Books published by World Bank Publications

Identifies the ways in which globalization can overcome poverty or make it worse. This book defines the big historical trends, identifies main global flows - trade, finance, aid, migration, and ideas - and examines how each can contribute to undermine economic development. It presents policy recommendations to make globalization more effective.

Offers an understanding of gender issues and a compilation of compelling evidence of good practices and lessons learned to guide practitioners in integrating gender dimensions into agricultural projects and programs. This book draws on a wide range of experience from World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and other donor agencies.

Providing a basis for effective policy-making, this book is an overview of health financing tools, policies and trends - with a particular focus on challenges facing developing countries. It discusses health financing goals in the context of both the underlying health, demographic, social, economic, political and demographic analytics.

Offers an insight into the lives of 12 HIV-positive teachers in sub-Saharan Africa. This title documents their experiences of discovering their HIV positive status and how this has affected them in their families, their communities, and their professional lives.

The World Development Report (WDR) is the World Bank's annual flagship publication. Each year the WDR seeks to expand the understanding of poverty and its causes, and sets out actions the development community can take to fight poverty in all its dimensions.

With a special focus on strategic purchasing and contracting of services from nongovernmental providers, this title reviews ways to make public spending on health care more efficient and equitable in developing countries.

The rapid growth of private participation in infrastructure (PPI) in developing countries during the 1990s was followed by a subsequent decline in investments and the re-negotiation and cancellation of some projects. This work explains the factors behind the growth and decline of PPI.

'State-Owned Banks in the Transition: Origins, Evolution, and Policy Responses' reviews the experience with state banking over the last decade in the transition economies of Europe and Central Asia. State ownership of banking systems has undermined economic reform efforts and has distorted emerging markets. This study compares various approaches to reform and calls attention to the significant costs associated with continued state ownership. It concludes with lessons from experience and recommendations for policymakers on approaches to reducing state ownership of banks in the region. The findings indicate that restructuring of state banks has proven time consuming and costly, and governments are better off moving swiftly to privatize or liquidate their remaining state banks rather than attempting to rehabilitate them. This report includes seven case studies of individual state banks that have been reformed or privatized over the past decade. The case studies highlight the challenges of implementing various reform measures and illustrate how such challenges have been addressed in difficult economic and political contexts.

'Urban Air Quality Management' examines the contribution of vehicles to urban air pollution which is a growing problem in many cities in developing countries. It evaluates the priorities for air quality management programs, and reviews national, municipal, and World Bank experience with pollution-reduction efforts. This book draws lessons from this assessment and offers recommendations for priorities in developing coordinated assistance strategies in the environment, urban transport, and energy sectors.