Download or read book World Development Report 2017 written by World Bank Group and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2017-01-23 with total page 605 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why are carefully designed, sensible policies too often not adopted or implemented? When they are, why do they often fail to generate development outcomes such as security, growth, and equity? And why do some bad policies endure? World Development Report 2017: Governance and the Law addresses these fundamental questions, which are at the heart of development. Policy making and policy implementation do not occur in a vacuum. Rather, they take place in complex political and social settings, in which individuals and groups with unequal power interact within changing rules as they pursue conflicting interests. The process of these interactions is what this Report calls governance, and the space in which these interactions take place, the policy arena. The capacity of actors to commit and their willingness to cooperate and coordinate to achieve socially desirable goals are what matter for effectiveness. However, who bargains, who is excluded, and what barriers block entry to the policy arena determine the selection and implementation of policies and, consequently, their impact on development outcomes. Exclusion, capture, and clientelism are manifestations of power asymmetries that lead to failures to achieve security, growth, and equity. The distribution of power in society is partly determined by history. Yet, there is room for positive change. This Report reveals that governance can mitigate, even overcome, power asymmetries to bring about more effective policy interventions that achieve sustainable improvements in security, growth, and equity. This happens by shifting the incentives of those with power, reshaping their preferences in favor of good outcomes, and taking into account the interests of previously excluded participants. These changes can come about through bargains among elites and greater citizen engagement, as well as by international actors supporting rules that strengthen coalitions for reform.

Download or read book Global Economic Prospects June 2021 written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2021-08-03 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The world economy is experiencing a very strong but uneven recovery, with many emerging market and developing economies facing obstacles to vaccination. The global outlook remains uncertain, with major risks around the path of the pandemic and the possibility of financial stress amid large debt loads. Policy makers face a difficult balancing act as they seek to nurture the recovery while safeguarding price stability and fiscal sustainability. A comprehensive set of policies will be required to promote a strong recovery that mitigates inequality and enhances environmental sustainability, ultimately putting economies on a path of green, resilient, and inclusive development. Prominent among the necessary policies are efforts to lower trade costs so that trade can once again become a robust engine of growth. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Global Economic Prospects. The Global Economic Prospects is a World Bank Group Flagship Report that examines global economic developments and prospects, with a special focus on emerging market and developing economies, on a semiannual basis (in January and June). Each edition includes analytical pieces on topical policy challenges faced by these economies.

Download or read book China Country Economic Memorandum written by and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Paraguay country Economic Memorandum written by World Bank and published by Washington, D.C. : World Bank. This book was released on 1992 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agriculture has been Paraguay's main source of growth since colonial times. Agricultural exports continue to be a major determinant of the rhythm of growth. New sources of growth (commerce, tourism, and construction) were developed in the 1960s. In the 1970s, growth accelerated sharply, with the growth of the agricultural frontier, and more importantly, the construction of Itaipu dam. The sale of surplus hydro-power from Itaipu, and from Yacireta when it is completed, will benefit Paraguay for years to come. The new government has taken a number of strong actions to restore stability, including improving public finances, bringing down inflation, unifying and liberalizing the exchange rate, freeing many interest rates, and initiating a tax reform. A number of structural changes that would continue to contribute towards these goals are advanced in this report. Shifts in agricultural policy to promote a more intensive pattern of development and continued investment in and maintenance of transport infrastructure are essential. Changes in financial sector regulation to reduce the artificial barriers between institutions and to improve financial supervision need attention. Reduction and unification of tariffs, improvements in management of privatizations and joint ventures, and tax reform that lowers rates to collectible levels will prepare Paraguay for the signed MERCOSUR treaty.

Download or read book Angola written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2007-01-01 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Once one of the world's largest staple food producers, Angola is now known as a major oil exporter - the second largest producer in sub-Saharan Africa. Angola is also the world's fourth largest producer of rough diamonds in terms of value, with the potential to become one of the leading global diamond producers. In addition to oil and diamonds, the country is well endowed with agricultural resources which remain mostly untapped. However, despite the country's significant natural wealth, a prolonged civil war, the rapid development of the oil sector, and the policies pursued after Independence in 1975 have left the Angolan economy in a unique situation, characterized by very uneven indicators of development. The Angolan economy is now experiencing massive oil windfall gains that are expected to last throughout the next decade. Since oil rents are to a large part concentrated in the public sector, the question of how the oil revenue should be spent and distributed across present and future generations becomes key to any economic development strategy. This study identifies six core areas where a strategic approach for the development of a broad-based growth strategy is required: (i) the incomplete transition to a market economy; (ii) macroeconomic management; (iii) governance and transparency in the management of the mineral wealth; (iv) the business environment; (v) agriculture; and (vi) public service delivery to the poor.

