Place-based policies target specific geographic areas for special treatment. They attempt to stimulate growth and development in lagging regions by (1) attracting firms, (2) attracting workers and human capital, and (3) improving local public goods. This report conducts a critical review of...

Many governments in developing countries have pursued policies targeting specific geographic areas over the past several decades. However, only a few have rigorously evaluated the causal impact of these interventions. This paper examines the effectiveness of a prominent place-based policy in...

While Uganda has a long history of decentralized service delivery, and has instituted Local Economic Development (LED) as an additional mandate for local governments (LGs), there has been less progress in operationalizing the concept and practically implementing it across LGs in Uganda. In...

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...

As the World Bank's 2012 Golden Growth report emphasized, the European Union, since its founding, has been a 'convergence machine,' generating wealth and a higher quality of life for the poorest in the 28 EU member states. More recently, the Growing United report highlighted that while the...

In pursuing a decentralization policy that sets out to devolve elements of state authority to municipalities, the Government of Timor-Leste faces a key challenge: how to combine different types of governance systems that have legitimacy at local and state levels. In order to inform this process,...

Word War second left Japan crippled, affecting its economy, governance, demography, settlements, social well-being, and others. However, Japan used this as an opportunity to restructure itself to become a progressive, balanced, and well-rounded country. Spatial or territorial development is...

Despite the increasing attention in recent years to the spatial dimensions of economic development, consideration of the importance of space and the recognition that macro, aspatial perspectives can prove to be misleading are not new. Around the world, much of the disappointment with the...

Boosting convergence and shared prosperity in the European Union achieved renewed urgency after the global financial crisis of 2008. This paper assesses the role of agriculture and the Common Agricultural Program in achieving this. The paper sheds light on the relationship between poverty and...

Geographically, Chongqing is strategically positioned as a gateway to China's west, a key connection in the Yangtze river economic belt, and a strategic base for China's belt and road initiative. Over the past two decades, Chongqing has faced significant challenges, including the resettlement of...