Liberia is a rich country, badly
managed. This is a favorite comment of President Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf and an accurate one. The bad management is
well-known, though perhaps not its duration and depth.
Created in 1847, the country is far older than almost all
others in sub- Saharan Africa. But for most of this time, it
was ruled by an elite descended from African-American
settlers who ignored or exploited the indigenous people. The

The need for land-related investment to
ensure sustainable land management and increase productivity
of land use is widely recognized. However, there is little
rigorous evidence on the effects of property rights for
increasing agricultural productivity and contributing toward
poverty reduction in Africa. Whether and by how much
overlapping property rights reduce investment incentives,
and the scope for policies to counter such disincentives,

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.

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.

The objective of this study is to
demonstrate how the interaction between sectors can be
improved to increase the effectiveness of sectoral
interventions, and how the interventions in the agricultural
sector and microfinance can be used to improve nutritional
outcomes. The study will examine what has been done to
improve nutrition through interventions in the agriculture
sector and microcredit programmes in Bangladesh and around

This report is designed to provide
policymakers with estimates of the likely outcomes of an
array of potential changes in transportation sector policy.
To this end, the report uses a variety of economy-wide
models to simulate alternative cost reductions and
efficiency improvements. A detailed discussion of the
various policies that may yield efficiency gains and cost
reductions, as well as the specifics of their

Cambodia's changing distribution of
income-related outcomes is consistent with the process of
transition from a planned to an open market economy, and the
accompanying growth of incomes. This transformation has
promoted better resource reallocation, expanded the spectrum
of gainful activities, and widened the distribution of
earnings. Aided by robust economic growth and improved
capacity for implementing public policies, Cambodia has seen

The overall objective of the
Comprehensive Assessment of the Agricultural Sector (CAAS)
is to provide an evidence base to enable appropriate
strategic policy responses by the Government of Liberia
(GoL) and its development partners in order to maximize the
contribution of the agriculture sector to the
Government's overarching policy objectives. Given the
strong relationship between growth in agricultural

Business development has been one of the main forces behind rapid poverty reduction in Vietnam. Together with the redistribution of agricultural land, and the broad coverage of social services, it allowed a large fraction of the population to engage in more productive occupations and raise their living standards. But businesses are still struggling with important constraints.

The recent surge in food and fuel prices
has prompted countries with high dependence on food imports
to try and lock in future food supplies through direct
investment in agricultural production in other countries.
The price surges also led to a wave of proposals to invest
in biofuels investments in agricultural land. While such
investment can provide large benefits, it also carries
considerable risks both to investors and citizens in the

This quick note is to provide the reader
with a perspective on how the World Bank Group has been
challenged by and has responded to recent global crises.
However, at this historical moment, one cannot begin to
write of global or regional issues without noting the
momentous events that are now sweeping across the Arab
World. Every country is different, but common themes are
emerging. The youth's messages are loud and clear: they

A watershed is an area that supplies
water by surface or subsurface flow to a drainage system or
body of water. Watersheds vary from a few hectares to
thousands of square kilometers. Watershed management (WSM)
is the integrated use of land, vegetation, and water in a
specific drainage area with the objective of conserving
hydrologic services and reducing or avoiding damage
downstream or underground. The first generation of WSM