This report presents findings from a
field-based survey on the conduct of agricultural operations
at 39 large-scale, mature agribusiness investments in
sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. The objective of the
report is to provide first-hand, practical knowledge of the
approach, behavior, and experience of these investments,
their relationships with surrounding communities and the
consequent positive and/or negative outcomes for these

The diaspora of developing countries can
be a potent force for development for their countries of
origin, through remittances, but also, importantly, through
promotion of trade, investments, research, innovation, and
knowledge and technology transfers. This book brings
relevant experience from both developed and developing
countries to bear on issues confronting today's
governments in linking with their diaspora. The chapters

The objective of this report is to
respond to the request of the Ministry of Housing and
Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD), to assess the Housing
Provident Fund (HPF) system, and provide recommendations on
its positioning, strategy and future role in the overall
housing policy. The report focuses on a strategic review of
the HPF system and its strategy, mission, and operational
structure, and then analyses the market in which the

Delhi Jal Board (DJB) is exploring
options for public private partnerships (PPP) in the
wastewater services as part of a strategy to expand sewerage
access and to meet its environmental obligations. The
purpose of this report is to identify those models of
partnership which are most relevant to DJB's situation
and to discuss some of the advantages and risks associated
with them. The report goes on to propose an outline for a

This report sets out various options for
regulatory reform of the Indian port sector. The terms of
reference from The World Bank require the Author making
recommendations to the Ministry of Finance (Department of
Economic Affairs) with respect to alternative institutional
and legal options for regulation of the port sector in India
as well as analysing key considerations in the regulation of
this sector and the way they are being addressed in the

Cities and the people who live in them
account for more than 80 percent of the world's total
greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, more than 80 percent
of the overall annual global costs of adaptation to climate
change are estimated to be borne by urban areas. This issues
brief looks at potential financing opportunities and costs
of mitigation and adaptation in the urban context.
Wide-ranging potential sources for finance for climate

Cambodia's growth over 1998-2008
has been remarkable (almost 10 percent per annum for a
decade). This paper applies a "growth diagnostic"
approach to understand how this happened and how it can be
sustained. Past growth has been driven by the coincidence of
a set of historical and geographic factors (including
opportunistic policy responses), together with the use of
natural assets (although in a non sustainable way) and the

The Country Environmental Analysis,
presents a review of environmental priorities, public
environmental expenditures and the supporting institutional
framework and makes recommendations to improve the
efficiency and effectiveness of public environmental
expenditure in Azerbaijan. The focus is to identify areas
for improvement and changes to ensure that the process of
establishing environment-related priorities is sufficiently

The financial and economic crisis that
started in the United States has finally impacted all urban
communities and investment financing systems around the
world. Local governments grappling with the crisis face a
number of constraints which, though disparate in nature,
have a cumulative effect. This phenomenon has created a
number of extremely difficult situations. In general terms,
the consequences of the crisis can be felt on four levels:

This paper revisits the institutional
determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) using a
comprehensive new data set on the regulations that govern
FDI in more than 80 countries. It exploits the presence of
confirmed zero investment flows between countries to
estimate productivity cut-offs of firms that invest abroad
profitably. This approach corrects likely biases arising
from firm heterogeneity and country selection in a

This report deals with medium and
long-term growth issues rather than the challenges posed by
the world financial crisis, the structural policy options
presented in the report become even more important in that
context, and can help to partially mitigate the impact of
the crisis on Macedonia. Section B looks at poverty and
inequality issues. Section C examines Macedonia's past
growth in terms of total factor productivity analysis,

This report describes the results of a
ROSC assessment of the accounting, financial reporting and
auditing requirements and practices of the Republic of
Tajikistan's enterprise and financial sectors. The
report assesses the quality of the Tajik financial reporting
framework and makes policy recommendations for improvement.
With a gross national income per capita of US$430,
Tajikistan remains the poorest country in the former Soviet