When it comes to strategy, the Chinese
have a saying: 'think big, start small, but move
fast.' This has been our guiding philosophy for the
pilot land reforms of the World Bank-Department of
International Development (DFID) sub national Investment
Climate Program (ICP) in Nigeria. The challenge was to find
a 'small' reform entry point from which to
'move fast' on this sensitive and difficult topic,

This note summarizes findings from an
analysis of Vanuatu national leasing data drawn from the
Vanuatu department of lands databases for the period of
1980-2010. It provides a preliminary indication of how much
of Vanuatu is currently under lease, where land is being
leased, how leased land is being used, the length of leases,
and the extent that leases have been subdivided. The profile
also highlights areas where data collection needs to be improved.

This note builds on the proactive
measures taken by the Government of China as announced in:
(i) the Decree of the state council of the people's
Republic of China, issued on 9 June 2008, providing
regulations on post-Wenchuan earthquake reconstruction; (ii)
the Directive on Counterpart Assistance (Directive) of 11
June 2008; and (iii) the land policies to support the
reconstruction of Wenchuan (land policies) of 11 June 2008

This briefing note examines
intergenerational aspects of community involvement, trust,
and authority, and dispute participation/resolution in
Timor-Leste, using findings from the justice module included
in an extension of the 2007 Timor-Leste Survey of Living
Standards (TLSLS2) and a review of relevant social-science
literature. It is hoped that this report will be a valuable
resource for civil servants, civil society organizations,

Poverty in Pakistan is overwhelmingly
rural. Some two-thirds of Pakistan's population, and
over 60 percent of the country's poor, live in rural
areas. In 2005, average per capita expenditures in rural
areas were 31 percent lower than in urban areas. This
inequality between urban and rural areas is re-enforced by
inequality within and between rural areas. Owing to uneven
access to land and useable water, most of the increased

This briefing note examines perspectives
on trust, authority, and responsibility for decision making
in Timor-Leste, using findings from the justice module
included in an extension of the 2007 Timor-Leste Survey of
Living Standards (TLSLS2) and a review of relevant
social-science literature. It is hoped that this report will
be a valuable resource for civil servants, civil society,
and donor agencies working in Timor-Leste. This note

This approach resulted in the
fragmentation of agricultural holdings, with families owning
noncontiguous plots. Land use was inefficient, owing in part
to the low rate of use of agricultural machinery. Making
land use and farming more efficient will require the
establishment of a functioning land market. Granting farmers
the right to sell, exchange, and lease their land will
enable them to use it as collateral and to consolidate

Eighty percent of Kenya is arid and
semi-arid land; yet despite chronic water scarcity, the
country has developed only 15 percent of its available safe
water resources. Demand for water is expected to rise, owing
to population increases and growing requirements for
irrigated agriculture, urban and rural populations,
industries, livestock, and hydropower. Meanwhile, climate
variability and the steady degradation of water resources

In late 2008 the Republic of Armenia
requested the Bank's assistance to mitigate the impact
of the global financial crisis. This technical note
describes how the Lifeline Road Improvement Project (LRIP)
was prepared and implemented as a Rapid Response Project,
prepared in only six weeks. This project saw over 150 km of
roads improved and almost 12,000 person-months of employment
generated during an eight month period between May to

The emergence of city-regions in England
offers some useful lessons for the World Bank partners in
developing countries. The city-region approach, as applied
in England touches upon issues of decentralization,
intergovernmental fiscal relations, governance, and the need
to realign outdated administrative arrangements with a
metropolitan area's economic footprint, among other
highly relevant topics for rapidly urbanizing cities in

Morocco is a middle-income country with
good water infrastructure that provides access to safe
drinking water and sanitation to the majority of the urban
population. In 2005, Morocco made it a priority to extend
service to poor peri-urban settlements, and encouraged
operators and local governments to reduce connection fees
for their inhabitants. These connection fees had been priced
at marginal cost, which represented a major obstacle for

Poor urban populations in Southern
cities are already experiencing the negative impacts of
changing weather patterns associated with climate change and
climate variability and future projections suggest that
these impacts will get worse. Severe weather patterns,
experienced as prolonged droughts, intense rainfall or wind
speed cause substantial damage to the assets and well-being
of city-dwellers, causing localized flooding, housing