This paper uses data from a large survey
of Chinese firms to investigate whether local government
efforts to facilitate market development improve firm
efficiency. Both government provision of information about
products, markets, and innovation and government assistance
in arranging loans are positively associated with firm
efficiency. Those private firms with weak access to and
knowledge of financial, input, and product markets benefit

In countries ravaged by a history of
civil war and genocide, the overarching goal for local
government and international donors alike is to promote
social cohesion, stability and community reconstruction. In
Sierra Leone, reconstruction programs emphasize a
decentralized approach to: (i) rapidly build market
institutions; (ii) enhance community decision making; and
(iii) strengthen intra and inter-community tolerance and

China should complete its transition to a market economy--through enterprise, land, labor, and financial sector reforms--strengthen its private sector, open its markets to greater competition and innovation, and ensure equality of opportunity to help achieve its goal of a new structure for economic growth.

Cities contribute an estimated 70
percent of the world's energy-related greenhouse gases
(GHG). Their locations, often in low-elevation coastal
zones, and large populations make them particularly
vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. But cities
often take steps, even ahead of national governments, to
reduce GHG emissions. So it is with China's cities,
which are well placed to chart a low-carbon growth path to

This paper analyzes the rationale and limits of using labor contracts as a risk-sharing mechanism by (1) discussing types of contracts and their characteristics; (2) deriving the optimal labor contract for risk-neutral firms and risk-averse workers; (3) contrasting the predictions of contract labor and spot labor markets; (4) discussing the limits of labor contracts as a mechanisms to allocate risks; (5) focusing on rural labor markets, where labor and land contracts provide substitutes and have implication in relation to risk allocation; (6) discussing government interventions; and (7) rev

The aim of this study is to explore the
relationship between women's labor market outcomes and
partner violence among Tanzanian women, and to estimate the
difference in women's weekly earnings between women who
have been abused and women who have not. In addition, this
study estimates the lost earnings to women because of
partner violence as a share of Tanzania's gross
domestic product. Partner violence is the most common form

Infrastructure improvements boosted
growth in the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) by one percentage point per capita per year during
1995-2005, primarily thanks to growth in information and
communication technology. Deficient power infrastructure
held growth back by 0.1 percent. Raising the region's
infrastructure to the level of Mauritius could boost growth
by 5 percentage points. Overall, infrastructure in the 15

China's government economic
stimulus package in 2008-09 appears to have worked well. It
seems to have been about the right size, included a number
of appropriate components, and was well timed. Its
subnational component was designed to maximize the impact of
the stimulus package on the economy and minimize the
potential procyclical elements that are usually built into
subnational fiscal mechanisms in federal countries.

The strong main shock of the Great East
Japan Earthquake (GEJE) of March 11, 2011, caused little
damage to buildings. Buildings designed under the current
building code and those with base isolation fared well.
However, seismic design guidelines for nonstructural members
had not been considered adequately, which resulted in
problems such as the collapse of ceiling panels. Soil
liquefaction occurred in reclaimed coastal area along Tokyo

Despite rapid economic growth, gender
disparities in women's economic participation have
remained deep and persistent in India. What explains these
gender disparities? Is it poor infrastructure, limited
education, or the composition of the labor force and
industries? Or is it deficiencies in social and business
networks and a low share of incumbent female entrepreneurs?
This note analyzes the spatial determinants of female

The importance of transport corridors
for trade and development, including for some of the poorest
countries in the world, is widely recognized in this book. A
new consensus has also emerged that reducing trade costs and
improving access to corridors is not just a matter of
building infrastructure. The policies that regulate
transport services providers and the movement of goods along
corridors are important determinants of the social rate of

Finds that food insecurity has clearly contributed to outbreaks of social unrest or worse, while conflict has induced situations of food insecurity. The factors of population growth, competitive pressure on land and water use, climate change, and price volatility tend to increase stress, raising the risk of civil unrest or conflict. The most fragile countries often have the least capability to respond, falling victim to the vicious circle of conflict and food insecurity.