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...

The economywide policy reform programs that have been undertaken in developing countries in recent years often address macroeconomic problems with little or no regard for their environmental impact, be it positive or negative. This book and its companion volume of case studies demonstrate that there are significant payoffs from a greater understanding of such impacts. The case studies, summarized in Volume I and presented in full in Volume II, provide empirical evidence of the links between macroeconomic policies and the environment and reflect a wide range of country situations and...

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.

Quite often in developing countries, the economy progresses while the environment deteriorates because pollution control measures appear too costly to implement. What the World Bank proposes in the 'Pollution Prevention and Abatement Handbook 1998' is environmental management rather than pollution control. To accomplish this, the book recommends a broad mix of incentives and pressures to achieve sustainable improvements such as setting clear goals and objectives, agreeing on priorities, cooperating on approaches, sharing information, and setting realistic standards. The Handbook comprises...

Public expenditure issues are encountered wherever there is a discussion of government, the public sector, and development. Over the years, the World Bank has invested considerable resources in analyzing public expenditures and the impacts of different interventions on sustainable development. This handbook provides a broad framework for thinking about public expenditure management and how it affects budgetary outcomes. It highlights the fact that good analysis and sound policy are not enough to ensure sound and sustainable development outcomes. Of particular interest is the concept of three...

The old Russian saying of 'kto kovo' (Who will get whom?) has become 'kem skhvachena eto?' (Who has captured this?) under the new transition economy. Instead of one major figure, such as a Stalin or Lenin, vanquishing lesser personages to advance their political aims, many people are taking over corporations to increase their market domination. Their methods are no less brutal, ruthless, or corrupt. In turn, corporations are 'capturing' the state to influence legislation and regulation to their advantage. The advantages for the corporations create disadvantages for the general public and the...

In Africa, most especially Sub-Saharan Africa, the World Bank's mission, to fight poverty, is strongly linked with environmental protection and better management of renewable natural resources. In both rural and urban areas, the poor of Africa are impacted by the loss of natural resources and environmental services. They are also at the highest risk from natural disasters--most particularly floods and drought. This environmental strategy report identifies the current thinking of the Africa region within the World Bank Group. It helps detail the World Bank's commitment to assist African...

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.

In 2000, over half of all Guatemalans--about 6.4 million people--lived in poverty, with about 16% living in extreme poverty. Guatemala rates among the worst in Latin America and the Caribbean for life expectancy, infant mortality and maternal mortality and while the education sector has made progress there are still important biases against the poor. Similarly, progress has also been made in the provision of basic utilities however, important gaps and disparities remain. 'Poverty in Guatemala' is part of a collaborative multi-year program of analytical work and technical assistance (the...