Download or read book Doing Business 2020 written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2019-11-21 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seventeen in a series of annual reports comparing business regulation in 190 economies, Doing Business 2020 measures aspects of regulation affecting 10 areas of everyday business activity.

Download or read book The Ocean Economy in Mauritius written by Raffaello Cervigni and published by Directions in Development. This book was released on 2018-04-06 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book assesses the overall potential of the Ocean Economy (OE) to contribute to Mauritius' development, identifies key sectoral and cross-cutting challenges to be overcome in order to seize that potential, and evaluates ways to ensure the OE's longer-term sustainability. In particular, tt addresses environmental and climate change concerns. Based on a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model analysis of the country developed in partnership with the Government of Mauritius, the book finds that doubling the GDP share of the OE (the 'O2' strategy) is possible, even though achieving such a target is likely to take to at least 15 years. Over the next 10 years, with investments on the order of US$580 million per year, the O2 strategy can yield many positive results in terms of sustainable and inclusive growth. The book assesses opportunities and constraints for OE development from the individual perspective of four sectors, representing the OE's established sectors (fisheries, ports), as well as the emerging ones (marine energy and marine information and communications technology). Sustainable development requires considerable investment in natural resource management, since any OE expansion is likely to entail larger pressure on the environment, including pollution of water and coastlines; and higher exposure to the risks posed by current climate variability and future change. In this respect, Mauritius has recently initiated a Marine Spatial Planning process as a key instrument to reconcile multiple ecological, economic, and social objectives in the use of coastal and ocean resources. Climate change is being increasingly recognized as a threat to the development potential of the OE in Mauritius. The country has made important progress on the understanding of impacts; it has also made progress on practical adaptation responses. The current OE governance system, based on a dedicated ministry and a consultative body (the National Ocean Council), has been instrumental in promoting the OE agenda over the last few years. To fully turn the OE's potential into reality, there is a need to strengthen it, both in terms of technical capacity and in terms of decision-making mechanisms.

Download or read book The State of the Global Education Crisis written by UNESCO and published by UNESCO Publishing. This book was released on 2021-12-09 with total page 55 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The global disruption to education caused by the COVD-19 pandemic is without parallel and the effects on learning are severe. The crisis brought education systems across the world to a halt, with school closures affecting more than 1.6 billion learners. While nearly every country in the world offered remote learning opportunities for students, the quality and reach of such initiatives varied greatly and were at best partial substitutes for in-person learning. Now, 21 months later, schools remain closed for millions of children and youth, and millions more are at risk of never returning to education. Evidence of the detrimental impacts of school closures on children's learning offer a harrowing reality: learning losses are substantial, with the most marginalized children and youth often disproportionately affected. Countries have an opportunity to accelerate learning recovery and make schools more efficient, equitable, and resilient by building on investments made and lessons learned during the crisis. Now is the time to shift from crisis to recovery - and beyond recovery, to resilient and transformative education systems that truly deliver learning and well-being for all children and youth."--The World Bank website.

Download or read book Slovenia written by Mojmir Mrak and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2004-01-01 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thirteen years after independence from the former Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia, Slovenia has become one of the most advanced transition economies in Central and Eastern Europe and will become a member of the EU in May 2004. This publication examines the country's recent political and socio-economic history, its transition to a market economy and the challenges that lie ahead. It includes contributions from Slovenia's president, a former vice prime minister, the current and previous ministers of finance, the minister of European Affairs, the current and former governors of the Bank of Slovenia, as well as from leading development scholars in Slovenia and abroad.

Download or read book Time Well Spent written by Daniel Wheatley and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2017-05-02 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Measuring quality of life has been identified as fundamental in assessing the relative progress of societies and as having relevance for both monitoring and policy-making purposes. Self-reported measures of well-being, referred to as subjective well-being, have become increasingly topical given the growing awareness of the limitations of existing measures of well-being including gross domestic product (GDP). In the UK, the ONS’s ‘Happiness Index’ was launched in 2010 by Prime Minister David Cameron. This book aims to improve our understanding of well-being through an analysis of time-use in a post-industrial society, the UK, drawing on empirical data from large-scale surveys such as Understanding Society and smaller-scale case study evidence. It uses a plurality of theoretical perspectives to explore the relationship between our use of time and our reported levels of satisfaction, and considers the policy lessons that we can take from our organization of time.

Download or read book Quality Systems and Standards for a Competitive Edge written by and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2007 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book responds to the challenge of providing a comprehensive account of quality systems for private sector development: what works and what doesnt on the ground, and why. This volume provides a thorough analysis of the diversity of institutions, linkages, and arrangements involved in quality systems, identifying success factors in countries quality strategies. It explains why quality and standards matter for export growth, for productivity, for industrial upgrading, and for diffusion of innovation, all central ingredients in improving economic growth and generating real gains in poverty reduction. It provides a detailed blue print for implementing effective National Quality Systems. Quality and Standards Matter is a valuable tool for policymakers confronted with the challenges of building trade competitiveness in the new global economy.

