Executive Directors continued to play an
important role as the World Bank faced many challenges in a
global post crisis economy. The Board considered a number of
key documents in preparation for the committee on
development effectiveness meetings. These included the World
Development Report 2011, which focuses on conflict,
security, and development, and responding to global food
price volatility and its impact on food security, which

Eurasian cities, unique in the global
spatial landscape, were part of the world's largest
experiment in urban development. The challenges they now
face because of their history offer valuable lessons to
urban planners and policymakers across the world from places
that are still urbanizing to those already urbanized. Today,
Eurasian cities must respond to three big changes: the
breakup of the Soviet Union, the return of the market as the

This paper is one of a series of
analytical studies commissioned by the World Bank's
Africa Region and Water Anchor which are intended to
identify and address the future challenges of urban water
supply, sanitation and flood management in Sub-Saharan
Africa's (SSA) cities and towns. Following the terms of
reference for the assignment, and as indicated by its title,
the paper is directed at understanding and describing the

The Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE)
was the first disaster ever recorded that included an
earthquake, a tsunami, a nuclear power plant accident, a
power supply failure, and a large-scale disruption of supply
chains. On March 11, 2011 earthquake of magnitude 9.0
occurred in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan's
Tohoku region. The quake shook the ground as far away as
western Japan and lasted for several minutes. A half hour

Every year, the Global Monitoring Report
(GMR) gauges progress across the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs), so we can better understand whether we are
delivering on basic global needs. These needs include
affordable, nutritious food; access to health services and
education; and the ability to tap natural resources
sustainably whether clean water, land for urban expansion,
or renewable energy sources. We assess how well the world is

This year's edition of the little green data book includes a focus story on oceans and its ecosystem services, as well as estimates of global marine fisheries wealth accounts, a first step in capturing the value of this important resource stock. A new set of ocean-related indicators are also introduced, highlighting the role of oceans in economic development and providing policy makers the information to make better decisions for the sustainable management of oceans.

This Joint Social and Economic
Assessment (JSEA) has been prepared in response to a request
from the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation
(MoPIC), and was undertaken jointly by the World Bank, the
United Nations, the European Union, and the Islamic
Development Bank. The JSEA's main purpose is to assess
the social and economic impact of the crisis in Yemen, and
to identify challenges and key priorities for early

Differences in relative female
employment by soil texture are used to explain the
heterogeneous deficit of female children across districts
within India. Soil texture varies exogenously and determines
the depth of land tillage. Deep tillage, possible in loamy
but not in clayey soil textures, reduces the demand for
labor in agricultural tasks traditionally performed by
women. Girls have a lower economic value where female labor

This paper describes the key challenges
to job creation in conflict-affected environments in South
Asia. It uses household survey data since the early 2000s
for Afghanistan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka to document the
characteristics of labor markets in conflict-affected areas,
exploiting the spatial and time variation in armed conflict
within countries. The analysis finds that, across countries,
labor markets look very different in conflict-affected areas

The objective of the Nepal Investment Climate Assessment (ICA) is to evaluate the investment climate in Nepal in all its dimensions and promote policies to strengthen the private sector. The investment climate is made up of many dimensions that shape the opportunities for investments, employment creation, and growth of private firms. Such dimensions include factor markets, product markets, infrastructure services, and the macroeconomic, legal, regulatory, and institutional framework.

The report is divided into two volumes.
The first volume includes the fundamental content of the
report. It is organized as follows. Chapter one provides a
conceptual framework to analyze risk and vulnerability and
provides a definition of social protection. Chapter two
assesses the main risks faced by the Malagasy population as
well as its vulnerability profile. Chapter three reviews
Madagascar's social protection policies, the

This study examines the major
constraints of rural business entry and performance in
Yemen. The Yemen rural investment climate survey made it
possible to analyze rural investment climate constraints for
rural businesses. The survey was used to investigate both
farm and nonfarm rural enterprises. The rural investment
climate was assessed using a combination of subjective
impressions related by rural entrepreneurs, and a more