This report suggests measures to help Russia develop a formal, competitive labor market over the medium term. The study addresses four major questions: (1) How well has Russia been able to redress the misallocation of labor inherited from its socialist past? (2) Do wages increasingly reflect...

Transition has been a wrenching process for the labor markets of Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs), and the prospect of joining the European Union gives rise to both hopes and misgivings among their population. Similarly among other member countries, a new resolve to shake off a...

A universal concern in infrastructure reforms is the effect such reforms have on labor. State-owned infrastructure firms often employ more people than required for efficiency, and often under favorable terms and conditions of service, leading to lower labor productivity and higher labor costs...

Nothing impacts the welfare of individuals and households more directly than employment and earnings opportunities. In developing countries, labor market reform is a crucial component for the success of overall economic policy reforms. Despite success in other areas of economic reform over the...

This report sets out the principal aspects of civil service reform that were discussed at a workshop for the World Bank and International Monetary Fund staff on September 2, 2001. The objective of the workshop was to strengthen collaboration between the Bank and the Fund in order to achieve...

When governments seek private investment in infrastructure projects, they usually find themselves asked to provide grants, guarantees, or other forms of fiscal support. Often they prefer to provide support in ways that limit immediate cash expenditure but sometimes generate large costs later....

The chapters in this volume underscore the transformative role of globalization and urbanization, and show the interplay between these forces. Trade reform and liberalized foreign investment regimess have contributed to the spatial reallocation of economic activity toward cities, especially...