Doing Business 2011: making a difference
for entrepreneurs is the eighth in a series of annual
reports investigating regulations that enhance business
activity and those that constrain it. Doing Business
presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and
the protection of property rights that can be compared
across 183 economies, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, over
time. A set of regulations affecting 11 areas of the life of

Nigeria's vision of 2020 is a bold
desire to be among the top twenty economies by the year
2020. The economy has posted impressive growth figures since
2003 driven by higher oil prices and a series of home-grown,
economic reforms. The country is now firmly on the road to
middle-income status. This Investment Climate Analysis is
built on a 2,300 firm survey and provides evidence-based
recommendations designed to support the vision 2020. Survey

This working paper concerns the growth
of investment climate in the Philippines. There are several
resounding ideas in areas both positive and negative. The
growth potential in the Philippines is considerable. The
country has significant natural resources; a large pool of
managerial and entrepreneurial talent; and widespread
proficiency in English. The Government's Medium Term
Development Plan (MTDP), 2005-2010 sets ambitious growth and

The newly delineated Peshawar City
District (PCD) has undergone significant transformations in
the past ten years. Originally encompassing the adjoining
districts of Charsadda and Nowshera, the district gradually
shrunk in size after both sub-divisions acquired a district
status of their own in the mid-nineties. However, as the
provincial capital, Peshawar continues to enjoy a special
status within North West Frontier Province (NWFP). It houses

The World Bank group, among the
world's largest development institutions, is a major
source of financial and technical assistance to developing
countries around the world. In fiscal 2009, the World Bank
group sponsored 767 projects with a total commitment of
$58.8 billion, distributed in credits, loans, grants, and
guarantees. This fiscal year's funding marks a 54
percent increase over the previous fiscal year and a record

The objective of the Bhutan Investment
Climate Assessment (ICA) is to evaluate the investment
climate in Bhutan in all its operational dimensions and
promote policies to strengthen the private sector. This ICA
consists of two volumes. Volume 1 summarizes the main
results. Volume 2 presents a more detailed analysis of each
of the three main themes of the report: labor productivity
and skills, access to finance, and business government

The second Climate Investment Funds
(CIF) partnership forum took place at the headquarters of
the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila, Philippines, on
March 18-19, 2010. The objective of the 2010 partnership
forum was to share lessons learned from the CIF design
process and from early implementation of CIF-funded
programs. The forum aimed to provide an open, transparent
and constructive platform for dialogue on knowledge gained

The conflicting relationship between
peace and justice is frequently debated in the field of
transitional justice. The obligation to prosecute serious
crimes can contradict the measures necessary to reestablish
peace among society. The predicament gives rise to a
similar, though less obvious, challenge in many developing
countries, where the formal justice system can be at odds
with conflict management initiatives. Often, due to their

This report aims to update knowledge of
gender disparities in Ethiopia using the latest household
survey data. The aim of this analysis is to support ongoing
efforts to implement Plan for Accelerated and Sustained
Development to End Poverty (PASDEP) vision. The significant
progress in addressing key dimensions of gender disparities
such as education shown in this report as well as in the
recent annual progress report on the implementation of

The newly delineated Peshawar City
District (PCD) has undergone significant transformations in
the past ten years. Originally encompassing the adjoining
districts of Charsadda and Nowshera, the district gradually
shrunk in size after both sub-divisions acquired a district
status of their own in the mid-nineties. However, as the
provincial capital, Peshawar continues to enjoy a special
status within North West Frontier Province (NWFP). It houses

East Asia and the Pacific is a region of
dynamic growth. Women have contributed significantly to this
growth and have benefited from it through active
participation in the labor market. However, women are still
disproportionately represented in the informal sector and in
low paid work. Efforts to identify barriers to women's
business and entrepreneurial activities in the region are
critical not only to facilitate inclusive growth in a

In 2004, the government of Sierra Leone
opted for a rethink of its national governance arrangement
by embarking on the resuscitation of democratically elected
local government after 32 years experimenting with central
government appointed district and municipal governments. The
decision by the government and the people of Sierra Leone
was driven by a primary consideration to address the
country's seeming nonperformance in the areas of