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
capital accumulation, thus a key to expanding Mexico's
middle class, from a minority to a majority. Second, the
country is facing a two-tiered housing market, those that

The objective of the report is to point
at the need for a new poverty strategy, and the areas of
action it should cover, where each area should be
specifically discussed, addressing the lives of
Indonesia's poor, and the tradeoffs policymakers will
need to consider, based on the belief that this poverty
strategy should emerge from a broad dialogue among
stakeholders. First, in broadening poverty, the report looks

This is the sixth issue of the
"Thailand Social Monitor." It is written for Thai
policymakers, to provide them with the best evidence
currently available on poverty and public policy, and to
strengthen the foundation for anti-poverty strategies in
Thailand. This report approaches Poverty in Thailand from
four perspectives: 1) the changing profile of the poor, who
they are, where they live, their defining characteristics,

This report is intended as an input into
the Philippine Government's poverty eradication
strategy. The report aims to update our understanding of the
nature of poverty and the recent progress in poverty
reduction in the Philippines. It examines the extent to
which growth in the nineties has translated into poverty
reduction and analyzes how well publicly-provided social
services reach the poor and whether redistributive policies

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
strategies. It is a companion volume to the forthcoming ECA
Transport Strategy Paper, which covers all modes of
transport. It also represents a bridge between the

The report assesses the main factors
which constrain the sustainable development of the Gezira
Scheme (GS), to develop medium, to long term plans,
including short-term actions, to address those constrains.
The GS, is described as a large and complex enterprise,
because although it is one the world's largest
irrigation systems, it has become one of the least
efficient, irrespective of the fact that it uses thirty five

The importance of the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) function within public administration
has been magnified by the growing voice of civil society,
which has brought the issues of good governance and more
effective public administration to the fore. The global
trend towards more accountable, responsive and efficient
government has bolstered the appeal for M&E capacity
development, which has been the central focus of efforts to

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
to quantify current deficits, and to rank households from
poor to rich, using aggregate consumption as the measure of
welfare. The urban poverty profile is examined in each city,

Despite its healthy economic growth, due
to good macroeconomic management, and progress in trade
liberalization, Sri Lanka's development is perceived to
be well below its potential. Certainly, the civil conflict
has taken a heavy social, and economic toll on the
country's performance, but also governance, and public
institutions have weakened, though maintaining a dominance
on the financial sector, and utilities, which further

Following the East Asian financial
crisis, the Bank's involvement in Thailand intensified,
enabling a multifaceted stabilization, and structural reform
dialogue, which deepened the economic, financial, and sector
knowledge of the country. The study benefits from this
analytical work, and provides an overview on the ongoing
policy dialogue, regarding short- and medium-term reform,
through a number of instruments. To promote longer-term

Forestry contributes 7-10 percent of Lao
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 15-20 percent of
non-agricultural GDP. In rural areas forest exploitation is
one of the few available economic activities, and non-timber
products provide more than half of family income. The sector
contributes 34 percent of total export value, and even more
of net foreign exchange. Forestry royalties as a share of
government revenues have decreased from 20 percent in the

The objective of this paper is to serve
as an input into the on-going discussions concerning
sectoral and cross-sectoral aspects of the strategy.
Following this introduction, the second chapter provides a
brief background on the region, its people, economy and the
transport system. This is needed given that some readers on
the Bank side will not be familiar with Colombo. The third
chapter reviews the performance of the regional transport