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

This note on gender-sensitive
post-disaster assessments is the eighth in a series of
guidance notes on gender issues in disaster risk management
(DRM) in the East Asia and the Pacific region. Targeting
World Bank staff, clients and development partners, this
note gives an overview of the main reasons for assessing
gender impacts as part of a post-disaster needs assessment,
identifies the key challenges, and recommends strategies and

In order to have both dynamic and better
balanced growth, Serbia needs to rely more on exports. In
the last decade, Serbia's growth has depended primarily
on demand that was fueled by excessive debt finance. In the
future, the Serbian economy would be better served by
increasing its reliance on exports as a new, potentially
powerful source of growth. Serbia's export share of
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is currently 25 percent, but

There is now broad consensus among
policymakers that social protection is a powerful way to
fight poverty and promote inclusive growth. This
international consensus is most clearly articulated in the
African Union's Social Policy Framework (SPF), which
was endorsed by all African heads of state in 2009. The SPF
explains that social protection includes 'social
security measures and furthering income security; and also

This note on making livelihoods and
social protection approaches gender- sensitive is the
seventh in a series of guidance notes on gender issues in
disaster risk management (DRM) in the East Asia and the
Pacific region. Targeting World Bank staff, clients and
development partners, this note gives an overview of the
main reasons for including gender sensitive social
protection and livelihoods approaches in DRM; it identifies

This article reviews trends in poverty,
economic policies, and growth in a sample of African
countries during the 1990s, drawing on the better household
data now available. Experiences have varied. Some countries
have seen sharp drops in income poverty, whereas others have
witnessed marked increases. In some countries overall
economic growth has been pro-poor and in others not. But the
aggregate numbers hide systematic distributional effects.

This Country-Level Effectiveness and
Accountability Review (CLEAR) examines the efficacy of
microfinance aid in Madagascar, based on an objective
analysis of donor assistance for the sustainable development
of financial systems targeting the poor. The three levels of
the financial system are the micro level (e.g., retail
institutions), the meso level (e.g., apex, technical service
providers), and the macro level (e.g., regulations and

Data from China's national rural
and urban household surveys are used to measure and explain
the welfare impacts of changes in goods and factor prices
attributable to accession to the World Trade Organization
(WTO). The price changes are estimated separately using a
general equilibrium model to capture both direct and
indirect effects of the initial tariff changes. The welfare
impacts are first-order approximations based on a household

The process by which different
ecological conditions and historical trajectories interacted
to create different social and cultural systems resulted in
major differences in economic development performance within
Southeast Asia. In the late 19th century, Indonesia, the
Philippines, and Thailand commonly experienced
vent-for-surplus development through exploitation of unused
lands. Nevertheless, different agrarian structures were

As opposed to agribusiness or corporate farming, FAO defined family farming as “a means of organizing agricultural, forestry, fisheries, pastoral and aquaculture production which is managed and operated by a family, both female and male. The family and the farm are linked, co-evolve and combine economic, environmental, reproductive, social and cultural functions.

The State of Uttarakhand experienced an
unprecedented high rainfall between June 15 and 17, 2013
that resulted in flash floods and landslides within the
State. The continuous rain disrupted normal life resulting
in a total of 580 human lives being lost, more than 4,000
persons missing and over hundred thousand pilgrims being
stranded. This event has affected over 900,000 people in
Uttarakhand this year. The numerous landslides and toe

This basic Agriculture Public
Expenditure Review (AgPER) documents and analyzes
information on the volume and structure of Liberia's
past public expenditure on the agriculture sector and draws
conclusions that can provide an orientation for future
policies in view of the effectiveness of spending. The
AgPER's focus is on the sectors of agriculture,
including crops, fisheries, and forestry, in line with the