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During Albania's transition from a centralized economy to one anchored in a body of Western laws, deep social unrest, widespread poverty, uncontrolled migration, and the reemergence of clan-based loyalties have led to an increase in the most vulnerable population groups. These groups are more likely to be marginalized by the economic cycle, thus making it more difficult to ensure asuccessful transition. One purpose of the study is to identify key emerging social issues and problems in Albania and determine their causes. However, the main purpose of this report is to propose a short- to medium-term action strategy to guide and connect social policy and assistance initiatives targeted to the vulnerable groups in areas where they are most numerous, through a bottom-up approach.
The Shifting Grounds of Conflict and Peacemaking contains the professional life lessons of Ambassador John W. McDonald and offers his insight into international issues, providing frank and informed discussion on the environment, women's rights, the global water crisis, sustainable resources, international development, and, above all, peace.
This book is a contribution by a diverse group of authors from the academic, business and policy advice communities to our understanding of recent social and economic developments in Albania. The motivation for this book is that there are lessons of wider importance to be learnt from the fascinating story of recent Albanian developments. Michael Kaser opens the book with a recounting of the country's history and political economy before and during transition. He brings to the job nearly six decades of professional experience as a diplomat and academic and an intimate knowledge of Albania. This chapter provides a detailed political history during transition up to late 2004. Dirk Bezemer contr...
In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, when thousands of young women and men fought for the opportunity to realize their aspirations and potential, the question of jobs continues to be crucial in the Middle East and North Africa region. This report uses jobs as a lens to weave together the complex dynamics of employment creation, skills supply, and the institutional environment of labor markets. Consistent with the framework of the 2013 World Development Report on jobs, of which this report is the regional companion, this work goes beyond the traditional links between jobs, productivity, and living standards to include an understanding of how jobs matter for individual dignity and expectations...
The main focus of this paper is to assess household welfare in Albania, describe the labor market, and evaluate the equity and efficiency of public expenditures on cash benefits and education. This report provides a benchmark against which future welfare developments of the population can be measured. It also includes a statistical annex.
Arable land, deserts, mountains, forests, rivers, and coastal zones characterize the diverse regions in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECA). As varied as the geography is so are the policy directions taken by the region's governments concerning natural resource management. A lack of conservation measures, misuse, and poor management have impaired many of the natural resources now available in these countries. Although the pressure on natural resources in ECA is less than in other regions and the area has more abundant resources, the accessibility and utility of those resources belie the figures. Where there is arable land, the growing season is short. Where there are immense forests, the climate is harsh.To assist the Bank's client countries in ECA with sustainable use of natural resources, this volume identifies the various challenges, provides a history of the Bank's regional natural resource strategy, outlines a strategic framework, and proposes new strategies and policy instruments to implement them. Natural resources in this publication refer to "non-mineral" resources, such as, forests, rivers, and land.
Smuggling is typically thought of as furtive and hidden, taking place under the radar and beyond the reach of the state. But in many cases, governments tacitly permit illicit cross-border commerce, or even devise informal arrangements to regulate it. Drawing on extensive fieldwork in the borderlands of Tunisia and Morocco, Max Gallien explains why states have long tolerated illegal trade across their borders and develops new ways to understand the political economy of smuggling. This book examines the rules and agreements that govern smuggling in North Africa, tracing the involvement of states in these practices and their consequences for borderland communities. Gallien demonstrates that, co...
Agriculture traditionally played a significant role in the Bulgarian economy. Before the present decade, Bulgaria was a major exporter of fresh and processed fruits and vegetables within Eastern and Central Europe. While the Bulgarian government has progressed rapidly since 1997, the delay in reforms has rendered Bulgarian food products as noncompetitive on the international market. Also, many important components of the transition are not completed. This report reviews the recent history and current state of Bulgarian agriculture and agroindustry. It examines the status of the sectoral reforms program, including reforms affecting pricing and trade, rural finance, land markets, and agroindus...
Immigration, Ethnicity, and National Identity in Brazil, 1808 to the Present examines the immigration to Brazil of millions of Europeans, Asians and Middle Easterners beginning in the nineteenth century. Jeffrey Lesser analyzes how these newcomers and their descendants adapted to their new country and how national identity was formed as they became Brazilians along with their children and grandchildren. Lesser argues that immigration cannot be divorced from broader patterns of Brazilian race relations, as most immigrants settled in the decades surrounding the final abolition of slavery in 1888 and their experiences were deeply conditioned by ideas of race and ethnicity formed long before their arrival. This broad exploration of the relationships between immigration, ethnicity and nation allows for analysis of one of the most vexing areas of Brazilian study: identity.
Agriculture remains the main source of employment and livelihood for the large rural population of many transition countries, especially among the former Soviet republics. Accordingly, the World Bank continuously monitors the progress of land reform and farm restructuring in the region because of the potential impact of these processes on rural development and poverty alleviation in rural areas. The present study on Belarus is the latest addition to a long and growing series of World Bank publications on land reform and farm restructuring in the former socialist countries of Europe and Central Asia. The unique features of all these publications is their reliance on first-hand empirical infor...