Lithuania's long-term economic
strategy aims at building the foundations for achieving
rapid convergence with Western European countries. The
medium-term objective of the economic policy is to meet the
economic criteria for accession and to get ready for
membership in the European and Monetary Union (EMU) after
accession. This will be acheived through continued
macroeconomic stability, fiscal consolidation, and further

Household fuel choice in the past, has
often been analyzed and understood through the lens of the
energy ladder model. This model places relatively heavy
emphasis on household fuel switching in response to rising
incomes. This report views energy use through a household
economics framework. The household economics framework
clarifies that, in addition to income and market prices, the
opportunity costs of firewood collection also need to be

This qualitative assessment of poverty
in Albania seeks to deepen the understanding of poverty in
the country, first, by involving poor Albanians in a process
of exploring the causes, nature, extent of poverty, and how
it affects their livelihoods. Second, it is intended to
support the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
(PRSP); third, it supports preparation of the Country
Assistance Strategy (CAS), and the Living Standards

This regional study encompasses three
Central American countries: Nicaragua, Guatemala, and
Honduras. The focus of this report is Nicaragua. The
objective of the study is to understand how broad-based
economic growth can be stimulated, and sustained in rural
Central America. The study identifies "drivers" of
sustainable rural growth and poverty reduction, where
drivers are defined as the assets and combinations of assets

Although many of the problems that Cali
is experiencing - social and human capital deterioration, a
declining economy, and institutional crisis - are a
reflection of Colombia's complicated socioeconomic
situation, the city has been hit harder by the crisis than
other large cities, as confirmed by the following
indicators: GDP, unemployment, poverty rate, inequality, and
number of homicides. According to recent estimates, the

The sharp reduction in poverty in
Bulgaria since the 1997 crisis highlights the role of
effective economic stabilization policies and the social
safety nets in improving the living conditions of the
population. The nature of poverty in Bulgaria has changed
since 1997, when poverty for many households was a transient
phenomenon resulting from the immediate shock of
hyperinflation and sharply increasing unemployment. Poverty

This is one of four documents of a
series presenting the results of studies, workshops and
action plans recently undertaken for four sub-Saharan
African countries (Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania and Tanzania)
on the elimination of lead in gasoline. This document
describes the work realized in Tanzania. These four
countries have the particularity of being oil importing
countries without local refining capability. The transition

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

In 1989, Albania's rigid political
and socioeconomic structure shattered beyond repair.
Turbulence soon invaded every domain of life. As the state
imploded, so did the state-run economy. This review explores
ongoing consequences of this difficult transformation that
took place since 1989 and of policy initiatives to mitigate
or ameliorate its effects. Albania has been much studied;
the review addresses important information gaps. It

The book intends to trigger, and support
policy debate in Colombia. The first part distills four
thematic chapters, responsive to the country's current
realities, as well as to the five decades of development
partnership with the Bank, spanning the entire development
spectrum. First, violence, sustainable peace, and
development introduces the reader to the source of violence
- armed, and social conflicts, and drug trade prevalent in

The focus of the report, combined with
Vietnam's remarkable long-term growth potential,
presents a favorable outlook, suggesting the effects of the
East Asian crisis are over. The country is committed to
socially inclusive development, and, translates a vision of
transition towards a market economy, with socialist
orientation into concrete public actions, emphasizing the
transition should be pro-poor, noting this will require

The authors combine measures of urban
form and public transit supply for 114 urbanized areas with
the 1990 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey to
address two questions: (1) How do measures of urban form,
including city shape, road density, the spatial distribution
of population, and jobs-housing balance affect the annual
miles driven and commute mode choices of U.S. households?
(2) How does the supply of public transportation (annual