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International Transaction Journal of Engineering, Management, & Applied Sciences & Technologies, 11, 1, 11A01J: 1-8

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) is a constitutionally recognized semiautonomous region in northern Iraq. Its government, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), based in Erbil, has the right, under the Iraqi constitution of 2005, to exercise legislative, executive, and judicial powers according to the constitution, except in what is listed therein as exclusive powers of the federal authorities. The Iraqi constitution defines the Kurdistan Region as a federal entity of Iraq. KRG has a parliamentary democracy with a regional assembly that consists of 111 seats. KRI has been largely immune to the insecurity and conflict witnessed elsewhere in Iraq, especially following the 2003 Iraq War. KRG is facing a wide range of immediate and medium to longer-term challenges that are intrinsically linked to the overall macroeconomic situation of Iraq as well as the regional and global environment. The immediate challenge consists in coping with (a) the deep fiscal crisis, and (b) the security and social problems brought about by the conflict with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group and the resulting influx of Syrian refugees and Iraqi Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). These challenges are clearly immediate priorities for the KRG, and will bear significant repercussions nationally and internationally if inadequately addressed. The medium to longer-term challenges pertain to moderating dependence on the oil sector and transforming the KRI economy into a diversified one that supports private sector-led economic growth and job creation in a sustainable manner.

This report provides a review of the Armenian mining sector, and assesses its potential to contribute to sustainable economic growth and development. Based on the findings, it provides recommendations for initiatives and actions for the future development of the sector. The report was produced in the period October 2015 to April 2016. It was commissioned by the World Bank with the aim to assist the Armenian government to gain a better understanding of key social and environmental challenges and future opportunities for the Armenian Mining Sector; and to support the development of a minerals strategy which is line with international good practices and which contributes to sustainable development. The findings are based on: desktop reviews of existing documents; a large number of meetings and interviews with affected and interested stakeholders; field work performed in the main mining districts of Armenia; stakeholder workshops. Comments, suggestions and corrections on a draft version of this report has been provided by representatives of the GoA, and the World Bank. Further, oversight and feedback was continuously provided by representatives of the World Bank.

The withdrawal of international security forces since 2014 and continuing political uncertainties have resulted in a significant deceleration to economic growth, with fiscal pressures increasing as security threats mount. However, to a significant extent, Afghanistan has successfully managed the immediate challenges resulting from the transition. It has maintained macroeconomic stability and established the conditions for a slow recovery of the economy. Risks to the economy remain significant, and it is vital that the Government identify new sources of growth to replace the declining donor inflows over the longer-term. The medium-term outlook points towards a slow recovery over the next three years. The rate of growth is projected to reach 1.9 percent in 2016, assuming adjustments in firms and households’ behavior in the context of the deteriorating security environment. Growth is projected to gradually increase from 1.9 percent in 2016 to 3.6 percent in 2018, if the political situation stabilizes and planned reforms are successfully implemented. On the other hand, any deterioration in the security environment could weaken growth prospects, with this risk being the most significant faced by the country.

Bleak short-term economic outlook raises the risk that social and environmental achievements may not be sustained. The changed economic circumstances have exposed shortcomings in Brazil’s development model, epitomized by the struggle to achieve a sustainable fiscal policy. Against this background, some Brazilians are now asking whether the gains of the past decade might have been an illusion, created by the commodity boom, but unsustainable in today’s less forgiving international environment. Brazil thus finds itself at an important juncture and, to a certain extent, the policy course set today will determine whether the country can sustain the gains of the past and return to a path of solid, inclusive and environmentally sustainable growth. This Systematic Country Diagnostic offers a contribution to the debate about Brazil’s future development.

The absence of sovereign bond issuances with World Bank guarantee support for almost 15 years and the customized application of the WB guarantee instrument led potential investors in the Ghana bond to ponder the best way to value the instrument. This paper provides guidance on this subject by presenting four ways to assess the value of a World Bank guarantee for debt capital market issues. The methodologies presented are: nominal weighted average yield; rolling nominal weighted average yield; discounted cash flow; and recovery analysis. The paper presents the methodologies by applying them to a fictional bond issuance by the government of Emergistan, a fictional low income country. Background information on the country and bond issuance has been kept to the minimum as the sole purpose of this example is to illustrate the results of each of the methodologies. It should be noted that World Bank guarantees can be structured in a number of ways depending on the issuer’s objectives as well as country and market circumstances. For instance, guarantees could cover interest and/or principal payments of bonds. Coverage could be on a first loss or back-ended basis. Therefore, the most appropriate valuation method would depend on the specific features of the guarantee being considered.

