We study the relative efficiency of outside-owned versus employee-owned firms and analyze implications for institutional change in a context of technological innovation. When decisions are made through majority voting, the vote on technology choice is used to influence the later vote on the...

This paper studies the effect of individual uncertainty on collective decision-making to implement innovation. We show how individual uncertainty creates a bias for the status quo even under irreversible voting decisions, in contrast with Fernandez and Rodrik (1991). Blocking innovation is...

This paper highlights the macro and microeconomic challenges associated with success of the effort to mobilize 0.7 percent of GNP for official development assistance (ODA). To promote achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, enhanced ODA must be as productive as possible. In weighing the...

This paper focuses on the Medium-Term Development Program for the Kyrgyz Republic. The aim of this program is to put the economy of the country into a sustainable vector of development and improve the budget status to prevent social effects, increase living standard, and reduce poverty in the...

This paper examines the relationship between health aid and infant mortality, using data from 118 countries between 1973 and 2004. Health aid has a statistically significant effect on infant mortality: doubling per capita health aid is associated with a 2 percent reduction in the infant...

This paper examines the Progress Report for Albania’s National Strategy for Socio-Economic Development (NSSED). 2002 was the first year of implementing the NSSED. The implementation process has been oriented toward achieving the annual objectives and in accordance with the program of...

Developing and boosting the private sector, in the area of industry, trade, and private sector, actions for securing investment, promoting investment, developing partnerships in Madagascar produced positive results. The investment rate is 12.37 percent out of an objective of 14 percent. The...

This paper discusses the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) for Burundi. The PRSP comes two and a half years after the approval in January 2004 by the Executive Boards of the IMF and the World Bank of the Interim PRSP (I-PRSP). The PRSP is also the outgrowth of a long period of negotiations...

The report describes the policy framework for the Interim Afghanistan National Development Strategy (I-ANDS) and the vision for Afghanistan's developments. It reviews the progress under I-ANDS, analyzes the macroeconomic environment, characteristics of poverty and the policy goals, assesses the...

The political and security focus has shifted from post-conflict needs to consolidating gains on peace and stability. Macroeconomic stability has been re-established, and debt relief has improved the debt sustainability outlook. This enabled a gradual switch in policy priorities toward creating...