The relatively slow pace of
Nigeria's development has often been attributed to the
phenomenon of the resource curse whereby the nature of the
state as a "rentier" dilutes accountability for
development and political actors are able to manipulate
institutions to sustain poor governance. The impact of the
political elite's resource-control and allocation of
revenues on core democratic mechanisms is central to

This book provides a synthesis of key
themes and current knowledge about the links among forests,
armed conflict, poverty, and various aspects of state
fragility. The main themes addressed are: how predatory,
incapable, or absent states are fragile in different ways,
and their diverse relationships to forests and conflict; the
mechanisms by which forests facilitate or prolong conflict,
including financial flows from logging to state and

At an average above 6.0 percent per year
over the past two decades, Uganda' s growth rate was
impressive by all standards. In parallel, poverty declined
significantly, not only in urban areas, but also to some
extent within the rural areas. This combination was possible
because the key drivers of growth were labor-intensive
services sectors, some of which are agriculture based. In
fact, Uganda's growth process has reduced overall

This regional study takes twelve
oil-importing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and asks the
following two questions: does each stage in the supply
chain, from import of crude oil or refined products to
retail, seem to be efficiently run and are the efficiency
gains passed on to end-users? And if not, what are the
potential causes and possible means of remedying the
problems? The study focuses on Burkina Faso, Cote

This document proposes a set of
generally applicable recommendations and good practices for
creating a Mineral Rights Cadastre (MRC), an administrative
body responsible for overseeing the process of granting and
managing mineral licenses throughout a country. The document
reviews lessons learned from World Bank-funded projects
aimed at reforming mineral rights management and assesses
the impacts and benefits of the implemented changes. The

The present guide mining together-when
large-scale mining meets artisanal mining is an important
step to better understanding the conflict dynamics and
underlying issues between large-scale and small-scale
mining. This guide for action not only points to some of the
challenges that both parties need to deal with in order to
build a more constructive relationship, but most importantly
it sheds more light on some potential interventions for

The fundamental rationale behind
Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) is that
increased transparency and knowledge of revenues from the
extractive industries will empower citizens and institutions
to hold governments accountable. By implementing EITI at the
sub national level, countries could reduce opportunities for
mismanagement or diversion of funds from sustainable
development purposes, especially for prominent oil, gas, or

In this report, in addition to aggregate
results, six brief case studies are used to highlight the
impact of Bank supported mining sector reform on various
indicators at different links of the value chain. These
include: the impacts on investment; production and
employment in Argentina; institutional capacity building in
Papua New Guinea; production and fiscal revenues in
Tanzania; community and regional development in Madagascar;

The West African Mineral Sector
Strategic Assessment (WAMSSA) is a strategic environmental
and social assessment intended to identify policy,
institutional, and regulatory adjustments required to
integrate environmental and social considerations into
mineral sector development in Africa. The study focused on
three Mano River Union (MRU) countries, Guinea, Liberia, and
Sierra Leone, all categorized as mineral-rich countries

Extractive industries (EI) impacts can
be positive and negative, spanning economic, social, and
environmental issues. Oil, gas, and mining projects may
create jobs, but may also consume farming land for their
use, changing livelihoods and limiting access to water,
food, and firewood. Water sources may become polluted, but
new roads may be built and communities may become
electrified. Markets may boom, but prices may rise steeply.

The government of Afghanistan has an
opportunity in the coming months to turn the country around.
It is now opportune to improve security, governance, and
development. Unprecedented international military support,
political attention and aid are available to Afghanistan.
The government is inheriting years of good economic
performance, notable progress on social outcomes, and
continuing strong support from the international community.

The Petroleum Governance Initiative
(PGI) encompasses three general themes, or pillars, that
address issues issues of transparency and economic
responsibility, environmental sustainability and responsible
community development. Of particular interest here is the
second pillar, environmental sustainability; the PGI is
currently involved in four main activities surrounding this
theme: 1) assessing environmental governance and management