This is the third edition of connecting
to compete: trade logistics in the global economy. At its
heart is the Logistics Performance Index (LPI), which the
World Bank has produced every two years since 2007. The LPI
measures on-the-ground trade logistics performance this
year, in 155 countries helping national leaders, key
policymakers, and private sector traders understand the
challenges they and their trading partners face in reducing

Reducing emissions from deforestation
and forest degradation and enhancing carbon stocks (REDD+)
has raised the profile of benefit sharing in the forest
sector. Sharing benefits, however, is not a new concept.
Previous work on benefit sharing (associated with
intellectual property, forest and agriculture concessions,
mining, and so forth) has focused on clarifying the concept
and examining how benefit sharing could feed into broader

The main objective of this study is to
identify the major impediments to access to financial
services in rural areas, and provide practical
recommendations to address the identified problems. The
study aims to inform on rural finance policies and
innovative instruments by examining both supply and demand
sides including an identification of non-financial issues
that restrict development of the rural financial sector.

The purpose of this policy note is to
contribute to an understanding of the factors that combine
to constrain the development of smallholder agriculture in
Swaziland. It seeks to shed light on why, despite being
well-endowed in land and water resources, and despite having
a climate that is generally favorable for the production of
crops and livestock, Swaziland is obliged to import
substantial amounts of food to feed the population. Also,

This report presents the key message,
lessons, and insights from agrifin's first knowledge
exchange event, held in Hyderabad, India, March 7-12, 2011.
Agrifin is a special initiative aimed at building capacity
in agriculture finance for commercially-oriented
smallholders and small and medium enterprise (SME)
agribusiness market segments. The initiative, managed by the
World Bank, through generous support from the bill and

The Kingdom of Lesotho is a land-locked
nation located in the Drakensberg mountain range in Southern
Africa. The country has a total area of 30355 km² and in
2009 had an estimated population of nearly 2.1 million, with
nominal per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$ 1080
(in 2010). About 75 percent live in rural areas, often in
scattered mountain villages, while most of the urban
population lives in and around the capital Maseru and the

Cote d'Ivoire was an economic
success story in the first twenty years of independence, but
a sharp reversal began in 1980 and by 1993 per capita
incomes was back to the level of 1960. Devaluation of the
African Financial Community (CFA) franc triggered an
economic rebound, but this was soon undermined by the
political crisis beginning in 1999. Just as the economy was
starting to move forward, a new crisis struck in early 2011,

The aim of this document is to support strategic and collaborative community development planning by governments, companies, civil society, and communities by presenting a basic framework for Community Development Agreements in the context of the mining industry. In particular, this document is a tool for governments and policymakers at all levels, as they strive to support their communities—economically and socially—through the sustainable development of mineral resources.

The objective of conducting this case
study on Mozambique is to uncover the pattern of municipal
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) impact that
may exist in other low-capacity countries with analogous
political economy structures in relation to leveraging ICT
in public sectors. The study concludes by suggesting
measures to link the continent's ICT boom in
citizen-based mobile telephony and internet usage with the

The specific objective of this policy
note is to derive insights that can contribute to rapid and
sustainable integration of small-scale farmers into the
livestock and horticulture value chains in Swaziland. It
seeks to do this by identifying constraints that may be
contributing to poor performance in the two value chains,
evaluating technological options that could improve
productivity, and identifying priority areas for future

The World Bank's 2004 Water
Resources Sector Strategy focused on the need for both water
resources management and development in dealing with growth
and poverty alleviation. Planning and design of new
hydraulic infrastructure for water supply and sanitation,
food production, hydropower generation, flood protection,
ecosystem restoration or other such purposes require dealing
with all elements in the interaction among land, water,

This policy note examines the policy and
investment framework between 2003 and 2010, resulting sector
performance and the priorities for future development. It
draws attention to the need to refocus on completing the
fundamental reforms and investments on which
Kyrgyzstan's early successes were built. These include
further development of land market, building rural finance
markets, further public investment and institutional