In a wide variety of settings, spiteful
preferences would constitute an obstacle to cooperation,
trade, and thus economic development. This paper shows that
spiteful preferences - the desire to reduce another's
material payoff for the mere purpose of increasing
one's relative payoff - are surprisingly widespread in
experiments conducted in one of the least developed regions
in India (Uttar Pradesh). In a one-shot trust game, the

The high levels of public debt and
persistent fiscal deficits limit Organization of Eastern
Caribbean States (OECS) governments' ability to pursue
counter-cyclical fiscal policies during future economic
downturns, leaving private investment as the key driver of
future growth. This study on private sector financing in the
OECS analyzes the issue of access to finance from three
different angles: the demand side; the supply side; and the

This report assesses the ongoing
transition in Orissa. It examines how and why the successes
were achieved. It attempts to outline the dimensions of the
challenge ahead, as Orissa marches forward into the second
phase of policy and institutional reforms, building on its
improved fiscal position to deliver rapid and inclusive
growth. It highlights key issues and binding or soon-to-be
binding constraints. The concluding section identifies

This paper uses a growth diagnostics
approach à la Hausmann, Rodrik, and Velasco (HRV) to
identify the most 'binding' constraints to private
sector growth in Mongolia - a small, low-income,
mineral-rich, transition economy. The approach of applying
the HRV methodology is useful in those cases where a lack of
data prevents us from estimating shadow prices to identify
the most 'binding' constraint to growth. We find

This final report is the fifth
deliverable for the World Bank funded project
'operational design for the project development fund
and for the viability gap fund'. Taking into account
feedback and further consideration of issues rose in the
previous Reports, it aims to: provide high level
recommendations on the overall Public Private Partnership
(PPP) framework in Pakistan, recognizing international best

The adoption of new agricultural
technologies may be discouraged because of their inherent
riskiness. This study implemented a randomized field
experiment to ask whether the provision of insurance against
a major source of production risk induces farmers to take
out loans to invest in a new crop variety. The study sample
was composed of roughly 800 maize and groundnut farmers in
Malawi, where by far the dominant source of production risk

This review concludes that for
Togo's urban and peri-urban areas to sustainably grow,
issues of urban governance and development need to be
approached in a comprehensive manner, driven by well -guided
policies developed in partnership with the people to support
Sub-National Government Authorities and Entities(SGAs) in
carrying out their functions efficiently. To meet evolving
challenges of urbanization and decentralization, the

This paper analyzes the effect of
facilities and infrastructure available at the market place
on a farmer's decision to sell at the market using a
comprehensive survey of farmers, markets and villages
conducted in Tamil Nadu, India in 2005. The econometric
estimation shows that the likelihood of sales at the market
increases significantly with an improvement in market
facilities and a decrease in travel time from the village to

The case studies in this book were
developed as part of a year-long learning process initiated
by the World Bank in 2003-4 to examine large scale poverty
reduction programs in a wide range of developing countries
around the world. This volume presents 12 of the case
studies from South Asia. . The last two decades saw
substantial change in the countries of South Asia. All
countries of the subcontinent experienced more rapid growth

The current assessment builds on
previously published reviews of poverty reduction strategy
programs (PRSPs), and is the sixth report in a series. This
paper aims at presenting a clearer picture of how PRSPs
influence the developmental agenda in 11 African countries
by assessing the level of environmental mainstreaming in the
Poverty Reduction Strategy Process. The paper includes the
following headings: introduction; framework for assessment;

As Kosovo moves towards resolution of
its political status, the attention of the authorities and
of the international donor community is increasingly turning
towards the need for modernization of Kosovo's economic
and social infrastructure in order to facilitate sustained
economic growth and development. This note looks further
into the underlying causes and the actions that will be
required to address them. The main conclusions of the note

The purpose of this book is to
contribute to the debate on how to confront the challenges
that Bolivia faces today. It is composed of a series of
studies on the current reality of Bolivia and has been
developed in conjunction with national and international
public policy experts. The studies present a diagnostic by
sector, a summary of the main challenges, and public policy
recommendations aimed at meeting these challenges. After