The response to the global reporting
initiative (GRI) indicators provides a brief introduction to
the World Bank’s (WB’s) complex suite of activities. The WB
consists of the International Bank of Reconstruction and
Development (IBRD) and the International Development
Association (IDA). Materiality is determined through an
assessment carried out based on GRI guidance. The assessment
evaluates the risks to the organization, the importance to

As the world recovers only slowly from
the 2008 financial crisis and Europe is facing a looming
debt crisis, concerns have increased that the "new
normal" -- a period of high unemployment, low returns
on investment, high risks, and low growth -- may become
protracted in advanced economies. If growth remains weak,
unemployment rates and debt levels will be slow to recede.
Consequently, the global recovery may continue to be fragile

This paper provides an overview of the
literature on tax morale and tax compliance. Most of the
material here is based on research that I have conducted
together with my co-authors over the last 10 years. Europe
has a dominant place in this paper. Sometimes results
derived from other countries are discussed that could be
relevant for Europe. The overall findings show the
importance of accountability, democratic governance,

Gender-poverty-environment links: a
focus on the links between gender disparity, poverty and
environmental degradation is increasingly recognized as a
key strategy for improving the lives of poor women and men.
Acknowledging the ways in which relationships between the
environment, society and the economy are gendered opens
space for new approaches to poverty reduction, environmental
conservation and gender equality. The Social Development

Signing the accession treaty with the
European Union (EU) and its forthcoming membership to the EU
are remarkable opportunities for Croatia to address a number
of economic challenges and join the EU as a competitive and
successful economy. The new Croatian government in its
program for 2011-2015 seeks higher standards of living for
its citizens through sustained economic growth and greater
social cohesion. Given the legacies from the past, these

Following the transition to democracy in
2008, two very important political developments took place.
These were the announcement of the 7th National Finance
Commission Award, which was agreed upon in December 2009 in
Lahore, Pakistan, and the unanimous ratification by
Parliament of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution in
April 2010. Both developments have the potential of
fundamentally restructuring the way Pakistan is governed in

This paper analyzes the trends and
evolution of public spending in the agriculture sector in
Indonesia, as well as the impact of public spending on
agricultural growth. It finds that, in line with empirical
work undertaken in other countries, public spending on
agriculture and irrigation during the period 1976-2006 had a
positive impact on agricultural growth, while public
spending on fertilizer subsidies had the opposite effect.

Over the last three decades,
China's product, labor, and capital markets have become
gradually more integrated within its borders, although
integration has been significantly slower for capital
markets. There remains a significant urban-rural divide, and
Chinese cities tend to be under-sized by international
standards. China has also integrated globally, initially
through the Special Economic Zones on the coast as launching

The relatively slow pace of
Nigeria's development has often been attributed to the
phenomenon of the resource curse whereby the nature of the
state as a "rentier" dilutes accountability for
development and political actors are able to manipulate
institutions to sustain poor governance. The impact of the
political elite's resource-control and allocation of
revenues on core democratic mechanisms is central to

Input subsidy programs carry support as
instruments to increase agricultural productivity, provided
they are market-smart. This requires especially proper
targeting to contain the fiscal pressure, with decentralized
targeting of input vouchers currently the instrument of
choice. Nonetheless, despite clear advantages in
administrative costs, the fear of elite capture persists.
These fears are borne out in the experience from the 2008

In recent years, the number of studies
looking at the effect of politics on economic outcomes has
flourished. For developing economies, these studies are
useful to better understand why long overdue reforms are not
implemented. The studies analyze the overall context within
which reforms are being implemented and the underlying
incentive framework. However, it seems difficult to make
such studies actionable, especially in sectors where donors

This study attempts to quantify the
benefits that could be obtained for the country of
Afghanistan from the developments of the Aynak copper and
Hajigak iron ore deposits and to discuss policies and
programs-based on the experience of other countries-that
will tend to maximize the benefits from these and other
mines. In this study, the potential economic benefits to
Afghanistan of its mining sector will be analyzed, focusing