Although a high rate of urbanization and
a high incidence of rural poverty are two distinct features
of many developing countries, there is little knowledge of
the effects of the former on the latter. Using a large
sample of Indian districts from the 1983-1999 period, the
authors find that urbanization has a substantial and
systematic poverty-reducing effect in the surrounding rural
areas. The results obtained through an instrumental variable

Please find here the report of the online discussion facilitated by Ekta Parishad on the land portal in December 2012 : Is the right to land for shelter a human right? Many thanks to all of the participants for their very interesting inputs, which will contribute to the ongoing negociations with the indian government.

Special thanks to Dominik Pauli for his great support and commitment.

The Inspection Panel is an independent complaint mechanism for people who believe that they have been, or are likely to be, adversely affected by a World Bank-funded project. The Panel provides for accountability and redress through its process and its assessment of Bank compliance with operational policies.

Le Comité d'inspection est un instrument indépendant de recours dont disposent ceux qui estiment avoir été ou risquent d'être lésés par un projet financé par la Banque Mondiale. Le Comité offre un outil pour aider la Banque, compte tenu des responsabilités de celle-ci, en matière de respect de ses politiques de précaution.

A review of examples and experiences of making rangelands secure.

Agricultural investments create risks as well as opportunities, for instance The Case Study of Integrated Tamale Fruit Company (2013) In recent years, Ghana has witnessed increased interest from private companies in developing agricultural investments. This trend is common to many lower/middle income countries.

A Case Study of Selected Agricultural Investments in Northern Tanzania (2013)

For early reports, see FAO’s Corporate Document Repository

The gender and equity implications of land-related investments on land access and labour and income-generating opportunities

>> A case study of selected agricultural Investments in LAO PDR (2013)

In recent years, Zambia has witnessed increased interest from private investors in acquiring land for agriculture. As elsewhere, large-scale land acquisitions are often accompanied with promises of capital investments to build infrastructure, bring new technologies and know-how, create employment, and improve market access, among other benefits

A Case Study of Selected Agricultural Investments in Zambia (2013) 

This report evaluates the outcomes of
World Bank Group support to Liberia from its post-war
reengagement in 2003 through 2011. The country has moved
from total disarray to a solid foundation for inclusive
development. Although development has not moved forward as
quickly as hoped, substantial progress has been made. Public
finance and key institutions have been rebuilt; crucial
transport facilities have been restored; and hospitals,

While agreeing on the choice of an
optimal investment decision is already difficult for any
diverse group of actors, priorities, and world views, the
presence of deep uncertainties further challenges the
decision-making framework by questioning the robustness of
all purportedly optimal solutions. This paper summarizes the
additional uncertainty that is created by climate change,
and reviews the tools that are available to project climate

The biaban nucleus