Congestion in cities is a problem of growing importance. New infrastructure for transport however often gives rise to conflicts about how the cost of new services will be met by the public, and about how the demand for travel can be reconciled with efforts to improve the social and environmental...

Oil, coal and natural gas will remain the world’s dominant sources of energy over the next decades, with resulting carbon dioxide emissions set to increase to unsustainable levels. However, technologies that help reduce CO2 emissions from fossil fuels can reverse this trend. CO2 capture and...

This report attempts to guide policy-makers to the best possible decisions taking account of the multifunctional character of agriculture. Policy-makers and analysts are supplied with a series of detailed questions which will help determine whether government intervention is required and, if so,...

SIGMA Brief 29 gives a short overview of the issue of common errors in public procurement. For the purposes of the Brief, errors are understood as infringements of public procurement rules and principles, regardless of the stage of the procedure. The Brief analyses the types of errors and their...

General government deficit is defined as the balance of income and expenditure of government, including capital income and capital expenditures. "Net lending" means that government has a surplus, and is providing financial resources to other sectors, while "net borrowing" means that government...

The path towards Arab and Euro-Mediterranean integration is challenging for all countries involved but the potential long term benefits are substantial. Multilateral trade initiatives which run parallel to "open" regional integration with the European Union and among Arab states can generate...