The objective of this report is to
examine the linkages between rural economic activity, food
insecurity and poverty in Haiti as a means of determining
the barriers to rural development. The analysis draws on a
newly available set of house-hold level living standards
measurement data collected in 2012 (ECVMAS). About 70.7
percent of all rural households are poor, and education
levels are low with an average of 2.8 years of education for

This report highlights recent economic
updates in Bangladesh as of April 2015. Economic growth in
Bangladesh was gaining momentum in the first half of FY15.
Capacity utilization improved and investments were showing
some signs of recovery. This growth was also job-friendly.
The 12-monthly-moving average inflation decelerated from 7.6
percent in February 2014 to 6.8 percent in February 2015.
The resilience of the Bangladesh economy continues to be

According to the United Nations
population fund, the world is undergoing the largest wave of
urban growth in history, with more people now living in
cities than in rural areas. Cities are also responsible for
a high proportion of global carbon emissions, which are the
main driver of anthropogenic climate change. By taking the
lead on low carbon development, cities have the opportunity
to engage in an important dialogue about sustainable

Millions of coffee farmers and coffee
trading enterprises lack sufficient credit. This is partly
due to myriad challenges and considerable costs that formal
lending institutions face serving rural, often isolated
markets. A better understanding of coffee sector risks is
needed to respond with strategies, training, and tools that
can help farmers and enterprises, mitigate their exposure to
risk, and strengthen their resilience against inevitable

The current report is a milestone for
preparing the Romanian climate change (CC) action plan. A CC
action plan should be based on the consolidation and
coordination of both mitigation and adaptation measures and
options. An important step in the elaboration of such a plan
is the selection of appropriate actions. This selection
requires the involvement of competent authorities in the key
sectors, including, in the case of Romania, transport,

This document provides a summary
assessment of (presented) scaled-up crediting instruments as
well as existing project-based crediting schemes against a
number of important general characteristics of such
instruments. Its purpose is to provide insights that may
inform the design and use of possible scaled-up crediting
instruments. This summary assessment begins with an
examination of proposals for scaled-up crediting mechanisms.

After decades of turmoil and
instability, a period of calm and progress evolved in
Guinea-Bissau in 2009. A military coup in April 2012
interrupted it. A fresh start is needed to alter the
dynamics that kept Guinea-Bissau poor. In 2013, Gross
National Income per capita was US$590. Average economic
growth barely kept pace with population growth. In 2010,
poverty at the national poverty line of US$2 a day was 70

Achieving private sector involvement in
financing, provision and management of roads requires
specialized legal and institutional frameworks, public
sector expertise, advisor support and sustained political
commitment. In many African States, there is little
experience of private sector involvement in the road sector
but there is encouragement to promote such involvement from
development partners. Increased private sector involvement

Most trade moves along a few
high-density routes: the corridors. Improving their
performance has emerged as a necessary ingredient for growth
and integration into the regional and global economy. In
Africa, this is recognized at the continental level, where
program for infrastructure development in Africa (PIDA) has
identified 42 corridors that should form a core network for
regional integration and global connectivity. Several

In the past 50 years, Indian agriculture
has undergone a major transformation, from dependence on
food aid to becoming a consistent net food exporter. The
gradual reforms in the agricultural sector (following the
broader macro-reforms of the early 1990s) spurred some
unprecedented innovations and changes in the food sector
driven by private investment. These impressive achievements
must now be viewed in light of the policy and investment

To find out why African countries' experience with urbanization and sustained growth appeared to differ from that of other countries, the authors investigated the determinants of urbanization across countries over 40 years. Rather than studying individuals' decisions to migrate, they relied on macroeconomic data and cross-country comparisons. A central hypothesis of their study: that individuals move (with varying degrees of ease) in response to economic incentives and opportunities. If location incentives are distorted, so is growth.

The government of Argentina and the
World Bank desire to improve the efficiency and results of
the environmental and social outcomes of jointly financed
development projects. As part of a workshop in November 2010
attended by officials of the Ministry of Economy and Public
Finance of Argentina, World Bank staff, and representatives
of implementing units of projects being co-financed by the
Bank, several issues with regard to the implementation of