Once one of the world's largest staple food producers, Angola is now known as a major oil exporter - the second largest producer in sub-Saharan Africa. Angola is also the world's fourth largest producer of rough diamonds in terms of value, with the potential to become one of the leading global...

This paper provides an assessment of the Polish funded pension system and the quality of the regulatory framework for the accumulation phase. There are two elements that distinguish the Polish pension fund portfolios from other reforming countries: the relatively high component of domestic...

The Little Book on External Debt provides a quick reference for users interested in external debt stocks and flows, major economic aggregates, key debt ratios, and the currency composition of long-term debt for all countries reporting through the Debtor Reporting system. A pocket edition of the...

Regional economic development is an interest of policymakers throughout the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region. One of its principal aims is to reduce poverty in lagging regions by stimulating local economic growth. However, problems exist with this approach. First, it may miss the target....

This book provides profiles of over 50 countries with 54 development indicators about people, environment, economy, technology, infrastructure, trade and finance, all in one handy, pocketsized volume. A must have for anyone interested in today's development challenges in subSaharan Africa

Global Economic Prospects 2008: Technology Diffusion in the Developing World examines the state of technology in developing countries and the pace with which it has advanced since the early 1990s.It reveals both encouraging and cautionary trends. On the one hand, the pace of technological...

Workers' remittances have become a major source of financing for developing countries and are especially important in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), which is at the top of the ranking of remittances receiving regions in the world. While there has been a recent surge in analytical work on...

Looking for accurate, up-to-date data on development issues? World Development Indicators is the World Bank's premier annual compilation of data about development. This indispensable statistical reference allows you to consult over 900 indicators for some 150 economies and 14 country groups in...

This study reviews aid flows to the health sector in Somalia over the period 2000-2006. In close collaboration with the Health Sector Committee of the Coordination of International Support to Somalis the authors collected quantitative and qualitative data from twenty-six international agencies...

Kenyan women are making a large - although frequently unseen - contribution to the country's economy, particularly in the agricultural and informal business sectors. But women face more severe legal, regulatory, and administrative barriers to starting and running businesses than do their male...