In 2008 nine low- or middle-income countries implemented at least 65 water projects with private participation, involving investment of more than US$3.1 billion, according to just-released data from the Private Participation in Infrastructure Project Database. The number of new projects...

Investment commitments to infrastructure projects with private participation in the Middle East and North Africa grew by 7 percent to US$12.8 billion in 2007, the highest level since 1990, according to just-released data from the private participation in infrastructure project database. The...

Investment commitments to infrastructure projects with private participation in Sub-Saharan Africa amounted to almost US$11 billion in 2007, the second highest level since 1990, according to just-released data from the private participation in infrastructure project database. The region...

The report is about the private participation in infrastructure database. Energy and telecommunications drove most of the year's growth. Energy had growth of 96 percent, reaching its second highest level since 1990. Telecommunications saw an increase of 13 percent to its highest level ever. The...

This note states that investment commitments to telecommunications projects with private participation in low- and middle-income countries amounted to US$75 billion in 2007, according to just-released data from the Private Participation in Infrastructure Project Database. That marked a new peak...

The debate on whether natural disasters cause significant macroeconomic impacts and indeed hinder development is ongoing. Most analyses along these lines have focused on impacts on gross domestic product. This paper looks beyond this standard national accounting aggregate, and examines whether...

East Asia has experienced a dramatic decrease in output growth volatility over the past 20 years. This is good news, as output growth volatility affects poor households because of coping strategies that have long-term, harmful consequences, and the overall economy through its negative impact on...

This paper analyzes the drivers and consequences of sudden stops of capital flows. It focuses on the impact of external vulnerability on the depth and length of sudden stop crises. The authors analyze 43 developing and developed countries between 1993 and 2006. They find evidence that external...

This paper analyzes the impact of banking crises on manufacturing exports exploiting the fact that sectors differ in their needs for external financing. Relying on data from 23 banking crises episodes involving both developed and developing countries during the period 1980-2000 the authors...

High youth unemployment rates may be a signal of difficult labor market entry for youth or may reflect high churning. The European and United States literature finds the latter conclusion while the Latin American literature suggests the former. This paper uses panel data to examine whether Latin...