Demographic aging strains pension systems around the world, leading frequently to large pension expenditures and deficits. The increasing awareness of a looming pension crisis has led to a wave of pension reforms, particularly in the last decade. The purpose of the report is to examine the...

This book reviews Latin America's experience with infrastructure reform over the last fifteen years. It argues that the region's infrastructure has suffered from public retrenchment and unrealistic expectations about private involvement. Poor infrastructure now hampers productivity, growth, and...

Quality systems and standards have a significant impact on market access, export growth, productivity, industrial upgrading, diffusion of innovation, and other central ingredients for reducing poverty and enhancing country competitiveness. This book provides a comprehensive evaluation and...

This book contributes to the debate about the role of agriculture in poverty reduction by addressing three sets of questions: Does investing in agriculture enhance/harm overall economic growth, and if so, under what conditions? Do poor people tend to participate more/less in growth in...

While each country's judiciary is unique in its individual needs, capabilities and contexts, the lessons learned from Singapore's success can help guide judicial reform initiatives regionally as well as globally. No one would suggest that Singapore's strategy is a magic formula that if followed...

The importance of chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) to global health has gained increased recognition since the early 1990s, and has been accompanied by calls for a stronger policy response. It is increasingly clear that aging populations, rising incomes, and increased exposure to risk...