This paper presents a literature review
of issues related to recent subsidies and investments in the
financial sector that have been designed to address the
immediate effects of the crises and to develop the financial
institutions necessary to modernize agriculture. Section two
of the paper discusses the impact of recent food, fuel, and
financial crises on developing countries and the emergency
actions taken by countries and international agencies to

The past decade has witnessed a major
global shift in thinking about water, including the role
that water infrastructure plays in sustainable development.
This rethinking aims to better balance the social, economic,
and environmental performance aspects in the development and
management of large dams. Additionally, it reinforces
efforts to combat poverty by ensuring more equitable access
to water and energy services. There is also growing

In this issue: the impact of migration
on rural poverty and inequality in China; how would a global
expansion of biofuel production effect developing countries?
How resilient were emerging economies to the global crisis?
Small but effective: India's targeted unconditional cash
transfers; good countries or good projects? Fiscal policies
for growth in Africa in light of the crisis; and
employability and skills of newly graduated engineers in India.

The objective of this Agriculture Public
Expenditure Review (AgPER) is to provide an assessment of
the present situation and to offer recommendations to
improve the effectiveness and efficiency of public spending
in agriculture in Mozambique. The report provides a
sectorwide picture of the magnitude and structure of public
spending for agriculture in Mozambique over the past six
years, and an overall assessment of the budget process in

This study was carried out in three
stages during 2009 through April 2011. The main objective
of the study is to determine, on the basis of usage of
qualitative data collection methods, impact of the economic
crisis on the most vulnerable population groups, as well as
to monitor dynamics of changes in the lives of the
respondents by consistently comparing the results of each of
the consecutive stages of the project study. The study

In every region of the world, the
intensification of crop-based agriculture has been
associated with a sharp increase in the use of chemical
fertilizer. Given the generally low levels of fertilizer use
in Africa, there can be little doubt that fertilizer use
must increase in Africa if the region is to meet its
agricultural growth targets, poverty reduction goals, and
environmental sustainability objectives. For this reason,

The purpose of this paper is to provide
information on how to transform and strengthen pluralistic
agricultural extension and advisory systems in moving toward
the broader goal of increasing farm income and improving
rural livelihoods. The focus of this book is primarily on
the technical knowledge, management skills, and information
services that small-scale farm households will need to
improve their livelihoods in the rapidly changing global

This Country Economic Memorandum (CEM)
is the first for Burundi since the 1980s. It has been
developed in collaboration with the government of Burundi.
The CEM has been prepared in cooperation with the African
development bank and the U.K. department for international
development. Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the
world, and has suffered from many years of civil conflict
and its consequences. In the last years, peace has been

Ningbo serves as the Chinese pilot city
for the World Bank Climate Resilient Cities (CRC) Program.
The CRC program aims to, prepare local governments in the
East Asia region to better understand the concepts and
consequences of climate change; how climate change
consequences contribute to urban vulnerabilities; and what
is being done by city governments in East Asia and around
the world to actively engage in learning capacity building,

The effects of policy interventions on
women are of increasing concern to policy makers in all
fields, and trade is no exception. This note reviews recent
World Bank projects and studies that 'gender
inform' trade-related interventions, and it uses the
Bank's experience to promote gender-equal opportunities
by highlighting entry points at which trade projects,
studies, and policies can effectively address gender issues.

Government of Azerbaijan (GoA) and the
World Bank have a long history of partnership in addressing
the needs of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the
country. The purpose of this study was to start identifying
gaps and areas for further engagement. The report would not
have been possible without the support of GoA counterparts.
The report pursues the argument that in order to expand the
choice of IDP livelihoods it is possible to build upon and

The expanding coverage of social
assistance in Vietnam raises a question of whether relevant
arrangements at all levels are sufficiently robust to handle
a larger program. This note explores institutional and
delivery aspects of formal and informal social assistance in
metropolitan cities. It is a result of a rapid assessment of
governance and administration of social assistance in
metropolitan cities, including interviews with related