Ethiopia has many advantages as a destination for mining investment. These include promising geology, a well-designed fiscal regime, stable government and a growing domestic market. Additionally, it has a well-managed and successful artisanal and small scale mining sector. Under the second phase of Ethiopia’s Growth and Transformation Plan, Ethiopia has the ambitious target for the mining sector to contribute 10% of GDP by 2025. Ethiopia must overcome significant challenges to achieve this target. These challenges range across simplifying the licensing regime, developing its investment promotion efforts and clarifying institutional responsibilities for social and environmental management to enhancing stakeholder engagement in the governance of the sector.

This report sets forth details of a financial recovery plan designed to help Vietnam Electricity (EVN), and the Vietnamese power sector more generally, to address a series of complex and interconnected challenges over the next 3 to 10 years. These challenges are operational and institutional as well as financial, and will lead to fundamental changes over time in the way that EVN and the overall power sector operate.

Ukraines vast needs in infrastructure coupled with a constrained fiscal space require concerted efforts in strengthening public investment management. Investments in infrastructure are important for fostering economic growth. Translating public investments into assets crucially depends on how efficiently all types of public investments are management. The structure to handle PPPs is currently inadequate to access the global PPP market. Since a PPP system needs to be built on the foundations of a workable PIM system, the prospects for Ukraine attracting international standard investments from the global PPP market may appear to be out of reach for the time being. Recent reforming legislation aimed at fixing some of the issues highlighted in the 2012 PIM Assessment is encouraging but much will depend on the effectiveness of the implementation and the capacity of the institutional actors to understand and absorb them. This Assessment must by its very nature capture the situation at the time of the Assessment rather than an expectation of future potential.

The objective of this paper is to understand the factors driving the location decisions of multinational corporations. The paper uses literature-review and expert-interview techniques to understand what cities can do to be best positioned to attract international capital.

The World Bank Group’s investment climate project conducted a survey of foreign investors in the Kyrgyz Republic - both those currently operating and those that have terminated their operations for various reasons. The purpose of the survey was to assess selected aspects of the investment policy and legal environment in place in the Kyrgyz Republic, so as to determine whether the current regulations are investment-conducive or otherwise. The following aspects were studied as part of this survey: reasons for selecting a country for investing, ease of market entry, investor confidence, and protection in running a business, investor incentives and market exit. This report presents the analysis of the results of the survey. It consists of six sections, five of which discuss the results of each of the assessed aspects of the investment policy. The sixth section presents some demographics of the survey.

Situated in a fertile low-lying river delta, Bangladesh combines high vulnerability to floods, tropical cyclones, earthquakes, and climate change with one of the world’s highest population densities, with around 159 million people living in less than 150,000 sq. km. With the world’s second lowest per capita income in 1975, it was labeled ‘the test case for development’ in view of the formidable development challenges it faced. Nevertheless, Bangladesh has proven to be remarkably resilient, developing well beyond initial expectations, and has made very good progress with poverty reduction. GNI per capita has grown from around US$100 in 1972 to US$1,314 in 2015, and the country crossed the World Bank threshold for the lower-middle-income group in 2015. As highlighted in the Seventh Five Year Plan background paper on ending extreme poverty, the agricultural labor market in Bangladesh tightened significantly in the decade of 2000s, which led to an increase in the real agricultural wage rate. Three main channels were the primary contributors: (a) relocation of farm labor to rural non-farm sectors; (b) relocation of rural labor to urban activities through the ‘pull effects’ of urbanization, creating employment opportunities for the extreme poor in labor-intensive construction and transport activities; and (c) jobs for the poor created in the manufacturing sector. Robust inflows of remittances from overseas workers contributed to spurring the creation of non-farm employment opportunities in rural areas.

