Latest Resources
Development divide vs digital divide – cross country study
Report, Academic/Think TankThe paper presents most recent estimates on the field of cross national digital gaps, in terms of application new information and communication technologies. The author proposes a way of measurement of the digital gaps among countries. The methodology is mainly based on the taxonomy principles, using the notion of the n-dimension metrics. Additionally, there are some dynamics of ICTs usage and...
The Global Enabling Trade Report 2010
Civil Society, Report, Civil SocietyThe Global Enabling Trade Report measures and analyzes institutions, policies, and services enabling trade in national economies around the world, highlighting for policymakers a country’s strengths and the challenges to be addressed. The Report includes the most current data and recent analysis of the factors enabling trade in industrialized and emerging economies, as well as the...
Doing Business 2011
Africa, Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Civil Society, Europe and CIS, Global Index, Latin America and the Carribean, Inter-Governmental OrganizationIn the past year, governments in 117 economies carried out 216 regulatory reforms aimed at making it easier to start and operate a business, strengthening transparency and property rights, and improving the efficiency of commercial dispute resolution and bankruptcy procedures. This one of the findings of Doing Business 2011: Making a Difference for Entrepreneurs, the eighth in...
Democracy and Economic Growth: A Historical Perspective
Article / Working Paper, Democracy, Academic/Think TankRecent studies appear to show that democracy has no robust association with economic growth. Yet all such work assumes that the causal effect of democracy can be measured by a country's regime status in a particular year (T), which is correlated with its growth performance in a subsequent period (T+1). The authors argue that democracy must be understood as a stock, rather...
Index of Economic Freedom: Executive Highlights
Africa, Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Civil Society, Europe and CIS, Global Index, Latin America and the Carribean, Public Administration, Civil SocietyThe 2010 Index of Economic Freedom covers 183 countries around the world, ranking 179 of them with an economic freedom score based on 10 measures of economic openness, regulatory efficiency, the rule of law, and competitiveness. The basic principles of economic freedom emphasized in the Index are individual empowerment, equitable treatment, and the promotion of competition. The results...
Managing future oil revenues in Ghana - an assessment of alternative allocation options
Africa, Public Administration, Report, Academic/Think TankContemporary policy debates on the macroeconomics of resource booms often concentrate on the short-run 'Dutch disease' effects on public expenditure, where exchange rate appreciation and competition for domestic resources causes a reduction in the competitiveness of non-oil sectors, and corruption further undermines effective spending. Such views ignore the possible...
The role of civil society in decentralisation and alleviating poverty - An exploratory case study from Tanzania
Africa, Article / Working Paper, Civil Society, Local Governance and Decentralization, Public Administration, Academic/Think TankIn many developing countries decentralisation efforts have been planned and implemented as a means to improve service delivery to all citizens, to increase citizen participation, and to improve good governance at the sub-national level. However, until recently, poverty reduction has not been a central feature of decentralisation measures until recently. Donors have begun to realise the...
Lessons for reformers: how to launch, implement, and sustain regulatory reform
Article / Working Paper, Asia and the Pacific, Civil Society, Europe and CIS, Latin America and the Carribean, Inter-Governmental OrganizationGovernments base their economic development and poverty reduction strategies on efforts to expedite and expand reforms that improve their countries’ business environments. The inefficiencies constraining growth must be addressed mainly at the micro-economic level, through broad legal and regulatory reforms. Successful reform requires overcoming vested interests in the public...
A rough guide to investment climate reform in conflict-affected countries
Conflict, Report, Inter-Governmental Organization, GovernmentMost conflicts have strong economic dimensions and are driven by the pursuit of legal or illegal profit. Conflict has wide-reaching negative impacts on people, infrastructure, institutions, markets, and trust in government. Employment and investment are critical for peace. Investment climate reform is critical to state-building and can inculcate transparency, honesty, professionalism, and client...
The impact of democracy in Mozambique: assessing political, social and economic developments since the dawn of democracy
Africa, Democracy, Report, Civil SocietyCivil war, sabotage from neighbouring states, and economic collapse characterised the first decade of Mozambican independence. During most of the civil war, the government was unable to exercise effective control outside of urban areas, many of which were cut off from the capital. An estimated 1 million Mozambicans perished during the civil war, 1.7 million took refuge in...