This program trained contractors in labor-based methods in the local road contracting industry in Ghana in order to produce gravel roads of equal quality to equipment-based methods, and generate rural employment in a cost-effective manner. The program was initiated as a component of the World...

Private investment in agriculture in developing countries, both domestic and foreign, has been on the rise for nearly two decades. This paper focuses on large-scale agricultural projects in developing countries, involving the lease of farmland, which rose sharply after the food crisis of 2008....

This report presents the evaluation results of the pilot intervention, which aimed to enhance the socioeconomic inclusion of marginalized Roma households in Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovakia. The pilot targeted households in extreme poverty receiving means-tested social assistance with a focus on...

The European Union (EU) sets the policy framework for municipal solid waste management that drives reform initiatives in new EU member states and candidate countries. The EU policies, implementation targets, and grant funding establish the enabling environment that transforms the solid waste...

Although Bulgaria now implements the European Union's (EU's) "common" agricultural policy (CAP), national policymakers still maintain responsibility to tailor CAP implementation to meet the specific development needs of the country. The National Rural Development Program (NRDP) very...

Removing regulatory obstacles that create barriers to business is a major objective for economic policymakers. There is broad understanding among policymakers and development practitioners that microeconomic reforms aimed at strengthening property rights, unleashing competition, and reducing the...

The present report on the Administrative and Regulatory Barriers to Business is part of an ongoing World Bank analytical and advisory support to the Government of Bulgaria in the area of regulatory reform. Since 2006, the World Bank has provided analytical and advisory support to the government...