This paper examines the effects of
urbanization on development and growth. It begins with a
labor market perspective and emphasizes the importance of
agglomeration economies, both static and dynamic. It then
argues that more productive jobs in cities do not exist in a
void and underscores the importance of job and firm
dynamics. In turn, these dynamics are shaped by the broader
characteristics of urban systems. A number of conclusions

In the Pacific island countries, which
are small and far from world markets, labor mobility
represents the most significant and substantial opportunity
for overcoming geographic constraints on employment. This
report presents a brief overview of employment challenges in
small Pacific island countries and recommendations for
addressing them. The report contributes to an ongoing World
Bank analytical program examining the linkages between

What is the relationship between
employment and conflict in fragile states? Although this
question cannot be definitively answered, a large body of
research suggests that in countries emerging from conflict,
peace is likelier to endure if growth can be rapidly
restored and translated into economic opportunities for
large segments of the population. With a focus on
Sub-Saharan Africa, this report attempts to address the

The state of national labor markets has
always been a concern for governments and development
agencies such as the World Bank. Key labor market
indicators, such as the rate of unemployment, send signals
about the health of an economy and mirror citizens'
attitudes. Being gainfully employed is an important aspect
of an individual's well-being both financially and
socially, as 'initial failures in finding a job can

Development and humanitarian actors
currently engaged in Somalia face the challenge of
delivering assistance in such a way that it is supportive of
peace and state building, addresses the acute vulnerability,
and dependence of large shares of the population while
operating in a still insecure and changing environment.
Forced displacement is a key feature of the current
political economy context of Somalia. The necessity of

The term 'green jobs' can
refer to employment in a narrowly defined set of industries
providing environmental services. But it is more useful for
the policy-maker to focus on the broader issue of the
employment consequences of policies to correct environmental
externalities such as anthropogenic climate change. Most of
the literature focuses on direct employment created, with
more cursory treatment of indirect and induced job creation,

International Finance Corporation
(IFC s) sustainability framework, which articulates our
commitment to sustainable development and transparency. The
performance standards are a vital part of the framework and
address a range of environmental and social risks and
opportunities faced by the private sector. This project
highlights key environmental and social issues of current
and emerging importance, including climate change, business

This paper studies the use of labor
markets to mitigate the impact of violent shocks on
households in rural areas in Colombia. It examines changes
in the labor supply from on-farm to off-farm labor as a
means of coping with the violent shock and the ensuing
redistribution of time within households. It identifies the
heterogeneous response by gender. Because the incidence of
violent shocks is not exogenous, the analysis uses

Despite decades of war and instability,
Iraq's abundant natural resources, strategic geographic
location and cultural history endow it with tremendous
potential for growth and diverse economic development.
Driven by windfall oil revenues in recent years the
Government of Iraq (GoI) has invested heavily in rebuilding
infrastructure with abundant oil reserves ensuring steady
progress. However, decades of socialist policies have

This paper describes the key challenges
to job creation in conflict-affected environments in South
Asia. It uses household survey data since the early 2000s
for Afghanistan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka to document the
characteristics of labor markets in conflict-affected areas,
exploiting the spatial and time variation in armed conflict
within countries. The analysis finds that, across countries,
labor markets look very different in conflict-affected areas

The objective of this review of
resettlement policy and implementation in Brazil, is to
identify ongoing good practices, as well as areas for
further improvement. It draws upon an assessment of the
Brazilian legal and institutional framework related to land
acquisition for projects in the public interest, a rapid
evaluation of the resettlement programs in six projects
(three projects that received Bank financing and three

Globally, over 40 million people have
been forced to leave or flee their homes due to conflict,
violence, and human rights violations either as refugees
outside their country of origin or Internally Displaced
Persons (IDPs). A substantial number live in protracted
displacement where return has not been possible.Forced
displacement is a humanitarian crisis: but it also produces
developmental impacts - short and longer term, negative and