This paper discusses how catastrophe
crop risk models can be used to assess food security needs
at the sovereign level for the purpose of risk transfer. The
rationale for a system to evaluate food security needs at
the national level is discussed. The role of technology and
remote sensing data availability as an enabler of
catastrophe crop risk models is discussed followed by a
description of the framework of catastrophe crop models for

El Salvador is the smallest country in
Central America, and one of the most densely populated in
the world. El Salvador is among the countries most affected
by weather-related events and other hazards, incurring
annual losses of around 2.5 percent of GDP. Worldwide, it
ranks second highest for risk exposure to two or more
hazards and highest for the total population at a relatively
high risk of mortality. Furthermore, climate change is

This paper identifies the low-elevation
coastal zone populations and developing regions most
vulnerable to sea-level rise and other coastal hazards, such
as storm surges, coastal erosion, and salt-water intrusion.
The focus is on the rural poor in the low-elevation coastal
zone, as their economic livelihoods are especially
endangered directly by coastal hazards and indirectly
through the impacts of climate change on key coastal and

In the past decade, Latin America and
the Caribbean has achieved impressive social and economic
successes. For the first time in history, more people are in
the middle class than in poverty. Inequality, although still
high, declined markedly. Growth, jobs and effective social
programs have transformed the lives of millions. In a
striking departure from the crisis-prone Latin America of
the past, the region has shown it is better prepared to

This report highlights recent economic
updates in Bangladesh as of April 2015. Economic growth in
Bangladesh was gaining momentum in the first half of FY15.
Capacity utilization improved and investments were showing
some signs of recovery. This growth was also job-friendly.
The 12-monthly-moving average inflation decelerated from 7.6
percent in February 2014 to 6.8 percent in February 2015.
The resilience of the Bangladesh economy continues to be

This report is the culmination of a
cross-African countries analytical and empirical study
commissioned by the World Bank, which set out to improve the
understanding of the characteristics and environmental,
economic, and social performances of small-scale fisheries
in Africa. It applies a common evaluation tool, called
Fishery Performance Indicators (FPIs), which evaluates the
ecological, social, and economic performances of a

This study estimates the impact of
Kenya’s post-election violence on individual risk
preferences. Because the crisis interrupted a longitudinal
survey of more than five thousand Kenyan youth, this timing
creates plausibly exogenous variation in exposure to civil
conflict by the time of the survey. The study measures
individual risk preferences using hypothetical lottery
choice questions, which are validated by showing that they

This technical note provides an overview
for authorities who wish to conduct flood hazard and risk
assessments and who must develop a step-by-step plan for
carrying out the assessment that is appropriate and feasible
in the local context. It is important to keep in mind,
however, that many aspects of flood hazard and risk
assessment requires specific expertise and experience. It is
not advisable to conduct these assessments if your team

Today, the world is at a conjuncture where issues of exclusion and inclusion are assuming new significance for both developed and developing countries. The imperative for social inclusion has blurred the distinction between these two stylized poles of development. Countries that used to be referred to as developed are grappling with issues of exclusion and inclusion perhaps more intensely today than they did a decade ago. And countries previously called developing are grappling with both old issues and new forms of exclusion thrown up by growth.

This report summarizes the knowledge
shared and issues raised during a conference convened by the
World Bank on the above topic held on November 3-5, 2014 in
Manila, Philippines. Building on earlier conferences on this
topic, the conference aimed to raise awareness about, and
share good practice on, building a social protection system
that integrates disaster risk management and climate change
adaptation. It brought together 17 country delegations from

At the end of 2013, there were about 3.3
million people who remained forcibly displaced within the
Great Lakes Region (GLR) of Africa. Of these, 82 percent
were internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 18 percent
refugees; 64 percent were under 18 years old. This Report
analyzes the extent, causes, and character of this forced
displacement, with particular attention to certain situations.

This report presents to the Government
of Georgia (GoG) an analysis of the implications of
potential policy changes to internally displaced person
(IDP) assistance. A pressing question for policy makers in
Georgia is the sustainability of status-based IDP assistance
and what efforts can be made to tailor this assistance to
favor the poor and vulnerable. Elimination of the IDP
benefit has been subject to debate among policymakers. The