Part one of the report provides an overview of the economy. It has one chapter (chapter one), which provides an overview of the country’s growth and macroeconomic performance and challenges and analyzes and emphasizes the limited dynamism of a rent- and hydrocarbon-cursed economy. Part II describes cross-cutting issues that constrain policy implementation, regardless of the sectors where they occur. In chapter two, the report draws on material outlined in the rest of the report to argue that the policy problems that undermine the country’s development can be linked directly to political distortions introduced by the fragmentation among the population and the elites. While the informal elite networks are able to block reform and aggressively continue to seek rents that might otherwise be recycled into development, the population is unable to exert its rights and hold the elites accountable. Chapter three analyzes the major impediments in the business environment. Through the analysis of the de jure legal and regulatory business environment as well as the enforcement of business regulations, the chapter identifies key legal and institutional changes that can help reduce the opportunities for rent seeking that favor well-connected businesses. Chapter four discusses the opportunities to maximize the benefits of the country’s human capital by enhancing the quality of worker skills, increasing women’s labor force participation, and facilitating the migration of Yemenis to work in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. To achieve this goal, the Republic of Yemen needs to enhance the quality of the education system, especially technical education and vocational training (TEVT), and respond to the existing demand for skilled workers. Chapter five explores the constraints to realizing the potential of agriculture. It argues that a key constraint on the sector is the capture of land and water by multiple elites motivated by short-term rent extraction, which prevents the efficient management of these assets and therefore undermines any possibility of sustainable development. The chapter also discusses other constraints and weaknesses affecting the sector and proposes legal and institutional changes that could help increase transparency in the management of the sector. Chapter six analyzes the prospects for growth in the oil and gas sector and discusses key governance reforms that would help reduce rent seeking in the sector.

This reports focus is making global value chains (GVCs) more inclusive. This is achieved by overcoming participation constraints for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and facilitation access for Low Income Developing Countries (LIDCs).The two major points of this report are 1) participation in GVCs is heterogeneous and uneven, across and within countries and 2) available data and survey-based evidence suggest that SME participation in GVCs is mostly taking place through indirect contribution to exports, rather than through exporting directly.

The Jordan economic monitor provides an update on key economic developments and policies over the past six months. It also presents findings from recent World Bank work on Jordan. It places them in a longer-term and global context, and assesses the implications of these developments and other changes in policy for the outlook for the country. Its coverage ranges from the macro-economy to financial markets to indicators of human welfare and development. It is intended for a wide audience, including policy makers, business leaders, financial market participants, and the community of analysts and professionals engaged in Jordan.

Evidence shows that foreign direct investment can provide many benefits to host countries, including productivity improvements, better jobs, and knowledge transfer. Further, it can serve as a vehicle for transformation of domestic production and better integration with global value chains. Nonetheless, these benefits are not automatic. Investment policies are required to maximize the potential gains of foreign direct investment. One challenge is that there are different kinds of foreign direct investment, and each may have different economic, social, and environmental impacts. However, the literature analyzing foreign direct investment often tends to swing from an extremely case-specific focus — analyzing experiences in one particular country in a single sector during a given period — to lumping together the analysis as if it was a homogenous phenomenon. Investment policy formulation requires a framework sophisticated enough to differentiate between the various kinds of foreign direct investment, as well as potential challenges and benefits for development. It must also be simple enough to enable governments to organize and prioritize the multiple and complex variables affecting the maximization of investment benefits. This paper presents an overview of the literature on the impact of foreign direct investment. The paper argues that a logical framework is needed to organize existing evidence from research to fill gaps in the literature and make existing evidence more useful in targeting policy making.

Between 2002 and 2012-13, most of the reduction in poverty was due to increased earnings, as opposed to higher employment or higher transfers. Although it is hard to be certain, increases in earnings are associated with: (i) a slow structural transformation away from agriculture and into industry and services that led to productivity increases; (ii) agglomeration around key urban areas that supported this structural transformation; (iii) domestic-driven growth, including public-sector investment that led to increases in labor demand, particularly in industry and services; and (iv) a commodity boom that led to higher labor earnings for agricultural workers in the context of lower agricultural employment. Sri Lanka’s has had impressive development gains but there are strong indications that drivers of past progress are not sustainable. Solid economic growth, strong poverty reduction, overcoming internal conflict, effecting a remarkable democratic transition in recent months, and overall strong human development outcomes are a track record that would make any country proud. However, the country’s inward looking growth model based on non-tradable sectors and domestic demand amplified by public investment cannot be expected to lead to sustained inclusive growth going forward. A systematic diagnostic points to fiscal, competitiveness, and inclusion challenges as well as cross-cutting governance and sustainability challenges as priority areas of focus for sustaining progress in ending poverty and promoting shared prosperity.

