Implementation of Uruguay Round Commitments
Implementation of Uruguay Round Commitments

Author: J. M. Finger

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 59

ISBN-13:

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At the Uruguay Round, developing countries took on obligations not only to reduce trade barriers but also to undertake significant reforms of regulations and trade procedures. The Round did not, however, take into account the cost of implementing these reforms -- a full year's development budget for many of the least developed countries -- nor did it ask whether the money might be more productive in other development uses.

Information Technology in World Bank Lending
Information Technology in World Bank Lending

Author: Nagy Hanna

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 1993-01-01

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 9780821325155

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This study describes a strategy to reduce poverty by boosting labor productivity and economic growth. It focuses on Uganda's two key sectors, agriculture and industry. The strategy seeks to make Uganda a self-sufficient food producer and a major crop exporter. It also advocates policies that would make the nation less dependent on imports and better at marketing its own products. Some suggestions include ways to improve labor markets, raise agricultural output, and broaden the tax base. Other recommendationsdiscuss ways to develop the financial sector and spur savings and investment. Also examined are the government's economic adjustment policies and their effects on the poor. Analysts point out the different ways that poverty affects men and women. The study also discusses how to increase public funds for social services that would improve the labor force. It recommends policies that will help women become full partners in Uganda's development. Tables and other illustrations throughout the text provide detailed statistics on Uganda's economic status. Topics include crop yields, poverty indicators, gross domestic product, and public sector expenses.

The Triangle of Microfinance
The Triangle of Microfinance

Author: Manfred Zeller

Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst

Published: 2002-01-01

Total Pages: 426

ISBN-13: 080187226X

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Since the 1980s when the microfinance revolution began, much has been accomplished, but the field became more refined in the 1990s as a result of shifts in paradigms, strategies, and development practices. This volume addresses the three policy objectives that now occupy those who wish to use credit as a development tool: financial sustainability of microfinance institutions, outreach to the poor, and welfare impact. Inevitable tradeoffs exist among these objectives, and the book advances an analytical framework that assists students of and experts in microfinance to identify the tradeoffs and synergies at the institutional level and in the policy environment. The book features a wealth of empirical data and innovative analytical studies, and critically discusses the role of public support for microfinance institutions (MFIs) in light of the social costs and benefits generated by such financial systems. The book is organized into five parts. The first discusses the demand for and access to financial services by the poor, emphasizing that demand-oriented, pro-poor financial services are crucial in reaching the poor. The second is concerned with two of the criteria used to evaluate MFIs—outreach and financial sustainability. The third features innovative econometric studies seeking to evaluate the impact of MFIs at the household level. The fourth looks at the role of both public- and private-sector institutions in developing sustainable financial systems. And the fifth summarizes implications for policy and research. Given the lack of sound, empirical literature on microfinance, this volume is sure to advance knowledge and research methodology in the field.

Agricultural Extension and Research
Agricultural Extension and Research

Author: Dennis Purcell

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 1997-01-01

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 9780821338780

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Environmentally Sustainable Development Studies and Monograph Series No. 17. A 1995 publication from the World Bank, Monitoring Environmental Progress: A Report on Work in Progress, generated great interest in the use of indicators to measure the pace and direction of change in environmentally sustainable development. In particular, the attempts to define what it means to be wealthy or poor by recognizing that a countrys wealth is the combination of various forms of capital--produced, natural, and human resources--led to new thinking on what constitutes wealth and how it might be measured. The current document, Expanding the Measure of Wealth: Indicators of Environmentally Sustainable Development, extends the earlier analysis by highlighting portfolio indicators for tracking a countrys progress toward sustainable development. These include new estimates of national wealth and genuine savings, a detailed analysis of changes in subsidies that have environmental consequences, and progress on the conceptual foundations of social capital. The new estimates reinforce the importance of the natural resource base of all economies as well as the fundamental role of human resources, including both human capital and the more difficult to define concept of social capital.

New Evaluation Procedures for a New Generation of Water-related Projects
New Evaluation Procedures for a New Generation of Water-related Projects

Author: Ronald G. Cummings

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 1996-01-01

Total Pages: 68

ISBN-13: 9780821338292

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This groundbreaking study presents the results of a large survey of more than 400 industrial firms in Russia conducted by the World Bank in mid-1994. The survey examined the role and organization of the enterprise sector, which is a key issue in transition economies, particularly in Russia, where a concerted attempt has been made to change ownership arrangements and hence corporate governance. More than half the firms surveyed are in the private sector; the rest remain in state hands or are partially privatized. A major focus of the book is to understand whether the Russian privatization has led to improvements in corporate governance. The authors identify some initial positive changes but also find that the manner in which privatization has occurred has not yet had a strong effect on the internal operations of Russian industrial firms. However, they do find evidence from their sample of significant growth in new firms. The volume examines the positive and negative aspects of restructuring, employment and workers compensation issues, budget constraints, the effects of privatization on employee behavior, and future prospects for Russian firms.