The Joint Staff Advisory Note (JSAN) describes the progress of Vietnam over the last two years. It expects that many of the shortfalls experienced in the implementation of the Comprehensive Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy will be addressed by the new Socio-economic Development plan (SEDP)...

This Joint Staff Advisory Note discusses the Poverty Reduction Strategy Progress (PRSP) Reports for Serbia and Montenegro. Although the strong economic growth in recent years in Serbia has improved average living standards, the reports note that its impact on poverty reduction remains...

Mauritania’s third poverty reduction strategy paper provides a framework for an ambitious growth and poverty reduction agenda. The updated development perspective and principal objectives reflect the new economic and political realities to sustainably reduce poverty. Successful program...

This paper describes the nature and evolution of poverty in Nigeria between 1985 and 1992. It highlights the potential wealth of the Nigerian economy and examines how the economic policies pursued in the 1980s and 1990s impacted economic growth and welfare. The headcount measure of poverty in...

This paper focuses on the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) for the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe. The National Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper represents the result of analyses of the country’s current situation as well as a set of proposals designed to rout the...

The Philippines has made considerable progress in attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). However achieving all the targets remains a daunting challenge, with goals for poverty, education and maternal mortality unlikely to be attained by 2015. Focus has now shifted to informing the...

The foreign aid landscape has undergone a paradigm shift in the last few decades, with changes in the behaviour of 'traditional' donors and a new focus on selectivity in aid disbursement, as well as 'new' donors and South-South co-operation playing an increasingly important role. Amidst these...

With the year 2015 - the MDG finishing line - approaching, post-2015 goals as they impact Africa need to be firmed. The goal of ending extreme poverty remains paramount. Globally, the World Bank set goals to end extreme poverty by 2030 and to promote shared prosperity in every society. We...