"Product standards can have a dual impact on production and trade costs. Standards may impose additional costs on exporters as it may be necessary to adapt products for specific markets (cost-effect). In contrast, standards can reduce exporters' information costs if they convey information on...

These Standard Bidding Documents (SBD) have been prepared by the World Bank for use by borrowers and their implementing agencies in the procurement of goods through International Competitive Bidding (ICB). The procedures and practices presented in this document have been developed through broad...

"The pallet is a platform used for storing, handling, and transporting products. There are hundreds of different pallet sizes around the world. Raballand and Aldaz-Carroll examine the case of pallets to illustrate the impact of multiplicity of standards on trade costs. They select this case...

"Regional agreements on standards have been largely ignored by economists and unconditionally blessed by multilateral trade rules. Chen and Mattoo find, theoretically and empirically, that such agreements increase trade between participating countries but not necessarily with the rest of the...

One of the principal challenges in reducing poverty and accelerating development in Peru is improving the quality of education. This book is a contribution from the World Bank to the debate over how to improve the quality of education. The book has three main recommendations that, to be...

This report aims to support regional collaboration and renewed collective efforts to strengthen financial management and oversight practices in South Asia. It compares the public sector accounting and auditing practices in eight South Asian countries to international standards. It is intended to...