The national accounts are the single most important source of information about the economy, and are widely used in all countries to assess economic performance and for policy analysis. However, the national accounts have a number of well-known shortcomings when it comes to treatment of the...

This paper reviews labor market performance in Georgia, and examines the link between labor market outcomes and poverty. At over 15 percent, the unemployment rate in the country is high by European standards. Georgia faces three main labor market issues: (a) underutilization of labor resources,...

This technical note is intended to provide regulators with concrete, practical information on operating price-comparison websites and the strategic considerations necessary to take into account when designing such sites. The technical note examines price-comparison websites operated by public...

The speed and scale of urbanization provide an unprecedented opportunity in the coming years to invest in clean energy technologies to contain carbon emissions from the country's sprawling cities. Therefore, supporting low carbon cities is one of the government's top priorities. Shanghai...

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the first global assessment of the state of the world's ecological health, published in March 2005, identified global fisheries as one of fi ve global systems in critical condition. This paper is one of many studies that show how on local, regional, and...

The objectives of this study are to develop a taxonomy of the existing power market structures, as shown by the extent of vertical and horizontal unbundling found among restructured power systems, across developing countries; to design an analytical framework for assessing the desirability of...

This report analyzes export competitiveness in the Dominican Republic drawing from the Trade Competitiveness Diagnostic methodology (Farole and Reis, 2012). Dominican exports fare well in terms of performance, sophistication, and survival in Special Economic Zones. Three main challenges are...

This note presents practical guidance on how to implement a framework for managing fiscal commitments from Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). It draws on specific regional operational experience and on World Bank Institute (WBI)'s wider thematic engagement with different partners worldwide. The...