Download or read book The Changing Wealth of Nations 2018 written by Glenn-Marie Lange and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2018-01-30 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Countries regularly track gross domestic product (GDP) as an indicator of their economic progress, but not wealth—the assets such as infrastructure, forests, minerals, and human capital that produce GDP. In contrast, corporations routinely report on both their income and assets to assess their economic health and prospects for the future. Wealth accounts allow countries to take stock of their assets to monitor the sustainability of development, an urgent concern today for all countries. The Changing Wealth of Nations 2018: Building a Sustainable Future covers national wealth for 141 countries over 20 years (1995†“2014) as the sum of produced capital, 19 types of natural capital, net foreign assets, and human capital overall as well as by gender and type of employment. Great progress has been made in estimating wealth since the fi rst volume, Where Is the Wealth of Nations? Measuring Capital for the 21st Century, was published in 2006. New data substantially improve estimates of natural capital, and, for the fi rst time, human capital is measured by using household surveys to estimate lifetime earnings. The Changing Wealth of Nations 2018 begins with a review of global and regional trends in wealth over the past two decades and provides examples of how wealth accounts can be used for the analysis of development patterns. Several chapters discuss the new work on human capital and its application in development policy. The book then tackles elements of natural capital that are not yet fully incorporated in the wealth accounts: air pollution, marine fi sheries, and ecosystems. This book targets policy makers but will engage anyone committed to building a sustainable future for the planet.

Download or read book Measuring the Real Size of the World s Economy written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2013 with total page 697 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions"--T.p. verso.

Download or read book Global Economic Prospects 2007 written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2006 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the next 25 years developing countries will move to center stage in the global economy. Global Economic Prospects 2007 analyzes the opportunities - and stresses - this will create. While rich and poor countries alike stand to benefit, the integration process will make more acute stresses already apparent today - in income inequality, in labor markets, and in the environment. Over the next 25 years, rapid technological progress, burgeoning trade in goods and services, and integration of financial markets create the opportunity for faster long-term growth. However, some regions, notably Africa, are at risk of being left behind. The coming globalization will also see intensified stresses on the "global commons." Addressing global warming, preserving marine fisheries, and containing infectious diseases will require effective multilateral collaboration to ensure that economic growth and poverty reduction proceed without causing irreparable harm to future generations."

Download or read book Global Economic Prospects 2010 written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2010-02-12 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The crisis has deeply impacted virtually every economy in the world, and although growth has returned, much progress in the fight against poverty has been lost. More difficult international conditions in the years to come will mean that developing countries will have to place even more emphasis on improving domestic economic conditions to achieve the kind of growth that can durably eradicate poverty.� —Justin Yifu Lin, Chief Economist and Senior Vice President The World Bank 'Global Economic Prospects 2010: Crisis, Finance, and Growth' explores both the short- and medium-term impacts of the financial crisis on developing countries. Although global growth has resumed, the recovery is fragile, and unless business and consumer demand strengthen, the world economy could slow down again. Even if, as appears likely, a double-dip recession is avoided, the recovery is expected to be slow. High unemployment and widespread restructuring will continue to characterize the global economy for the next several years. Already, the crisis has provoked large-scale human suffering. Some 64 million more people around the world are expected to be living on less than a $1.25 per day by the end of 2010, and between 30,000 and 50,000 more infants may have died of malnutrition in 2009 in Sub-Saharan Africa, than would have been the case if the crisis had not occurred. Over the medium term, economic growth is expected to recover. But increased risk aversion, a necessary and desirable tightening of financial regulations in high-income countries, and measures to reduce the exposure of developing economies to external shocks are likely to make finance scarcer and more costly than it was during the boom period. As a result, just as the ample liquidity of the early 2000s prompted an investment boom and an acceleration in developing-country potential output, higher costs will likely yield a slowing in developing-country potential growth rates of between 0.2 and 0.7 percentage points, and as much as an 8 percent decline in potential output over the medium term. In the longer term, however, developing countries can more than offset the implications of more expensive international finance by reducing the cost of capital channeled through their domestic financial markets. For more information, please visit www.worldbank.org/gep2010. To access Prospects for the Global Economy, an online companion publication, please visit www.worldbank.org/globaloutlook.

Download or read book Yes Africa Can written by Punam Chuhan-Pole and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2011-06-24 with total page 497 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Takes an in-depth look at twenty-six economic and social development successes in Sub-Saharan African countries, and addresses how these countries have overcome major developmental challenges.

Download or read book Global Economic Prospects January 2022 written by The World Bank and published by . This book was released on 2022-03-04 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Global Economic Prospects, January 2022