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Paperback. Condizione: New. Beyond its terrible toll in human lives and suffering, the Ebola epidemic has inflicted a measurable economic impact on West Africa in terms of forgone output, higher fiscal deficits, rising prices, lower real household incomes, and greater poverty. This impact results partly from the health-care costs and forgone productivity associated with being infected, but it is driven principally by the efforts of the uninfected population to avoid exposure ('aversion behavior'). The Economic Impact of the 2014 Ebola Epidemic: Short- and Medium-Term Estimates for West Africa provides a mixed methods analysis of the economic impact, combining theory on the channels of economic impact of the epidemic, economic indicators across sectors in the affected countries, and models of how these economies interact with each other and with the broader world. The result is a quantification of the potential overall magnitude of the economic impact for Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, as well as for West Africa as a whole.Ebola's short-term economic impact (2014) in the three core countries is on the order of US$359 million in forgone output: That is how much poorer these economies will be than they would have been in the absence of Ebola. Two alternative scenarios are used to estimate the medium-term impact (2015): A Low Ebola scenario corresponds to rapid containment within the three most severely affected countries and limited regional contagion, and a High Ebola scenario corresponds to slower containment in the three core countries with broader regional contagion. The estimates of the output lost as a result of the epidemic in the three core countries for 2015 alone sum to US$97 million under the Low Ebola scenario (implying some recovery from 2014) and US$809 million under the High Ebola scenario.Over the medium term, however, epidemiological and economic contagion are likely in the broader sub-region of West Africa. This report uses a multi-country general equilibrium model to estimate the medium-term impact on output for West Africa as a whole. Under the Low Ebola scenario, the loss in GDP for the sub-region is estimated to be US$2.2 billion in 2014 and US$1.6 billion in 2015. Under the High Ebola scenario, the estimates are US$7.4 billion in 2014 and US$25.2 billion in 2015. These are major regional impacts with global implications.This report will be of particular interest to policy makers and others interested in understanding the broader impact of the Ebola epidemic and in assisting with the subsequent economic recovery.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Examining innovative ways to address Africa's infrastructure deficit is at the heart of this analysis. Africa's infrastructure stock and quality is among the least developed in the world, a challenge that significantly hinders economic development. It is estimated that the finance required to raise infrastructure in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) to a reasonable level within the next decade is at US$93 billion per year, with two-thirds of this amount needed for capital expenditures. With the existing spending on infrastructure being estimated at US$45 billion per annum and after accounting for potential efficiency gains that could amount to US$17 billion, Africa's infrastructure funding gap remains around US$31 billion a year. One approach to address this challenge is by facilitating the increase of private provision of public infrastructure services through public-private partnerships (PPPs). This approach, which is a relatively new arrangement in SSA is multifaceted and requires strong consensus and collaboration across both public and private sectors. There are several defined models of PPPs.Each type differs in terms of government participation levels, risk allocations, investment responsibilities, operational requirements, and incentives for operators. Our definition of PPPs assumes transactions where the private sector retains a considerable portion of commercial and financial risks associated with a project. In more descriptive terms, among the elements defining the notion of PPPs discussed in this study are: a long-term contract between a public and private sector party; the design, construction, financing, and operation of public infrastructure by the private sector; payment over the life of the PPP contract to the private sector party for the services delivered from the asset; and the facility remaining in public ownership or reverting to public sector ownership at the end of the PPP contract. The observations and policy recommendations that follow draw on ongoing World Bank Group PPP engagements in these countries, including extensive consultations with key public and private sector stakeholders involved in designing, financing, and implementing PPPs.The study is structured around the most inhibiting constraints to developing PPPs, as shared by all six countries.

