Some people think the best way to give aid is through grants. Others advocate aid embedded in subsidized loans. Mostly, incentive effects on donors and recipients are ignored in this debate. But grants and loans carry different incentives and in some settings can be complementary. Donors should...

Using data from 270 water and sanitation providers, this Note investigates the relationship between a utility's size and its operating costs. The current trend toward transferring responsibility for providing services to the municipal level is driven in part by the assumption that this will make...

Somalia has lacked a recognized government since 1991-an unusually long time. In extremely difficult conditions the private sector has demonstrated its much-vaunted capability to make do. To cope with the absence of the rule of law, private enterprises have been using foreign jurisdictions or...

This Note looks at systems some governments have used to transform unsolicited proposals for private infrastructure projects into competitively tendered projects. It focuses on the policies that Chile, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, and South Africa have adopted for managing such...

Recent World Bank analysis shows that taxes on petroleum products are a critical source of government revenue for low-income countries. And if the experience of industrial countries serves as any guide, the rates of these taxes will have to rise sharply as low-income economies develop. But...

To guarantee adequate and affordable water and sanitation services for vulnerable households, Chile introduced an individual means-tested water consumption subsidy a decade ago. Although the public authorities determine how the subsidy is applied, the mostly private companies deliver the service...

Which is best for effective competition in power sectors, a separate system operator, a joint-owner operator, or some combination of the two? The question is being hotly debated among power reformers. The answer? Both types of system operators can be made to work, singly or in combination. What...

Following the wave of recent financial turmoil, many developing countries have learned the value of an effective bankruptcy system in deterring excessive use of debt and providing an orderly way to resolve a debt crisis. As a result, they are now reforming their bankruptcy systems, generally...

The design of a regulatory agency's decisionmaking structure encompasses issues relating to the number of decisionmakers, the basis for selecting them, the role played by stakeholders, and the regulatory and appeals processes. The selection of the regulator is critical--especially in countries...