Production in 2004 was actually running
higher than consumption prior to 1995 and this has caused the existence of a world surplus of
baled cotton in the form of stocks in warehouse. It is the existence of these “ending stocks” that
has a large effect on the international price of cotton. Consumption began to
outpace production in 2001 to 2003 period and this, mixed with crop disasters in various regions,
caused the international price to rise. The reaction from many countries was to increase

This report proposes a strategy to
promote growth, and poverty reduction through export
development. It supports the strategic directions of the
Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (I-PRSP), stressing
the importance of improving economic governance, and the
environment for investments, for an active participation in
the world economy. The report reviews the performance of
trade policies, and exports in the 1990s; discusses the new

The report analyzes poverty incidence in
India and in particular, in Uttar Pradesh (UP), and defines
its poverty levels, trends, and vulnerability. While UP once
appeared positioned to be the pace-setter for India's
economic, and social development in light of its rich
potential in human, and natural resources, economic growth
faltered in the 1990s. UP fell behind India's better
performing states, and, despite a recent acceleration in

This Policy and Strategy Paper
contributes to an ongoing policy debate-within the Bank but
also with its client governments-about the role of tree
crops in various production systems, and as key commodities
in the trade portfolio of various African nations. It
attempts to answer the following questions: a) What is the
role of tree crops in a rural development strategy focused
on smallholders? B) Under what conditions can small-holder

Temporary crediting of carbon storage is
a proposed instrument that allows entities with emissions
reductions obligations to defer some obligations for a fixed
period of time. This instrument provides a means of
guaranteeing the environmental integrity of a carbon
sequestration project. But because the user of the temporary
credit takes on the liability of renewing it, or replacing
it with a permanent credit, the temporary credit must sell

Structural reforms are often designed to
change the prices of key goods and services. Since the
overall intention of such reforms is the reduction of
poverty, it is important to understand how the resulting
price changes affect the poor. However, organizations
seeking to provide timely advice to policymakers in
developing countries often do not have the data and
resources needed to undertake the most sophisticated

The market system consists of a price
mechanism, built on the foundation of a system of property,
and contract. In many developing, and transition economies,
the market system functions poorly. In many cases, if not
most, the malfunctioning is not simply in the price system
(for example, anti-competitive activities), but in the
underlying property system (such as contracts being
breached, and externalities in the sense of transfers not

Major changes are needed if Africans and
their children are to claim the 21st century. With the
rapidly growing population, 5 percent annual growth is
needed simply to keep the number of poor from rising.
Halving severe poverty by 2015 will require annual growth of
more than 7 percent, along with a more equitable
distribution of income. Trends in Africa will need to change
radically for a catch-up process to materialize. This will

The paper analyzes the linkages between the reform strategies in transition countries and
economic performance. We focus on agriculture because of the sharpness of the policy
changes, fundamental differences among countries, and relative simplicity of agricultural
relationships. We document post reform performance in the transition countries of Asia and
Europe. We show how: a.) pricing reform and subsidy reductions; b.) land rights reform
and policies that affect farm restructuring; and c.) the presence institutions that facilitate

The asset-based approach considers links between households' productive, social, and locational assets; the policy, institutional, and risk context; household behavior as expressed in livelihood strategies; and well-being outcomes. For sustainable poverty reducing growth, it is critical to examine household asset portfolios and understand how assets interact with the context to influence the selection of livelihood strategies, which in turn determine well-being. Policy reforms can change the context and income-generating potential of assets.

To find out why African countries' experience with urbanization and sustained growth appeared to differ from that of other countries, the authors investigated the determinants of urbanization across countries over 40 years. Rather than studying individuals' decisions to migrate, they relied on macroeconomic data and cross-country comparisons. A central hypothesis of their study: that individuals move (with varying degrees of ease) in response to economic incentives and opportunities. If location incentives are distorted, so is growth.

This report finalized in March 2001
constitutes a step toward the objective of designing an
integrated strategy for rural poverty reduction in Brazil,
The report contains an updated and more detailed profile of
the rural poor in the northeast (NE) and southeast (SE) of
Brazil; identifies key determinants of rural poverty in
these regions; and proposes a five-pronged strategic
framework in which to couch a set of integrated policies