This updated edition of 'Confronting AIDS' includes a vital, new statistical appendix that assembles information about the levels and determinants of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and selected policy variables for low- and middle-income countries. It draws on three bodies of knowledge: the epidemiology of HIV; public health insights into disease control; and especially public economics, which focuses on assessing tradeoffs in the allocation of scarce public resources. This title is written to inform and motivate political leaders, policymakers, and development specialists to support the public health...

Rapid demographic growth will add 600 million people to cities and towns in developing countries during the 1990s, about two-thirds of the expected total population increase. Of the world's 21 megacities, which will expand to have more than 10 million people, 17 will be in developing countries. With urban economic activities making up an increasing share of GDP in all countries, the productivity of the urban economy will heavily influence economic growth.This paper analyzes the fiscal, financial, and real sector linkages between urban economic activities andmacroeconomic performance. It...

This glossary is intended to assist the World Bank's translators and interpreters and others in the Bank and the development community who use Spanish in their work. It contains financial and economic terminology and terms relating to the Bank's procedures and practices. The glossary includes translations for terms that frequently occur in Bank documents and others for which the Bank has a preferred equivalent. The first section provides translations from English to Spanish, and the second from Spanish to English.

Following the East Asian financial crisis, the Pacific Island Member Countries (PMC) appear to be headed toward recession. The governments are increasingly aware that state-led growth, based upon high levels of public investment and financial aid, has not substantially increased per capita income or the quality of life. Building a more resilient economic base has become a matter of political urgency. This report discusses how the PMC's development agenda could be implemented and emphasizes interlinking themes about enhancing the role of government.

Government debt management has a long tradition, dating back more than two centuries in some European countries. Since the late 1980's, however, many OECD governments have invested heavily in improving the quality of their debt management practices. In recent years, the topic has received additional attention for its potential role in reducing the vulnerability of emerging economies to financial and economic shocks. Risk is a relative concept and is measured relative to a set of objectives. The authors argue that a government asset and liability management framework offers valuable conceptual...

The World Bank Atlas 2002 provides easy-to-read colorful world maps, tables, and graphs hihglighting key social, economic, and environmental data for 206 countries. The Atlas parallels the six thematic sections of the World Development Indicators: World View, People, Environment, Economy, States and Markets, and Global Links. This book has become the international standard in statistical compilations, and is ideal for use in the library, classroom or office.

This book evaluates the quality of financial accountability and transparency in Bangladesh and makes recommendations for improvement. It compares the financial management standard and practices with respect to public funds. This book also examines what it takes to qualify Bangladesh for programmatic or sector lending in replacement of all individual project lending. Concerning private funds, it assesses the regulatory activities of the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the two Stock Exchanges, Bangladesh Bank, NGO Affairs Bureau and the...

The urban population in many developing countries continues to grow at more than six percent per year. The number of cities with a population of over 10 million inhabitants is expected to double within a generation. More importantly, within a generation, more than half of the developing world's population and between a third and one-half of its poor, will then reside in cities. Not only will the number of inhabitants in cities continue to increase but the problems associated with an increasing urban population will be exacerbated.

This report constitutes a step towards the objective of designing an integrated strategy for rural poverty reduction in Brazil, with a particular focus on rural poor in the Northeast and Southeast of Brazil. The report identifies key determinants of rural poverty in these regions and proposes a strategic framework in which to couch a set of integrated policies that could effectively help to reduce rural poverty in Brazil.

The need for an integrated strategy arises because of the heterogeneous nature of the rural poor in Brazil. As no single simple remedy for rural poverty reduction in...

An important new annual publication from the World Bank, 'Doing Business in 2004' provides both qualitative and quantitative information on the business climate in over 130 countries. 'Doing Business' constructs a new set of indicators on the regulatory environment for private sector development and provides a collection of informative case studies of real-life experiences. 'Doing Business in 2004' covers the fundamental aspects of a business life cycle, from starting a business to bankruptcy. Topics include access to credit, bankruptcy, entry regulations, contract enforcement, and labor...