Major intrastate conflicts, such as civil wars, and the resulting set-backs for economic and political development, have received increasing research attention in recent years. A growing literature has sought to investigate conditions that affect the probability of countries experiencing...

The Bank has been involved in a number of urban upgrading projects over the last three decades, which have demonstrated that quality of life in slums can be improved through realistic policies, investments and implementation processes. This note reviews community-driven development (CDD) in...

This note discusses the interface between community-driven development (CDD) and decentralization. In particular, it focuses on the aspects of decentralization programs related to local government capacity building, where the practical application of CDD principles becomes meaningful. The note...

The human, social and economic costs of Rwanda's Genocide have been staggering. Although the country has made remarkable progress over the last ten years, especially in terms of recovering some of the ground lost on education and health, GDP per capita remains much lower than what it would have...

This note looks at how companies engage with stakeholders in areas with high social or political tensions. It argues that most social risk-mitigation strategies often exacerbate tensions and risks to the companies. The note offers a checklist of risk indicators and a set of questions companies...

Internal displacement in Colombia has become more prevalent and serious. Expulsion of land users to gain territorial control is increasingly a tactical element in the conflict. High land inequality makes it easier to uproot populations. Providing assistance to displaced populations does not...

This note reports on the findings of a recent study to assess social change in conflict areas of Nepal. It looks specifically at the impact on hierarchical relations based on gender, caste, and ethnicity. All parts of society have been affected by positive, and negative social changes. Most of...

Those of us helping countries to build capacity to manage reconstruction after a conflict has ended need to be fully aware of the context in which we operate. Apart from the obvious destruction of infrastructure, presence of armed groups and difficult working conditions, there are several other...

Irrigation is crucial to China's agricultural productivity. This report reviews the history of water irrigation in China. It examines the first Bank supported water project to propose both physical rehabilitation and management reform. Local and international experience has shown that...

At the time of the creation of the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs (UNDHA), now the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), no-one working in the relief and rehabilitation programs of Liberia, Kurdistan or the former Yugoslavia could be heard to question "where is the...