Social accountability refers to the wide range of citizen actions to hold the state to account, as well as actions on the part of government, media, and other actors that promote or facilitate these efforts. Social accountability strategies and tools help empower ordinary citizens to exercise...

Banking the Poor explores level and determinants of financial access in 54 countries, mostly in Africa. It collects information from two sources: central banks and leading commercial banks in each surveyed country. It explores associations between countries' banking policies and practices and...

Haiti is a resilient society whose rural communities in particular have developed coping mechanisms in response to a long history of underdevelopment and political instability. The country's religious, cultural, and artistic life is highly diverse and vibrant. Like other fragile states, however,...

Regulations affecting 10 areas of everyday business are measured: starting a business, dealing with licenses, employing workers, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, and closing a business. Doing Business 2008...

The Little Data Book on Private Sector Development 2008 is one of a series of pocket-sized books intended to provide a quick reference to development data on different topics. The Little Data Book on Private Sector Development 2008 provides data for more than 20 key indicators on business...

Safety nets are noncontributory transfer programs targeted to the poor or vulnerable. They play important roles in social policy. Safety nets redistribute income, thereby immediately reducing poverty and inequality; they enable households to invest in the human capital of their children and in...

Ethiopia's model for delivering basic services appears to be succeeding and to confirm that services improve when service providers are more accountable to citizens. As discussed in the World Development Report 2004, accountability for delivering basic services can take an indirect, long route,...

The overall objective of this comprehensive report is to consider Rwandaâ??s budget support in the context of its overall public expenditure and resources. The report reviews the countryâ??s general budget support relevance, rationale, and outstanding challenges by providing a historical...

The World Bank East Asia and Pacific Economic Update 2010, Volume 2 is the latest edition of the comprehensive, twice-yearly review of the region's economies prepared by the East Asia and Pacific region of the World Bank. Entitled "Robust Recovery, Rising Risks," this Update notes that output...