Although science has unlocked the secrets of the human genome, the causes of social and economic development remain stubbornly enigmatic. Why do some countries adopt new technologies more readily than others? Why does income inequality persist in some regions--even in the face of rapid economic...

The present publication traces the history of the Bank's lending for urban development and discusses its approaches to current urban issues. It is intended for specialists and individuals interested in getting acquainted with the evolution of the Bank portfolio.

This book is based on a conference entitled "Regional Public Goods and Regional Development Assistance", held in Washington, D.C. on November 6-7, 2002. It examines how the IDB and the ADB support the provision of regional public goods (RPGs) in Latin America and Asia, respectively. RPGs are...

Mobilizing sufficient resources is essential for supporting environmental activities in developing countries, and cofinancing is generally considered an important tool to help developing countries increase the resources they need. Moreover, cofinancing should increase ownership of projects by...

This technical paper investigates potential avenues for reducing economic losses resulting from natural hazards, and discusses ex ante and ex post issues affecting disaster risk management. It also assesses how both types of measures can be jointly used to reduce the economic impact of disasters...

El presente informe (ENV-114) da cuenta de la importancia humana de los ecosistemas de agua dulce, que además de servir de hábitat fundamentales para una amplia variedad de especies, proporcionan diversos beneficios a la sociedad. Asimismo advierte sobre las cuestiones de sostenibilidad de las...

This report includes the proceedings of the Seminar on Climate Change and Severe Weather Events in the Caribbean and Asia, held in Barbados at the Grand Barbados Beach Resort on July 24-25, 2003. The seminar provided a forum in which experts from the Southeast Asian and Caribbean regions...