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Paperback. Condizione: New. Regional economic development is an interest of policymakers throughout the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region. One of its principal aims is to reduce poverty in lagging regions by stimulating local economic growth. However, problems exist with this approach. First, it may miss the target. Although geographical concentrations of poverty exist, poor people also live in regions that are - on average - rich. Second, the sources of the problem may be misdiagnosed. Poverty is not only related to where people are, but to who people are. In ECA, poverty is associated with low levels of education and people who are too young or too old to participate in the labor force.Under these circumstances, efforts to bring higher wage employment opportunities to poor regions may have little immediate benefit for the people who live there. Third, relying on regional economic development to address poverty in lagging regions ignores the potential role of migration. The emigration of labor, rather than the immigration of capital, may be a more effective means of reducing the poverty of individuals in lagging regions, though this is unlikely to eliminate pockets of poverty quickly.Development opportunities may exist in poor regions that markets have overlooked. Interventions must be assessed carefully. Some of the traditional instruments used to stimulate regional economic growth have mixed track records. Comprehensive custom-tailored approaches appear to be a promising alternative. However, governments should be modest in using regional development as a tool of poverty reduction. Policies aimed at stimulating growth in poor regions should be complemented by more direct anti-poverty measures, including targeted transfers and investments in education, and efforts to remove barriers to emigration.

Paperback. Condizione: New. These reports have been published with the approval of the subject government to communicate the results of the Bank's work on the economic and related conditions of member countries to governments and to the development community. Broad-based growth is one of the four pillars of the Nicaraguan Government's Poverty Reduction Strategy. Living standards of the rural poor will continue to depend largely upon agriculture. This study takes stock of major developments in Nicaragua's agricultural sector and argues that broad-based growth can be promoted by strengthening agricultural competitiveness. Export growth is the key, requiring immediate action within a coherent strategy. The case for coffee is used to illustrate the proposed strategy. The study also identifies productivity constraints in rural factor markets, suggesting medium- and long-term solutions. The study reviews the issue of risk management and concludes with descriptions of some promising pilot projects.

Paperback. Condizione: New. This pocket edition of the Global Financial Development Database contains 38 indicators of financial development in 205 economies, also by regional and income groupings, related to financial depth, access, efficiency, and stability of financial institutions and markets.

Paperback. Condizione: New. There has been a burgeoning of public-private partnerships in different parts of the world. The partnerships differ in form and structure, in the extent of public and private participation, and in the forms of their engagement. The essays in this volume are written mainly from the perspective of providers. They provide valuable insights into the purpose, trend and impact of public-private partnerships in different parts of the world, as well as an understanding of the barriers they face.

Paperback. Condizione: New. This handy pocket guide is a quick reference for users interested in gender statistics. The book presents gender-disaggregated data for more than 200 economies in an easy country-by-country reference on demography, education, health, labor force, political participation and the Millennium Development Goals. The book s summary pages cover regional and income group aggregates.

Paperback. Condizione: New. This book examines Haiti's conflict-poverty trap from the perspective of demographic and socioeconomic factors, the state's institutional capacity to provide public goods, and the strategies of political actors. The report's three main sections explore the nature of these components, and a closing section considers the linkages among them.

Paperback. Condizione: New. This Review was undertaken by the Networks of Ministry of Education HIVandAIDS Focal Point from countries in sub-Saharan Africa participating in the Accelerate Initiative, together with stakeholder and partner representatives. The education sector has become increasingly recognized as playing a key 'external' role in prevention and in reducing stigma, and an important 'internal' role in providing access to care, treatment and support for teachers and staff, a group that in many countries represents more than 60% of the public sector workforce. In 2002, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIVandAIDS (UNAIDS) Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Education established the 'Accelerate Initiative Working Group' to support countries in sub-Saharan Africa as they 'accelerate their education sector responses to HIVandAIDS' through the establishment of programs with strong local ownership, capable of accessing suitable funding and implementation at all levels of the education sector.The Networks of Ministry of Education HIVandAIDS Focal Points, established through the Initiative under the auspices of the Africa Union Regional Economic Communities, have rapidly taken ownership of the Accelerate Initiative. This Review explores the experiences of education sectors across sub-Saharan Africa as they accelerate their response to HIVandAIDS within the Accelerate Initiative. It demonstrates that leadership by Ministries of Education has been crucial in mobilizing activities, and that full participation of all stakeholders is needed for effective implementation. Since 2002: 37 countries have participated; 4 Networks have been established; 1,350 education staff members and 76 development partners have participated in 120 training days; 75% of participating countries are now accessing funds through their National AIDS Committees; 76% have an HIVandAIDS education sector strategy and plan; 91% train teachers to protect themselves; all countries are now implementing HIV prevention education; 74% are training teachers in the life skills approach; and 71% provide free education for orphans and vulnerable children.

