The paper discusses how conflicts between the multiple objectives of policymakers (efficiency, equity, fiscal, speed of reform, signaling...) can influence the optimal design of concessions contracts for network services in infrastructure. The discussion covers the relevance of information...

A variety of proposals for creating more competition within the railroad sector are under consideration in countries throughout the world. Brazil, though something of latecomer to wider infrastructure reform, has recently taken large steps in restructuring its railroad system. This paper...

The paper uses the analysis of the main regulatory problems in Argentina’s privatised railways to illustrate the importance of regulatory processes for the long run sustainability of privatisation strategies. Although many of the conflicts have been magnified by the recent crisis, we...

This paper presents a basic assessment of the financial performance of infrastructure service operators in developing countries. It relies on a new database of 120 companies put together to track the evolution of the cost of capital, the cost of equity and the return to equity for electricity,...

The electricity sector in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) suffers from a major paradox. Indeed, while the region continues to hold the world’s largest oil and gas reserves and has been able to maintain electricity access rates of close to 100 percent in most of its economies, it may...

The state of national labor markets has always been a concern for governments and development agencies such as the World Bank. Key labor market indicators, such as the rate of unemployment, send signals about the health of an economy and mirror citizens' attitudes. Being gainfully employed is an...