Books in the Directions in Development series

By using state-of-the-art modeling techniques, this study simulates population, housing, economic activity, commuting times, transport and trade across the 266 unions that constitute Great Dhaka, taking into account flood vulnerability, traffic congestion and other location conditions.

Cette etude examine les donnees provenant de 40 pays en Afrique subsaharienne pour analyser les causes de la penurie manuelle dans la region. L'etude se penche sur les politiques MPA, la disponibilite des fonds, et les questions liees a la production et la distribution des manuels scolaires qui causent de la penurie manuelle dans les ecoles.

Assesses the state of early childhood development (ECD) in MENA from before birth through age five, examining multiple dimensions of early development including health, nutrition, socio-emotional development, early learning, and early work.

Examines such questions as: What has been the trajectory of Cameroon's economic growth? Which sectors have contributed to growth? What jobs are being created? What types of skills are being used in the sectors where the highest percentages of the population are employed? What are the demand and supply barriers to skills? Which policies and institutions are in play? Are they sufficient?

Investigates which mental abilities and behaviours allow Latin Americans to be successful in the labour market. It provides guidance for policy makers on how to foster learning and human development.

Moving towards universal access to financial services is within reach - thanks to new technologies, transformative business models and ambitious reforms. Such instruments as e-money accounts, along with debit cards and low-cost regular bank accounts, can significantly increase financial access for those who are now excluded. The purpose of this publication is to learn the lessons of success from 4 country case studies of "Gazelles" - Kenya, Thailand, Sri Lanka and South Africa - that have transformed the landscape of financial access to the poor by successfully enabling the deployment of e-money technology. 2 country case studies (Philippines and Maldives) yield lessons learned from constraints that stalled e-money deployments. Because Technology is not a silver bullet, the case studies explore "What are the other strategic elements that need to be in place in order for a country to guide increased financial access through digital technology?"

"Human capital refers to a broad range of knowledge, skills, and capabilities that are needed for life and work and that are typically build through quality education. Countries that fail to invest consistently in education often do not experience robust economic growth because investments in physical infrastructure, such as dams, roads, and airports as well as developments in other economic sectors such as banking or information technology, are often constrained and yield low returns in the absence of an adequately educated work force. Human capital development is critical for setting Tanzania on a trajectory toward middle income status, a target it wants to reach by the year 2025. It is projected that a significant share of Tanzania''s economic growth over the coming decades will be concentrated in occupations that require citizens with postsecondary training and skills, as is already the case in middle-income countries. Hence the pressure and the challenge to close systemic gaps and inefficiencies that hamper the education system in the country."

Zimbabwe's poor export performance derives from unpredictable macroeconomics, anti-export bias, and industrial policies undermining investor confidence. To inverse this trend, the government needs to introduce economy-wide incentives that align trade policies with national objectives, to increase competitiveness and promote sustained growth.

Examines the state of out-of-school youth in Sub-Saharan Africa. It analyses factors that lead youth to drop out of school and reviews policies and programs designed to keep youth in school, bring youth back to school, or to transition out-of-school youth into the workforce.

Examines the state of out-of-school youth in Sub-Saharan Africa. It analyses factors that lead youth to drop out of school and reviews policies and programs designed to keep youth in school, bring youth back to school, or to transition out-of-school youth into the workforce.

Shares information on the environmental harms in Sindh, Pakistan, which in 2009 resulted in more than 40,000 premature deaths and costs equivalent to 15% of the province's GDP, and to provide an interdisciplinary framework for bringing about improved environmental conditions in Sindh.

Examines recent trends in Croatia in trade, productivity, innovation performance and policy governance framework, to help identify priorities for the development of the country's Smart Specialization Strategy, which is an ex-ante conditionality for access to the EU's Structural and Investment Funds over the 2014-20 programming period.

Do current stylized facts about African agriculture and rural livelihoods reflect reality? In rapidly-changing and data-scarce environments they risk being outdated and misleading. This report re-examines conventional wisdom about African farmers, from the bottom up and recognising the complexities involved.

Getting to Work: Unlocking Women''s Potential in Sri Lanka''s Labor Force

Provides a narrative description of the institutional and management decisions, infrastructure, systems and processes, impact, and lessons learned and policy implications for developing countries from Korea's multi-decade Digital Governance experience.