Interest in investment climates has emerged relatively recently. In the 1960s and 1970s, governments in many countries believed they should play a direct role in rural credit, input supply, production, trade, transport, distribution, and even marketing. However, in the 1980s and 1990s,...

"The author examines, taking into account the urban-rural divides, the changes and welfare implications of income diversification in Zimbabwe following macroeconomic policy changes and droughts of the early 1990s. Data from two comparable national income, consumption and expenditure surveys in...

With eight in ten of its people living in rural areas, Burkina Faso is one of the most rural countries in the world. Welfare has been improving for Burkina Faso's rural households, but slowly, and faster income growth is needed for more robust progress. To determine how people in Burkina Faso's...

The objective of this study is to review panchayat finances, identify issues and make recommendations to improve the fiscal decentralization system. Using Kamataka and Kerala as case studies, this report describes the context for rural decentralization in India, summarizes the current fiscal...

This paper summarizes the findings of a study in rural load segregation for lighting rural India. The study focused on (i) analyzing differences in approach to rural feeder segregation across states, (ii) assessing the financial viability of the schemes, (iii) evaluating socio economic benefits...

As the first output from the gender and governance in rural services project, this report presents descriptive findings and qualitative analysis of accountability mechanisms in agricultural extension and rural water supply in India, Ghana, and Ethiopia, paying specific attention to gender...