Safeguarding Food Security in Volatile Global Markets
Safeguarding Food Security in Volatile Global Markets

Author: Adam Prakash

Publisher: Bright Sparks

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 620

ISBN-13:

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A timely publication as world leaders deliberate the causes of the latest bouts of food price volatility and search for solutions that address the recent velocity of financial, economic, political, demographic, and climatic change. As a collection compiled from a diverse group of economists, analysts, traders, institutions and policy formulators - comprising multiple methodologies and viewpoints - the book exposes the impact of volatility on global food security, with particular focus on the world's most vulnerable.

An Opportunity for a Different Peru
An Opportunity for a Different Peru

Author: Marcelo Giugale

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 860

ISBN-13: 082136863X

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For the first time in the republican history of Peru, the presidential transition takes place in democracy, social peace, fast economic growth and favorable world markets. In other words, there has never been a better chance to build a different Peru - a richer country, more equal and governable. There are multiple ways to achieve that goal. New reforms must stem from a widespread and participatory debate, one of a common vision conceived for and by Peruvians. This book aims at making a technical and independent contribution to such debate; it summarizes the knowledge available about the challenges to be faced by the new administration. The study does not recommend silver bullets, but suggests policy options. It is based on the analysis of the current reality and in six decades of relationships with Peru, in which the Bank has implemented more than 100 projects and prepared more than 500 technical reports covering the wide range of development topics. When necessary, the study provides lessons that the Bank has learned elsewhere. The study provides a conceptual framework to the analysis of the country's 34 economic sectors and the two historical perspectives behind them. In doing so, it offers a comprehensive reform agenda that sheds light on possible priorities and courses of action.

Privatization in Latin America
Privatization in Latin America

Author: Alberto Chong

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2005-03-15

Total Pages: 526

ISBN-13: 0821383507

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Privatization is under attack. Beginning in the 1980s, thousands of failing state-owned enterprises worldwide have been turned over to the private sector. But public opinion has turned against privatization. A large political backlash has been brewing for some time, infused by accusations of corruption, abuse of market power, and neglect of the poor. What is the real record of privatization and are the criticisms justified? 'Privatization in Latin America' evaluates the empirical evidence on privatization in a region that has witnessed an extensive decline in the state's share of production over the past 20 years. The book is a compilation of recent studies that provide a comprehensive analysis of the record of and accusations against privatization, with important recommendations for the future. Seven countries are investigated: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. This book will be vital to anyone interested in the privatization debate but especially to those involved in civil service reform, corporate governance, economic policy, finance, and anticorruption efforts. 'Privatization is important but controversial. While economists typically favor it, others are skeptical. This book provides strong scientific evidence that privatization has been beneficial for many Latin American countries, although some privatizations failed and some groups in society lost out. As usual, the devil is in the details: how privatization is carried out and what reforms accompany it are crucial to its success. The book is definitely an invaluable contribution to the privatization debate.' --Oliver Hart, Andrew E. Furer Professor of Economics, Harvard University

Women's Education in Developing Countries
Women's Education in Developing Countries

Author: Elizabeth M. King

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 1997-07-01

Total Pages: 356

ISBN-13: 9780801858284

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Why do women in most developing countries lag behind men in literacy? Why do women get less schooling than men? This anthology examines the educational decisions that deprive women of an equal education. It assembles the most up-to-date data, organized by region. Each paper links the data with other measures of economic and social development. This approach helps explain the effects different levels of education have on womens' fertility, mortality rates, life expectancy, and income. Also described are the effects of women's education on family welfare. The authors look at family size and women's labor status and earnings. They examine child and maternal health, as well as investments in children's education. Their investigation demonstrates that women with a better education enjoy greater economic growth and provide a more nurturing family life. It suggests that when a country denies women an equal education, the nation's welfare suffers. Current strategies used to improve schooling for girls and women are examined in detail. The authors suggest an ambitious agenda for educating women. It seeks to close the gender gap by the next century. Published for The World Bank by The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Special Economic Zones in Africa
Special Economic Zones in Africa

Author: Thomas Farole

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2011-01-01

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 0821386395

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"This book, designed for policymakers, academics and researchers, and SEZ program practitioners, provides the first systematic and comprehensive analysis of SEZ programs in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is the result of detailed surveys and case studies conducted during 2009 in ten developing countries, including six in Sub-Saharan Africa. The book provides quantitative evidence of the performance of SEZs, and of the factors which contribute to that performance, highlighting the critical importance not just of the SEZ itself but of the wider national investment climate in which it functions. It also provides a comprehensive guide to the key policy questions that confront governments establishing SEZ programs, including: if and when to launch an SEZ program, what form of SEZ is most appropriate, and how to go about implementing it. Among the most important findings from the study that is stressed in the book is the shift from traditional enclave models of zones to SEZs that are integrated ? with national trade and industrial strategies, with core trade and social infrastructure, with domestic suppliers, and with local labor markets.Although the book focuses primarily on the experience of Sub-Saharan Africa, its lessons will be applicable to developing countries around the world."

Action Plan of the Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics
Action Plan of the Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics

Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 120

ISBN-13:

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The recent food crisis and the ongoing debates on food price volatility, the impact of climate change on agriculture and food security highlight the weaknesses in available agricultural data. The Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics is a ground-breaking effort to strengthen agricultural statistics. It provides the framework essential to meeting the current and emerging data requirements and the demands of policy makers and other data users so that they can fill these urgent needs. This report describes the goals and purposes of the Global Action Plan, and provides the proposed global, regional and national governance structures. It examines the linkages of the Plan s technical components including country assessments, the technical assistance plan, the training plan and the research plan, and then outlines the process, assessment of resources, and timeline required for technical assistance, training and research. The report concludes with an overview of the implementation procedures and the monitoring, evaluation, and reporting requirements."

World Economic Outlook, April 2009
World Economic Outlook, April 2009

Author: International Monetary Fund. Research Dept.

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2009-04-22

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 1589068068

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This edition of the World Economic Outlook explores how a dramatic escalation of the financial crisis in September 2008 provoked an unprecedented contraction of activity and trade, despite active policy responses. It presents economic projections for 2009 and 2010, and also looks beyond the current crisis, considering factors that will shape the landscape of the global economy over the medium term, as businesses and households seek to repair the damage. The analysis also outlines the difficult policy challenges presented by the overwhelming imperative to take all steps necessary to restore financial stability and revive the global economy, and the longer-run need for national actions to be mutually supporting. The first of two analytical chapters, "What Kind of Economic Recovery?" explores the shape of the eventual recovery. The second, "The Transmission of Financial Stress from Advanced to Emerging and Developing Economies," focuses on the role of external financial linkages and financial stress in transmitting economic shocks.