The second Lao PDR investment climate assessment identifies the key constraints of the country's non-resource sector firms. This Assessment summarizes the results of a national survey conducted in late-2009 and draws on extensive interviews with policymakers and practitioners. Survey results...

This background paper describes five different tools that can be used for the assessment of tax incentives by governments in low income countries' (LICs). The first tool (an application of cost-benefit analysis) provides an overarching framework for assessment. Evaluations of the various costs...

"Through its diverse trade preference schemes, the European Union provides different groups of developing countries with different degrees of market access. This paper is the first to demonstrate empirically that such staggered market access induces sizable trade diversion to the detriment of...

The international community is committed to helping partner countries meet the Millennium Development Goal of halving global poverty by 2015. Providing more effective aid and increasing its impact on development is one important contribution to this end. This report takes stock of progress made...

This assessment presents a synthesis of analysis to contribute to the definition of a lower carbon and greener growth path for Romania to 2050. The objective of Romania's green growth path is to implement mitigation actions and undertake needed adaptation while preserving growth and employment....

Investment commitments to infrastructure projects with private participation (Private Participation in Infrastructure (PPI) projects) reaching closure in developing countries grew by 22 percent in the third quarter of 2009, and by 10 percent in the first three quarters of the year, compared with...

"This study reviews the prospects of wind power at the global level. Existing studies indicate that the earth's wind energy supply potential significantly exceeds global energy demand. Yet, only 1 percent of the global electricity demand is currently derived from wind power despite 40 percent...

The objective of this study is to review international experience in offshore wind power development and draw on the lessons learned from the experience of different countries. To date, that experience has predominantly been limited to Europe. Significantly different regulatory and physical...

In view of the escalating global problems associated with the environment, energy, and natural resources, especially the increasing sign of global climate change, wind power is receiving more and more high-level attention on a global scale, and it has reached a rapid rate of development as a...