The standard approach for fitting a
Cobb-Douglas production function to micro data with zero
values is to replace those values with "sufficiently
small" numbers to facilitate the logarithmic
transformation. In general, the estimates obtained are
extremely sensitive to the transformation chosen, generating
doubts about the use of a specification that assumes that
all inputs are essential (as the Cobb-Douglas does) when

An estimated 80,000-100,000 Dominican
farmers produce coffee and cocoa, nearly 40 percent of all
agricultural producers. The sectors also provide employment
for tens of thousands of field laborers and persons employed
in linked economic activities. The majority of coffee and
cocoa producers are small-scale and most are located in
environmentally sensitive watersheds. Recent trends in
international commodity markets have challenged the survival

This study examines how environmental
issues have been addressed in the water sector in Brazil,
within the context of activities of the Federal Government,
generally, and those implemented under Bank sector
operations, in particular. The core focus of the study lies
in the management of water quality, as it affects both the
users of raw water, and those who are primarily concerned
with the disposal of wastewater. The report considers the

The main objective of the study is to
provide the Government of Senegal the analyses and
information to implement policies towards reducing the rural
poor's vulnerability. While during the latest years,
economic growth reduced poverty in the country, this has
been less noticeable among the rural population, who
actually account for 6 million people over a total
population of 10 million. The rural economy remains

Could the simplifying assumptions made
in project appraisal be so far from the truth that the
expected benefits of public investments are not realized?
Using data for Vietnam, commonly used estimates of the
benefits from irrigation investments based on means are
compared with impacts assessed through an econometric
modeling of marginal returns that allows for household and
area heterogeneity using integrated household-level survey

This Policy and Strategy Paper
contributes to an ongoing policy debate-within the Bank but
also with its client governments-about the role of tree
crops in various production systems, and as key commodities
in the trade portfolio of various African nations. It
attempts to answer the following questions: a) What is the
role of tree crops in a rural development strategy focused
on smallholders? B) Under what conditions can small-holder

Moldovan GDP growth rose and the poverty
rate fell steeply following the end of the Russian financial
crisis in 1999. Since late 2002, GDP has continued to grow
vigorously, however there has been little progress in
reducing poverty. In short, GDP growth is no longer reducing
poverty. The national poverty rate is broadly stable while
the rural poverty rate is on a modest upward trend. Analysis
of data from the household budget surveys shows that the

The Water Resources Sector Strategy
(WRSS) supports implementation of the Bank's 1993 Water
Resources Management Policy, using the experience updated
internationally, with water resources and management. This
country Water Resources Assistance Strategy (CWRAS)
identifies the Philippines principal water resource
challenges, the current situation, how the Bank is assisting
at present, and what it should in the future. In summary

China has a very high prevalence rate of
cigarette smoking. According to a 1996 Chinese national
survey, 63% of adult males (age 15 and over) and 3.8% of
adult females were current smokers (Chinese Academy of
Preventive Medicine, 1997). These prevalence rates indicate
that there are over 320 million cigarette smokers in China,
which accounts for nearly one-third of the smokers in the
world (Collishaw, 1998). Moreover, it has been estimated

The focus of this report is crop
biotechnology, as developing countries are faced with
evaluating genetically engineered plants for human,
livestock, and environmental safety. These genetically
engineered plants can potentially contribute to agricultural
productivity in developing regions when appropriately
deployed, but there is uncertainty about the potential for
adverse consequences to environmental and human health. The

Turkey has become one of the largest
consumers of cigarettes, while world cigarette consumption
declined by 4 percent between 1990 and 1999. The rapid
increase in tobacco consumption in Turkey will cause a large
increase in the burden of disease and premature death in
years to come. Global evidence also shows that there is a
set of policies and interventions that can be highly
effective in reducing tobacco use, encouraging smokers to

Farming households that differ in their
ability, or willingness to take on risks are likely to make
different decisions when allocating resources, and effort
among income-producing activities, with consequences for
productivity. The authors measure voluntary, and involuntary
departures from efficiency for rice-producing households in
Bicol, Philippines. They take advantage of a panel of
household observations from 1978, 1983, and 1994. The