This book consists of a collection of papers that analyze the constraints on fiscal systems imposed by problems of institutions, administrations, and incentives in developing and post-Socialist economies. These papers examine institutions and focus on the administration of indirect taxation. This book also includes papers on politics and incentives in fiscal federalism, organization design and tax compliance, and reputation and opportunism in taxation. A frequent theme in these papers is the inextricable link between tax policy and tax administration.

Ensuring that sufficient resources will be available to finance the internationally agreed upon development goals was at the heart of the discussions at the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in 2002 in Johannesburg. In order to make financing mechanisms more effective, resources will have to come from both the public and private sectors, and innovative approaches will have to be designed. This specific objective of this book is to explore potential avenues for generating more resources for the public sector to invest in sustainable development. The first half considers ways to...

In many countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Roma are the main poverty risk group.Unfortunately, information on their living conditions and the characteristics of their poverty are scant, fragmented, and often anecdotal. Poverty and Ethnicity analyzes data, from a new cross-country household survey, conducted by the Center for Comparative Research at Yale University in the United States. This survey, the first of its kind, addresses the ethnic dimension of poverty across countries, covering Roma in Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania and evaluates the welfare of Roma from a quantitative...

The smooth flow of goods, people and investments across the emerging Euro-Mediterranean free trade area necessitates a well-functioning multimodal transport system. More efficient transport would help the southern Mediterranean countries to attract foreign direct investment, encourage exports and participate in increasingly complex cross-border supply-chains. It would also facilitate regional integration and permit the countries of North Africa and the Middle East to more effectively 'plug into' the European Single Market. The aim of this study is to map out national and cross-border policy...

Irrigation and drainage play a major role in the accelerated growth of rural economies and consequently, to measurable poverty reduction. This report contains selected papers and presentations given at the Institutional Reform for Irrigation and Drainage Workshop held at the World Bank in December 2000. The first part of this report deals with the institutional diversity in irrigation and drainage sectors. The second examines the regulatory framework of the irrigation sector and the third looks at the benchmarking system, economic incentives, and pricing.

The rural populations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region depend, in good part, on forest resources for income generation, fuel-wood for energy, and grazing for livestock, among other uses. The development of forestry has the potential to alleviate poverty, promote economic development and achieve social equity, along with protecting the environment. This book details the World Bank assisted forestry projects implemented in the MENA region over the last ten years. It contains a definition of forests in the region and describes their current status. This book also includes...

Jointly, the World Bank and the Government of Albania undertook an assessment of poverty, conducted in a qualitative manner, to gain information that could guide policy development and resource allocation. The research was conducted through a series of focus groups, interviews, and surveys that permitted community members in ten areas within Albania, to define poverty in their own terms. During the ten years of reform, Albania has been buffeted by set backs which led fully 40% of respondents to indicate that socioeconomic conditions have worsened during that period. While informal coping...

Over the past decade, the World Bank has evolved its analysis and reporting on poverty to a multi-dimensional view which includes issues of social disadvantage, vulnerability, and powerlessness. This broader construct, which considers the concepts of social exclusion and social capital, suggests the need for a greater degree of qualitative research. Qualitative research has proved particularly valuable in identifying social issues while improving the accuracy of quantitative research. This report presents three case studies drawn from World Bank work in Latin America. Each of these studies...

Given the preponderance of evidence showing that diesel fumes are more toxic than previously known, there has been greater interest in substituting diesel with natural gas for vehicles operating in cities where there is greater air pollution. This report examines whether natural gas vehicles are an important part of solving this problem. Transit buses, traditionally fueled by diesel, are one of the cheapest forms of mass transit. They are also significant polluters and typically operate in heavily congested urban areas, where significant air pollution problems exist. The report provides an...