The report reviews basic growth, as being one of four pillars for Nicaragua's poverty reduction strategy. The well-being of the rural poor will continue its dependence on - to a great extent - agriculture. The study analyzes main agricultural development aspects, and stipulates the broad basic...

The study represents a background study for the proposed Uganda Country Economic Memorandum (CEM), which seeks to address the issue of efficient use of oil resources and examine synergies between the oil industry and the rest of the economy, through growth poles or linkages. The oil industry can...

Health financing systems in some Europe and Central Asia (ECA) countries are undergoing some major reforms. In parallel with the transition from central planning to develop market-based economies, countries in Central Europe have moved within a relatively short period of time from having health...

Costa Rica is a clear success story. The country enjoys the highest standard of living in Central America and one of the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Not surprisingly, poverty levels are among the lowest in LAC. Indeed in 2004, Costa Rica had the second lowest poverty...

The global economy has become increasingly complex and competitive. Many countries have turned to knowledge-based growth to transition from labor-intensive sectors to new and emerging economic activities that require higher skills and intellectual capital. In Thailand, higher education...

This study, competitiveness of the value chain of the agricultural sector in Cameroon, aims to help the Government achieve its objectives for the rural sector. The main objective of this study was to provide information on the potentials, investment and growth policies of commercial agriculture...

In an increasingly competitive, globalizing world, Bangladesh needs to rationalize its tariff structure and lower overall protection so that its exports can compete in world markets. At the same time, the government needs to protect revenues in a fiscally-constrained year. This note proposes a...

The theme of this report is Nigeria's competitiveness and growth. This report consequently focuses on constraints, opportunities and strategic choices associated with increasing productivity and growth of the Nigerian economy on a sustained basis. Its objective is not to present a "blueprint"...

Rwanda established targets for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth and poverty reduction, to be achieved by the year 2020; these were to (i) raise real per capita income from $230 to $900; and (ii) reduce the poverty incidence by half. To reach these targets, the Government projected in its 2002...

The conclusions of the recently-conducted Kenya Investment Climate Assessment (ICA), based on a survey of 368 firms, have a bearing on the country's growth agenda. The results have a bearing on the key issue of labor productivity and its implications on firm performance, revealing that...