"The debate over the curse of natural resources has haunted developing countries for decades if not centuries. A review of existing empirical evidence suggests that the curse remains elusive. The fragile negative effect of natural resources on economic growth might be due to international...

Recent studies in the DRC tend to focus on human rights abuses or on the status of women, however few investigations examine the link between mining and sexual violence. There is a dearth of research specifically into the gender dimensions of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) as a means to...

Following a strong performance in 2012, Malaysia's economy hit a soft patch in the first quarter of 2013. Economic growth has been supported by the strong, broad-based performance of domestic consumption and investment from public and private sources. The acceleration of investment growth has...

This Strategy Note sets out a framework for World Bank involvement in the environment sector in the immediate to medium term. It elaborates upon and reinforces the environmental objectives specified in Thailand's Eighth National Economic and Social Development Plan (1997-2001) and the World...

"Are natural resources a blessing or a curse? Bravo-Ortega and De Gregorio present a model in which natural resources have a positive effect on the level of income and a negative effect on its growth rate. The positive and permanent effect on income implies a welfare gain. There is a growth...

India's Northeastern Region consists of eight states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura -- occupying 262,179 square kilometers and with a population of 39 million (2001 census). This report has come about at the request of the Indian...