impacts on energy service provision and demand. It discusses emerging practices and tools for managing these impacts and integrating climate considerations into planning processes and operational practices in an environment of uncertainty. It focuses on energy sector adaptation, rather than mitigation which is not discussed in this report. This report draws largely on available scientific and peer-reviewed literature in the public domain and takes the perspective of the developing world to the extent possible."

Download or read book Unequal Alliance written by Robin Broad and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1988 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "An excellent book. . . . [It] provides a unique picture of the processes of globalist institution transformation in a crucial, less developed country."—John Willoughby, American University

Download or read book The Global Food Crisis written by Jennifer Clapp and published by Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. This book was released on 2009-09-30 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The global food crisis is a stark reminder of the fragility of the global food system. The Global Food Crisis: Governance Challenges and Opportunities captures the debate about how to go forward and examines the implications of the crisis for food security in the world’s poorest countries, both for the global environment and for the global rules and institutions that govern food and agriculture. In this volume, policy-makers and scholars assess the causes and consequences of the most recent food price volatility and examine the associated governance challenges and opportunities, including short-term emergency responses, the ecological dimensions of the crisis, and the longer-term goal of building sustainable global food systems. The recommendations include vastly increasing public investment in small-farm agriculture; reforming global food aid and food research institutions; establishing fairer international agricultural trade rules; promoting sustainable agricultural methods; placing agriculture higher on the post-Kyoto climate change agenda; revamping biofuel policies; and enhancing international agricultural policy-making. Co-published with the Centre for International Governance Innovation

Download or read book International Monetary Fund Annual Report 2019 Financial Statements written by International Monetary Fund and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2019-10-04 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The audited consolidated financial statements of the International Monetary Fund as of April 30, 2019 and 2018

Download or read book Global Monitoring Report 2008 written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2008-04-14 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Global Monitoring Report 2008', the fifth in an annual series, is essential reading for those who wish to follow the global development agenda and debate in 2008. The year marks the midpoint toward the 2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It is also an important year to work toward a consensus on how the world is going to respond to the challenge of climate change, building on the foundation laid at the Bali climate change conference in December 2007. The report spans this agenda. It provides a comprehensive assessment of progress toward the MDGs and related policies and actions. It addresses the challenge of climate change and environmental sustainability and assesses its implications for development. The report's assessment of MDGs at midpoint presents a mixed picture, one of both significant progress and formidable challenges. The first MDG, reducing extreme poverty by half, is likely to be met at the global level, thanks to a remarkable surge in global economic growth over the past decade. But, on current trends, the human development MDGs are unlikely to be met. Prospects are gravest for the goals of reducing child and maternal mortality, but shortfalls are also likely in the primary school completion. nutrition, and sanitation MDGs. The potential effects of climate change compound the challenge of achieving the development goals and sustaining progress. The report's messages are clear: urgent action is needed to help the world get back on track to achieve the MDGs; and urgent action is also needed to combat climate change that threatens the well-being of all countries, but particularly of poor countries and poor people. The goals of development and environmental sustainability are closely related, and the paths to those goals have important synergies.

Download or read book Understanding the economic and financial impacts of natural disasters written by Charlotte Benson and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2004 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Safer Homes Stronger Communities written by Abhas K. Jha and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2010-01-15 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This handbook is designed to guide public sector managers and development practitioners through the process of large-scale housing reconstruction after major disasters, based on the experiences of recent reconstruction programs in Aceh (Indonesia), Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Gujarat (India) and Bam (Iran).

Download or read book The Threat of Inflation written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs. Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean 2010 written by United Nations and published by UN. This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2010, the Latin American and Caribbean region showed great resilience to the international financial crisis and became the world region with the fastest-growing flows of both inward and outward foreign direct investment (FDI). The upswing in FDI in the region has occurred in a context in which developing countries in general have taken on a greater share in both inward and outward FDI flows. This briefing paper is divided into five sections. The first offers a regional overview of FDI in 2010. The second examines FDI trends in Central America, Panama and the Dominican Republic. The third describes the presence China is beginning to build up as an investor in the region. Lastly, the fourth and fifth sections analyze the main foreign investments and business strategies in the telecommunications and software sectors, respectively.

