Land & Corruption

Cambodia has recently demonstrated one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world. While scholars have long explored the drivers of tropical forest loss, the case of Cambodia offers particular insights into the role of the state where transnational governance and regional integration are increasingly the norm.

Public lands accounted for 80% of the country area until a decade ago. As Cambodia emerged from three decades of civil war and internal strife, the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) has granted more than 10% of the country area or 50% of the cultivatable land as large scale “Economic Land Concessions” (ELCs) to private companies, mostly foreign owned, in a mostly rigged process.

This study is highly selective
and organized into four thematic chapters.
Specifically, chapter 1 provides a snapshot of
Burundi’s political and macroeconomic context,
and reviews the evolution of the decentralization
process to better understand how institutional,
political, and bureaucratic dynamics have shaped

Millions of coffee farmers and coffee
trading enterprises lack sufficient credit. This is partly
due to myriad challenges and considerable costs that formal
lending institutions face serving rural, often isolated
markets. A better understanding of coffee sector risks is

After decades of turmoil and
instability, a period of calm and progress evolved in
Guinea-Bissau in 2009. A military coup in April 2012
interrupted it. A fresh start is needed to alter the
dynamics that kept Guinea-Bissau poor. In 2013, Gross
National Income per capita was US$590. Average economic

After decades of turmoil and
instability, a period of calm and progress evolved in
Guinea-Bissau in 2009. A military coup in April 2012
interrupted it. A fresh start is needed to alter the
dynamics that kept Guinea-Bissau poor. In 2013, Gross
National Income per capita was US$590. Average economic

This is the first investment climate
assessment (ICA) for Myanmar. The main objectives of this
ICA are to: (i) provide an up-to-date and fact-based
analysis of the business environment for the government and
other stakeholders in Myanmar to help prioritize and

This working paper concerns the growth
of investment climate in the Philippines. There are several
resounding ideas in areas both positive and negative. The
growth potential in the Philippines is considerable. The
country has significant natural resources; a large pool of

Brazil has the fifth-largest national land area in the world and this land resource represents a critical asset for the country’s urban, agricultural, and economic development, also providing essential environmental services.

World Bank carried out an enterprise
survey in Myanmar for the first time. Enterprise survey is
the world's most comprehensive company level data in
emerging markets and developing economies. The enterprise
survey is standardized, so it allows comparisons: (i) across

Justice interventions in Solomon Islands
over the last decade have focused largely on assisting
Honiarabased state institutions in the form of a variety of
capacity-building programs. This has included a heavy
reliance on expatriate expertise positioned in central

Using a newly compiled database of
women's property rights and legal capacity covering 100
countries over 50 years, this paper analyzes the triggers
and barriers to reform. The database documents gender gaps
in the ability to access and own assets, to sign legal