World Bank: 627 books

The 2008 financial crisis has raised a number of questions about the best strategy for achieving sustained growth and poverty reduction in developing countries, foremost among them whether the failure of the financial system also signifies the broader failure of market-oriented capitalist systems. The...

The clothing sector has traditionally been a gateway to export diversification and industrial development for low-income countries (LICs) due to its low fix costs relatively simple technology and labor-intensive nature. It has served to absorb large numbers of unskilled and mostly female workers and...

Two years into the deepest global financial crisis in the post-war era the world economy is still experiencing uneven economic recovery and financial weakness. Financial market conditions are signaling improved investor confidence and more appetite for cross-border investments. As part of its mandate...

The popular grievances that have fueled the Arab Spring since 2010 demonstrate that past development paradigms have failed to achieve the inclusive and sustainable growth expected by Arab populations. Countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have failed to develop a strong private...

Fifty years ago, health outcomes in the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia were not far behind those in Western Europe and well ahead of most other regions of the world. But progress since then has been slow. While life expectancy in the ECA region today is close to the global average, the...

China and India's new-found interest in trade and investment with Africa - home to 300 million of the globe's poorest people and the world's most formidable development challenge - presents a significant opportunity for growth and integration of the Sub-Saharan continent into the global...

This book presents and analyzes the results of a comprehensive collection of data on the extent and condition of transport infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa identifies the reasons for poor performance and estimates future financing needs.The transport facilities of Sub-Saharan Africa were built primarily...

International policies towards protecting intellectual property rights have seen profound changes over the past two decades. Rules on how to protect patents, copyright, trademarks and other forms of intellectual property have become a standard component of international trade agreements. Most significantly,...

Developing countries lose an estimated US20-40 billion each year through bribery misappropriation of funds and other corrupt practices. Much of the proceeds of this corruption find 'safe haven' in the world?s financial centers. These criminal flows are a drain on social services and economic...

In a world where half of the population lives in cities and more than 90 percent of urban growth is occurring in the developing world, cities struggle to modernize without completely losing their unique character, which is embodied by their historic cores and cultural heritage assets. As countries develop,...

Microfinance is not simply banking; it is a development tool. It has been estimated that there are 500 million economically active poor people in the world operating microenterprises and small businesses. Most of them do not have access to adequate financial services. The purpose of this Handbook is...

This book is a compilation of a series of "state of the art" papers on topics related to equity and growth. As inputs to its final report (The Growth Report), the Commission on Growth and Development took stock of the current state of knowledge and understanding of various sectors/issues that have an...

Poor people living in slums are at particularly high risk from the impacts of climate change and natural hazards. They live on the most vulnerable lands within cities, typically areas that are deemed undesirable by others and are thus affordable. Residents are exposed to the impacts of landslides, sea-level...

'Transforming Cities with Transit' explores the complex process of transit and land-use integration in rapidly growing cities in developing countries. As one of the most promising strategies for advancing environmental sustainability, economic competitiveness, and socially inclusive development in fast-growing...