Download or read book World Development Report 1988 written by and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1988 with total page 323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the eleventh report in the annual series assessing major development issues. Part I reviews recent trends in the world economy and their implications for the future prospects of developing countries. Part II examines the role of public finance in development. This report includes the World Development Indicators, which provide selected social and economic indicators for more than 100 countries. Despite continued economic growth through 1987 and into 1988, two problems have characterized recent trends: unsustainable economic imbalances within and among industrial countries, and highly uneven economic growth among developing countries. Part I of the report concludes that three interdependent policy challenges need to be addressed. First, industrial countries need to reduce their external payments imbalances. Second, developing countries need to continue restructuring their domestic economic policies in order to gain creditworthiness and growth. Third, net resource transfers, external debt, from the developing countries must be trimmed so that investment and growth can resume. Part II of the report explores how public finance policies are best designed and implemented. How deficits are reduced is crucial: controlling costs in mobilizing revenues and setting careful priorities in public spending are equally important. Efficiency in providing public services and expanding the scope for raising revenue can be achieved through decentralizing decisionmaking and reforming state-owned enterprises with the latter permitting greater private participation.

Download or read book From Farm to Firm written by and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2011 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The process of rural-urban transformation presents both opportunities and challenges for development. If managed effectively, it can result in growth that benefits everyone; if managed poorly, it can lead to stark welfare disparities and entire regions cut off from the advantages of agglomeration economies. The importance of rural-urban transition has been confirmed by two consecutive World Development Reports: WDR 2008 Agriculture for Development; and WDR 2009 Reshaping Economic Geography. Focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, this book picks up where the WDRs left off, investigating the influence of country conditions and policies on the pace, pattern, and consequences of rural-urban transition and suggesting strategies to ensure that its benefits results in shared improvements in well-being. The book uncovers vast inequalities, whether between two regions of one country, between rural and urban areas, or within cities themselves. The authors find little evidence to suggest that these inequalities will automatically diminish as countries develop: empirical and qualitative analysis suggests that spatial divides are mainly a function of country conditions, policies and institutions. By implication, policymakers must take active steps to ensure that rural-urban transition results in shared growth. Spatially unbiased provision of health and education services is crucial to ensuring that the benefits of transition are shared by all. But connective infrastructure and targeted interventions also emerge as important considerations, even in countries with severely constrained fiscal and administrative capacity. The authors suggest steps for navigating the tricky political economy of land reforms. And they alert readers to potential spillover effects that mean that policies designed for one space can have unintended consequences on another. Policymakers and development experts, as well as anyone concerned with the impact of rural-urban transition on growth and equity, will find this book a thought-provoking and informative read.

Download or read book Tourism in the Green Economy written by World Tourism Organization and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Tourism Background Report is an extended version of the Tourism Chapter of the Green Economy Report (GER), which makes the case for investments in greener and sustainable tourism as a means to create jobs and reduce poverty while also improving environmental outcomes. The Report analyses the main variables that influence tourism development and aims to demonstrate that concerted "greener" policies can steer the growth of the sector toward a more sustainable path. Compared with a "business-as-usual" scenario, it shows how a green investment scenario would allow the sector to continue to expand steadily over the coming decades while ensuring significant environmental benefits such as reductions in water consumption, energy use and CO2 emissions. The Report aims at encouraging policy makers to support increased investment in greening the tourism sector.

Download or read book Poverty and Social Impact Analysis of Reforms written by Aline Coudouel and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Poverty and Social Impact Analysis (PSIA) is an approach used increasingly by governments, civil society organizations, the World Bank, and other development partners to examine the distributional impacts of policy reforms on the well-being of different stakeholders groups, particularly the poor and vulnerable. PSIA has an important role in the elaboration and implementation of poverty reduction strategies in developing countries because it promotes evidence-based policy choices and fosters debate on policy reform options. 'Poverty and Social Impact Analysis of Reforms' presents a collection of case studies that illustrate the spectrum of sectors and policy reforms to which PSIA can be applied; it also elaborates on the broad range of analytical tools and techniques that can be used for PSIA. The case studies provide examples of the impact that PSIA can have on the design of policy reforms and draw operational lessons for PSIA implementation. The case studies deal largely with policy reforms in a single sector, such as agriculture (crop marketing boards in Malawi and Tanzania and cotton privatization in Tajikistan); energy (mining sector in Romania and oil subsidies in Ghana); utilities (power sector reform in Ghana, Rwanda, and transition economies, and water sector reform in Albania); social sectors (education reform in Mozambique and social welfare reform in Sri Lanka); taxation reform (Nicaragua); as well as macroeconomic modeling (Burkina Faso).