Agriculture is one of the most climate-sensitive of all economic sectors. In many countries, such as in Moldova, the risks of climate change are an immediate and fundamental problem because the majority of the rural population depends either directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihoods. The risks of climate change to agriculture in Moldova cannot be effectively dealt with--and the opportunities cannot be effectively exploited--without a clear plan for aligning agricultural policies with climate change, developing the capabilities of key agricultural institutions, and making...

Agriculture is one of the most climate-sensitive of all economic sectors. In many countries, such as in Albania, the risks of climate change are an immediate and fundamental problem because the majority of the rural population depends either directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihoods. The risks of climate change to agriculture in Alabania cannot be effectively dealt with--and the opportunities cannot be effectively exploited--without a clear plan for aligning agricultural policies with climate change, developing the capabilities of key agricultural institutions, and making...

Enhancing the Capabilities of Central Finance Agencies: Synthesis Report presents the findings of a study of the functions performed by CFAs, defined as government organizations that carry out financial management functions for the whole of government. Using a political economy approach to the analysis of CFAs in ten case studies of low-income countries, the report identifies the principal constraints on the capability of CFAs as: interventions by the head of the state, sometimes outside the provisions of the constitution and budget law, in executive decisions on the institutional...

Ghana is on a strong trajectory toward solidifying its middle income status. Today, more children than at any time in the history of Ghana have access to basic and secondary education. Over the past decade, incidence of extreme poverty has been cut in half amid strong economic growth. Ghana's recent achievements point to the possibility of more fully realizing the human potential of all individuals and of the country. Basic Education beyond the Millennium Development Goals in Ghana argues that realizing this potential requires a redoubling of efforts to reach the poorest half of Ghanaian...

Given the success of conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs elsewhere, in 2010 the Government of Tanzania rolled out a pilot CCT program in three districts. Its aim was to see if, using a model relying on communities to target beneficiaries and deliver payments, the program could improve outcomes for the poor the way centrally-run CCT programs have in other contexts. The program provided cash payments to poor households, but conditioned payments on complying with certain health and education requirements. Given scarce resources, the Government randomly selected 40 out of 80 eligible...

Agriculture is one of the most climate-sensitive of all economic sectors. Georgia is one of the many countries where the majority of the rural population depends on agriculture--directly or indirectly--for their livelihood. Further, changes in climate and their impacts on agricultural systems and rural economies are already evident throughout Europe and Central Asia. The risks associated with climate change therefore pose an immediate and fundamental problem in the country. Adaptation measures now in use in Georgia, largely piecemeal efforts, will be insufficient to prevent impacts on...

Agriculture is one of the most climate-sensitive of all economic sectors. Armenia is one of the many countries where the majority of the rural population depends on agriculture--directly or indirectly--for their livelihood. Further, changes in climate and their impacts on agricultural systems and rural economies are already evident throughout Europe and Central Asia. The risks associated with climate change therefore pose an immediate and fundamental problem in the country. Adaptation measures now in use in Armenia, largely piecemeal efforts, will be insufficient to prevent impacts on...

Agriculture is one of the most climate-sensitive of all economic sectors. Azerbaijan is one of the many countries where the majority of the rural population depends on agriculture--directly or indirectly--for their livelihood. Further, changes in climate and their impacts on agricultural systems and rural economies are already evident throughout Europe and Central Asia. The risks associated with climate change therefore pose an immediate and fundamental problem in the country. Adaptation measures now in use in Azerbaijan, largely piecemeal efforts, will be insufficient to prevent impacts on...

Despite efforts made by the international development financing organizations, the structure of intervention through multi-country projects with regional development goals has not been easy to design and implement. One of the reasons is the lack of clarity in the enabling legal framework and tools, both within the client countries as well as the development organizations. Against this backdrop, this study, based essentially on desk research, with limited field consultation, attempts to discuss, primarily from a legal and institutional perspectives, the tools, prospects as well as the...

Launched in 2007, the Results-Based Initiatives (RBI) aimed to provide comprehensive, coherent, and rigorous evidence on effective interventions that foster the economic empowerment of women. The RBIs comprised five small pilots with a built-in impact evaluation designed to identify the best method to promote better outcomes for women as entrepreneurs, wage earners, or farmers--under different country contexts. The program was an innovative experiment in an important policy area. Although there is a clear rationale for policy interventions to help remove constraints to women's economic...