The globalization of corporate finance also points to other challenges. As emerging-market corporations have expanded their international operations, they have increased their exposure to interest rate and currency risks. Concerns are growing that several countries in emerging Europe and Central...

The little green data book 2010 show wide disparities across regions. For example, urban air pollution declined in most countries between 2000 and 2006 (the most recent year for which data is available), with the greatest progress in low-income and lower middle-income countries. But...

Infrastructure development has made a major contribution to East Asia's enviable record on growth and poverty reduction. However, substantial new investments in infrastructure and service delivery improvements will be required to sustain progress in the future, and to address new challenges...

Global Development Finance is the World Bank's annual review of global financial conditions facing developing countries. The current volume provides analysis of key trends and prospects, including coverage of capital originating from developing countries themselves. Robust global growth and a...

The little data book on information and communication technology 2009 charts the progress of this revolution for 209 countries around the world. It provides comparable statistics on the sector for 2000 and 2007 across a range of indicators, enabling readers to readily compare countries. This...

This annual report, which covers the period from July 1, 1999 to June 30, 2000, spells out the guiding principles of the Bank's work: country ownership, long-term integrated approach, partnership, and results focus. This vision was put into practice under a pilot approach, the Comprehensive...

With the end of civil war in 1991, Ethiopia's government launched a New Education and Training Policy in 1994 which, by the early 2000s, had already produced remarkable results. The gross enrollment ratio rose from 20 to 62 percent in primary education between 1993-94 and 2001-02; and in secondary...

This paper sets the strategic framework for the International Development Association's (IDA) work in Africa, over the next several years. The strategy evolved over more than a year, as a result of extensive consultation with Africa Region staff, other Bank staff, external advisors, clients,...

Intensified efforts are needed in the Caribbean region if inroads are to be made against the AIDS epidemic. Although many Caribbean governments have initiated a limited response to HIV/AIDS, much remains to be done to bring proven interventions quickly up to nationwide scale. Moreover there is...

This report synthesizes knowledge about the effects of natural hazards on human welfare, particularly in its economic aspects. It is a remarkable combination of case studies, data on many scales, and the application of economic principles to the problems posed by earthquakes, abnormal weather,...