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Modernisation of the public sector, reforming intergovernmental fiscal relations, enhancing the local capacity to implement local strategies, and developing the legislative and institutional framework for efficient delivery of public services are among the biggest challenges in transition economies. Hungary has been a pioneer in local government reform and the Hungary Subnational Development Program (SNDP) proves the value of an integrated approach.
Women in the Europe and Central Asia region complain about loss of employment, sexual harassment, violence, poor enforcement of the law, poor political representation, and poor health care. Many greet these complaints with skepticism or dismissal. Is it economic expedience due to the sheer magnitude of the changes taking place under the transition? Did the Soviet legacy delude observers into believing that there is gender equality in the region? While budgets shrink, how can gender be integrated into country department work programs? To answer these and other pressing questions regarding the gender issue, the World Bank held a conference in June 1999. Women from the ECA region, Western Europ...
Over the course of history, different legal instruments for protecting intellectual property have emerged. These instruments differ in their subject matter, extent of protection, and field of application, reflecting society's objective to balance the interests of creators and consumers for different types of intellectual works. These legal instruments are just one of the pieces that form a national system of intellectual property protection. Also crucial to the system's overall effectiveness are the institutions administering these instruments, the mechanisms available for enforcing IPRs, and the rules regarding the treatment of non-nationals. To address some of the issues concerning IPRs, t...
Latin America and the Caribbean Region Viewpoints Many articles have been written about the causes of financial crises in emerging market... ... Much less attention has been devoted to the effectiveness of alternative policy responses and the ensuing process of recovery of the real economy... This paper analyzes the adjustment process in the aftermath of speculative attacks in six countries: Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, and Thailand. As implied by the title, the main question to be addressed is whether the tales of adjustment in these Latin American and Asian economies were similar. This comparison is interesting for several reasons. The six countries came under the aegis of ...
QUOTEWe live in an increasingly interconnected world. Trade flows worldwide are growing rapidly and global production patterns are shifting as countries follow their comparative advantage in production via trade. At the same time, however, there is growing concern about potential adverse environmental impacts from increasing trade.QUOTE--John A. Dixon, Lead Economist, The Environment Department, World BankInterest in the trade and environment debate has intensified as a result of international trade agreements and because many proposed solutions to the climate change problem have potential implications for the global trading system. Clearly more empirical work is needed to inform the debate,...
"Ukraine's economy has been slipping backwards for nearly a decade, resulting in a significant fall in the living standards of the Ukrainian people. Putting Ukraine back on the path to prosperity will require policy makers to stop letting economic crises dictate the policy agenda. Short-term problems need to be dealt with in the context of a longer-term strategy." What strategy should Ukraine follow? This report identifies and evaluates three alternatives, all of which are under active consideration today as Ukraine considers what to do after ten years of halting reforms and economic decline. 'Economic Growth with Equity' evaluates each strategy in terms of its probable impact on fiscal balances, inflation, the current account deficit, economic growth, employment, and equity. The report makes recommendations on the best strategy to help Ukraine achieve its potential and recover from the present depression.
Action is urgently needed to develop China's market infrastructure, improve information access and commercial renewable energy capabilities, and implement policies necessary to enable expansion of commercial markets. This report summarizes recommended priority areas for international support to strengthen China's renewable energy development effort.
Annotation World Bank Discussion Paper No. 375.Social funds have proved to be important instruments for reaching the poor using community-based strategies. Yet, while there have been innovations in the design of these funds, the projects are much less participatory and demand-oriented than is commonly believed. This paper examines the extent to which social fund subprojects are designed to support community participation, demand orientation, and investment in local organizational capacity to achieve sustainability at the community level.
The impetus for change in African legal reform is coming primarily from African women themselves, as they respond to their personal and practical experiences with the law. Top-down imposition of norms has not worked; if legal reform is to lead to sustainable equity for women, the voices of these women must be heard. Given that previous efforts to ensure greater equity in personal laws have not been fully successful in eastern African countries, any new legal initiatives must not repeat the mistakes of the past. Law must not again remain merely on the books as a legitimizing tool that reinforces or supports gender discrimination, but must actively protect and guard the interests of both men and women. This paper attempts to draw out some possible lessons from past experience to inform new efforts at legal reform in these countries. It examines the laws related to allocation of economic resources within households in the broader historical, social, and cultural context in some of these countries, and examines the effectiveness of these laws in challenging gender relationships.
Accelerating agricultural growth and alleviating rural poverty are clearly the main development challenges facing the policymakers in the Kyrgyz Republic. This report examines the current state of Kyrgyz agriculture and the status of agricultural policy reform program during its transition to a market economy. It outlines a rural development strategy that, if properly implemented, is designed to promote agricultural growth, alleviate rural poverty, and improve natural resource management. The strategy includes: deepening policy reforms; increasing public investment; promoting institutional development; and strengthening the information base.