This document is hence organized not around the three types of challenges, but around five themes of governance, public finance issues, private sector-led economy, poverty and environment, and human capital, all crucial to achieving faster, more inclusive and sustainable growth. Chapter one provides the country context. Chapter two discusses the quality of governance, an overarching issue in Madagascar. It has a direct bearing on the pace, the inclusiveness and sustainability of growth. While acknowledging the importance of improving governance for Madagascar, which is a difficult, medium term undertaking, this Systematic Country Diagnostic argues that progress is also possible. Chapter three discusses how amelioration in managing public finances, and increasing revenue in particular, could be used as a lens for improved governance. Chapter four discusses the role and challenges of the private sector, the main driver of growth. Chapter five discusses the challenges for achieving higher human capital in a country with a very young population and some of the highest infant stunting and malnourishment rates in the world. Chapter six discusses the faces of poverty, which are predominantly rural, agricultural and informal. A structural transformation has not started in Madagascar and poverty and environment are closely intertwined. The chapter also discusses the challenges to enhancing the management of natural resources and protecting the poor from natural disasters and impacts of climate change. Chapter seven summarizes the challenges and prioritizes the reforms.

The extractive industries (EI) sector occupies an outsize space in the economies of many developing countries. Economists, public finance professionals, and policy makers working in such countries are frequently confronted with issues that require an in-depth understanding of the sector. The objective of this volume is to provide a concise overview of EI-related topics these professionals are likely to encounter. The volume provides an overview of issues central to EI economics; discusses key components of the sector’s governance, policy, and institutional frameworks; and identifies the public sector’s EI-related financing obligations. Its discussion of EI economics covers the valuation of subsoil assets, the economic interpretation of ore, and the structure of energy and mineral markets. The volume maps the responsibilities of relevant government entities and outlines the characteristics of the EI sector’s legal and regulatory frameworks. Specific key functions of the sector are briefly discussed, as are the financial structures that underpin environmental and social safeguards; investment of public revenues generated from oil, gas, or minerals; as well as extractive-based economic diversification. The authors hope that decision makers in ministries of finance, international organizations, and other relevant entities will find the study useful to their understanding and analysis of the EI sector.

Natural resources offer opportunities, but also bring challenges. They have generally been linked to a series of negative outcomes like economic decline, corruption, and conflict. Oil and minerals reserves, in particular, are often very spatially concentrated, and their discovery becomes a potential source of conflict between the governments, the people of the producing areas, and those of the rest of the country. But can this increased risk of conflict be prevented? Are there ways for the government to change this course of events? This paper tries to contribute to this discussion by looking at the international practices in raising and sharing natural resource revenues (NRR) among different levels of government. The study observes that sharing NRR with subnational governments of the producing areas is the prevailing practice worldwide. There is a rationale to compensate the subnational government of the producing areas for the negative environmental, social, and economic impact of production activities. Assignment to all - including the non-producing - subnational governments is less frequent, although it is increasingly used (particularly in Latin America). This option increases the number of stakeholders and gives them incentives to exert control. This is a relevant argument, particularly in countries with a weak capacity of public scrutiny of government activities. The volatility of revenue or the low absorption capacity of small government units may nevertheless create problems. Similarly, the allocation of NRR to individuals with direct transfers, a complement to the intergovernmental allocation rather than an alternative, can increase the welfare of citizens by increasing their scrutiny of NRR use by government.

This seventh economic update goes to the heart of one of the main challenges faced by Tanzania: how can the country finance its development? This is a fundamental question when aid is coming down as a proportion of a growing GDP, and as access to financial markets remains limited. Oneoption would be to rely more on the private sector to deliver education, health, roads, ports and electricity. This is possible as demonstrated by many such experiences around the world, and therefore this approach needs to be one important part of the solution to finance development. The argument presented in this economic update is that higher tax revenues will come only if a comprehensive approach is adopted. The tax system has to be affordable, fair, simple, and transparent. The government also has to be accountable for the money it is receiving. It is onlywhen these basic conditions are met that tax compliance will increase. Because a strong social contract between the State and its citizens is not yet sufficiently in place in Tanzania, a number of suggestions are proposed in the update, with the objective of stimulating debate on possibleapproaches to increase tax revenue.

