No country has achieved sustained economic development without investment in education. Thus, education policy can play a vital role in facilitating development. But which types of schooling-secondary or tertiary-should public policy promote? This paper develops an analytical framework to...

In most developing countries, poverty is more widespread and severe in rural than in urban areas. The author reviews some important aspects of rural poverty and draws key implications for public policy. He presents a policy framework for reducing poverty, taking into account the functional...

This paper focuses on Sudan’s Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (I-PRPS). I-PRSP will support existing planning and budgeting instruments, including the 3-Year Salvation Economic Program (SEP) 2012–2014 and the 5-Year Development Plan (2012–2016), by strengthening the...

The Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) is Afghanistan’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). Implementation of the ANDS is highly dependent on donor assistance. The main general objectives of the ANDS are to improve the quality of life of Afghan people and to reduce...

This paper discusses key findings of the First Annual Report (2008/09) on the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS). The economic and security situation was particularly challenging during the first year of ANDS implementation (1387 or 2008/09) owing to rapid increases in food and...

The Russian federal government has recently initiated a fundamental reform of its budget system, encompassing important policy, procedural, and institutional changes. This paper reviews this reform agenda with reference to the experience of industrial countries that over the past two to three...

This Summary Report describes Afghanistan's Interim National Development Strategy (I-ANDS). It assesses the overall policy objectives, analyzes the context of and constraints to the achievement of those objectives, summarizes the government's key strategies and programs, and also reviews...

A very ambitious fiscal adjustment effort is under way. Fiscal institutional and sectoral reforms have been elaborated for a more durable adjustment. Greece’s determination toward a comprehensive modernization of the health sector, beginning with a far-reaching reform of state enterprises...

This technical note discusses the lessons learned from the financial crisis in Russia in 2008. The note summarizes key findings and recommendations, and analyzes the institutional framework and coordination arrangements for systemic risk monitoring and crisis management. It also covers crisis...

Belgian financial conglomerates (FCs) remained important players in the Belgian financial sector, despite significant restructuring following the global financial crisis. FCs operated in multiple streams of the financial sector, especially in banking and insurance. Owing to their economic reach...