In developing and transition economies, 60 to 80 percent of all passenger and freight transport moves by road--the main form of access for most rural communities. Yet most of the 11 million kilometers of roads in these economies are badly maintained and poorly managed. This paper discusses one of the most effective ways to promote sound policies for managing and financing road networks--commercialization. It discusses the emerging central concept of bringing roads into the marketplace, putting them on a fee-for-service basis, and managing them like a business.

While energy is essential for development, standard fossil fuels are often in short supply in countries where it is needed most. However, alternative fuel resources abound in the form of agricultural and municipal waste or 'biomass'. This report reviews the state of the art of biomass combustion and gassification systems, their advantages and disadvantages. It also encourages investment in use of these technologies to enable developing countries to better exploit their biomass resources and help close the gap between their energy needs and their energy supply.

Aoyama's paper constitutes perhaps the first comprehensive overview of reproductive health issues in the region. It presents the complexity of these issues, demonstrating that economic development alone does not necessarily correlate to improvements in reproductive health.

Electricity markets world-wide are undergoing a transformation, as state-owned and vertically integrated monopolies are being replaced by competitive dynamics and private participation. Policy reforms driving this transformation include the corporatization and restructuring of state-owned utilities; the unbundling of generation, transmission, and distribution; the creation of independent regulators; and the promotion of private sector involvement in investment and management. This study reviews international reform trends and best practice in sector policy, with specific reference to Latin...

Consistent with its development mandate, the World Bank Group has made substantial contributions to the financing of minerals development in developing countries. This paper explains the various modalities employed by the Bank Group to advance the mineral sector in developing member countries. These modalities include ongoing sector policy dialogue, formulation of minerals sector technical assistance packages, project financing, and/or long-term political risk coverage. It provides a useful summary of the essential elements of a modern mining code as a working tool for country lawyers and...