Indian remains one of the countries
wherein a lot of efforts are still required to eliminate the
practice of open defecation. In rural areas, open defecation
though reduced in scale continues to be a socially and
culturally accepted traditional behavior largely. Low
awareness of the potential health and economic benefits of
better sanitation and hygiene practices, perception of high
costs of having a toilet, the perceived convenience of open

Haiti suffers from a serious
deterioration of its natural environment and, in particular,
from a heavy pressure on its natural resources. The reasons
for this deterioration are multiple (poverty level,
demographic pressure, agricultural techniques and insecurity
regarding land tenure) and, therefore, go beyond the strict
scope of energy. However, the wood-fuel consumption is one
of the main factors of this deterioration. On a national

This report addresses the issues
associated with trade in liquid biofuels is a second Energy
Sector Management Assistance Program report on biofuels, and
part of a broader assessment of bioenergy undertaken by the
World Bank. The report asks how liberalizing trade in liquid
biofuels might affect biofuel production and consumption.
Bioenergy is playing an increasingly important role as an
alternative and renewable source of energy. Bioenergy

Rural transport services are often
inadequate. Passenger and goods transport needs improving to
stimulate rural economies and reduce poverty. Understanding
existing rural transport systems and constraining factors is
a precondition for appropriate policy action. The
Sub-Saharan Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP)
commissioned a study to develop and test a methodology for
the rapid assessment of rural transport systems. The

The present report was prepared on the
basis of the findings of an international workshop held from
September 12-14, 2005, in Salvador da Bahia, and was
attended by delegations of three to five practitioners from
12 cities in Latin America, Africa and Asia. It had two main
objectives: (a) to share experiences on innovative solutions
to provide electricity services in poor peri-urban and urban
areas; and (b) to develop a body of knowledge to be

This document aims to provide background
information and motivation regarding bioenergy's role
in promoting sustainable rural development. It discusses
ways to support the implementation of bioenergy through
policies, including those that can mobilize private sector
activity. Volume I, the main report provides an overview of
implementation issues for bioenergy projects and programs;
Volume II provides technical information regarding biomass

This paper provides an institutional
record of the implementation experiences of all the four
World Bank-assisted National Emergency Employment Program
(NEEP)/National Rural Access Program (NRAP) projects and
evaluates the impact on community members of the improved
rural access that the projects have provided. It is based on
desk reviews of project documentation, supervision mission
notes, field visits to communities in rural areas, and

The World Bank in November 2001
commissioned IC Net Limited of Japan to carry out a study
titled 'Integrating Gender into World Bank Financed
Transport Programs' in accord with the terms of
reference (TOR) issued in June 2001. The study was financed
by a grant from the Japanese Large Studies Trust Fund. The
contract came into effect on 15 December 2001 and covers the
period to 15 June 2004. IC Net was to work in association

The authors focus on the timing of
marriages of women in rural Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean marriages
are associated with bride welath payments, which are
transfers from (the family of) the groom to the bride's
family. Unmarried daughters could therefore be considered
assets who, at time of need, can be cashed in. The authors
investigate to what extent the timing of a marriage of a
daughter is affected by the economic conditions of the

The increased density and sprawl of
Cairo's urban areas are the consequence of a number of
factors, of which the major ones are the physical and
geographic features, transport supply, urban policy and the
control of urban development, market laws, government aid,
property developers, consumer sensitivity to building
quality and costs, travelling distances, tariffs, the
immediate surrounding area, etc. The purpose of this study

The objective of this briefing note is
to provide World Bank energy task teams a brief overview of
the key issues, resources and tools to help integrate gender
considerations into energy sector operations. This briefing
note discusses the key elements of the 'gender in
energy' topic and provides specific examples on
'how to' integrate gender considerations in energy
policy dialogue and the project cycle. This note draws on

Rapid population growth in many
developing countries has raised concerns regarding food
security and household welfare. To understand the
consequences of population growth in a general equilibrium
setting, this paper examines the dynamics of population
density and its impacts on household outcomes. The analysis
uses panel data from Indonesia combined with district-level
demographic data. Historically, Indonesia has adapted to