This regional study encompasses three
Central American countries: Nicaragua, Guatemala, and
Honduras. The focus of this report is Nicaragua. The
objective of the study is to understand how broad-based
economic growth can be stimulated, and sustained in rural
Central America. The study identifies "drivers" of
sustainable rural growth and poverty reduction, where
drivers are defined as the assets and combinations of assets

Although many of the problems that Cali
is experiencing - social and human capital deterioration, a
declining economy, and institutional crisis - are a
reflection of Colombia's complicated socioeconomic
situation, the city has been hit harder by the crisis than
other large cities, as confirmed by the following
indicators: GDP, unemployment, poverty rate, inequality, and
number of homicides. According to recent estimates, the

The sharp reduction in poverty in
Bulgaria since the 1997 crisis highlights the role of
effective economic stabilization policies and the social
safety nets in improving the living conditions of the
population. The nature of poverty in Bulgaria has changed
since 1997, when poverty for many households was a transient
phenomenon resulting from the immediate shock of
hyperinflation and sharply increasing unemployment. Poverty

This is one of four documents of a
series presenting the results of studies, workshops and
action plans recently undertaken for four sub-Saharan
African countries (Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania and Tanzania)
on the elimination of lead in gasoline. This document
describes the work realized in Tanzania. These four
countries have the particularity of being oil importing
countries without local refining capability. The transition

This report finalized in March 2001
constitutes a step toward the objective of designing an
integrated strategy for rural poverty reduction in Brazil,
The report contains an updated and more detailed profile of
the rural poor in the northeast (NE) and southeast (SE) of
Brazil; identifies key determinants of rural poverty in
these regions; and proposes a five-pronged strategic
framework in which to couch a set of integrated policies

In 1989, Albania's rigid political
and socioeconomic structure shattered beyond repair.
Turbulence soon invaded every domain of life. As the state
imploded, so did the state-run economy. This review explores
ongoing consequences of this difficult transformation that
took place since 1989 and of policy initiatives to mitigate
or ameliorate its effects. Albania has been much studied;
the review addresses important information gaps. It

The book intends to trigger, and support
policy debate in Colombia. The first part distills four
thematic chapters, responsive to the country's current
realities, as well as to the five decades of development
partnership with the Bank, spanning the entire development
spectrum. First, violence, sustainable peace, and
development introduces the reader to the source of violence
- armed, and social conflicts, and drug trade prevalent in

The focus of the report, combined with
Vietnam's remarkable long-term growth potential,
presents a favorable outlook, suggesting the effects of the
East Asian crisis are over. The country is committed to
socially inclusive development, and, translates a vision of
transition towards a market economy, with socialist
orientation into concrete public actions, emphasizing the
transition should be pro-poor, noting this will require

The authors combine measures of urban
form and public transit supply for 114 urbanized areas with
the 1990 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey to
address two questions: (1) How do measures of urban form,
including city shape, road density, the spatial distribution
of population, and jobs-housing balance affect the annual
miles driven and commute mode choices of U.S. households?
(2) How does the supply of public transportation (annual

The acute water shortage, and pollution
problems in North China have been exacerbated by the
continued population growth, and the accelerated industrial
expansion over the past half-century, conducive to
increasingly severe freshwater shortages, and catastrophic
consequences for the future. Significant commitments need to
be made to rapidly implement strategies to bring water
resource utilization back into a sustainable balance. The

This report reviews the status of the 28
countries of Europe and Central Asia (ECA) with respect to
the environmental Millennium Development Goal (MDG). The aim
of this goal is to 'ensure environmental
sustainability,' which is elaborated by a set of three
targets and eight indicators. The indicators for the
environment MDG are important not only as measures of
environmental sustainability, but also as contributors to

This study serves as the preliminary
basis for further rounds of discussions and analyses among
stakeholders to arrive at a strategic vision for the Eritrea
health sector. It incorporates comments received from the
Ministry of Health's central agencies, Zoba (regional)
health teams, external partners working in Eritrea, and the
World Bank Eritrea Country Team. In March 2001, the Ministry
of Health of the Government of Eritrea launched a process to