The purpose of this paper is to analyze the issues involved when introducing consumer choice into the power sector. Section 1 describes the approaches used by several countries to introduce tetail competition. Section 2 describes the forces that are pushing consumer choice and retail...

This paper discusses recent trends in investment in the oil sector, amid new challenges for national and international oil companies in an increasingly supply-constrained environment. After more than a decade of stagnant investment rates, nominal investment has picked up sharply over the three...

This paper uses a randomized controlled experiment in Costa Rica to determine whether IB use by Banco Nacional de Desarrollo's micro and small enterprise (MSE) clients has an impact on their performance, measured in terms of productivity, increase in sales, and cost reduction. Results from the...

This presentation gives an overview of business development, competiveness and innovation in Jamaica. Fical and financial incentives, other types of incentives and support systems are discussed as the way forward for improving the Science and Technology field. The presentation details that...

This paper discusses the impact of electronic commerce on the private sector of developing countries and outlines the potential role of the Inter American Development Bank in promoting the use of ICT by small and medium businesses. Information Technology is also reshaping other sectors that are...

This article proposes a person-centered model for entrepreneurship, rather than one based on an idea or business plan. It analyzes the characteristics of entrepreneurship development programs worldwide and presents a representative sample of best practices. On the basis of the main findings and...