The agriculture sector has been and will
continue to be important for poverty alleviation efforts in
Indonesia. Indonesia was very successful in increasing
agriculture productivity during the 1970s and up to the
early 1990s, but productivity stagnated during most of the
1990s, partly as a result of declining public investments.
Public spending on agriculture has increased significantly
in the last decade, but a large share of that spending has

A pro-growth, pro-poor transport
strategy (PGPTS) responsive to the second generation poverty
reduction strategies (SGPRSs) and the millennium development
goals (MDGs) are essential instruments to promote transport
development that facilitates economic growth and poverty
reduction. However, the national poverty reduction and
transport strategy reviews, undertaken by Sub-Saharan Africa
Transport Policy Program (SSATP) member countries, and the

This country assistance evaluation
assesses the outcomes of the World Banks program in Nigeria
during the period 1998–2007. The Country Assistance
Evaluation focuses on the objectives of that assistance and
the extent to which outcomes were consistent with those
objectives. It looks at the Banks contribution to the
achievement of those outcomes and at the lessons for the
Banks future activities in Nigeria and in other countries.

This document presents the main
governance indicators for the country, as compiled by the
World Bank Institute (WBI), and how are they used by
international institutions in making decisions about
assistance to Nicaragua. Although these indicators have
weaknesses, they can provide a general indication of what
are the priority areas for investigation. Accordingly, the
present review concentrates on a few key areas where the

In the urban planning literature, it is
frequently explicitly asserted or strongly implied that
ongoing urban sprawl and decentralization can lead to
development patterns that are unsustainable in the long run.
One manifestation of such an outcome is that if extensive
road investments occur, urban sprawl and decentralization
are advanced and locked-in, making subsequent investments in
public transit less effective in reducing vehicle kilometers

Doing Business in Egypt 2008 covers
three topics at the sub national level: starting a business,
dealing with licenses and registering property. These
indicators have been selected because they cover areas of
local jurisdiction and practice. In the last two years,
doing business in Egypt has become more affordable the
minimum capital required to start a business and the costs
of registering property and dealing with licenses have been

This report is designed to provide
policymakers with estimates of the likely outcomes of an
array of potential changes in transportation sector policy.
To this end, the report uses a variety of economy-wide
models to simulate alternative cost reductions and
efficiency improvements. A detailed discussion of the
various policies that may yield efficiency gains and cost
reductions, as well as the specifics of their

In 2007, Montenegro was one of the
world's fastest growing non-oil economies. The country
reaped the benefits from its comprehensive, pre-independence
reform program. After the international recognition of
statehood had removed the lingering uncertainty over
Montenegro's political status, investors reassessed the
country's relative attractiveness as a site for
business, responding positively to (i) the implementation of

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
is the third most populous county in Sub Saharan Africa and
has many natural advantages that would enable it to
experience rapid sustained economic growth and rapid poverty
alleviation. These include rich and diverse natural
resources, such as mining and hydroelectric potential,
abundant fertile land, and a large domestic market. The
country is emerging from conflict and democratic election,

This report is organized around three
thematic chapters. Chapter one looks at the contribution of
the environment and tourism sector to the Namibian economy
as well as at some key achievements and challenges. Chapter
two describes the policy and legislative framework, and the
institutional analysis of the environment and tourism
sector. Chapter three examines the financing of the sector
and some key budget management issues. And finally in

This concept note presents the strategic
engagement of the World Bank in the areas of public sector
management and governance in Colombia. It describes the
short and medium term approach through which the Bank will
provide support to the country on those areas of reform, as
well as their links and synergies with other sectors
activities. It also provides a summary of the Bank's
public sector management and governance recent activities

Bangladesh has recorded impressive
economic and social gains since the 1990s. Recent growth has
been at levels close to six percent. The country has doubled
per capita growth and taken large strides toward reaching
many Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), ahead of many
comparable countries. Attaining the MDGs calls for
accelerating economic growth to six-seven percent a year.
Accordingly, Bangladesh's Poverty Reduction Strategy