Working through the Crisis documents how the Great Recession affected employment outcomes in developing countries and how those countries' governments responded. The chapters comprise a unique compilation of data and analysis from different sources, including an inventory of policies implemented during the crisis, among countries in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa. The effects of the crisis depended on the size of the shock, the channels through which it was manifested, the structure of institutions in the country--especially labor institutions--and the specific policy...
Working through the Crisis documents how the Great Recession affected employment outcomes in developing countries and how those countries' governments...
Job creation and productivity growth are at the forefront of the global development agenda. The central challenge today for the government of Georgia is to find sources of long-term economic growth, particularly through private sector development. This study seeks to identify determinants of high-growth entrepreneurial activity. The stusy uses data from the new 2012 World Bank Entrepreneurship Survey conducted to gauge new firm growth in the formal sector in Georgia and data from World Bank Enterprise Surveys to analyze innovative activity in existing firms. It includes detailed case study...
Job creation and productivity growth are at the forefront of the global development agenda. The central challenge today for the government of Georgia ...
Job creation and productivity growth are at the forefront of the global development agenda. This is particularly relevant for Azerbaijan, whose government faces a central challenge to create conditions that will facilitate growth in nonoil tradable sectors. This study seeks to identify determinants of high-growth entrepreneurial activity. The stusy uses data from the new 2012 World Bank Entrepreneurship Survey conducted to gauge new firm growth in the formal sector in Azerbaijan and data from World Bank Enterprise Surveys to analyze innovative activity in existing firms. It includes detailed...
Job creation and productivity growth are at the forefront of the global development agenda. This is particularly relevant for Azerbaijan, whose govern...
The efficiency and productivity of Colombia's urban system will be a key determinant in the ability of the country to transition from a middle to a higher income economy. Economic growth is strongly driven by commodities in Colombia and other Latin American countries. However, the contribution of urban activities to urban growth is non-negligible when all urban activities are added. Strengthening the roles of cities may contribute to mitigating the risks inherent to commodity intensive economies and can support a stronger resource-based manufacturing economic structure and more knowledge...
The efficiency and productivity of Colombia's urban system will be a key determinant in the ability of the country to transition from a middle to a hi...
For decades, corruption in Ethiopia has only been discussed at the margins. Perhaps because many have not experienced corruption as a significant constraint to their lives and businesses, or perhaps because a culture of circumspection has dampened open dialogue, Ethiopia has neither seen the information flows nor the debate on corruption that most other countries have seen in recent years. This study attempts to fill this information gap. Conducted by the World Bank (with financial support from the UK, the Netherlands and Canada) in conjunction with the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption...
For decades, corruption in Ethiopia has only been discussed at the margins. Perhaps because many have not experienced corruption as a significant cons...
While economic growth has been sustained for a number of years in many countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, this has not resulted in the creation of an adequate number of jobs and has succeeded, at best, in generating low-quality, informal jobs. While there is a great deal of heterogeneity across countries, informality in MENA is widespread, and some countries in the region are amongst the most informal economies in the world. The book looks at informality through a human development angle and focuses specifically on informal employment. In line with this approach, the...
While economic growth has been sustained for a number of years in many countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, this has not resul...
Comprehensive reform of China's pension and social security system is an essential element of achieving its objectives of a harmonious society and sustainable development. Over the past few years, the Government has considered various options and initiated several significant measures. In 2009 the authorities established a national framework for rural pensions, the Rural Pension Pilot Program (RPPP) and in 2011 a Pilot Social Pension Insurance for Urban Residents announced. In this process, it has articulated principles for a reformed urban pension system (indicated by 12 Chinese characters )...
Comprehensive reform of China's pension and social security system is an essential element of achieving its objectives of a harmonious society and sus...
During the 1990s, SSA countries initiated agricultural policy reforms to increase producer incentives and increase growth. Yet, agricultural growth rates after the reforms have been uneven. This has been attributed to lack of supporting infrastructure or the inability to respond to incentives by the smallholders. Based on ten studies, this volume provides a different framework to interpret the outcomes. First, it attributes the success of the reforms to the degree of consensus around the reform programs, which in turn, creates the institutions that can accommodate unexpected shocks. It...
During the 1990s, SSA countries initiated agricultural policy reforms to increase producer incentives and increase growth. Yet, agricultural growth ra...
The successful development of children and young people requires that we protect and nurture a set of interrelated physiological, cognitive, and socio-emotional systems. What happens to these systems in early life can have long-term consequences and can even carry over to the next generation. The impact of economic crises on human development is similarly complex and heterogeneous. Some families and some young people display astonishing resilience - either by being comparatively unscathed by crises or by their ability to recover quickly and healthily. Other families and individuals may be...
The successful development of children and young people requires that we protect and nurture a set of interrelated physiological, cognitive, and socio...
What to do about the extent of unregulated informal employment and the size of the shadow economy is a dilemma that has been gaining urgency, particularly in Europe's periphery. The forces that accompany globalization put a premium on mobility and skill-renewal. Rapid population ageing will require that people work longer and be far more productive. To achieve this, social and economic institutions have to be more pro-employment, encouraging greater participation in the formal economy. And looking ahead, public financial resources will be increasingly scarce, giving urgency to measures that...
What to do about the extent of unregulated informal employment and the size of the shadow economy is a dilemma that has been gaining urgency, particul...
