This note focuses on the economic
evaluation of more conventional infrastructure investments,
and specifically on two types of projects which may result
in significant economic restructuring - relocation of
economic activities, generation of new activities, or
changes in the way that current activities are undertaken.
The two examples used: new urban rail lines and major new
barrier crossings serve simply as examples of a much wider

Although the State of Ceara, in Brazil,
is a model of good economic, and fiscal performance given
its poverty status, recent analysis show poverty remains
severe, in spite of significant reductions over the last
decade. The combination of good governance, and sound fiscal
management, industrial promotion, and public investments
have been successful, but the report questions whether
different policies, could have led to higher growth, and

Despite its healthy economic growth, due
to good macroeconomic management, and progress in trade
liberalization, Sri Lanka's development is perceived to
be well below its potential. Certainly, the civil conflict
has taken a heavy social, and economic toll on the
country's performance, but also governance, and public
institutions have weakened, though maintaining a dominance
on the financial sector, and utilities, which further

This Country Economic Memorandum reviews
the significant changes Mozambique underwent in the last
five years, specifying that to continue its rapid growth,
and reduce its high levels of poverty, the country will need
to adopt a new set of reforms. Such reforms, focused on
increasing the profitability of agriculture, and promoting
labor-intensive manufacturing activities, hold the best hope
to move poverty into prosperity. Three factors - increased

The study reviews the challenges water
resources management faces, and the opportunities for policy
formulation towards sustainable development in Argentina,
where regardless of prudent public finances management,
water resources management remain disproportionately
backward compared to regional, and international best
practices. Hence, within a frame of reference on the
country's population, institutions, and legal

Following the East Asian financial
crisis, the Bank's involvement in Thailand intensified,
enabling a multifaceted stabilization, and structural reform
dialogue, which deepened the economic, financial, and sector
knowledge of the country. The study benefits from this
analytical work, and provides an overview on the ongoing
policy dialogue, regarding short- and medium-term reform,
through a number of instruments. To promote longer-term

The first central message of this report
is that Brazil has over the last years achieved great
progress in its social policies and indicators. The second
central message is that poverty remains unacceptably high
for a country with Brazil's average income levels. The
worst remaining income poverty is mostly concentrated in the
Northeast region, and in the smaller urban and rural areas.
The third central message is that, with decisive action,

The present Report is motivated by the
coming together o f three widespread perceptions about
inequality, two somewhat newer and one long-standing. The
two newer ones are; (i) that inequality may matter for the
country's economic development, and (ii) that public
policy can and should do something about it. The old
perception, which is well borne out b y the facts, is that
Brazil occupies a position o f very high inequality in the

Forestry contributes 7-10 percent of Lao
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 15-20 percent of
non-agricultural GDP. In rural areas forest exploitation is
one of the few available economic activities, and non-timber
products provide more than half of family income. The sector
contributes 34 percent of total export value, and even more
of net foreign exchange. Forestry royalties as a share of
government revenues have decreased from 20 percent in the

Parks and protected areas are valuable
assets to developing nations, whether viewed as
environmental, economic or social goods. Nevertheless, to
date there are few examples where the full potential
economic rent of protected areas has been captured
efficiently or distributed effectively. This severely limits
the capacity of developing nations to sustain their natural
resources. In Sub-Saharan Africa the crisis is acute,

This Strategy Note sets out a framework
for World Bank involvement in the environment sector in the
immediate to medium term. It elaborates upon and reinforces
the environmental objectives specified in Thailand's
Eighth National Economic and Social Development Plan
(1997-2001) and the World Bank's Country Assistance
Strategy for 1998. This report is organized in six sections.
Section 1 provides a brief introduction to the changing

Between 1970 and 1992, the World Bank
assisted financially in about 15 wildlife-related projects
in Sub-Saharan Africa. The lending volume was US$ 368
million or about 1percent of the Bank's totals lending
during the same period. While geographically, these projects
have been concentrated in East Africa, especially Kenya, the
others are located in Somali, Malawi, Botswana, Cote
d'Ivoire, Zimbabwe, Ghana, the Central African