Governments across the developing world have made rural electrification a high priority over the last two decades. Yet despite the rapid expansion of the power sector during this period, by 1990, only about 44 percent of the more than 3.3 billion people living in rural areas had access to...

This study presents the results of the research by a team of experts working in the energy sector of Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union. The objective of the study is to identify successful policies and measures that were employed to address the problem of non-payments in the energy sector.

Rapid urbanization in developing countries is fueling the demand for automobiles and consequently for rubber tires. Therefore it is a critical period for the industry, where fundamental changes are taking place in the way rubber is produced and marketed for competitive survival. This report...

Promoting a high savings rate is high on the World Bank's agenda for promoting national income growth. This study surveys broad saving trends worldwide, summarizes current knowledge about savings and consumption, identifies main unresolved issues, and outlines the major policy questions to be...

Despite impressive success in improving living conditions in many Caribbean countries, poverty still persists throughout the region. This study seeks to improve our understanding of poverty in the Caribbean and the current efforts to address it. It analyzes the causes and characteristics of...

A social development perspective is used to seek an answer to the question: why is the incidence of absolute poverty so different among developing countries in East Asia, South Asia and Latin America?

The global tea industry reached maturity over a decade ago and is now in a critical period when fundamental changes are taking place in the competitive environment. This paper identifies some of the major strengths and weaknesses of Sri Lanka's tea industry with respect to other major exporters...

This paper examines the methodologies for project evaluation that, in principle, have been adopted and are stylized by the World Bank.