The objective of this study is to
accompany Malagasy authorities in their transition towards
economic emergence. If the contribution of foreign capital
and the abundance of natural resources should help the
Malagasy economy escape from the poverty trap by increasing
its domestic savings and investment capacities, as well as
its technological capacities. International experience
reminds us that this transition is far from being automatic.

After many decades of stagnation, Kenyan
economy started to grow from the early-2000s. Much of this
growth has been attributed to total factor productivity
improvements in Kenyan economy arising out of many factors.
A large share of this growth originated in urban areas, in
the service and manufacturing sectors. These gains also
paralleled reduction in poverty and higher enrolment in
primary education. Yet, it has been argued that Kenyan

The objective of this study, requested
by the Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Development,
is to assist the government of Egypt in: formulating a
coherent national affordable housing strategy which puts in
place an effective institutional and regulatory framework
that creates the necessary conditions for an efficiently
functioning housing market, devises the incentive structure
needed to promote increased private sector participation in

The Tanzania country office of the World
Bank has been exploring ways in which it can be more
responsive to Government in supporting the National Strategy
for Growth and Alleviation of Poverty (MKUKUTA) and ensuring
growth is an integral part of strategic planning. Given
Tanzania's great regional variations in resource
endowments, growth potential and degree of institutional
development, it was proposed that a regional case study of

This book reviews the role of addressing
within the array of urban management tools and explores the
links between addressing and civic identity, urban
information systems, support to municipal services, tax
systems, land management and tenure issues, slum upgrading,
support to concessionary services, and economic development.
It outlines current and future applications, highlights
practices in many African countries, and offers a

South Asia has attracted global
attention because it has experienced rapid GDP growth over
the last two decades. What is not so well known is that
South Asia is the least integrated region in the world.
South Asia has opened its door to the rest of the world but
it remains closed to its neighbors. Poor market integration,
weak connectivity, and a history of friction and conflict
have resulted in two South Asias. The first South Asia is

Mega urban regions are not a passing
phenomenon. They are likely to persist and to enlarge their
economic footprints because they benefit from the advantages
of market scale, agglomeration economies, location, and the
increasing concentration of talented workers. Metropolitan
regions which are polycentric, relatively well managed, and
have invested heavily in transport infrastructure are able
to contain some of the problems attendant upon a

Bangladesh represents a success story
among developing countries. Poverty incidence, which was as
high as 57 percent at the beginning of the 1990s, had
declined to 49 percent in 2000. This trend accelerated
subsequently, reducing the poverty headcount rate to 40
percent in 2005. The primary contributing factor was robust
and stable economic growth along with no worsening of
inequality. Respectable GDP growth that started at the

The rural roads program, overseen by
Provias Descentralizado (subdivision of Peru's Ministry
of Transportation and Communications), began in 1995, and
has received funds from the Peruvian Government, the World
Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. It is a
national program for the rehabilitation and maintenance of
roads that link rural communities and villages with
secondary and principal roads, and through these, with towns

Balochistan offers some of the best
assets for development. Balochistan is generously bestowed
with natural and locational resources. It possesses the
largest land area of any province of Pakistan, proving vast
rangeland for goats, sheep, buffaloes, cattle, camels and
other livestock. Its southern border makes up about two
thirds of the national coastline, giving access to a large
pool of fishery resources. As a frontier province, it is

The Philippines by virtue of its geographic circumstances is highly prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tropical cyclones and floods, making it one of the most disaster prone countries in the world. This report seeks to document the impacts of natural disasters on the social and economic development of the Philippines; assess the country's current capacity to reduce and manage disaster risk; and identify options for more effective management of that risk.

The benefits of good health to
individuals and to society are strongly positive and
improving the health of the poor is a key Millennium
Development Goal. A typical health strategy advocated by
some is increased public spending on health targeted to
favor the poor and backed by foreign assistance, as well as
by an international effort to perfect drugs and vaccines to
ameliorate infectious diseases bedeviling the developing