Paperback. Condizione: New. In Search of Land and Housing in the New South Africa is part of the World Bank Working Papers series. These papers are published to communicate the results of the Bank's ongoing research and to stimulate public discussion. This study outlines the difficulties poor communities face in accessing peri-urban land in South Africa that could have implications and lessons for similar communities in their countries facing spatial segregation issues. The study focused on one community, composed largely of laid-off farm workers that wanted to buy their own farm in a peri-urban area west of Johannesburg. Their dream was to establish a mixed-use settlement. They wanted to call the village Ethembalethu - ""Our Hope."" About 250 families started their own association and savings scheme to make their dream a reality. By 1997, they had saved enough money to make their first purchase offer. A decade later, the community's dream is still not a reality.The families have faced numerous obstacles: two cancelled sale agreements, wrongful arrest, being sued in court, an out-of-court settlement for which community members were paid to not move into the white neighborhood, and large sums of their own money spent on consultants and environmental impact studies. In an agreement with the Mogale City Municipality, where the land is located, the community now has at least a confirmed right to occupy the land. But it does not yet legally own the land, and is still trying to get permission to build on and work the land. The case of Ethembalethu is not unique. Millions of black South Africans live in the peri-urban areas. Yet, government programs, development planning and environmental regulations, and the current land and housing markets do not support realization of their aspirations to become homeowners on sites of their choice.

Paperback. Condizione: New. "What do we mean when we say participatory communication? What are the practical implications of working with participatory communication strategies in development and social change processes? What experiences exists in practice that documents that participatory communication adds value to a development project or programme?The aim of this user guide on participatory communication is to provide answers to some of these questions. Many communication practitioners and development workers face obstacles and challenges in their practical work. A participatory communication strategy offers a very specific perspective on how to articulate social processes, decision-making processes and any change process for that matter. Participatory approaches are nothing new. However, what is new is the proliferation of institutions, especially governmental but also non-governmental, that seek participatory approaches in their development initiative. This guide seeks to provide perspectives, tools and experiences regarding how to go about it with participatory communication strategies. It is conceived as a guide that hopefully can be of relevance and utility for development workers in the field.It is targeted at both at government and their officials, World Bank staff and at civil society.".

Paperback. Condizione: New. Illustrated. The speeches in this collection-all delivered since Nicholas Stern became Chief Economist of the World Bank in July 2000-reflect insights that Mr. Stern has gained over more than three decades of study and work in development economics. Together they provide an analysis of development experience and an agenda for action in the coming years. In his introduction, the author explains the evolution of his ideas, starting with early work in Africa and India, within the larger context of changes in development thinking and strategy. The speeches that follow draw on his varied experience and on the research findings and operational experience of the World Bank. The first speech provides an overview of the past five decades of development. Speeches that follow explore current development issues in India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and China. A strategy for development is then outlined: building an economic climate that facilitates investment and growth, and empowering poor people to participate in that growth. A concluding speech examines the role of the international financial institutions in promoting investment and overcoming poverty.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Land reform can be divided broadly into land tenure reform (the establishment of secure and formalized property rights in land) and land redistribution (the transfer of land from large to small farmers). This paper therefore is in two parts. The first part focuses on property rights, giving a short narrative of some of the key land tenure and land policy issues. Though these issues remain politically sensitive, a solid consensus is emerging on how to deal with them - but only once the confusion is cleared up surrounding private common property and formal and informal rights. The second part addresses redistributive land reform - the redistribution of property rights in land from large to small farmers. A heightened sense of urgency surrounds the need to address land redistribution, especially in the former settler colonies in southern Africa, but controversy exists regarding the appropriate implementation mechanisms. The study highlights the case of South Africa, because success there would have tremendous regional and international implications for land redistribution. A policy framework for redistributive land reform is outlined, within which the competing paradigms compete where it actually matters - on the ground.

