Brazil faces important issues as to whether and how socio-economic and political reforms will be pursued with urgency and persistence. This book presents a strong agenda and action plan to achieve for Brazil both economic growth and improved welfare for its citizens. The book begins by examining the existing welfare system, including the differences between that of people in rural areas and those in cities. It goes on to examine issues related to productivity, looking at whether investments in physical, natural, and human capital affect performance; to sustainability of the country's growth...

Brazil faces important issues as to whether and how socio-economic and political reforms will be pursued with urgency and persistence. This book presents a strong agenda and action plan to achieve for Brazil both economic growth and improved welfare for its citizens. The book begins by examining the existing welfare system, including the differences between that of people in rural areas and those in cities. It goes on to examine issues related to productivity, looking at whether investments in physical, natural, and human capital affect performance; to sustainability of the country's growth...

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. When the links in the chain represent development projects, if individual projects fail to achieve their purpose, the development program's effectiveness is compromised. When the chain's links are strong and well-connected, the results are improved for the sector, country, and region. The role of multilateral banks is crucial; they inform the impact of development operations and support policymakers in decision making. This volume emphasizes that some crucial links in development tend to be systematically overlooked. In these matters,...

The start of the new millennium will be remembered for deadly climate-related disasters - the great floods in Thailand in 2011, Super Storm Sandy in the United States in 2012, and Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013, to name a few. In 2014, 17.5 million people were displaced by climate-related disasters, ten times more than the 1.7 million displaced by geophysical hazards. What is causing the increase in natural disasters and what effect does it have on the economy? Climate Change and Natural Disasters sends three messages: human-made factors exert a growing influence on climate-related...