Development of the western region is vital to the balanced growth of China. The author studies the impacts of infrastructure investment that may most efficiently alleviate the burden of geographical remoteness of the West. Having constructed the ?adjusted distance? to approximate the transport...

This paper focuses on evaluations with findings that challenge important assumptions of the development field. Its objective is to pinpoint the areas to watch for in operations or policies that are decisive for results. By drawing the attention of development practitioners, policy makers, and...

This is a background paper to the 2014 World Development Report. Risk is inherent to the pursuit of opportunity. This paper surveys the recent literature and looks at the risks and opportunities firms and their workers face in the global value chains. First, it examines the risk-sharing...

The enterprise reforms of the 1990s profoundly changed the structure of the economy in China. With the deepening of market economy, the share of the state-owned and collective enterprises declined. Expansion and contraction, as well as establishment and closure, of firms became a common...

China's government economic stimulus package in 2008-09 appears to have worked well. It seems to have been about the right size, included a number of appropriate components, and was well timed. Its subnational component was designed to maximize the impact of the stimulus package on the economy...

Common misconceptions about China's and India's increasing FDI in Africa have arisen because of a lack of systematic evidence-based analysis. Empirically-derived data, including on comparator countries, need to be rigorously analysed within an objective and coherent framework so that policy...