This report finalized in March 2001
constitutes a step toward the objective of designing an
integrated strategy for rural poverty reduction in Brazil,
The report contains an updated and more detailed profile of
the rural poor in the northeast (NE) and southeast (SE) of
Brazil; identifies key determinants of rural poverty in
these regions; and proposes a five-pronged strategic
framework in which to couch a set of integrated policies

The market system consists of a price
mechanism, built on the foundation of a system of property,
and contract. In many developing, and transition economies,
the market system functions poorly. In many cases, if not
most, the malfunctioning is not simply in the price system
(for example, anti-competitive activities), but in the
underlying property system (such as contracts being
breached, and externalities in the sense of transfers not

This regional study encompasses three
Central American countries: Nicaragua, Guatemala and
Honduras. The focus of this report is Guatemala. The study
is motivated by several factors: First is the recognition
that sub-national regions are becoming increasingly
heterogeneous, and economically differentiated as part of
ongoing processes of development and diversification, with
some areas advancing, and others being left behind. Second

The report reviews basic growth, as
being one of four pillars for Nicaragua's poverty
reduction strategy. The well-being of the rural poor will
continue its dependence on - to a great extent -
agriculture. The study analyzes main agricultural
development aspects, and stipulates the broad basic growth
may be enhanced by strengthening agricultural
competitiveness. Yet, export growth is key to economic

The aim of this study is to improve
understanding of how biological resource conservation
concerns can be better incorporated into projects and
programs that primarily address the objective of rural
development rather than environmental conservation. A
multi-disciplinary study team was assembled and six
background papers produced, along with the main overview
paper. The six papers were on: 1) measuring biodiversity,

This regional study encompasses three
Central American countries: Nicaragua, Guatemala and
Honduras. The focus of this report is Guatemala. The study
is motivated by several factors: First is the recognition
that sub-national regions are becoming increasingly
heterogeneous, and economically differentiated as part of
ongoing processes of development and diversification, with
some areas advancing, and others being left behind. Second

This issue, which serves as the annual
review on the environment, looks at the Bank's work
from July 2002 through June 2003, dedicated this year to
Water and the Environment, on the occasion of the Fifth
World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa. Following the
overview, which reviews progress in the implementation of
the Environment strategy, the report presents viewpoints on
ways to move forward in delivering water as committed in

Are the household characteristics that
are good for transition to a more diversified
market-oriented development process in Vietnam also
important for reducing poverty? Or are there tradeoffs? The
determinants of both poverty incidence and participation in
rural off-farm activities are modeled as functions of
household and community characteristics using comprehensive
national household surveys for 1993 and 1998. Despite some

Vietnam grew rapidly in the 1990s, and
yet by many measures it has poor economic institutions.
Dollar seeks to explain this apparent anomaly. Between the
1980s and 1990s Vietnam carried out significant economic
reforms, notably stabilization, the introduction of positive
real interest rates, trade liberalization, and initial
property rights reform in agriculture. Relating these
changes to the empirical growth literature, the author finds

The objective of the report is to point
at the need for a new poverty strategy, and the areas of
action it should cover, where each area should be
specifically discussed, addressing the lives of
Indonesia's poor, and the tradeoffs policymakers will
need to consider, based on the belief that this poverty
strategy should emerge from a broad dialogue among
stakeholders. First, in broadening poverty, the report looks

The authors analyze how property rights
affect the allocation of firms' available resources
among different types of assets. In particular, they
investigate empirically for a large number of countries
whether firms in environments with more secure property
rights allocate available resources more toward intangible
assets and consequentially grow faster. The authors find
that improved asset allocation due to better property rights

What factors influence community
participation in the delivery of urban services? In
particular, does security of tenure enhance the probability
of participation as it provides individuals with incentives
to act collectively in pursuit of a common objective? And
are collective efforts less likely to succeed when there is
a high degree of heterogeneity in culture or endowments
among community members? The authors use household level