The purpose of the Third Overall Performance Study (OPS3), commissioned by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council, is "to assess the extent to which GEF has achieved, or is on its way towards achieving its main objectives, as laid down in the GEF Instrument and subsequent decisions…

Slum upgrading programs are being used by national and city governments in many countries to improve the welfare of households living in slum and squatter settlements. These programs typically include a combination of improvements in neighborhood infrastructure, land tenure, and building quality…

The purpose of this study is to update
the review of World Bank experience in Irrigation (IEG 1994)
and to broaden the scope of evaluation to include all water
lending for agricultural development. Since that first
study,…

Tunisia has successfully shifted from
resource-based exports dominated by oil and gas to
manufactures and services. The economy is now driven mainly
by textile, electrical, mechanical, and food processing
exports; tourism…

Mauritius is facing a sharp transition from dependence on trade preferences to open competition in the global economy. And it must do so in an unusually difficult environment. After 20 years of remarkable performance, the economy has fallen off a high growth plateau of about 6 percent toward the…

By reviewing the Bank's experience
with shelter lending, this paper seeks to address the
question of whether the Bank has helped developing countries
deal with the inevitable problems that arise with
urbanization,…

This study analyzes the
interrelationship between local benefits and global
environment benefits in the Global Environment Facility
(GEF) strategies and projects in order to: Enhance GEF
policies, strategies, and project…

The purpose of the Third Overall
Performance Study (OPS3), commissioned by the Global
Environment Facility (GEF) Council, is "to assess the
extent to which GEF has achieved, or is on its way towards
achieving its main…

The developing world has made remarkable
progress. The number of people living in extreme poverty on
less than $1 a day has fallen by about 400 million in the
last 25 years. Many more children, particularly girls, are
…

The authors provide estimates of the impact that removing all merchandise trade distortions (including agricultural subsidies) would have on food and agricultural production, trade, and incomes. Using the latest versions of the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) database and the World Bank…

Earthquakes, floods, drought, and other
natural hazards cause tens of thousands of deaths, hundreds
of thousands of injuries, and billions of dollars in
economic losses each year around the world. Many billions of
dollars in…

This year the preliminary results of the
international comparison program are being released,
providing new comparisons of price levels for more than 140
countries. The program, the largest single data collection
effort ever…