"In many developing countries, achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 will require significant increases in expenditures on social services and in foreign assistance. It will also require careful planning of the sector allocation and sequencing of public spending. Especially...

Broad-based global economic growth in 2006, and more generally since 2000, provides grounds for optimism about progress in advancing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The 2007 Global Monitoring Report (GMR) takes stock of this progress and assesses the contributions of developing...

Approximately eighty percent of Cambodians live in rural areas with limited access to clean and affordable water and energy. Thirty-four percent of the rural population lives below the national poverty line on less than 2,367 riels ($0.60) per day. Even though Cambodia is a low income country,...

This paper aims to answer two important questions: how traditional CDD livelihood projects can adjust or adopt practices to strengthen women's economic empowerment outcomes, and how government and other development actors can employ an ecosystem approach to develop coordinated and sustainable...

Women's and girls’ empowerment (WGE) is a key priority for the World Bank's engagement in the Africa region. Gender equality has long been central to the World Bank's twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. The Bank has, therefore, made substantial investments...

As gender equity becomes more central to social and economic development, practitioners are increasingly focused on women and girls' empowerment as a sustainable way to enhance well-being and close gender gaps. The operational approach to women and girls' empowerment can guide practitioners in...

Cash transfers and digital payments hold promise for women's economic empowerment through their potential to enhance women's privacy, financial autonomy, decision making and labor force participation. Yet, despite this potential, gaps in data and evidence persist. This brief aims to provide...