Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso

Author: International Monetary Fund

Publisher: INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND

Published: 2004-03-25

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781451803747

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Despite severe exogenous shocks, the macroeconomic program remained broadly on track, and several social indicators, particularly in the area of basic education, progressed. A variety of measures have been successfully implemented to improve the environment for private sector development, reduce the vulnerability of the rural sector, and strengthen public finance management. A more comprehensive framework for growth-enhancing policies should encompass the rural sector; foster the development of analytical links between budgets and results; and strengthen the role of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) as an integrative framework for sectoral policies.

The State of Corporate Governance
The State of Corporate Governance

Author: Olivier Frémond

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13:

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Corporate governance deals with the ways in which the rights of outside suppliers of equity finance to corporations are protected and receive a fair return. Good practices reduce the risk of expropriation of outsiders by insiders and thus the cost of capital for issuers. Capaul and Fremond review the experience of the preparation of 15 corporate governance country assessments across five continents. The assessments have been prepared under the umbrella of the joint World Bank/IMF initiative of the "Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes" (ROSCs). The assessments focus on the rights of shareholders, the equitable treatment of shareholders, the role of stakeholders, disclosure and transparency, and the duties of the board of listed companies, and use the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance as benchmark. The authors give an overview of the actual and potential contribution of the assessments to policy dialogue, diagnostic and strategic work, lending and nonlending operations, and technical assistance and capacity, and presents the unfinished agenda. This paper-a product of the Corporate Governance Unit, Private Sector Advisory Services Department-is part of a larger effort in the department to disseminate lessons learned in the assessment of the compliance of countries to global standards. The authors may be contacted at [email protected] or [email protected].

Policy Reforms and Agriculture Development in Central Asia
Policy Reforms and Agriculture Development in Central Asia

Author: Sandjar Djalalov

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2006-07-02

Total Pages: 489

ISBN-13: 0387297790

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Achieving sustainable agricultural development is at the forefront of the poverty reduction objective of the Central Asian republics - Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Since independence, the countries of the Central Asian region have undergone a series of transition from centrally planned economies to a more market oriented system. Wide-ranging policy reforms have been implemented, although in varying degrees, in the five Central Asian countries. Despite great efforts by the countries and the external advice and efforts of international agencies to help them to follow a dynamic growth path, the progress in policy reforms has been frustratingly slow. Generating momentum to reorient the approach and the sequencing of policy reform packages will require rethinking of the policy reform process. This is particularly so in the food, agriculture, and natural resource sectors. This further requires improved understanding among the policymakers, donors, and international agencies of the impact of policy alternatives so that policy reforms and the speed with which they have been implemented are consistent with the objectives and the social and political realities of individual countries in the region. Involving the local policy research community in identifying critical issues and challenges, setting priorities among them for food and agricultural and natural resource policy research and analysis, and implementing joint research studies is the best way to generate knowledge on the impact of policy reforms and to increase ownership of policy design and implementation.

Economic Development and the World Trade Organization After Doha
Economic Development and the World Trade Organization After Doha

Author: Bernard Hoekman

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13:

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Abstract: Hoekman analyzes what actions could be taken in the context of the World Trade Organization's Doha negotiations to assist countries in reaping benefits from deeper trade integration. He discusses the policy agenda that confronts many developing countries and identifies a number of focal points that could be used both as targets and as benchmarks to increase the likelihood that WTO negotiations will support development. To achieve these targets, Hoekman proposes a number of negotiating modalities for both goods and services-related market access issues, as well as rule-making in regulatory areas. Throughout the analysis, the author refers to the work of J. Michael Finger, whose numerous writings in this area have not only greatly influenced the thinking of policymakers and researchers on the interaction between trade policy, economic development, and the GATT/WTO trading system, but also provides a model for how to pursue effective policy research. This paper--a product of Trade, Development Research Group--is part of a larger effort in the group to analyze the development aspects of WTO rules. The author may be contacted at [email protected].

Rich and Powerful?
Rich and Powerful?

Author: Michael Lokshin

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 52

ISBN-13:

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Does "empowerment" come hand-in-hand with higher economic welfare? In theory, higher income is likely to raise both power and welfare, but heterogeneity in other characteristics and household formation can either strengthen or weaken the relationship. Survey data on Russian adults indicate that higher individual and household incomes raise both self-rated power and welfare. The individual income effect is primarily direct, rather than through higher household income. There are diminishing returns to income, though income inequality emerges as only a minor factor reducing either aggregate power or welfare. At given income, the identified covariates have strikingly similar effects on power and welfare. There are some notable differences between men and women in perceived power. This paper--a product of the Poverty Team, Development Research Group--is part of a larger effort in the group to explore broader measures of well-being. The authors may be contacted at [email protected] or [email protected].