This report offers five policy recommendations that could contribute to the attraction of manufacturing FDI in Africa. To further the benefits of FDI, especially in the manufacturing sector, policymakers in Africa should: First, manage FDI flows and FDI-related policies in a way that maximizes spillovers in host countries. Second, realize the emergence of FDI from newpartners, especially in manufacturing FDI, and establish platforms that help in the attraction ofnew FDI. Third, increase investment on key infrastructure to overcome constraints for manufacturing activities to develop, especially in power supply and transportation and logistics services. Fourth, take better advantage of the currently dominating market-seeking manufacturing FDI to improve the weak industry base in the shortterm. Market-seeking FDI has a sizeable positivecontribution to the host economy. Fifth, strengthen the linkages between domestic material input and foreign manufacturing investment.

The lessons learned from the implications of the global crisis for the Armenian economy led the Government of Armenia to refine its approach to economic development policy. The business environment, the market structure, and the incentive pattern had not fostered reallocation of resources into more productive areas or the emergence of internationally competitive products and services. Despite numerous initiatives and multiple efforts, there was no holistic approach or actionable roadmap for supporting private sector development. The pressing need to restore economic growth despite a small domestic market led the Armenian government to search for new sources of growth in export-oriented industries. At the end of 2011, the Government of Armenia adopted its export-led industrial development strategy. The strategy set as targets improving the general business environment and sector-specific initiatives to address market failures and expand exports. The strategy builds on both a general (crosscutting) and an industry-customized toolset.

Kenya’s economic performance remains solid, underpinned by strong infrastructure spending and consumer demand, which are driving growth. Growth in 2015 is estimated at 5.4 percent, a 0.6 percent downward revision from its estimate in December 2014. The revision reflects the strong headwinds the economy is facing in the foreign exchange market and the monetary policy response to calm those fears.

This report summarizes the experiences of 19 companies from across the region. Each of the case studies highlights the key corporate governance changes made and the positive impacts that resulted, as reported by the company. The companies represent various countries, sectors, types, and sizes. All of the companies featured are former IFC Advisory Services clients. Some are IFC Investment clients as well. IFC conducted an in-depth corporate governance assessment for each of these companies using IFC’s Corporate Governance Methodology. The assessments resulted in specific recommendations on ways to improve each company’s governance framework and identified implementation plans. The assessments were conducted at various points over the past few years. The time taken to implement changes and realize benefits varied. However, all companies reported that governance changes are continuous and the corresponding benefits manifest themselves in different forms over time. This report provides examples of companies in various stages of change – from recent changes (e.g., Medgulf) to ongoing, longer-term changes (e.g., Bank Audi). This report also includes testimony from three MENA private equity firms (all IFC investment clients). Collectively, these firms have worked with 72 investee companies (past and present funds). Selected based on their association with IFC and their willingness to share their insight and experiences, these firms offer a valuable window into the importance of corporate governance from an investor’s perspective. The material in this report is based on feedback gathered through individual interviews with each organization featured, resulting in well-considered responses. The achievements highlighted are all the more notable given that the interviews and information gathering process took place in in late 2009 (first edition) and 2013 (for current edition), when the region was still under the stress of the crisis.

This program document presents the World Bank Group (WBG) program and results framework for the Serbia country partnership framework (CPF) for FY2016-20. For the first time since 2001, when the transition to a market economy began accelerating, Serbia has a government with a solid majority in parliament, enabling it to initiate and implement the deep reforms necessary to create a competitive economy and raise the income of the bottom forty percent (B40). Notwithstanding the new momentum on economic and structural reforms, Serbia faces serious challenges, most notably in declining living standards. Poverty has increased rapidly since the start of the global economic crisis in 2008, mainly as a result of a triple dip recession. The CPF goal is to support Serbia in creating a competitive and inclusive economy and, through this, to achieve integration into the European Union (EU).

This report provides a baseline institutional and regulatory assessment of the oil and gas, mining (including jade and gemstones) and the hydropower sectors in Myanmar. As such the report is an input to Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Myanmar. However, it is not exhaustive with respect to all the sectors that may be considered under a scoping study for EITI .This report is the first in-depth study of the context within which EITI will be implemented in Myanmar, and can inform broader efforts to improve natural resource governance. This includes support for developing natural resource policy, law and regulations, fiscal regime design, tax administration (including support to the Large Tax Payers Office on the extractive industries sector), license management and cadaster systems, community development agreements, strategic environmental and social mitigation and management, training needs assessments and capacity building. The follow-up to this baseline assessment is a scoping study, which will determine which companies should be included within the first MEITI report and what payment flows they will need to report on.

