Four years have passed since the
Millennium Development Goals sharpened the focus on
measuring the results of development-not the number of
projects undertaken or the dollars spent, but the
improvements in people's lives. The emphasis on
quantitative targets and the requirement for monitoring
progress on country poverty reduction strategies have
increased the demand for statistics. And that showed us how

Most wars are now civil wars. Even
though international wars attract enormous global attention,
they have become infrequent and brief. Civil wars usually
attract less attention, but they have become increasingly
common and typically go on for years. This report argues
that civil war is now an important issue for development.
War retards development, but conversely, development retards
war. This double causation gives rise to virtuous and

"From Vision to Action", the
Bank's previous rural development strategy launched in
1997, had a decisive influence on global thinking - but
disappointing results on the ground. In 2001, lending for
agricultural projects was the lowest in the Bank's
history. The new strategy is results oriented:
"Reaching the Rural Poor" stresses practice,
implementation, monitoring, and empowerment of the people it

Over the past decade, exports of fish
and fishery products from developing countries have
increased rapidly. However, one of the major challenges
facing developing countries in seeking to maintain and
expand their share of global markets is stricter food safety
requirements in industrialized countries. Kenyan exports of
Nile perch to the European Union provide a notable example
of efforts to comply with such requirements, overlaid with

This study examines the poverty, and
growth experience of six villages in rural Ethiopia, from
1989 to 1995. The time period was one of relative peace
politically, which promoted considerable change in economic
policies pertaining to the rural sector. As a result, local
growth out-performed the average growth rate in gross
domestic product. The focus of the study is the link between
economic reforms, growth, and changes in poverty. The author

The states in the Brazilian Amazon have
made progress in reducing poverty and improving social
indicators in the last decade. Despite this progress, the
poverty rate in the Amazon is among the highest in Brazil.
As of 2000, rural poverty is the greatest challenge. In
Par?, not only is the headcount poverty rate of 58.4 percent
in rural areas more than 55 percent higher than headcount
poverty in urban areas, but also poverty is much deeper in

Although many of the problems that Cali
is experiencing - social and human capital deterioration, a
declining economy, and institutional crisis - are a
reflection of Colombia's complicated socioeconomic
situation, the city has been hit harder by the crisis than
other large cities, as confirmed by the following
indicators: GDP, unemployment, poverty rate, inequality, and
number of homicides. According to recent estimates, the

The sharp reduction in poverty in
Bulgaria since the 1997 crisis highlights the role of
effective economic stabilization policies and the social
safety nets in improving the living conditions of the
population. The nature of poverty in Bulgaria has changed
since 1997, when poverty for many households was a transient
phenomenon resulting from the immediate shock of
hyperinflation and sharply increasing unemployment. Poverty

In the Middle East and North Africa
Region, forest resources are generally limited, as is their
contribution to GDP, and it is for this reason their
importance is often overlooked. However, forestry's
contribution to natural resource and environmental
management, is significant, which should not be
underestimated. The report, implemented as an input to the
development of a Bank Forestry Strategy in guiding its work

The report analyzes poverty incidence in
India and in particular, in Uttar Pradesh (UP), and defines
its poverty levels, trends, and vulnerability. While UP once
appeared positioned to be the pace-setter for India's
economic, and social development in light of its rich
potential in human, and natural resources, economic growth
faltered in the 1990s. UP fell behind India's better
performing states, and, despite a recent acceleration in

As the second book in a three-part
series entitled Voices of the Poor, "Crying out for
Change" accounts for the voices from comparative
fieldwork among twenty three countries. Through
participatory, and qualitative research methods, the book
presents very directly, poor people's own voices, and
the realities of their lives. It outlines the
multidimensional aspects of well-being, and how poor people
see it, highlighting that in material terms,

The World Bank research program seeks to
improve the design of Bank-financed projects, and programs
to increase the effectiveness of aid, and improve
recognition of emerging problems, in a responsive manner to
crises. Moreover, this program supports policy-oriented
research in developing, and transition economies, by
assisting in the development of research capacity in member
countries, as well as improving the Bank's own advisory