Paperback. Condizione: New. The human resources crisis in the health sector has been gathering attention on the global stage. To date, however, most of this attention has focused on shortages of health human resources (HRH) at the national level. At least as important are problems at the sub-national level. Massive geographic and skill mix imbalances are reflected in the perilous undersupply of HRH in most rural areas. Virtually all Sub-Saharan African countries suffer from significant geographic imbalances. Very little substantive information or documentation exists on the problem. Even less is known about the lessons from policies aimed at addressing urban-rural human resource imbalances, let alone experiences of Sub-Saharan Africa countries, with such policies. There also appears to be a disconnect between the objectives and efforts of policymakers on the one hand and the functioning of national health labor markets and labor market behavior on the other hand. This disconnect hinders policy effectiveness and the efficient utilization of resources intended to narrow urban-rural inequities.In Sub-Saharan Africa government policies, often limited to the management of public sector vacancies, appear to be elaborated, prescribed, and implemented independently of labor market considerations. Partly as a result, they are unable to effectively address urban-rural imbalances, which are an outcome of labor market dynamics. This report discusses and analyzes labor market dynamics and outcomes (including unemployment, worker shortages, and urban-rural imbalances of categories of health workers) from a labor economics perspective. It then use insights from this perspective as a basis for elaborating policy options that incorporate the underlying labor market forces. The goal of the study is to address undesirable outcomes (including urban-rural HRH imbalances) more effectively. The book is thus suitable for researchers, policy analysts and policy makers with an interest in understanding and improving the allocation of human resources for health in the developing world.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Telecommunications sector policy-makers and regulators have a wide range of instruments available to them that can be used to increase access to telecommunications services in rural and low-income areas. The paper provides a review of these instruments, evaluating them against a set of criteria. It then goes on to identify a number of them that are worthy of further consideration by policy-makers and regulators while demonstrating that the effectiveness of the identified instruments can be greatly enhanced by the establishment of a conducive legal, regulatory and institutional framework. The paper concludes by confirming that while no single instrument taken in isolation can provide a full solution to universal access, a mix of the measures identified can be devised to achieve specific policy objectives in a particular country environment.

Paperback. Condizione: New. This paper explores an area of tertiary education that is currently understudied-the extent and nature of differentiation and articulation in African tertiary education systems. The overall finding of the study is that a binary system is dominant, characterized by universities and polytechnics as distinct types of institutions. Differentiation is clearly evident in Africa, though mostly horizontal as opposed to vertical. Articulation, on the other hand, seems to be in its infancy, as some universities, in their admission requirements, do not recognize polytechnic qualifications, and mobility between similar institution types is rare. National policy, market forces, institutional reforms, industry, and regional initiatives drive differentiation. Resource constraints, isomorphism, governance and funding structures, and the absence of debate over size and shape act as inhibitors. Demand for access appears to be the only driver for articulation, while national policies, internal governance structures, and industry/labor market inhibit growth.

Paperback. Condizione: New. The global development community is increasingly recognizing the need to better manage for results, to implement development assistance to achieve results on the ground. This in turn has highlighted the strategic value of performance information at the operational level. The challenges are to provide quality and timely information for decision-making at critical points, and to help development practitioners incorporate the use of outcome information into their business practices. Evaluative exercises help meet these challenges by providing information on outcomes achieved, examining the relevance of strategies to development impacts, underscoring good practices, and supporting and informing operations. Self-assessment of development strategies and interventions is a powerful tool in planning and managing for results, as it provides critical and timely performance information. Self-Assessment in Managing for Results provides some of the tools for a systematic analytical evaluative process that improves planning and management.Bringing inquiry concepts, process, and practice closer to the users, this title is a must have for any development practitioner interested in better understanding and documenting the results of development aid on the ground.

Paperback. Condizione: New. The Little Data Book on Private Sector Development 2016 provides country tables on aspects of private sector development, accompanied by summary pages by region and by income group aggregates.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Higher Education Financing in the New EU Member States summarizes the experiences to date of the new EU countries (the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia - the EU8) in the reform of higher education systems in a period of growing demand; changing patters of access; rapid expansion and increased participation rates; and an apparent dilution of average quality. The study discusses the growing experience with a variety of financing mechanisms in EU8 countries, drawing on detailed country case studies, and seeks to develop some useful lessons from experience, mindful that each country will continue to develop its own solution based on national priorities.

Paperback. Condizione: New. The World Bank has gained significant experience in supporting innovation systems projects. The Bank's role typically has been to facilitate and augment reform efforts through its experiences around the world, playing the role of an ""honest broker"" between the productive and science and technology sectors. This work has enhanced the effectiveness of the design and delivery of services and the sustainability of these activities. The Bank's involvement also ensures that institutional accountability is of high importance. Prudent market tests are applied to the various available interventions and fiscal discipline is imposed on institutions that are in the process of restructuring. Drawing on its experience, the Bank provides the long-term support, advice, and leverage needed during restructuring for institutions that seek to attain greater fiscal independence and to enhance the quality of their services and their contribution to the national economy. Innovation Systems concentrates its analysis on projects financed by the Bank during 1990-2003, together with some successful earlier examples, and reviews some 51 projects involving over USUSD4.2 billion in Bank support.

