This paper explores the reduction of
food insecurity in Bolivia, adopting a supply side approach
that analyzes the role of agricultural spending on
vulnerability. Vulnerability to food insecurity is captured
by a municipal level composite -- developed locally within
the framework of World Food Program food security analysis
-- that combines welfare outcomes, weather conditions and
agricultural potential for all 327 municipalities in 2003,

This paper discusses the progress made
by Cambodia from the early 90s to 2007, in reduction of
poverty incidence. Reduced poverty occurred in both urban
and rural areas, and was experienced by rich and poor, and
by men and women. Households, including those in the poorest
groups, have improved their housing quality, increased
ownership of motorbikes, televisions, and mobile phones, and
are better able to access and afford schools and healthcare.

Structural change is a key driver of
rapid growth: countries diversify into new industries, firms
learn new things, people move to new locations. Anything
that slows this structural change is also likely to slow
growth. Because urbanization is one of the most important
enabling parallel processes in rapid growth, making it work
well is critical. Urbanization's contribution to growth
comes from two sources: the difference between rural and

The Small Area Estimation (SAE) of
poverty in Rural Bhutan was prepared with an objective to
provide a more disaggregated picture of poverty in Bhutan
down to the gewog level, based on the Bhutan living standard
survey 2007 and Population and Housing Census of Bhutan
(PHCB) 2005. The report records the estimation process in
detail and describes results of statistical tests for
quality checks. According to these tests, the poverty

The aim of this paper is to study the
short and long-term fertility effects of mass violent
conflict on different population sub-groups. The authors
pool three nationally representative demographic and health
surveys from before and after the genocide in Rwanda,
identifying conflict exposure of the survivors in multiple
ways. The analysis finds a robust effect of genocide on
fertility, with a strong replacement effect for lost

Despite remarkable economic growth in
the past decade, undernutrition remains a serious public
health problem in Angola. High rates of child stunting and
micronutrient deficiencies are contributing to an under-five
mortality rate of 161 deaths per 1,000 live births, limiting
the growth and development of children, hindering
productivity, and preventing the country from reaching
millennium development goals one and four. In response to

Little is known about the situation
facing widows and their dependent children in West Africa
especially after the widow remarries. Women in Malian
society are vulnerable to the loss of husbands especially in
rural areas. Households headed by widows have significantly
lower living standards on average than male or other female
headed households in both rural and urban areas; this holds
both unconditionally and conditional on observable household

Economic growth in Solomon Islands since
the end of civil conflict in 2003 has been driven by rapid
expansion of the forestry sector and large increases in
international aid flows. Stocks of natural forest logs are
nearing exhaustion and, as the security situation improves,
aid flows are likely to flatten off. The Solomon Islands
Government asked the World Bank to investigate future growth
prospects. This note summarizes the findings and presents a

This briefing note examines
intergenerational aspects of community involvement, trust,
and authority, and dispute participation/resolution in
Timor-Leste, using findings from the justice module included
in an extension of the 2007 Timor-Leste Survey of Living
Standards (TLSLS2) and a review of relevant social-science
literature. It is hoped that this report will be a valuable
resource for civil servants, civil society organizations,

This paper estimates the impact of a
change in procurement strategy of a private buyer in the
central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Beginning in October
2000, internet kiosks and warehouses were established that
provide wholesale price information and an alternative
marketing channel to soy farmers in the state. Using a new
market-level dataset, the estimates suggest a significant
increase in soy price after the introduction of kiosks,

The objective of this policy note is to
examine the gender dimension of the Egyptian labor market,
with a focus on identifying the scope for policies to
improve female labor force participation. An update to the
Egypt gender assessment report of 2003, it is envisioned as
a contribution to programmatic work on gender and inclusion
in Egypt, helping build evidence which can inform policy
aimed at improving the participation and retention of women

There have been important changes in the
budgeting process in Vietnam since 2006 when the government
of Vietnam instituted a revolutionary reform in the
management and allocation of the state budget. For the
period of 2007-2010, the norms include ethnic minority
population data, and poverty rates. The purpose of this
research assignment is to describe the evolution of
budgeting mechanisms in recent years, in association with