Understanding the industry structure of banking services in Brazil is an important task both for the financial community at large and for country specialists. The Brazilian financial system is the largest and most sophisticated in Latin America. This study is organized into five sections after...

"The author tests how the local economic structure-measured by a region's sector specialization, competition, and diversity-affects the technological growth of manufacturing sectors. Most of the empirical literature on this topic assumes that in the long run more productive regions will attract...

This report analyzes, through a review of the regulatory framework, case studies, and international experiences, current arrangements for coordination of government programs in priority regions in Mexico, as well as opportunities for better addressing the development needs of those regions via...

The report considers the evolving experience in Ukraine, and looks at lessons from other countries in order to spur thinking about how best to move forward in the development of regional policy. In the context of a transition economy, accurately measuring the changes that are underway is...

The study outlines the development strategy Ethiopia will need to pursue to achieve a balanced regional progress, and indicates some policy areas for attention, as the strategy develops. It examines the recent constitutional structure, government spending, and fiscal imbalances, including the...

A coordinated effort to develop a regional research and development (R and D) strategy for innovation was launched by the Joint Statement of Sarajevo, signed on April 24, 2009, by the ministers from the Western Balkans (WB) responsible for science and research; the European Union (EU)...

Several countries in Southern Africa have enormous potential to expand trade and mutually benefit from regional integration, and thus truly achieve 'growth without borders'. At the same time, several African countries are adopting growth pole strategies in order to deepen the economic linkages...

The Paraguay-Parana rivers waterway system (referred to in the text as the Hidrovia, or HPP) is potentially the greatest axis for freight movement in the sub-region and a possible integration mechanism for the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) countries. However, 90 percent of freight in the...

As Russia continues to make rapid general progress in building modem market institutions, the complex spatial dimension of transformation in the country will continue to present strong policy challenges for many years to come. In fact, these challenges are arguably becoming progressively...

Although the Indian economy has been growing at a stellar rate of about 6 percent per annum since the mid-1980s, this achievement has been clouded by growing inequality and divergence in development outcomes among India's different regions. This study, thus, identifies a regional development...