What drives growth at the microeconomic
level? The authors divide the factors that determine a
location's growth performance into two groups,
"1st advantage" and "2nd advantage." The
term 1st advantage refers to the conditions that provide the
environment in which new activities can be profitably
The report's objectives are i) to
better understand the nature and magnitude of urban
transport problems, particularly in respect of the poor, and
ii) to articulate a strategy by which the World Bank and
other agencies can assist national and city governments to
Infrastructure plays a crucial role in
supporting Cambodia's growth and development. Improving
access to efficient and affordable water, electricity,
transport, and telecommunications services has a major
impact on the living standards of individual households.
India's transport
system--especially surface transport--is seriously
deficient, and its services are highly inefficient by
international standards. The economic losses from congestion
and poor roads are estimated at 120 to 300 billion rupees a
year. This report takes a critical assessment of the key
The present study describes, and
quantifies the provision of basic urban services to the
poor, in three Central American cities in El Salvador,
Honduras, and, Panama. It also identifies priority areas for
government intervention, using specialized household surveys
This report evaluates the shortcomings
of current housing policies, and provides a framework for
analysis of alternative policies. Its message is threefold:
First, housing has a significant role in terms of basic
social support, where the housing unit is a source of
This study reviews the available
quantitative and qualitative information on urban poverty
issues and trends in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) Region,
with particular focus on Indonesia, the Philippines, and
Vietnam. The review is a desk study-which is limited to
The report highlights how much recent
achievements, in terms of growth, and poverty reduction, owe
to the progress the country has made on a broad front of
policy issues, such as openness to trade, investment, and
competition, as well as education, and financial regulation.
The paper's main objectives are to
provide a common thematic basis for urban transport inputs
into the making of country-specific assistance strategies,
and thereafter to guide urban transport project and sector
work included in the business plans agreed under these
Forest resources directly contribute to
the livelihoods of 90 percent of the 1.2 billion people
living in extreme poverty and indirectly support the natural
environment that nourishes agriculture and the food supplies
of nearly half the population of the developing world.
Since the establishment of
Lithuania's independence, the country achieved
substantial progress in transforming its local governments
into independent units of Government: structural reforms to
prod intergovernmental relations were made in 1994 and 1997,
The present study describes, and
quantifies the provision of basic urban services to the
poor, in three Central American cities in El Salvador,
Honduras, and, Panama. It also identifies priority areas for
government intervention, using specialized household surveys