This report is the culmination of a cross-African countries analytical and empirical study commissioned by the World Bank, which set out to improve the understanding of the characteristics and environmental, economic, and social performances of small-scale fisheries in Africa. It applies a common evaluation tool, called Fishery Performance Indicators (FPIs), which evaluates the ecological, social, and economic performances of a particular fishery. This paper is a compilation of a series of case studies to cast some light on the status of SSFs in Africa. The fisheries case studies range from inland to marine, single to multispecies, East to West African, and from artisanal to semi-industrial fisheries. A template was developed to provide structure and guidance for these case studies. Each case study involved the following elements: (a) characterization of SSFs (at both the national and case-study levels); (b) legal and institutional framework for case-study countries and communities; and (c) social, economic, and environmental performance of case-study fisheries. This synthesis report focuses on element (c) by using the standard Fishery Performance Indicators (FPIs) to do the comparison analysis. This report uses the quantitative results from the FPIs to explore commonalities and differences among and between the nine African fisheries in six countries (Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Senegal, and Sierra Leone) and to infer their relative strengths and weaknesses. Overall, there are large performance gaps in the recent African SSFs in terms of the output performance. These fisheries have unhealthy fish stock, high-risk volatility, weak market performance, and postharvest performance.

This study briefly summarizes the development experiences of special economic zones in China and Africa, the lessons that Africa can learn from China, and the preliminary results of the Chinese investments in special economic zones in Africa. The study makes recommendations on how to unleash the power of special economic zones and industrial zones in Africa through strategically leveraging the Chinese experiences. The success factors of Chinese special economic zones include the strong and long-term commitment of the government, a conducive business environment in the zones, strategic locations, technology upgrading and skills training, and strong linkages with the local economy. However, the Chinese experiences highlight some pitfalls to avoid, such as the “mushroom approach” and high-level overlaps at the later stage, environmental degradation, and the unbalance between industrial development and social dimensions. This calls for a bigger role for the market. Sub-Sahara Africas experience with traditional economic zones has been relatively poor, except in a few countries, such as Mauritius. The key challenges include the poor regulatory and institutional framework, lack of effective strategic planning, weak governance and implementation capacity, and inadequate infrastructure, among others. Since 2006, China has implemented special economic zone projects globally, including in four countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is still too early to conduct a full assessment of these projects; however, the evidence shows that some zones have begun to attract investments and make important contributions to the local economy. The main challenges include access to land, regulatory barriers, resettlement and coordination issues, and lack of external infrastructure.

This paper is intended to provide a brief overview of the different SEZ experiences in China and Africa, the key lessons that Africa can learn from China, as well as the recent Chinese zones in Africa. For this purpose, the paper is structured in the following way: section 1 starts with definition of SEZs, then followed with the Chinese experiences (section 2), African experiences (section 3), the lessons that Africa can learn from China (section 4), Chinese zones in Africa (section 5), and then concludes.

This Fifth Edition of the Uganda Economic Update presents evidence that if the urbanization process is well managed, it has the potential to stimulate economic growth and to provide productive jobs for a greater proportion of Uganda s young and rapidly expanding population. In many countries across the world, the growth of cities has stimulated the establishment and expansion of productive businesses by reducing the distance between suppliers and customers. The growth of cities has also facilitated provision of social services and infrastructure through economies of scale. These positive effects from urbanization are already visible in Uganda since the poverty rate is seven percentage points lower in urban areas than in rural areas. Most of the recent job creation is found in cities, and social indicators are also better in urban areas, especially in education and health. This report conveys the following key messages: (1) over the past 12 years, the number of people living in Uganda s urban areas has been increasing by an average of 300,000 people per year, (2) during the past few decades, similarly rapid rates of urbanization have been recorded in many emerging countries, (3) as is the case in many other developing countries, the prospects of good jobs, higher incomes and better living conditions in the cities continue to attract Ugandans from rural areas, (4) currently, the opportunity presents itself for Uganda to leverage urbanization to benefit a large proportion of the population, and (5) through the implementation of smart policies, Uganda can ensure that its cities are both competitive and livable.

