Application of Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) to land related projects is
now a widespread phenomenon, through both donor-supported
interventions and autonomous development. Since the
mid-1990s the World Bank has been increasingly involved in
ICT land project implementations. The advantages have proven
substantial in reducing the time required to complete
transactions, improving access to information by the public,

Many ex ante measures taken to reduce
disaster risk can deliver co-benefits that are not dependent
on disasters occurring. In fact, building resilience to
climate extremes and disasters can achieve multiple
objectives. These are secondary to the main objective of
disaster risk management of avoiding disaster losses, but
identifying and measuring additional co-benefits can enhance
the attractiveness of disaster risk management investments.

Bleak short-term economic outlook raises the risk that social and environmental
achievements may not be sustained. The changed economic circumstances have exposed shortcomings in Brazil’s development model, epitomized by the struggle to achieve a sustainable fiscal policy. Against this background, some Brazilians are now asking whether the gains of the past decade might have been an illusion, created by the commodity boom, but unsustainable in today’s less forgiving international environment. Brazil thus finds itself at an important juncture and, to a certain extent, the policy

Myanmar grew at an estimated 8.5 percent
in real terms in 2014-15. Economic reforms have supported
consumer and investor confidence despite business
environment and socio-political challenges. The economic
impact of the floods that hit Myanmar from July 2015 is
still being assessed, but will likely adversely affect the
main rice crop this year. According to preliminary analysis
of census data, the areas most affected by the floods are

Twenty years after the end of the war,
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has yet to achieve shared
prosperity for its citizens and approach European living
standards. The country has been at peace since the end of
1995, but its development model needs adjustment if it is to
join the ranks of prosperous European economies. BiH has a
disproportionately large public sector that dates back to
Yugoslav times and has only been partly reformed since, and

Market-based reforms and the opening up
of trade and investment initiated over the past four years
have had a positive impact on growth in Myanmar. These have
enhanced private sector participation and increased the role
of exports in the economy. Reforms have included streamlined
business entry procedures, reduced export and import
licensing requirements, and enhanced public-private
partnerships and dialogue. Promoting private sector

Three of sub-Saharan Africa’s central
economic realities motivate this study. First, agriculture
is the most important sector in most African economies, on
average accounting for nearly one-fourth of GDP. Second, the
private sector is increasingly active in transforming
African agriculture and economies. By 2030, agriculture and
agribusiness are anticipated to become a US$ 1 trillion
industry in Africa, delivering more jobs, income, and

This paper studies the effects of
differences in local administrative burdens in Italy in the
years 2005–2007 preceding a major reform that sped up firm
registration procedures. Combining regulatory data from a
survey on Italian provinces before the reform (costs and
time to start a business) with industry-level entry rates of
limited liability firms, it explores the effects of
regulatory barriers on the average of the annual entry rates

A synchronous growth slowdown has been
underway in emerging markets (EM) since 2010. Growth in
these countries is now markedly slower than, not just the
pre‐crisis average, but also the long‐term average. As a
group, EM growth eased from 7.6 percent in 2010 to 4.5
percent in 2014, and is projected to slow further to below 4
percent in 2015. This moderation has affected all regions
(except South Asia) and is the most severe in Latin America

An efficient and transparent regulatory
framework governing international trade is a necessary
condition for countries to realize the benefits of
international trade. Over the last decade, Lao PDR has been
deepening its economic ties with the global economy through
the formal accession to the WTO in 2013. At the regional
level, the country is committed to be full member of the
ASEAN Economic Community. These agreements entailed profound

This economy profile for Doing Business
2016 presents the 11 Doing Business indicators for West Bank
and Gaza. To allow for useful comparison, the profile also
provides data for other selected economies (comparator
economies) for each indicator. Doing Business 2016 is the
13th edition in a series of annual reports measuring the
regulations that enhance business activity and those that
constrain it. Economies are ranked on their ease of doing

Policies that enable rural communities
to participate in expanding economic opportunities can be
central to inclusive growth in Myanmar. Rural communities
are home to the majority of Myanmar’s population, the
majority of its many ethnic groups, and 70 percent of its
poor. Development in rural areas is constrained by low
returns to agriculture, and significantly lower levels of
public service delivery and human development outcomes