The World Trade Indicators (WTI) database and ranking tool cover country level indicators of trade performance and policies and institutions that affect trade. The purpose of this initiative by the World Bank is to benchmark progress in these areas while highlighting important data gaps. The...

This country assitance evaluation assesses the development effectiveness of World Bank assistance to India during the 1990s. The Bank has been India's largest source of external long-term capital and has financed a sizable share of its public investment. Its lending and nonlending services have...

The Country Assistance Evaluation (CAE) for Russia, covering the period 1992-2001, showed disappointing, but improving results for the Bank's activities in the Russian Federation. Despite unsatisfactory ratings during 1992-98, with only modest institutional development impacts, the Operations...

There are many textbooks devoted to international trade but few volumes that survey trade theory, policy, and negotiations in a concise, up-to-date manner from an interdisciplinary perspective. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the issues that dominate both academic discourse and...

International trade and investment in services are an increasingly important part of global commerce. Advances in information and telecommunication technologies have expanded the scope of services that can be traded cross-border. Many countries now allow foreign investment in newly privatized...

Contents of the report are: Overview : from media markets to policy; by Roumeen Islam. The media's influence on public policy decisions; by David Stromberg, and James M. Snyder Jr. National media and local political participation : the case of the New York Times; by Lisa M. George, and Joel...

Greater trade integration has often been viewed as requiring greater standardization in institutions, without which the benefits of trade do not materialize. There are many current debates concerning the degree and area of standardization needed and these debates are likely to continue for the...

To control the expansion of government contingent liabilities and reduce fiscal vulnerability, one must be able to identify and measure them. The authors discuss how this may be done and demonstrate how the assessment of fiscal adjustment may change substantially when a broader picture of...

This paper provides an overview of the period prior to the recent global crisis, and the policies that were adopted around the world in response to the crisis. It highlights a number of key issues regarding economic and financial policies that governments have faced both globally and nationally....

The author argues that externalities in financial markets, implicit and explicit guarantees on financial transactions, and information asymmetries in financial markets that may exacerbate contagion provide a rationale for a government role in managing the risk associated with cross-border...