Today, the world is at a conjuncture where issues of exclusion and inclusion are assuming new significance for both developed and developing countries. The imperative for social inclusion has blurred the distinction between these two stylized poles of development. Countries that used to be referred to as developed are grappling with issues of exclusion and inclusion perhaps more intensely today than they did a decade ago. And countries previously called developing are grappling with both old issues and new forms of exclusion thrown up by growth.

Reconstruction should include a range of
measures to enhance safety: disaster prevention facilities,
relocation of communities to higher ground, and evacuation
facilities. A community should not, however, rely too
heavily on any one of these as being sufficient, because the
next tsunami could be even larger than the last. Communities
also need to rebuild their industries and create jobs to
keep their residents from moving away. The challenge is to

The objective of this report is twofold:
first, analyze and discuss the linkages between different
minimum standards currently used in the Kyrgyz Republic and
with the Monthly Benefit for Poor Families (MBPF), and,
secondly, to analyze the potential of alternative targeting
methods and benefit levels. The analysis in this report
mainly draws on data from the Kyrgyz Integrated Household
Survey (KIHS) 2010. The report is structured as follows: the

This report provides estimates of social
and financial costs of environmental damage in India from
three pollution damage categories: (i) urban air pollution,
including particulate matter and lead; (ii) inadequate water
supply, poor sanitation, and hygiene; (iii) indoor air
pollution; and four natural resource damage categories: (a)
agricultural damage from soil salinity, water logging, and
soil erosion; (b) rangeland degradation; (c) deforestation;

The aim of the rapid assessment is to
support the transition from emergency post conflict recovery
to a development approach. The completion of the water,
sanitation, and hygiene, or WASH strategic framework in 2011
was intended to mark the beginning of this transition in the
water resources sector. Among other things, the transition
involved the adjustment of policy and strategy and possibly
a rethinking of approaches as the government shifts from

Burkina Faso's Poverty Reduction
Strategies (PRS) of the 2000s, which were implemented as
annually rolled-over Priority Action Programs, focused on
four pillars: a) accelerating broad based growth; b)
expanding access to social services for the poor; c)
increasing employment and income-generating activities for
the poor; and d) promoting good governance. Increased public
expenditure and targeted social service provision also led

The objective of this study was to advance the process of prioritizing water storage investments that
could reduce water stress in economically important areas. The specific objectives of the study were to
(i) outline a comprehensive framework for screening of potential storage sites; (ii) identify important
water stressed areas through an updated water balance; (iii) assess alternative multipurpose water storage
projects through physical, hydrological and economic criteria; and (iv) analyze institutional and financing

The financial sector comprises all
institutions and agencies that are involved in financing the
economy, mobilizing savings, managing risks and providing
means of payment. In view of the importance of the services
rendered, the financial sector constitutes the footing of
development of the national economy. Economic growth,
private sector development, job creation and poverty
reduction depend on a sound, efficient and vigorous

Transitional shelter can play a crucial
role in housing reconstruction following a mega disaster.
Reconstruction of permanent housing cannot move forward
until a number of complex issues are settled, such as
relocation planning and removal of debris. Even after plans
are agreed on and reconstruction begins, it may take several
years for permanent housing to be completed. In this
context, affected people may need to rely on transitional

Against the backdrop of rapidly rising
urbanization in the developing world and the growing demand
for basic services such as water and power, there is an
increasing need to improve service delivery, particularly in
low-income urban settlements. Output-based aid (OBA)
approaches, with their pro-poor targeting, have been piloted
in cities around the world. This note discusses the benefits
and challenges of using an OBA approach in urban projects

Globally, over 40 million people have
been forced to leave or flee their homes due to conflict,
violence, and human rights violations either as refugees
outside their country of origin or Internally Displaced
Persons (IDPs). A substantial number live in protracted
displacement where return has not been possible.Forced
displacement is a humanitarian crisis: but it also produces
developmental impacts - short and longer term, negative and

Household enterprises -- usually
one-person-operated tiny informal enterprises -- are a
rapidly growing source of employment in Sub-Saharan Africa,
especially in lower-income countries. Household enterprises
tend to operate with limited interest or support from
governments. This is the case in Mozambique, where neither
the poverty reduction strategy nor small and medium
enterprise development policies include household