Less restrictive product market policies
are crucial in promoting convergence to higher levels of GDP
per capita. This paper benchmarks product market policies in
Romania to those of OECD countries by estimating OECD
indicators of Product Market Regulation (PMR). The PMR
indicators allow a comprehensive mapping of policies
affecting competition in product markets. Comparison with
OECD countries reveals that Romania's product market

Through an analysis of selected topics,
this study aims to offer inputs for a successful recovery
strategy for the city and the metropolitan region of Sao
Paulo (MSRP) in Brazil. The study first presents an analysis
of the underlying factors of the economic transition in the
MRSP, highlighting the factors behind the recent performance
of the MRSP in terms of job creation and growth. Then, four
inputs that would lead to a 'recovery strategy'

Tanzania's Pilot Rural Investment
Climate Assessment (RICA) measures the economic environment
of non-farm entrepreneurs. The pilot assessment has three
key objectives: it aims to better understand the rural
non-farm economy in Tanzania, shed light on rural enterprise
dynamics and business constraints, and reflect on areas
where government policies are readily directed to help
promote rural non-farm enterprise activity. The RICA is

It is the purpose of this Investment
Climate Assessment (ICA) to look at what hinders the move of
the Palestinians to new markets and what can be done to
encourage it. The ICA reveals that shrinking market access
and the lack of free movement are the main constraints to
growth for Palestinian enterprises. Relative to other
countries in the region, the Palestinian investment climate
is good: petty corruption is low, the bureaucracy is

This Integrated Fiduciary Assessment is
the first of its kind for Sao Tome and Principe. It combines
the analysis and policy recommendations from a public
expenditure review (PER), a country financial accountability
assessment (CFAA), and a country procurement assessment
review (CPAR). The goal of the report is to identify the
major challenges facing the country in the prepetroleum era
(the next three to five years) in public finance management

In considering the contribution that Rural Local Institutions (RLIs) can make to Sustainable Livelihoods (SLs), authors bring together two important concerns that emerged among development practitioners in the 1980s and 1990s, respectively. RLIs are important for addressing and mitigating factors of insecurity and instability, dealing in particular with various aspects of vulnerability. RLIs can also support participation (voice), conflict mitigation (peace), and external linkage (market expansion).

Bangladesh's growth over the past two decades or more, in terms of developing-country standards, has been notable. Such record of progress is one guide to the country's potential to grow, and to score well in world markets. To this end, i.e., to make the most of its export opportunities on a changing international playing field, Bangladesh needs to follow a strategic game plan, invest in infrastructure, technology and skills, streamline policies, and improve quality and safety standards.

With three quarters of its population
living in cities, Latin America is now essentially an urban
region. Higher urbanization is usually associated with a
number of positives, such as higher income, greater access
to services, and lower poverty incidence, and, Latin America
is no exception. Today, urban poverty incidence, at 28
percent, is half that of in rural areas; extreme poverty, at
12 percent, is a third. Despite this relatively low poverty

This paper investigates the role of
services in the household response to trade reforms in
Vietnam. The relative response of the households and income
growth after a major trade liberalization in rice are
analyzed aiming to answer the following questions: What type
of households, in which locations, having access to what
type of services, benefited more from the reforms? It
focuses on services that have an impact on transaction costs

Through an analysis of selected topics,
this study aims to offer inputs for a successful recovery
strategy for the city and the metropolitan region of Sao
Paulo (MSRP) in Brazil. The study first presents an analysis
of the underlying factors of the economic transition in the
MRSP, highlighting the factors behind the recent performance
of the MRSP in terms of job creation and growth. Then, four
inputs that would lead to a 'recovery strategy'

Recovering from three decades of conflict, over this last decade, Cambodia has undergone dramatic economic, political, and social transitions. Cambodia experienced rapid institutional changes as it restored peace, moved from a centrally planned to a market-oriented economy, and moved from isolation to regional and global integration. Cambodia has achieved political and macroeconomic stability, and has initiated key structural reforms. Nevertheless, Cambodia's economy remains vulnerable, and economic growth has not translated into widespread poverty reduction.

This study is a review of risks and how they are currently managed, by individuals, households, communities and the public in Ethiopia. It starts with the hypothesis that risks are important determinants o f poverty, and understanding how they are managed permits us to assess the prospects and strategies for poverty reduction and sustainable development in the future. The review focuses on the most common risks that affect individuals or communities. The report is organized as follows.