Global and economic aspects of the
crisis: two aspects of the current crisis are important to
stress. The first is its global nature. As you know, this
crisis started last year in the US and European financial
markets but spread quickly to developing countries. The
second is its economic impact. Before the crisis erupted,
many countries, and many developing countries in particular,
were already suffering from the impact of very substantial

This paper focuses on the experience of
the national-level adaptation planning efforts and the
lessons that can be derived for more effective adaptation
from an examination of local governance of development and
natural resources. After examining national level adaptation
plans, particularly the NAPAs (National Adaptation
Programmes of Action), the paper analyzes the range of
institutional instruments and relationships visible in

The recent surge in food and fuel prices
has prompted countries with high dependence on food imports
to try and lock in future food supplies through direct
investment in agricultural production in other countries.
The price surges also led to a wave of proposals to invest
in biofuels investments in agricultural land. While such
investment can provide large benefits, it also carries
considerable risks both to investors and citizens in the

This note introduces an evolutionary
approach to economic and governance reform. It lays out two
especially prevalent trajectories that differ starkly from
one another in how they prioritize and sequence economic
growth, state building, and the development of civil society
and political institutions. The first trajectory focuses
initially on investments in state capacity. The second
initially prioritizes smaller, more catalytic entry points

Sound, deep, and efficient financial
sectors are vital for high sustained, private sector-led
growth. But financial sectors in their current form pose
major problems for the economies of sub Saharan Africa
(SSA). Insufficient access to credit by small and medium-
sized enterprises constrains their ability to expand and
limits countries' growth potential. Most households
cannot build formal savings, so their ability to escape

The note looks at poverty in Ecuador,
assessing macroeconomic developments through its policies to
maintain stability with fiscal discipline, and increase
economic productivity and competitiveness, in particular,
the 1998/99 crisis, the 2000 dollarization and their effect
on poverty. From 1990 to 2001, national consumption-based
poverty rose from 40 to 45 percent, and the number of poor
people increased from 3.5 to 5.2 million. Poverty increased

Gender issues, particularly with respect
to women's status and rights, have for a considerable
period, been in the forefront of donors' dialogue on
social issues with Africa. While Africa countries have fully
acknowledged the seriousness of the issues and the urgent
need for action, the dialogue has been largely donor-driven
and issues and priorities been donor-set. Recognizing the
need for a new approach in this important area for

Nontraditional infrastructure service
providers supply many low-income consumers in slums and
urban peripheries in developing countries. And technological
change has eased entry by new providers. But the current
approach to private participation in infrastructure
typically gives exclusivity to a local monopoly for a long
period. In return, the monopoly utility is obligated to
provide service to all in the area at a certain standard,

Law is society's institution which
articulates rules to govern legal and non-legal
institutions. Rules of legal institutions aim to protect the
citizen against discretionary and arbitrary power, ensure
equality with others and guarantee procedural fairness.
Impartial administration of the law through independent
accessible courts and a democratic process of law-making,
defines and enforces the limits and powers of state

The Niger Delta is one of the
world's largest wetlands and includes by far the
largest mangrove forest in Africa. Within this extremely
valuable ecosystem, oil activities are widespread - Rivers
State and Delta State produce 75 percent of Nigeria's
petroleum, which represents over 50 percent of national
government revenues. However, despite its vast oil reserves,
the region remains poor. Gross National product (GNP) per

Unplanned and unregulated urban
development is not unique to Swaziland, but addressing the
issue through direct consultations with beneficiaries is an
important improvement toward resolving this persistent
problem. The Swaziland Urban Development Project includes
standard infrastructure work, such as increasing urban
roads, rehabilitating and expanding water and sewage
services, and developing a solid waste facility However, in

Buying, selling and mortgaging farmland
are still rare in Eastern and Central Europe. Not
surprisingly, given the level of risk in many of these
countries, short-term transactions, especially leasing, are
more common. These short-term transactions do almost as well
as land sales in allocating resources. Making them more
secure by improving simple registration and enforcement
systems and increasing public access to information on what