This paper presents counterfactual
decompositions based on both the Shapley method and a
generalization of the Oaxaca-Blinder approach to identify
proximate factors that might explain differences in the
distribution of economic welfare in Cameroon in 1996-2007.
In particular, the analysis uses re-centered influence
function regressions to link the growth incidence curve for
2001-2007 to household characteristics and account for

The last two decades have witnessed a
growing recognition of the importance of taking cultural and
ethnic diversity into consideration when designing and
implementing development programs. As societies around the
world have become more culturally diverse, and the role
culture plays in the formation of identity has become better
understood, governments are beginning to pay greater
attention to the management of cultural diversity and are

Since 1999, the Nigerien authorities
have embarked on a program of reform to develop the
financial system and ensure its stability in the wake of a
regional banking crisis. Despite this progress, much remains
to be done to bring the financial sector up to sub-regional
standards. The first step is to formulate a financial sector
development strategy that will serve as a roadmap for future
reforms. Issues of access to financial services are crucial

How should Tajikistan adapt to ongoing
and future climate change, in particular given the many
pressing development challenges it currently faces? The
paper argues that for developing countries like Tajikistan,
faster economic and social development is the best possible
defense against climate change. It presents some key
findings from a recent nationally representative household
survey to illustrate the strong public support for more

East Asia and the Pacific is a region of
dynamic growth. Women have contributed significantly to this
growth and have benefited from it through active
participation in the labor market. However, women are still
disproportionately represented in the informal sector and in
low paid work. Efforts to identify barriers to women's
business and entrepreneurial activities in the region are
critical not only to facilitate inclusive growth in a

The poor in Bangladesh are more likely
to belong to households with a larger number of dependents
and lower education among household members, be engaged in
daily wage labor, own little land, and be less likely to
receive remittances. This poverty profile for 2005 is
similar to the profile in the mid-1980s and hence at first
glance it would appear that little has changed over time. A
closer look at national household survey data suggests a

The paper assesses the costs and
household level benefits of migrating overseas from
Bangladesh. The authors survey households who have had
overseas migrants to assess their characteristics compared
to non-migrants. They also compute various types of
migration and remittance related transaction costs and
discuss the channels by which overseas migration is
financed, remittances sent and the constraints faced by the

These organizations have joined together to recommend the principles presented below. The document concludes with anticipated next steps, which point toward a toolkit of best practices, guidelines, governance frameworks, and possibly codes of practice by the major sets of private actors.

Bangladesh is one of the world's
poorest countries. Nearly 80 percent of the nation's
140 million people reside in rural areas; of these, 20
percent live in extreme poverty. Geographically, many
low-lying areas are vulnerable to severe flooding, while
other regions are prone to drought, erosion, and soil
salinity. Such an unfavorable agricultural landscape,
combined with mismanagement of natural resources and

Nigeria's vision of 2020 is a bold
desire to be among the top twenty economies by the year
2020. The economy has posted impressive growth figures since
2003 driven by higher oil prices and a series of home-grown,
economic reforms. The country is now firmly on the road to
middle-income status. This Investment Climate Analysis is
built on a 2,300 firm survey and provides evidence-based
recommendations designed to support the vision 2020. Survey

This country note briefly summarizes
information relevant to both climate change and agriculture
in Mexico, with focus on policy developments (including
action plans and programs) and institutional make-up. Mexico
is the only developing country to have submitted three
national communications to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), indicating strong
commitment by the government for addressing climate change

The issue of regional differences in
development has moved to the center of the development
debate in Sri Lanka, partly after the release of regional
poverty data. For the past many years, there have been
significant and increasing differences between the Western
province and the rest of the country in terms of per capita
income levels, growth rates of per capita income, poverty
rates, and the structure of provincial economies. The