From 2005 to 2013, a mining boom quickly promoted Mongolia from a low-income to a middle-income country. Although the World Bank Group strategy initially overlooked the challenge of the mining boom, the new country management team that came on board in 2005 decided to prioritize mining issues in a more selective framework. This involved taking a set of bold steps to support Bank Group engagement in the extractive industry, including basing for the first time a senior mining specialist in the field and conducting an in-depth political economy analysis. Building on this, the country team was able to design a comprehensive program of outreach to the government, parliament, and civil society to build a consensus on the need for efficient and fiscally sustainable management of earnings from the revenues derived from the mineral boom. The Independent Evaluation Group considers the Bank’s performance to be satisfactory; however, its contribution to outcomes remains moderately satisfactory. The Bank revised its strategy to adopt relevant objectives centered on the mining agenda and designed an overall effective program. The Bank displayed flexibility and innovation in implementing the program and built awareness about environmental issues. As to results on the ground, Bank projects have had a highly satisfactory impact in improving rural livelihoods and reducing herders’ vulnerability. Looking ahead, the Bank Group would need to: (i) build demand and capacity for good governance; (ii) pursue efforts to improve public investment; (iii) strengthen domestic capacity for policy simulation; (iv) assist in the strengthening of the banking system; and (v) support fiscal decentralization. In the interests of selectivity, the Bank could scale back its support for the urban sector.

The World Bank Group’s investment climate project conducted a survey of foreign investors in the Kyrgyz Republic - both those currently operating and those that have terminated their operations for various reasons. The purpose of the survey was to assess selected aspects of the investment policy and legal environment in place in the Kyrgyz Republic, so as to determine whether the current regulations are investment-conducive or otherwise. The following aspects were studied as part of this survey: reasons for selecting a country for investing, ease of market entry, investor confidence, and protection in running a business, investor incentives and market exit. This report presents the analysis of the results of the survey. It consists of six sections, five of which discuss the results of each of the assessed aspects of the investment policy. The sixth section presents some demographics of the survey.

This issue of Handshake focuses on natural resource PPPs that are making a difference. In Cartagena, Colombia, a hybrid public-private agency is profiled that has standardized water service to residents while restoring the coast, and in the process, contributed to political stabilization. Around Africas Lake Victoria, an environmental management initiative with the potential to reduce the pollution and resource footprint of industrial activities demonstrates how to include commercial ventures in conservation. This issue also draws inspiration from the thoughtfulness of conservationists who know the path forward depends on partnerships. From 2014 Stockholm Water Laureate John Briscoe, who has spent his career making sure taps are turned on, to science correspondent M. Sanjayan, whose call to action came in the rainy forest of Sierra Leone, to Jean-Michel Cousteau, who founded the Ocean Futures Society to carry on his family s stewardship of the sea, the interviews in Handshake give voice to the ways people are connected to nature, and how our survival depends on the continuation of this connection. Original articles from the FAO and The Rockefeller Foundation outline how Payments for Ecosystem Services, or PES, brings PPPs benefits directly to farmers, fishers, and those who maintain forests. This issue includes the following headlines: Ambassador of the sea Jean-Michel Cousteaus case for sustainable fisheries; A turning point for trees: Can the Amazon s forests be saved?; Restoring Cartagenas coast: A mixed-capitol model revitalizes land and sea; Impact investing: The Rockefeller Foundation dips its toes into oceans; Against A vision of perfection: John Briscoe argues for incremental solutions.

In past four years, the World Bank, in close cooperation with the Government of Zimbabwe, and the support of international partners - has carried out a number of studies and technical assistance activities in key areas of the socio-economic recovery. In line with Bank’s Africa strategy of fostering Africa’s economic transformation and poverty reduction, the overall goal of these studies has been to support broad-based development of Zimbabwe by facilitating evidence-based debate and policy-making. As a new government for 2013-2018 is about to take function, sectoral teams at the World Bank have distilled key analysis from those studies, and prepared the short policy notes. The policy notes attempt to summarize the main findings, challenges, constraints, and lay out policy options. While the past decade of hyperinflation and weak economic management has undoubtedly eroded a significant share of Zimbabwes physical and human capital, these can be rebuilt with the combination of sound economic policy and proper incentives to private sector investors, both domestic and foreign. It is therefore imperative that, however policymakers choose to proceed with regard to the future direction of the economy, they deliver well-articulated, credible, and stable economic policies. Such policies will enable and unleash the creative energies and entrepreneurial spirit of the private sector, the one that has delivered so often in the past. The policy note highlights the breadth and complexity of challenges in fostering long-term development. Addressing these challenges is a long haul task that will require a good sense of overarching priorities, as well as strong commitment to long-term objectives and policy consistency.