This report assesses the challenges and
opportunities for the development of the Khatlon oblast in
Tajikistan. The report argues that the rise in the strategic
significance of Khatlon must be matched by responses in
public policy and a strong upturn in private investment to
strengthen economic prospects. The report identifies four
key reform imperatives for stimulating growth in the oblast.
These are: (i) promoting cities and internal connectivity to

Major events have reshaped the internal
population flows of Eurasia, including the breakup of the
Soviet Union, the development of market economies, and the
rising influence of regional powers. Looking ahead, policy
makers need to promote reforms to make Eurasian cities the
main drivers of growth. This can be done by rethinking
strategies to better plan, connect, and green the region s
important urban centers. Improved planning means promoting

This volume is organized as follows.
Chapter one address two questions: how has spatial
concentration evolved with growth and development, and what
are the efficiency implications of too much or too little
spatial concentration? This chapter summarizes the various
models that analyze growth by geographic concentration and
sets the foundation for concepts discussed in later
chapters. Chapter two focuses on urbanization in

Reducing the footprint of growth
requires a focus on three key issues: a) transforming urban
areas into greener, more efficient, resilient, and socially
inclusive cities, better able to capture the economic
benefits associated with urbanization; b) ensuring sound
management of the brown environmental agenda to provide the
conditions for continued sustainable economic green growth
while preventing and minimizing negative impacts and risks

This paper addresses policies aimed at
closing the rural-urban gap for one of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs), the under-five mortality rate
(U5MR). The paper relies on the Maquette for MDG Simulations
(MAMS), a computable general equilibrium model, applied to
the database of an archetypical low-income country. The
scenarios, which focus on the period 2013-2030, include a
"business-as-usual" base scenario and policy

The main purpose of this paper is to
explain the patterns of access to water supply and
sanitation facilities in urban areas in Sub-Saharan Africa
since the late 90's, and its relation with the
performance of service providers in the case of improved
water supply. It also seeks to explore the institutional
context of the water supply and sanitation sectors. The
paper concludes that services providers in Sub-Saharan

Amidst all the hoopla about China's
rise, it is useful to remember that China is a developing
country whose transition to a market economy is not yet
complete, with institution building still underway. The
uneven pace of progress is reflected in the state of its
public sector, but in some respects, China s public sector
looks formidable. Most often mentioned is the government s
treasure chest of US$3 trillion in foreign reserves. Even

As countries develop, they restructure
away from agriculture and urbanize. But structural
transformation and urbanization patterns differ
substantially, with some countries fostering migration out
of agriculture into rural off farm activities and secondary
towns, and others undergoing rapid agglomeration in mega
cities. Using cross-country panel data for developing
countries spanning 1980-2004, the analysis in this paper

Turkey is an upper-middle income country
with a population of 73 million. It has a diversified
economy with a strategic geographical position, located on
the southeastern side of Europe and southwestern side of
Asia. Continued economic growth, combined with increases in
the urban population, will place increasing demands on
Turkey's transport infrastructure. High middle income
countries such as Turkey typically see very rapid increases

The Multi Donor Fund for Aceh and Nias
(MDF) and the Java Reconstruction Fund (JRF) have played
significant roles in the remarkable recovery of Aceh, Nias
and Java, following some of the worst disasters in Indonesia
in recent years. The MDF and the JRF, which is patterned
after it, are each considered a highly successful model for
post-disaster reconstruction. This paper presents lessons
from the MDF and JRF's efforts to facilitate

The purpose of this study is to serve as
a guide on developing Greenfield transport infrastructure
(rail and port) primarily used to support mining operations
('mining-related infrastructure'), through
Public-Private Partnership (PPP) schemes and on a project
finance basis. The focus is on key financing issues and
considerations, as well as recommendations for governments
and private-sector participants, specifically in the context

In 2010, Uttarakhand entered the second
decade of its existence as a separate State. During the
first decade, average individual incomes rose by eight ranks
in relation to the other States in India. Although these
incomes are still below the median for India, they are
growing significantly faster, which is leading to rapid
convergence with the richer States. Looking ahead, the State
can build upon its existing growth momentum, the economic