In the context of Romania's push toward sustainable and inclusive development, the government has asked the World Bank to support the harmonization of public investments financed by the European Union and the state budget. The current report describes the national program for local development...

This report examines the role of infrastructure in explaining why the region lags so far behind the rest of the country. More importantly, it looks at how improved infrastructure may help the region catch up. Infrastructure is examined here through its impact on social as well as economic...

This report begins with an Executive Summary, which introduces the territorial development approach and the rationale for applying it in Lesotho's development context before going on to summarize key takeaways and recommendations. It is followed by four chapters: chapter 1, Introduction, lays...

Serbia now has an exceptional policy opportunity to promote skills development and create a productive future workforce and a prosperous economy. With its population aging and the nature of work changing in a technologically transforming and globalizing economy, a highly skilled Serbian...

Because of its difficult starting position in transitioning to a market economy, so far macroeconomic policy in Serbia has mainly been concerned with achieving stability. At the start of its transition in 2001, Serbia was practically bankrupt, burdened with old overdue debt and huge arrears in...

Serbia is not growing as fast it could. Investment and productivity are low and slow growing; and the continuing large role of the state in the economy makes it difficult for the private sector to accelerate economic growth. Serbia is well-positioned to turn itself into a fast-growing,...

Although current growth rates are improving incomes in Serbia, they are not bringing the country closer to average living standards in the European Union fast enough. To reach European levels of prosperity, Serbia must embrace a new, ambitious agenda for growth. Serbia can become a fast-growing,...

The 2014-2015 Romania Regional Development 2 Program is the continuation of the World Bank's technical assistance to the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration (MRDPA). Building on the previous engagement, the current work addresses a fundamental question: given Romania's...

Romania lags behind other European Union (EU) countries in many health outcomes. The government of Romania plans to build three new regional hospitals in the North-West (NW), North-East (NE), and South-West (SW) regions. These are envisaged to be tertiary referral hospitals providing highly...

Though the European Union (EU) is a development conversion machine for national economies, it is less so for subnational regions. EU accession countries have been catching up to regional averages in terms of economic development since they joined the union. The economic success of the accession...