There has been significant discussion on the potential power of mobile-based technologies to provide unbanked populations with access to financial instruments and channels. Through the specific use of mobile money (m-money) services, for example, customers have accessed informational services,...

This evaluation assesses the impact of International Finance Corporation's (IFC's) Business License Simplification Project in the municipality of Lima, Peru. It reviews two previous evaluations sponsored by IFC and adds new evidence. Under the project, IFC's Foreign Investment Advisory Services...

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...

The report suggests that improving and sustaining export performance and thereby gross domestic product (GDP) growth will require sustained improvement in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, pointing again to the need for significant structural reform. Despite recent increases, FDI inflows...

This brief is intended to bring together in one place, for the attention of management and the Board, the evaluation evidence on World Bank Group (WBG) cooperation. It uses the evidence developed in past Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) evaluations to examine WBG cooperation and the difference...

This World Bank Annual Report for FY2006 notes that the past year saw both progress and continued challenges in the global fight against poverty and inequality. The Report discusses the following topical highlights: Debt relief for the poorest countries; targeting development in Africa; addressing...

This report reviews the level, composition and outcomes of government spending and distills some of the lessons that emerge from efforts by the Southeast Europe (SEE) countries in reforming expenditure policies. The report identifies key remaining challenges and proposes a broad menu of options...

Improving Access to Finance for India's Rural Poor examines the current level and pattern of access to finance for India's rural households, evaluates various approaches for delivering financial services to the rural poor, analyzes what lies behind the lack of adequate financial access for the...

The recent financial crisis is challenging the reform approach to mandated pension a scheme that has emerged over recent decades across the world. This reform approach is characterized by a move toward multi-pillar pension systems and includes the creation or extension of a mandatory funded...

The global financial crisis is no longer the major force dictating the pace of economic activity in developing countries. The majorities of developing countries has, or are close to having regained full-capacity activity levels. As a result, country-specific productivity and sartorial factors...