The expansion of international trade has
been essential to development and poverty reduction. Todays
economy is unquestionable global. Trade as a proportion of
global GDP has approximately doubled since 1975. Markets for
goods and services have become increasingly integrated
through a fall in trade barriers, with technology helping
drive trade costs lower. But trade is not an end in itself.
People measure the value of trade by the extent to which it

In the recent past, high profile cases involving land governance problems have been thrust into the public domain. These include the case involving the grabbing of a playground belonging to Lang’ata Road Primary School in Nairobi and the tussle over a 134 acre piece of land in Karen. Land ownership and use have been a great source of conflict among communities and even families in Kenya, a situation exacerbated by corruption.

This systematic country diagnostic is structured in two main parts, one backward looking and the other forward looking. The backward-looking analysis aims to draw lessons on the determinants of poverty and sustainable and inclusive growth from (a) stakeholder consultations; (b) a poverty profile; (c) a jobs profile; and (d) a review of Cote d’Ivoire’s experience, and a comparison with Ghana and Sri Lanka, countries with similarities to Côte d’Ivoire, but with different growth trajectories.

The objective of the Ugandan government is to make Uganda an upper - middle income country within thirty years. Economic diversification is a key component of that strategy. The country economic memorandum (CEM) report discusses how the emergence of oil and mineral production can contribute to Uganda’s effort to promote economic diversification as a means to achieve sustainable and shared growth.

Turkey’s demographic and economic
transformation has been one of the world’s most dramatic,
with urban growth and economic growth proceeding hand in
hand. Distinguishing Turkey from many other developing
countries has been the pace, scale, and geographical
diversity of its spatial and economic transformation.
Fast-growing secondary cities bring added challenges that
define Turkey’s second-generation urban agenda. New and

This report provides a baseline
institutional and regulatory assessment of the oil and gas,
mining (including jade and gemstones) and the hydropower
sectors in Myanmar. As such the report is an input to
Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in
Myanmar. However, it is not exhaustive with respect to all
the sectors that may be considered under a scoping study for
EITI .This report is the first in-depth study of the context

Members expressed concern that the Communal Property Associations Annual Report 2014/5 had not been signed by the Minister nor tabled in Parliament yet. The Committee agreed that it could not consider the Department’s presentation because the corresponding report had not been submitted to them in advance. The Deputy Director-General of the Department explained the delay and the Minister apologised to the Committee. The meeting was then adjourned.

Costa Rica stands out for being among the most politically stable, progressive, prosperous, and environmentally conscious nations in the Latin America and the Caribbean region. Its development model has brought important economic, social, and environmental dividends, with sustained growth, upward mobility for a large share of the population, important gains in social indicators, and significant achievements in reforestation and conservation. However, there are a number of development challenges that need to be addressed to maintain the country’s successful development path.

Rapid urbanization in Ghana over the
past three decades has coincided with rapid GDP growth. This
has helped to create jobs, increase human capital, decrease
poverty, and expand opportunities and improve living
conditions for millions of Ghanaians. Ghana’s urban
transformation has been momentous, but it is not unique: a
similar process has characterized other countries at similar
levels of development. Ghana’s key challenge now is to

The Africa Competitiveness Report 2015
comes out at a promising time for the continent: for 15
years growth rates have averaged over 5 percent, and rapid
population growth holds the promise of a large emerging
consumer market as well as an unprecedented labor force that
- if leveraged - can provide significant growth
opportunities. Moreover, the expansion of innovative
business models, such as mobile technology services, is

What are the socioeconomic impacts of
resource abundance? Are these effects different at the
national and local levels? How could resource booms benefit
(or harm) local communities? This paper reviews a vast
literature examining these questions, with an emphasis on
empirical works. First, the evidence and theoretical
arguments behind the so-called resource curse, and other
impacts at the country level, are reviewed. This

In Zimbabwe trade has been a driver of economic growth, rising incomes, and progressive empowerment of Zimbabweans through rising standards of living and the promise of better jobs. Since 1980, through good years and bad years, increases in exports have been positively associated with increases in national income. Zimbabwe's location and resource base, together with a low-cost but relatively well educated labor force, have endowed it with a naturally high trade ratio built on a diversified base that facilitates using trade as an engine of growth.