Paperback. Condizione: New. The Little Data Book on Information and Communication Technology 2017 illustrates the progress of this revolution for 217 economies around the world. It provides comparable statistics on the sector for 2005 and 2015 across a range of indicators, enabling readers to readily compare economies.

Paperback. Condizione: New. This pocket-sized reference on key development data for more than 200 countries provides profiles of each country with 54 development indicators about people, environment, economy, technology and infrastructure, trade, and finance.

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Paperback. Condizione: New. All development is ultimately about change, and this requires communication interventions. Communication must be framed in an integral ""two-way"" process that involves stakeholders, accounts for their perspectives, and understands their socio-political context. This two-way process constitutes a new communication approach, providing a better understanding of the development context, tailoring development initiatives during design and implementation, and contributing to more sustainable results. This paper presents the methodology used by the Development Communication Division (DevComm) fo the World Bank's External Affairs Vice-Presidency and its clients to improve development outcomes based on a Communication-based Assessment (CBA) approach.

Paperback. Condizione: New. The crisis threatens the welfare of about 160 million people in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region who are poor or are just above the poverty line. Using pre-crisis household data along with aggregate macroeconomic outturns to simulate the impact of the crisis on households transmitted via credit market shocks, price shocks, and income shocks this report finds that adverse effects are widespread and that poor and non-poor households alike are vulnerable. By 2010, for the region as a whole, some 11 million more people will likely be in poverty and over 23 million more people will find themselves just above the poverty line because of the crisis. The aggregate results mask the heterogeneity of impact within countries, including the concentration of the poverty impact in selected economic sectors. Meanwhile, stress tests on household indebtedness in selected countries suggest that ongoing macroeconomic shocks will expand the pool of households unable to service their debt, many of them from among the ranks of relatively richer households. In fact, already there are rising household loan delinquency rates.Finally, there is evidence that the food and fuel crisis is not over and a new round of price increases, via currency adjustments, will have substantial effects on net consumers. Lessons from last year s food crisis suggest that the poor are the worst hit, as many of the poor in Albania, Kyrgyz Republic, and Tajikistan, for example, are net food consumers, with limited access to agricultural assets and inputs.

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Paperback. Condizione: New. This book, arising from over twenty years experience of working with the world's major faiths, draws extensively upon joint World Bank and ARC (Alliance of Religion and Conservation) /WWF (World Wildlife Fund for Nature) projects world wide. It shows, through stories, land management, myths, investment policies, legends, advocacy and celebration, the role the major faiths have, do and can play in making the world a better place. The major faiths are the oldest institutions in the world and have survived essentially because they are constantly evolving and changing. There is much to be learnt by newer institutions such as the World Bank and the multitudes of NGOs about how to remain true to what you believe but change and grow as you develop. The book explores issues of climate change, forestry, asset management, education and biodiversity protection and does so using the techniques of the great faiths - storytelling, example and celebration. It reveals a variety of world views and it asks us to see that our personal view may be just one amongst many.The challenge of living with integrity in a pluralist world underlies the book and it offers models of how diversity is crucial in attempting to ensure we have a sustainable world.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Few trends have captured the interest and imagination of economists and policy makers as has the sustained economic rise of middle-income countries in recent years. The fast growing economies of Brazil, India, and South Africa have been producing world beating companies and creating new opportunities for their large populations. Development experience in recent decades suggests that a strong investment climate is central to economic growth and poverty reduction. By drawing on the wealth of information captured in the World Bank's Doing Business indicators and enterprise surveys, this volume assesses the factors that contribute to the creation of a robust investment climate and shares best practices and lessons learned from these three global players.

Paperback. Condizione: New. This book discusses the issues and steps involved in building a lifelong learning system in China, including: a coherent policy framework, a sound incentive and institutional framework, a sound regulatory environment, a coordinated governance process, a timely and reliable management information system, a dynamic link with the evolving global system, and the optimal use of limited resources.