"The authors develop an endogenous growth model that combines structural change with repeated product improvement. That is, the technologies in one sector of the model become not only increasingly capital-intensive, but also progressively productive over time. Application of the basic model to...

The objective of this report is to identify the main obstacles to longer term growth in Jamaica. The report takes a holistic approach, examining a large set of economic and social factors that may be hindering growth and filtering them through a growth diagnostic analysis to narrow the focus to...

Informality in Turkey, using various definitions, and despite the signs of a recent decline in certain segments of the economy, is widespread. The level of informality is not excessively high, however, taking into account Turkey's level of income. While firm non-registration is not very common,...

This report presents an update on the economic challenges facing Ethiopia with a focus on the shared goal of accelerating equitable growth. The starting point is the Government's own Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development to End Poverty (PASDEP), which is in the process of finalization,...

Mozambique has staged a dramatic recovery from the damage of the civil war, improving infrastructure nearly to pre-war levels; reducing poverty from 69 to 54 percent; growing the economy by 8 percent annually between 1996 and 2003; expanding the agricultural, tourism construction and manufacturing...

The present Report is motivated by the coming together o f three widespread perceptions about inequality, two somewhat newer and one long-standing. The two newer ones are; (i) that inequality may matter for the country's economic development, and (ii) that public policy can and should do...

As a strong reformer among the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC), Latvia has recorded a dramatic economic improvement recent years, with relatively strong growth, increased investment rates, and clear signs of easing labor market conditions. A stabilization package designed around a...

This Country Economic Memorandum (CEM) finalized as the implementation period of the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRSP) began, undertaken in a context of other significant investigations on PRSP themes. One of the main macroeconomic variables affecting growth and competitiveness of the Senegalese...

This is the first Economic Report on Afghanistan by the World Bank in a quarter-century. It is intended to contribute to a better understanding of the core challenges that lie ahead for the country and key strategic priorities for national reconstruction. It focuses on the conceptual frameworks,...

The importance of macroeconomic stability for growth, and poverty reduction is now accepted in Brazil. As of 1964, the country followed responsible macroeconomic policies, in the pursuit of stability, reconfirmed by the new Government in January 2003. The report focuses strictly on three key...